The mammoth Cojuangco's rally

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When my media friend Harold was confined at the air conditioned room of Specialist Group Hospital and Trauma Center in Dagupan City for hypertension, I told friends about it.

GRAND RALLY. Nationalist People’s Coalition candidate for

 governor Mark O. Cojuangco speaks in a grand rally last Monday 

at the town plaza of Lingayen before tens of thousands of leaders

 and supporters who came from the six districts’ Pangasinan province.

Most of the congressmen and mayors of the 44 towns and three 

cities province joined Cojuangco, his tandem vice governorship 

aspirant Mark Roy Macanlalay and ticket for the provincial board. 

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

One of them reminisced how witty the broadcaster was.

“Noong sinabi ko na Tulisan si Politician A, sabi ni Harold hinde Two-lisan si Politician, kung hindi Three-lisan kasi masyadong suwapang sa pera kaya ayon nademanda”.

I butted in: Oo, parang si Atong (another media man) iyan noong tinanong ako, kung ano ang mga katabi na bansa ng Singapore when he guest me in his radio program.

“To’, di ba college professor ka? Ano ang mga bansang katabi ng Singapore?

“Ahh, ang alam ko dalawa lang. Singa-Three and Singa-Five”.

Harold immediately butted in and even chided (pinagalitan) me on my ignorance by telling Atong that Malaysia and Thailand are the immediate neighbor of Singapore.

***

I was conversing recently with some government brass that is pro Mar Roxas for president and quizzed them what if Rod Duterte leads by five points against Mary Grace Poe a week before the May 9 presidential election.

 One of them said "Special Ops".

I told him "it can be an option, but the logical thing there is President Benigno Aquino asked Roxas to withdraw "kasi sabi ng Pulse Asia if Roxas withdraws almost 50% of his votes go to Poe, and we can just do our math to see how that translate to Poe's votes versus Duterte".

I added that in case Duterte eclipses Poe, the President would be obliged to do it since he and Roxas faces the non-bailable plunder cases on the Disbursement Allocation Program ( DAP) aka billions of pesos of pork barrels and others after they stepped down.

The Bilang Pilipino Social Weather Station's Mobile Survey of March 22, 2016 has the following national scores in the Presidential race: Grace Poe 35%, Rody Duterte 26%, Jojo Binay 18%, Mar "Daang Matuwid" Roxas 17%, Miriam Defensor Santiago 2%, and undecided/others 1%

***

Last Monday, I experienced how a monster traffic cost me two hours and a half to reach Lingayen from Dagupan City.

Normal travel in this 11.3 kilometers stretch is only 30 to 45 minutes if one rides in a private car or a public vehicle.

Son of a gun, hundreds of vehicles stalled for hours as pro Mark Cojuangco and Mark Macanlalay for governorship and vice governorship convoyed vehicles with tens of thousands of leaders and supporters from different towns and cities in Central and Eastern Pangasinan travel via Binmaley-San Carlos Road in Barangay Manat to reach the grand rally of the duo in Lingayen Plaza.

“Grabe ang rally. After 26 years ngayon lang ni held and rally sa Capital Town,” a wide eyed supporter quipped.

Mangaldan gears for tens of millions of pesos from DILG

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – This burgeoning town applies to be a recipient again of tens of millions of pesos from the national government.

GOOD LOCAL GOVERNANCE. Department heads of the local government unit (LGU) of the town of Mangaldan, Pangasinan wait to be interviewed by the regional office’s team of the Department of Interior & Local Government for the LGU’s entry in the financial award of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) and Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH) for year 2015. The town was a recipient of the same fete with three million pesos award last year for its qualification in the SGLG and GFH. MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA 

Roberto Tamondong, political consultant of Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno, said the sum would come from the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG),Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH), and Bottoms-Up-Budgeting (BuB) from the Department of Interior and Local Government.

He cited the team from regional office of the DILG was here recently to document and evaluate if this town qualifies again for the SGLG in year 2015.

“If it qualifies it will also qualifies for the performance challenge fund in the amount of three million pesos just like last year in October”.

This town was a recipient of the 2014 SGLG where the award was received by Mayor Parayno last year.

Tamondong, a retired DILG chief, said the team will then recommend if this town qualifies for the fete at the DILG's national office in Manila.

“DILG will send someone incognito who will validate the findings. They will disguise themselves as client of the municipality by transacting business without announcement”.

To hurdle again the SGLG and GFH, this town’s department heads would submit documents and undergo interview with the DILG team to meet the core assessment areas on Disaster Preparedness and Social Protection and all the essential areas like Business-Friendliness and Competition, Peace and Order, and Environmental Management.

Tamondong said the Parayno Administration expects more projects from the DILG through BUB.

“The projects are listed because the government avoid the local officials to use the amount in building welcome arch. May pagpipilian sa check list,” he stressed.

Grace Poe stumps Eastern P'gasinan

Gobyernong may Puso presidential candidate Grace Poe (holding microphone) in a stump last Monday at the town of San Nicolas, Pangasinan. Poe, vice presidential aspirant Chiz Escudero, and ticket had their  motorcades and whistle stops  in the same day at the towns of San Nicolas, Tayug, Sta. Maria, Asingan, and San Manuel all located at Eastern Pangasinan. MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Poe in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan.

Poe consults with the Sta Maria Mayor and councilors and Cuyapo
Nueva Ecija Vice Mayor and Councilors at the office of the Sta.
Maria Mayor.

Add caption

Motorcade in Tayug, Pangasinan

Add caption

Poe swarmed by national and local reporters
in a press conference in Sta. Maria town.
MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Senator Grace Poe explains to thousands of supporters in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan her platform of government including free lunch for school kids, college education for deserving students and irrigation to marginalized farmers, if elected to office. Photo by Ernie Reyes, InterAksyon.com

Poe in a huddle with former Senator Letty Shahani as vice presidential bet Chiz
 Escudero looks on in Asingan, Pangasinan. The sister of former President Fidel
V. Ramos endorses Poe and Escudero in their bid. 

Asingan, Pangasinan

San Manuel, Pangasinan

Meeting de Avance

Meeting de avance of Team Belen lead by Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez at Sabangan Centro in Bonuan at 5:30 pm today.

Pangasinan joins Earth Hour 2016

DAGUPAN CITY - Pangasinan participated in the annual global observance of Earth Hour on Saturday night in support to sustained efforts against climate change.

To show their concern for the planet, the Philippine National Police joined the event by switching off lights for one hour starting at 8:30 p.m. in all its units and offices across the province.

For an hour of darkness, police personnel used candles while inside their precincts to save on power and promote the conservation of resources.

A mall chain in Rosales town also engaged in this worldwide celebration not just by turning off their lights but also with the use of a big hologram depicting community campaign to protect the planet.

The holograms showcased a three-dimensional image of the Mother Earth and its creatures, which people, particularly the children, enjoyed viewing.

Roselle Gale, public relations officer of the SM City Rosales, said the activity seeks to spark awareness and inspire society to direct its efforts towards combatting global 

The provincial employees were also urged to turn off their lights in their respective homes.

Social media users likewise took part in the lights off campaign by adding a custom-made Earth Hour filter to their profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter to show they believe this is the time to fight climate change.

According to Wikipedia, Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

It said the event is held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. towards the end of March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. (PIA-1, Pangasinan)

2,000 Day Care Center pupils graduate

DAGUPAN CITY – A total of 1,995 pupils from the city’s 46 day care center graduated on March 21 during the 2016 Day Care Center Mass Recognition rites held at the CSI Stadia with Mayor Belen T. Fernandez as guest of honor and speaker.

In her speech, Fernandez stressed the need to support the early education of children through the implementation of the early childcare development programs of the city’s day care centers.

“Children who completely lack access to early education also miss out on basic classes such as hygiene, sanitation, health and nutrition," she intoned.  

According to the United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the things the children learned in the day care centers are critical in laying the foundation for their development, added Fernandez.

Fernandez stressed, “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. And this we can through our early learning programs in our city.”

Recent study reveals that around two million children aged 5 to 7 years old are already part of the country’s labor force and around one million of them never had a formal education and are lacking in good nutrition.

“We do not want our children in our city to suffer the same plight. This is why we are trying our best to send your children to our day care centers. I am proud to say that in our day care centers, our children experienced different social and emotional interactions with teachers and other children from which they can learn and practice proper communication, exercise their creativity, and learned respect and self-discipline,” said Fernandez in her graduation message.

“This is what I promised in 2013 and I intend to continue this because I believe that our children are the true wealth of our city,” said Fernandez. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO)  

DOST visits SETUP beneficiaries in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conducted a project visit on Wednesday to four firms in Pangasinan that benefitted from the agency’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).

Regional Director Armando Ganal of DOST in the Ilocos said these SETUP recipients, which belong to the food processing as well as metals and engineering sectors, were offered funding assistance and technical help by DOST to improve their business.

“SETUP is a nationwide strategy to encourage and assist small and medium enterprises to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness,” he said.

Metals and engineering firms that were visited are Barangay Machine Works in Barangay Caranglaan, Dagupan City and Philgerma Manufacturing, Inc. in Barangay Bued, Calasiao.

Barangay Machine Works was established in 2009 by Manny Ventura and presently fabricates and installs various types of metal parts for power plants, factories and other allied industries. Currently, the company employs 11 workers and five non-production staff.

On the other hand, Philgerma Manufacturing, Inc. is a family-owned metals and engineering company that was founded in 1980. The firm manufactures 22, 802 pieces of plow shears, plow points and assorted machine parts annually.

The team from DOST led by Assistant Secretary and Program Manager for Countryside Development Dr. Urdujah Tejada also visited firms in the food processing sector under the SETUP.

One of these is Bella’s Calasiao Puto and Pasalubong Center in Dinalaoan village, Calasiao town.

Bella’s Calasiao Puto and Pasalubong Center is a well-known producer of puto (in different flavors), kutsinta, tikoy, suman, cheese bibingka, bitso-bitso, ube halaya and papaya pickles (atchara). It was chosen as 2012 SETUP Best Adoptor in Region I.

Another beneficiary of SETUP is the Long Live Pharma in Barangay Malanay in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

Provincial Director Felicidad Gan of DOST-Pangasinan said that Long Live Pharma is the sole producer of hyposol, a simple water treatment technology accredited by the Department of Health (DOH), for disinfecting raw or contaminated water to make it safe for human consumption.

“The firm has close collaboration with DOH, World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for the distribution and marketing of the products throughout the Philippines,” she said.

It also offers other food products that promote proper nutrition especially among children such as the RIMO (rice-mongo) curls, RIMO baby food blend, Go and Grow micronutrients growth mix, Momsie (rice, nutty, chocolate-flavored complementary food), Brown Rice Nutty-Fruity Bar and Nutri-Bite.

Last year, Gan said the company requested for another technology assistance from SETUP for the commercialization of Food Nutrition and Research Institute-developed technologies on iron rice premix and iron fortified rice.

With the growing demand for its products, the firm empowers itself by increasing its workforce. During peak seasons, 30 more workers are hired. 

During the visit, Tejada was pleased to note the huge difference the SETUP has done for the firms. She commended these four companies for availing the opportunities offered by the DOST for their own advancement.

NIA to launch stakeholder’s network

NIA Regional Manager John N. Celeste  (extreme left)confers with
Mary Jean P. Estefanio, designated team leader of the visiting
 Internal Audit Services (IAS) during the exit conference. The 2-week
 operations audit is in adherence with the NIA Board directive requiring 
all regional offices to submit monthly status report of actions taken
 concerning previous findings submitted as early as 2012. Optimizing fund
 utilization which will redound to greater benefits of the farmers is one of the
 key strategic directions of NIA Administrator Florencio F. Padernal towards financial management reform in the agency.

URDANETA CITY - The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the Ilocos is set to launch in April its stakeholders network dubbed ‘NIA Communication Advocacy Network’.

Engineer John Celeste, NIA regional manager, said the activity aims to strengthen NIA’s public relations  through the establishment of stakeholders network which is part of the NIA national strategic plan.

“It is our fervent desire that the public will be pertinently informed of various updates in the field of irrigation management,” Celeste said.

Celeste is confident that the participation of stakeholders composed of tri-media representatives,  line agencies and civic organizations concerned will provide an avenue where best practices of stakeholders will be shared in an  objective and professional manner to attain positive results for the common good.

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) primarily responsible for irrigation development in the Philippines. It was created under Republic Act (RA) 3601 on June 22, 1963. Its charter was later amended by Presidential Decree (PD) 552 on  September 11, 1974 and PD 1702 on July 17 1980, both increasing its capitalization and broadening its authority. (VHS/PIA-1, Pangasinan)

Dagupan names barangay PESO focal persons

DAGUPAN CITY – At least 31 people have been appointed by the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) as its focal persons in the barangays for them to help address the problem of unemployment and assist troubled Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families in their areas. 

Pogo Chico Chairman Bryan Kua and Councilor Joey Tamayo joined

 Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez with Team Belen to open

 the basketball tournament at Sitio Talaib in Brgy. Calmay.

These focal persons took their oath of office before Mayor Belen T. Fernandez on March 21 in the presence of PESO Manager Joy Siapno at CSI Stadia.

“This is the first time that we have focal persons in the barangays to help us disseminate the different programs and projects of our office, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) so we could help our people seek employment here and abroad. At the same time, these people will also help us address the concerns of fellow Dagupeños who are in trouble abroad,” said Siapno.

The creation of a PESO in the barangay is in accordance with the city’s PESO Ordinance which mandates the appointment of its focal persons.

Fernandez disclosed that her administration is focused on creating jobs for everyone, believing that if a family earns income and is prosperous, Dagupan will also be prosperous.

“This is why we are working for the approval of our City Land Use Plan or CLUP so we can expand our business centers and create jobs for the coming generations. And in order to prepare our children for this eventuality, we need to give them a strong foundation in education. This is the reason why we  have never stopped  constructing school buildings for them and even send some of them to college for free under our MBTF Scholarship Program,” said Fernandez.

BIR-Region I to beef up manpower

BY: VENUS MAY H. SARMIENTO

CALASIAO, Pangasinan, March 24 (PIA) - The Bureau of Internal Revenue in the region is speeding up its recruitment process to beef up its manpower complement.

Assistant Regional Director Eduardo Pagulayan said the bureau is in need of young and dynamic Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), lawyers as well as business and computer graduates with civil service eligibilities.

“(Based on rationalization plan) the region is in need of about 400 personnel in addition to its existing workforce. Kaya ang ginagawa namin ngayon ay pumupunta kami sa mga universities para ipaalam itong vacancies,” Pagulayan told the Philippine Information Agency.

Meanwhile, Regional Information Officer Lee Caday said BIR continues to improve its software and hardware facilities to better accommodate the growing number of users of its electronic filing system.

Aside from the usual manual mode of filing, Caday enjoined the use of eBIR forms alongside the already existing electronic filing and payment system to allow a more efficient filing and paying experience.(MCA/VHS/PIA-1Pangasinan)

GAWAD NG PARANGAL

GAWAD NG PARANGAL.Top brass of the Bureau of Internal Revenue – Region 1 during the Gawad ng Parangal sa mga natatanging Babaeng Kawani held last March 22 at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, Pangasinan

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Cojuangco, NPC hold Lingayen March 28 grand rally

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – The provincial candidates of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in Pangasinan gear for a grand rally here on March 28.

POWER HOUSE. Members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and the
 Biskeg na Pangasinan pose for posterity with the party gubernatorial 
aspirant Mark Cojuangaco and his running mate Calasiao Mayor Mark
 Macanlalay distributed certificates of nomination and acceptance. 
LOEJAN ANUDON

According to a mayor in the Second District, who asked anonymity, the rally would be led by gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco, his slate, and supporters like the five  provincial congressmen and the almost 40 mayors in the 44 towns and three cities province.

The rally will be held at 5 pm at this Capital Town’s plaza.

“Buong Pangasinan pupunta dito kasi may grand proclamation. Iyan ang usapan namin two Sundays ago,” the mayor said.

A rule from the Commission on Election says that the 45 days campaign period for the local candidates commence from March 25 of this year.

All roads lead to this town, according to NPC’s vice governorship candidate Mark Roy Macanlalay.

He said his group and those of gubernatorial aspirant Cojuangco will assemble in Urdaneta City at 1pm today before they simultaneously motor to this Capital Town.

“May mga First District, iba ang route ng Fifth District, Sixth District, Third District, Fourth District, and Second,” according to Macanlalay who is the mayor of the burgeoning Calasiao town.

Another source said that the tandem of governorship and vice governorship bets Amado Espino III and Ferdinand Calimlim will have the same rally today at the Bay Walk Area of this town.

In October last year, Alaminos City Mayor Art Celeste, a former congressman like Cojuangco, declared in a party meeting that 35 incumbent mayors out of the 47 mayors and 75% of the barangay officials in the 1,333 villages in the almost three million populated Pangasinan supported the governorship and vice governorship candidacies of Cojuangco and Macanlalay.

“So ano po ang ibig sabihin nito? Para po ito sa bayan natin. Kung kasama po natin lahat ng kapitan, kasama po natin lahat ng barangay officials majority hindi naman po lahat paano po tayo matatalo?” Celeste told an army of candidates running for the provincial board, mayoralty, vice mayoralty, and town council who were applauding his rousing speech at the well manicured rolling lawn of the Cojuangcos in Barangay Labayug in Sison, Pangasinan.

First District Congressman Jesus Celeste, the mayor’s older brother, told recently this paper that he and nine out of 10 mayors in his District would trounce out the ticket of gubernatorial candidate Amado Espino III, the son and namesake of the incumbent governor, in favor of Cojuangco and his slate.

“We got all the mayors here. The governor got all the has-been,” he said

Inmates get free treatment, medicines

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Some 420 inmates of the Pangasinan Provincial Jail in Lingayen were given free medical treatment, consultations and an assortment of medicine and vitamins during the medical mission conducted by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) last March 23.

The PHO medical mission headed by Dr. Cielo Almoite found most of the inmates in normal health condition, except for a few who were afflicted with high-blood pressure, skin infection and common ailments such as cough and colds.

As PHO doctors and nurses attended to the sick, the rest of the medical team conducted free consultations and check-up.

Dentists and dental technologists led by Dr. Eloy bueno also performed tooth extractions and other dental treatment among at least 50 inmates.

The medical mission at the provincial jail is a regular activity of the PHO under the provincial government’s rehabilitation program aimed at providing lawbreakers opportunities for an eventual assimilation into free society after their release from jail.  /ADV

Dull election in Dagupan City

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I bumped today into Paul Tandoc, son of the late publisher of the Regional Examiner Newspaper, at the Downtown area of the city.

UNOPPOSED. Dagupan City's Mayor Belen Fernandez

"Election in Dagupan (City) would be somber," he told me.

"Bakit naman?" I posed.

He cited about the withdrawal today from the mayoralty race of Nationalista Party’s Celia Lim and  Liberal Party’s Vice Mayoralty aspirant Dean Bryan Lim Kua.

UNOPPOSED: Dagupan City's Vice Mayor Brian Lim

Lim is pitted in the May 9’s mayoralty race with incumbent L.P’s Mayor Belen Fernandez, while Kua competes with incumbent N.P’s Vice Mayor Brian Lim.

Lim is the son of Celia while Kua is the first cousin of Mayor Fernandez.

'Gutom ang mga taga Dagupan nito, " Paul sadly quipped and reminisced  how these two camps in the 2013 election outmatched each other by ingratiating with their supporters by pampering them  manna that await at the countless queues in every villages three days before the election.

"Malas ng voters sa Dagupan, masuerte ang mga voters sa Pangasinan, may Cojuangco versus Espino sila," I retorted as I cited the mega governorship race in the mammoth province between these two marquee families.

Dagupan City is an independent component city where its more than a hundred thousands of voters do not vote for the governor and vice governor.

To confirm the information Paul gave me that I still treat as rumor, I rode shotgun to the coffee shop at CSI Mall in Brgy. Lucao and waited for media colleagues to pass by. 
These folks every afternoon have TV programs at USATV owned by the mayor whose studio at the world class Stadia was just nearby the family’s owned giant Mall.

As I sipped my Cafe Amerikano, a pro Lim broadcaster confirmed on my phone that Vice Mayor Brian Lim announced at a morning radio program about the family’s decision for his mother to withdraw.

"Kinausap ni BSL (former Mayor Lim)  ang pamilya niya,” he told me.

  (Mayor Lim had massive stroke the night before the May 2013 election. He was believed to be bed ridden ever since).

"Huh, nagsasalita na si Mayor Lim?" I posed.

"Matagal na!" the broadcaster retorted.

Minutes later a pro-Fernandez broadcaster passed by.

He told me that early this month the two rival families in business and politics have been negotiating with each other.

"Si Mayor Belen naiinip na mas gusto na niya na maglaban laban na sila para malaman kung sino talaga ang gusto ng tao," he said.

He informed me that the withdrawal certificate for the Commission on Election of Celia Lim was dated March 16 or seven days in March 22 when she and vice mayoralty bet Kua filed their respective withdrawal certificates.

Other sources told me that both Lim, who was accompanied by her son Vice Mayor Brian Lim, and Kua arrived at the City Comelec’s office and simultaneously signed their withdrawal at 10:45 Am.

At Kua's Face Book account he posted at 3:45 pm of March 22: “Noong nagfile ako ng aking certificate of candidacy, iisa lang po ang nasa isip at puso ko… ang ikakabuti ng ating siyudad. Kaya’t noong nag-usap-usap po kami, napagkaisahan namin mas makakabuti sa Dagupan na isantabi ng mas maaga ang politika, upang maipagpatuloy na kaagad ni Mayor Belen ang kanyang mga proyekto para sa ating siyudad. Kahit kailan, hinding-hindi po ako haharang sa mga pamamaraang makakabuti sa ating siyudad”.