Cayetano to Gov't officials: Shape up or ship out

"Sa ilalim ng administrasyong Duterte, hindi na pwede ang mga opisyales na korap, mabagal at pateka-teka. Its either they shape up or ship out. They have one month."

Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano gives instruction
to his media liaison officer Ofel Magno Rodeles.

This was the warning issued by Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano to all officials currently working in government, now that Davao City mayor Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte has been officially proclaimed as the next president of the Philippines.

The incoming administration under Duterte will assume office on July 1, 2016. Cayetano said that government officials and employees should use the time before Duterte's inauguration to prove their worth to the people, whom he said have high expectations from the new government.

Agents of change

"Sanay si Presidente Duterte sa mabilis na aksyon at matapang na solusyon. We must therefore match his political will and the people's expectations for real change by making sure that we become the best agents of change," Cayetano said.

Days are numbered for the corrupt

Mangaldan mayor to fast tract projects

After foes in Council lost

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – The reelected mayor here is all geared up to pass major projects in the council after some opposition members lost in the May 9 election.

PEP-TALK. Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno gives encouragement to
 the scholars funded by her administration. Parayno just won her reelection in
the May 9 poll. 

Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno said those projects were the first order of the day in the meeting she called a week after the May 9 election.

“Oh yes of course, and we will spearhead lahat ng mga project and activities na kailangan alam ko nakakapagpaganda sa mga Mangaldaneans. Actually that was our first meeting ngayon. That is what we are going to do in 2016-2017. Napag-usapan na namin ng mga department heads,” she stressed.

Parayno defeated in the mayoralty race Vice Mayor Manny Casupang by a margin of 1,336 votes where the former got 19,093 votes versus the latter 17,757.

Another mayoralty rival Councilor Joel Meneses settled for 9, 852 votes.

Both Casupang and Meneses opposed vehemently many of the proposed projects of Parayno in most of her three years of her first term that started in 2013.

With Casupang defeated and the vice mayoralty post here chalked up by Parayno’s party mate come backing Vice Mayor Pedro Surdilla and other four allied councilors, many of these projects like the snagged P40 million proposed loan at a bank would now have a chance to be approved.

Dagupan Mayor consults Scarborough Shoal's fishermen

OCULAR INSPECTION. Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez 
(5th from left)  and staff, Japanese and Philippines' media men, and lawyer
 Gilbert T. 
Andres (3rd from left) of the  Roque & Butuyan Law Offices posterity pose
 in one of their ocular inspections and interviews  last Saturday
 with the beleaguered fishermen in Sta. Cruz and Masinloc, Zambales
 and Brgy. Cato, Infanta in Pangasinan. These  folks have been incessantly 
harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough Shoal,
 Zambales.

Mayor Fernandez leads the group because she would be going in the
 middle of June to the United Nations in New York City as resource 
speaker on environment of the United Nations Convention on the Law 
of the Sea (UNCLOS). MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

A village councilman and leader of the fisher folks at Cato in Infanta, Pangasinan explains

to Mayor Fernandez and Professor Nicanor Melecio (extreme right), Head, Public Alert 

and Response Management Center of Dagupan City, the fate of fishermen after the Chinese Coast Guard repeatedly drive them away  since 2012 to fish at the Shoal.

The crew of the craft, with its small boats on both of its floaters, prepare for the 18 hours trip'

to Scarborough Shoal. 

Fishermen in Cato, Infanta said that since May 1 the Chinese

Coast Guard nonchalantly allowed them to fish at the Shoal.

Mountain of soil that contained nickel and other minerals from Zambales province being prepared to be transported

in a barge docked at the wharf of Barangay Cato, Infanta in Pangasinan.

The barge ferries the minerals to the Chinese ships that wait in the high

seas of Infanta.

STA CRUZ, ZAMBALES. Eva Visperas of the Philippine Star interviews a
fisherman in Sta. Cruz, Zambales.

While Mayor Fernandez and Lawyer Andres take notes.
Fernandez  and Andres, a Manila based lawyer,
will go to the United Nations in the middle
of June.

A resident of Masinloc, Zambales excitedly holds the arm of Mayor Fernandez. She was overjoyed to

 meet the mayor she and other residents there saw only on national television broadcast

 from  Dagupan City.

Fishermen, tricycle drivers, and sales ladies  in Infanta, Pangasinan and Sta. Cruz and Masinloc, Zambales 

immediately recognized and warmly greeted the mayor when they saw her.

"We always saw her at the news of GMA-7 and ABS-CBN," one of them quipped.

A fisherman tells his experiences at Scarborough to lawyer Andres who is an associate of Kabayan

Party List incoming congressman lawyer Harry Roque. 

Both these lawyers helped the fishermen

filed a case at the United Nations versus the  series of harassment by 
the Chinese against them.

 This former Davao City based fisherman in Masinloc, Zambales told media men and Mayor Fernandez that former Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon and Atty Harry Roque plan to rent his boat for P35,000 for an 18 hours trip from Masinloc to Scarborough Shoals to protest China’s encroachment. The trip will not happen anymore because Faeldon is the Custom chief.
By the way, most of the fishermen in Masinloc, Sta. Cruz, and Subic, Zambales and Infanta, Pangasinan came from Surigao and Davao City.

DAGUPAN CITY TO HOST IT-BPM INDUSTRY FORUM

DAGUPAN CITY – The Dagupan City Information and Communications Technology Council (DCICTC) will conduct an Information Technology Business Process Management (IT – BPM) Industry Forum with the city’s ICT stakeholders on May 30 at CSI Stadia here in line with the city’s ongoing industry study.

The DCICTC is currently working to prepare Dagupan City to acquire a significant share of the ICT industry and the forum will serve to bring together all the important stakeholders for the project and discuss with them how the council can work together so that it can achieve its goal.

Accordingly, the council aims to develop an IT-BPM industry in the the city so that it can benefit from the expected $25 billion revenue goal nationwide for 2016 alone.

ICT Officer Ryan D. Castañeda said that Jonathan De Luzurriaga, an incumbent trustee of the Information Technology Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and president of the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) will join the forum.

IBAP is the national enabling organization for the IT-BPM industry composed of 300-strong industry and support industry members.

The council is headed by Mayor Belen T. Fernandez as chairman of the Dagupan City ICT Council.

Dagupan was recently recognized as one of the top 10 next wave cities in the country or as one of the best locations for Information Technology and Business Process Management Industry next to Manila, Cebu, Clark and Bacolod City. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/May 25, 2016)

JDV opens to help Duterte on Ph-China rows

Philippine former 5-Time House Speaker Jose de Venecia, founding chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) that represent more than 340 political parties, met in Manila with  Northern Watch Newspaper’s political columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza to discuss U.S President Barrack Obama’s phone call to Philippine President-Elect Rodrigo Duterte on the South China Sea’s row, immediate bilateral talks with the Chinese, his intercession for China, Vietnam, and the Philippines that signed a seismic and geological test, and joint exploration, excerpts:

Jose de Venecia Jr, Founding Chairman of International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), speaks during a signing ceremony with the foreign members of the group.

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA: U.S President Obama called President – Elect Duterte to wait for the decision of the (United Nation) arbitration (tribunal in The Hague). The Philippine president answered that if the situation still goes in still water he would go for bilateral talks with the Chinese. I know you advocated that talk, what’s your take then?

JOSE DE VENECIA (JDV): If the talks are at the level of the Arbitration Panel, we could continue. Anyway, it should be in the few weeks from now but then the bilateral talks at the informal level should begin immediately.

 Begin immediately?

 At the informal level.

 Was Obama correct when he told Duterte to wait first for the decision of the Tribunal?

 The formal way, the formal way because the informal level can be (through) back channeling. But that channeling could not wait.

No kin in my governance – Bauzon

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO - “No relatives in my administration”.

This pronouncement came from this town’s incoming mayor Joseph Arman Bauzon about his style of governance where he would not hire any kin to work under his government.

FAIR-HAIRED BOY. Incoming Calasiao Mayor Joseph Arman Bauzon (2nd from left)
 posterity  poses with birthday celebrant  Eng. Alex Rosario (3rd from left) who is his
fair-haired boy to run for the village chief in the coming October election in Barangay
Macabito, Calasiao.

Politicians in the Philippines have the propensity to hire relatives whenever they win an elected office.

The 27 year-old Bauzon said he had no idea how much is the amortization of this town’s local government unit (LGU) from the tens of millions of pesos loans at the government bank.

“I will look for it upon assumption of my office”.

 He said that until now the LGU continues to pay the debt it contracted at the Land Bank of the Philippines in 2008 and 2014.

In August 2014 the administration of outgoing mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay borrowed P75 million from the LBP.

The monies were used to fund the construction or completion of this town’s  P55 million sports and commercial complex, construction of the P10 million abattoir with facilities and equipment and installation of P10 million street lights along provincial and national roads.

“I did not vote for the P75 million,”Bauzon, who was a councilor when the loan was deliberated, said.

Bauzon beat this town vice mayor Roy Macanlalay in the May 9 election by 3,452 votes.

CITY HALL EMPLOYEES RECEIVE MID-YEAR BONUS, EQUIVALENT TO ONE-MONTH PAY

DAGUPAN CITY – City Hall employees on May 27 received their mid-year bonus equivalent to their one-month salary pursuant to Executive Order No. 201, series of 2016, issued by President Benigno Aquino III on February 19 this year.

The EO is entitled “Modifying the Salary Schedule for Civilian Government Personnel and Authorizing the Grant of Additional Benefits for Both Civilian and Military and Uniformed Personnel”.

Under Budget Circular 2016, government personnel--for them to be entitled to the mid-year bonus-- must have rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four months of service from July 1, 2015 to May 15, 2016, be currently in service as of May 15, 2016, and have received at least a satisfactory performance rating in the immediately preceding rating period.

The mid-year bonus of the employees was drawn from  Supplemental Budget No. 1 of fiscal year 2016 amounting to P97,172,341.20 in accordance with City Ordinance No. 2058-2016 passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on March 17 this year,

CAYETANO'S BALL

CAYETANO'S BALL. Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano took a 
quick break and played basketball with incoming Senator Emmanuel 
"Manny" Pacquiao and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, President-elect 
Rodrigo Duterte’s executive assistant, in Davao City on Saturday.

 Cayetano said that he is excited to deliver real changes to the people with
 Duterte as the "ball captain ".

Mangaldan farmers recipients of Certified Seeds

Mga magsasaka sa Mangaldan tumanggap ng Certified Seeds
 mula sa Department of Agriculture at Hon. Mayor Bona
 Fe de Vera-Parayno. Kasama si Municipal Agriculture
 Officer Merle Sali sa pamamahagi ng nasabing
 binhi.(Photo Credit: Weing de Guzman)

Mangaldan cops' reports vs illegal drugs

Mass defections of LP to Duterte’s party normal – JDV

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

QUEZON CITY – The brain power behind the Rainbow Coalition in expediting bills of the former Ramos Administration said the mass defections of congressmen to the party of President-Elect Rodrigo Duterte were customary.

5 –TIME SPEAKER. Former five-time House Speaker Jose de Venecia (second from left, standing) poses for posterity with family members and guests during the  joint congressional victory party last Saturday at the Sampaguita Gardens in Quezon City of incoming Rep. Toff de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan) and first cousin presumptive Rep. Eduardo Maceda (4th District, Manila). MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

“There will be ebbs, and flows, and shifts, and copulation of few allegiances. But that is normal in Philippines politics. It is abnormal in other countries (but) normal in the Philippines. But it should not be encouraged,” former five-time Speaker Jose de Venecia, known as JDV, told this paper on the mass defections of the present but fading ruling Liberal Party to the incoming PDP-Laban.

The once powerful LP, presently chaired by outgoing President Benigno Aquino III, has 80 to 90 solons as of press time who turncoat to the presumed ruling party PDP.

Liberal Party used to have 116 congressmen in the 250 members in the 16^th Congress who would end their term in the noon of June 30 this year.

Cayetano wants to build a strong majority for Duterte's legislative agenda

Barely a month after the 2016 national elections, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano reiterated his assurance to help President-elect Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte in formulating his legislative agenda.

Presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte and rumored Senate
President Alan Peter Cayetano. PHOTO CREDIT:CNN Philippines

“Bilang kasama niya araw-araw sa kampanya, ako po ang nakarinig ng mga pangako at mga nais na pagbabago ni President Duterte sa ating bansa,” Cayetano said.

"Build a strong majority"

When asked whether he was interested in the Senate presidency, Cayetano said he wants to focus more on building a strong majority that will help Duterte realize his plans of creating real changes in the country.

“Everyone is interested in the Senate leadership. Wala pa akong nakitang senador na hindi interested maging Senate President. However, it's not really a matter of kung sinong magiging Senate President. It’s a matter of forming a strong majority that can deliver the culture the effectiveness and efficiency. Sa bigat ng legislative agenda ni President Duterte, kailangan ng majority na 15-18," he added.

"Go beyond committees, unite under Duterte's legislative agenda"

Cayetano, however, said that he is not inclined to help in building a majority if the discussions will be limited to who will head the chamber's respective committees. "We should go beyond the committees and positions and discuss the important measures that should be passed by the Senate under President-elect Duterte. Sa aking palagay, kahit sabihin nilang ako ang Senate President, pero hindi sila magko-commit sa legislative agenda (ni President Duterte), hindi ko rin kukunin ang pwesto,” he added.

GATE mulls PNP ‘shape up’ as lawmaker

Lingayen – In his return to the House of Representatives as the newly-elected Pangasinan fifth district congressman, incumbent Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr pledges to sponsor a bill to “shape up” the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The outgoing provincial chief executive spoke to hundreds of police forces at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO) here in an awarding ceremony last May 23.

“The most important for a country to have is peace and security as well as the police that administers it,” said Gov. Espino, citing trustworthy law enforcement as key for progressive nations to achieve affluence in global circuits.

He revealed that his main agenda fueling his recent bid for the congress is to strengthen the national police, him taking to account his experience as a police officer himself and his ascent as PNP Region 1director.

Until now, the incoming fifth district representative still laments the absence of a permanent provincial police director, with 10 officer-in-charge placed instead for four straight years now, including the current Police Senior Superintendent Edgar Alan Okubo.

 “As you can observe some entities here don’t bat an eyelash to resort to violence and blatantly show use of force,” he said.

Reiterating the need for an official and not an acting provincial police director, the outgoing governor said that an officer-in-charge cannot even do simple office tasks such as signing correspondences because he is not part of the office.

The newly elected Pangasinan fifth district congressman, however, thanked the provincial police force for their peacekeeping efforts this recent elections.

PSSupt. Okubo in turn expressed gratitude to the outgoing governor for gracing the event despite his busy schedule and for the provincial government’s participation to their Election 2016 scheme which capped a zero-election violence related incidence.