Sen. Bam to gov’t: Nasaan ang malasakit sa mahihirap na Pilipino?

 Nasaan ang malasakit niyo sa taumbayan? This was Senator Bam Aquino’s reaction to Budget Secretary Ben Diokno’s pronouncement that Filipinos should not be ‘crybabies’ amid the rising prices in fuel that led to the increase in prices of goods and services. 

“Makinig naman kayo sa daing ng taumbayan na nalulunod na sa taas-presyo at nabibiktima pa ng laganap na korapsyon,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the government’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law. 

Senator Paolo Benigno Aguirre Aquino IV at the Senate's floor.

“Kung may kaya ka, matitiis mo pa ang taas-presyo. Pero ang mga nahihirapan at hindi na nakakayanan ang bigat ng presyo, tulungan na lang natin sila sa halip na sumbatan,” the senator added.

Pinoy Cadets Bare Sad Plights at USMA, KMA

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 Cadets from the Philippine Military Academy sent to the United States Military Academy and those at military colleges in South Korea, Japan, Canada, and Australia disclosed some of their sad financial plights.

USMA Second Class Cadet Jesson Peñaflor said that he and his co- West Point, New York based cadet have to pay each $2,000 (P105, 270.00) their education and training supplies and equipment at USMA before they trudge their four years military and academic courses.

He said neither the PMA nor USMA pay for these materials.

This disclosure was recently posted at the Face Book’s account of Gabriel Ortigoza, a former military professor at the PMA, when he attended the graduation of the USMA Class of 2018 in New York last May 26 this year.

WEST POINTERS – United States Military Academy’s First Class Cadet Renier Dela Cruz (extreme left) and Second Class Cadet Jesson Peñaflor flanked former Military Professor Gabriel Ortigoza of the Philippine Military Academy when Ortigoza attended the USMA Class of 2018 graduation held at the Michie Stadium in USMA, New York recently.

The two Filipino cadets are part of the treaty called Foreign Service Academy Program signed by the Philippines with the United States. The country has other similar programs with South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

The PMA have two “international cadets” it sent to USMA in Peñaflor and Renier Dela Cruz.

Dela Cruz, who is from Baybay, Leyte, will be graduating in May next year while Peñaflor, from Bukidnon, will get his diploma at the Michie Stadium in May 2020.

Big Ticket Project in Bayambang

BIG TICKET PROJECT – Bayambang, Pangasinan Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao discusses with Senator Cynthia Villar and National Economics Development Authority Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia  the P399 Million Bayambang Irrigation Project to service more than 2,000 hectares of farmland in the Central Pangasinan’s town. The discussion was a preliminary for the endorsement of NEDA to a possible funding of a loan from the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

 

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Privilege Speech On rising prices and the suspension of TRAIN

 Mr. President, mga kaibigan, karangalan ko po ngayon na pagusapan ang isang bagay na nakakabagabag sa maraming pamilyang Pilipino –  ang patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin.

Nalulunod na po ang mga mahihirap nating kababayan sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin.

Noong kami ay bumisita sa mahihirap na komunidad at kinausap ang ating mga kababayan tungkol sa kanilang mga hinaing, ang una po nilang lagging binabanggit ay ang presyo.

Ito ang ilan sa sinasabi nila:

Cotabato LGUs should honor new West Pointer, Mom

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Congratulation to my town mate Fely Arzaga Eichenberger and her son Eli, 22, who will conclude this Sunday his four years tough academic and regimental trainings at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Eli and mom Fely Arzaga would be in their town M’lang, Cotabato province next month for some “rest and recreation” and probably sentimental journey where Fely, a daughter of a carpenter and a housewife (they were our neighbor) migrated in the United States in 1992 and married Mark -  a veteran  commissioned air force officer.  (Click here for my lengthy article’s Fil-Am to Graduate this Weekend at West Point.

NEIGHBOR - The former Fely Arzaga (extreme left),  her West Point's cadet son Eli Arzaga Eichneberger, and former military professor Gabriel Ortigoza of the Philippine Military Academy.The Arzagas and the Ortigozas were former neighbor in the rustic town M'lang,
Cotabato Province. Photo taken at the United States Military Academy at West Point,
New York.

I hope the local government units (LGU) of M’lang and the Province of Cotabato can confer their appreciation just like what the LGU of Pangasinan and its towns gave importance to graduates and heroes in their sons from the Philippine Military Academy – a premier military college in Asia copied from USMA – based at Fort del Pilar, Baguio City my and my siblings’ birthplace.

Here are some excerpts of the news of my 44 towns 4 cities’ province in Northern Luzon in bestowing plaudits to its sons and daughters that came from The Long Gray Line.

“Leading the provincial government of Pangasinan in welcoming the eight out of the sixteen Philippine Military Academy (PMA) 2018 graduates of the ‘Alab Tala’ class who are from Pangasinan, Governor Amado I. Espino III extols the public servants engaged in military service for their dedication in winning the peace of the country”.

Here’s my news article titled “Why sharpshooters are glamorized,glorified?”

Alumni of the Philippine Military Academy's Class of 2018 being 
honored by the governor of Pangasinan at the Capitol in Lingayen.
Photo Credit: Provincial Information Office

 “Can you still remember that famous and courageous soldier who took off his Kevlar helmet and bullet vest as quid pro quo to ISIS rebels in Marawi City so he could save a four years old girl  and other Christian hostages from the ISIS rebels in Marawi City in exchange of containers of water, soft drinks, and biscuits?

Yap, he is Army Captain Jeffrey Buada, commander of the 15th Scout Ranger Company.

After he was feted recently by his town Mangaldan in Pangasinan for his exemplary courage in Marawi, I asked Buada, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, about those incidents while we consumed our snacks treated by Mangaldan, Pangasinan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno and the town’s chief of Police Superintendent Jeff Fanged (Alumnus of the PNPA).

 Buada’s wife told me that the spouse is a sniper, too.

Indeed he was as I saw earlier on his shoulder badge a sniper’s logo embroidered with a glaring red word “Sniper”.

Scout Ranger Captain Jeff Buada (center), a sniper, shares snack with Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno (extreme left) and his wife after the mayor fetes him because of his exemplary courage in the war in Marawi City.

***

 Gee whiz, after I wrote a blog/column last Thursday about the commencement of West Point Class of 2018 where Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr will be the graduation speaker of the 950 cadets (from the original batch of 1,223 men and women) that will be graduating at the former “S” curved garrison of the Continental Army to prevent and neutralize the British Navy sailing upriver, l saw last Friday President Donald Trump graced the 1,000 mid ship men graduates of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in Maryland as seen on CNN.

Does Trump favors  the academy with a Latin motto: Ex Scientia Tridens (Through Knowledge, Sea Power) where Filipinos like Enrique L. Jurado (USNA '34), Carlos Albert (USNA '39), Carlito Cunanan (USNA '58), Roilo Golez (USNA '70), Joseph Emilio Abaya (USNA '88), Maximo Mejia (USNA '88), Hanna Lea Alerta (USNA 2004), John Berjuega (USNA 2008),Carl Catalan (USNA 2008), and, Chinna Louise E. Salio (USNA 2013), than the Army’s Academy with proud motto's “Duty, Honor, Country where its proud Filipino alumni are Vicente Podico Lim (USMA '14), Rafael Ileto (USMA '43), Fidel Ramos (USMA '50), Florencio Magsino (USMA '51), Gregorio Vigilar (USMA '53),
Thelmo Cunanan (USMA '61), Narciso Abaya (USMA '71), Danilo Lim (USMA '78), Jose Rene N. Jarque (USMA '86), Dennis Eclarin (USMA '93), Floren P. Herrera (USMA 2013), and Don Stanley Dalisay (USMA 2017).

***

Oh by the way, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan’s pride Police Colonel Eric Noble (PMA Class of 1992) who is the present Philippines Police Attache’ in California asked me when I commented at the Face Book’s board of my brother Gabriel, former military professor at the PMA and who is at West Point now) if when I will visit him and my younger sibling at their Area of Responsibility in the U.S.

ERIC (Former police provincial director of Cebu and book author):  Bay kumusta, kanus-a ka mabisita sa among AOR ni Gabriel Ortigoza (When are you going to visit our AOR ?)?

ME: Antam lay mam Bisaya (Eric knew already how to speak Visaya) General Eric Noble, an Officer and a Gentleman. Di pa tumawag iyong fiancee ko na Negra hi hi.

Eric has a cadet son, Eric Joseph Dionco Noble (Class of 2020), at the United States Coast Guard Academy in Washington DC. The USCGA has a motto’s Semper Paratus (Always Ready). After 2020, the only two graduates (Niño Jhanus Aniban (USCGA 2015) and Jayner Cabral (USCGA 2015) of the Academy in Washington DC will have a third member of its alumni in Eric Joseph.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FROM THE PMA WHO STUDY NOW AT USMA.

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

DAGUPAN'S LGU FOCUSES ON TONDALIGAN REDEVELOPMENT

DAGUPAN CITY – Improvements of the Tondaligan Blue Beach in Dagupan City appear to be underway following a fruitful dialogue by the local government with shed owners in the area on May 22.

TONDALIGAN REDEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY – During a dialogue conducted on May 22, Mayor Belen T. Fernandez assures Tondaligan Blue Beach shed owners that the efforts to boost tourism in the area will eventually help improve their livelihood. The dialogue discussed with stakeholders the boardwalk project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) costing P75 million, and likewise addressed the concerns of the shed owners, particularly those who will be affected by the impending construction of the project. (CIO photo by Jojo Tamayo)

The dialogue discussed with stakeholders the boardwalk project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) costing P75 million.

This was conducted to address the concerns of the shed owners, particularly those who will be affected by the impending  construction of the project. 

Among those who attended the dialogue were City Engineer Virginia Rosario, City Planning and Development Officer Engr. Josephine Corpuz and Bonuan Gueset Barangay Council headed by incoming Punong Barangay Noel Bumanglag. 

Also present were District Engineer Edita Manuel, Department  of Environment and Natural Resources representative Mario Banda and members of the Bonuan Blue Beach Homeowners’ Association. 

Fil-Am to graduate this weekend at West Point

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A Filipino – American whose mother came from M’lang, Cotabato Province will graduate this Sunday (Saturday in the U.S) at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Cadet First Class Eli Arzaga Eichenberger, 22, will be part of the 950 first class cadets of Class 2018 who will join The Long Gray Line at the commencement to be held at 10 a.m in Michie Stadium, USMA.

MINDANAO'S PRIDE - Graduating United States Military Academy's First Class Cadet Eli Arzaga Eichenberger, 22, poses with his
mom Fely Arzaga of M'lang , Cotabato Province.

Before the Class of 2018 get their diploma and shake the hand of graduation speaker Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., they were part four years ago of 15, 060 applicants (composed of 11, 725 men and 3,335 women ) where 1,223  were admitted but eventually reduced to 950 graduates who cut their teeth academically and survived the regimental trainings at the 16, 080 acres military school’s campus founded in March 16, 1802 near the bank of Hudson River in Orange County.

Eichenberger, a multi-awarded karate champion of the USMA, hailed from Texas State.

P2.3B Target: BIR Eastern P’gasinan faces tall order

After leading a collection streak last year

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY - After leading the monthly collection streak's last year, the tax office in Eastern Pangasinan faces a tall order to collect P2, 298, 570,000.00 or almost 40 % more of its last year’s collection.

According to data secured by this newspaper at the Regional Office, Revenue District Office -6 based here collected P1, 900, 827,797.19 last year.

Under the present stewardship of RDO-6 Chief Maria Isabel B. Utit, the office had an average of 17% collection performances in years 2016 and 2017.

BRASS – Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Eastern Pangasinan Chief CPA-Lawyer Maria Isabel Utit poses with BIR Commissioner Cesar Dulay.

“We reversed this office’s anemic six percent average collection performances in 2011 to 2015,” She said.

Utit, a Certified Public Accountant and a lawyer, cited her being strict to pursue what those delinquent taxpayers owed the government that resulted, as one of the factors, of the collection turned around of RDO-6.

RDO-6 covers this thriving city and 15 towns.

Among the six RDOs in the four provinces’ Region 1, data shows that the tax agency’s Eastern Pangasinan office carries the yeoman’s job for the national government to spike by 39.28% of its collection last year to its target this year.

An RDO, as practice all over the country, used to have an average of 20% tax hike from its previous year's collection.

Below is the comparison of the collection last year and the tax targets this year of the six RDOs:

Meanwhile, amid the economic crunch, the head of the tax agency in Central Pangasinan launched Operation Kandado (Padlock) to boost her tax collection for this year.

Revenue District Office – 4 Chief Merlyn DV Vicente said three business establishments in Dagupan City and Manaoag town were raided by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and closed through its Operation Kandado.

O.K is a measure by the tax agency to taxpayers who are remissed in reporting and paying their correct value-added tax (VAT) liabilities, their failures to issue official receipts, file their VAT returns or registered them to the BIR, understates their taxable sales or receipts by 30% or more of the correct amount on the case of a VAT-registered taxpayer, and others.

Vicente said those commercial establishment that had been closed by Operation Kandado can open their business after they pay their tax dues and comply with the requirements of the tax agency.

She said her office, that oversees the two cities and 13 towns, had been ordered to collect P4, 772, 404,000 - an 18.90% jumped from its collection last year of P4, 015, 661,029.41.

RDO-4 is the prime BIR’s office in the Ilocos Region as it has a burgeouning business environment compared to its five contemparies in Region-1.

She said that the regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Region 1 was tasked by the national government to collect P17, 646,987,000.00 this year.

This year’s tax target is an increase of 23.11 % to the last year’s collection of P14, 699,567,638.47, according to Revenue District Office-4 Chief Merlyn DV Vicente.

She cited that the regional office, under Director Clavelina S. Nacar that covered the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan, had a goal of P14, 334,316,000.00 last year.

A data secured by this newspaper showed the spikes of the percentages of the collection for this year versus last year.  17.35% for RDO-1 in  Laoag City ; 22.31% for RDO 2 in Vigan City;  24.20% for RDO 3 in San Fernando City; 18.90% for RDO-4 here; 22.80% for RDO-5 in Alaminos City ;  and 39.28% for RDO-6 in Urdaneta City.

BIR insiders, who asked for anonymity, told Northern Watch that many RDO chiefs considered the hundreds of millions of pesos collection target this year a tall order from the tax agency’s national office in Quezon City.

Mayor slams anti-coal group

Members dared not to use coal-generated electricity

SUAL, Pangasinan – Short of tagging them as hypocrites, Mayor Roberto Arcinue once more dared critics of coal-fired power plant not to patronize electricity produced by the Sual Power Plant.

Sual, Pangasinan Mayor Roberto Arcinue

 “The Save Sual Movement members should start using reusable energy like solar panel to show their sincerity in their advocacy and not electricity sourced from coal power plant,” he said.

The group had been opposing the construction of coal-fired plants in the locality, claiming that these power generating facilities are polluting the local environment.

However, they never came up with any evidence or document to prove their allegation that the existing Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant being operated by Team Energy is causing any pollution in the surrounding areas, Arcinue said.

CITY RECEIVES WHEELCHAIRS, NEBULIZERS

DAGUPAN CITY – In support of “Alagang Balon Dagupan”,  the city's continued efforts to expand its health services, the city received 31 sets of wheelchairs and nebulizers from the Rotary Club of Downtown Dagupan headed by its president Dr. Ashok Vasandani on May 21.

ALAGANG BALON DAGUPAN – (from left to right) City Health Officer Dr. Ophelia T. Rivera, Rocky Vasandani, Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, Rotary Club of Downtown Dagupan President Dr. Ashok Vasandani, James Pal and City Social Welfare and Development Officer Leah Aquino are shown with the equipment turned over to the city on May 21. The city received 31 sets of wheelchairs and nebulizers from Dr. Ashok Vasandani in support of the  “Alagang Balon Dagupan”, the city’s program seeking to expanded health services to Dagupenos. (CIO photo by Jojo Tamayo) 

All these were turned over during the flag ceremony at the city plaza.

The sets of nebulizers will be distributed to each barangay and will be used by authorized barangay nurses in attending to patients with asthma and other respiratory problems.

Meanwhile, the wheelchairs will be distributed to senior citizens, patients suffering from stroke or polio and other persons with disability.

Poor mechanic wins Kap race in P’gasinan

Says he ain’t got even money to buy votes

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – If there was a poor mechanic who won the presidency in Ramon Magsaysay, another poor mechanic became a punong barangay (village chief) of this Central Pangasinan village by beating three of his moneyed opponents.

Zaldy Barbiran Bauson, 44, said since he became a kagawad (council member) in 2013 of the more than 3,000 registered voters’s Barangay Macabito here, he had a moist eye for the top post of the village.

KAP, GOFER - Newly elected punong barangay (village chairman) Zaldy B. Bauson (right) poses with his errand boy Edwin Garcia. He said he will not appoint Edwin as Secretary or Treasurer because just like him, the guy has a modicum of education. “I will not even appoint him as tanod (village guard), but I’ll commission him as my personal bodyguard,” the village chief, a poor man, who did not buy votes last poll quipped. Bauson won the May 14 Barangay Election without even a slate for kagawads or council members and platform. He was pitted with three rivals who were moneyed. MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

“Gusto ko talaga lumaban ng kapitan para tumulong (I want to aspire for the office so I can help my village mates),” he said in the thick typical accented Pangasinan’s dialect.

He cited that it was his hunch that he would win even he ran as independent and without a complete slate for council members.

“Naramdaman ko na mananalo ako. Parang God’s Will talagang mananalo kahit independent lang ako kako,” the new barangay captain (old title of the chief executive), whose look and demeanor is an epitome’ of the downtrodden, said.

Bauson finished only one year auto-mechanic course at Pangasinan Merchant Marine Academy in Dagupan City.

Abused of power by the Villars in Boracay?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The brouhahas on the tearing of the mountain at Barangay Yapak in the 1,032 hectares’ Boracay Island would surely affect the standing of re-elective Senator Cynthia Villar at the next polls of Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia if her detractors could play their cards well.

She and Senator Grace Poe hogged the No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, spots in the latest commissioned SWS’s poll conducted from April 7 to 11.

Rowen Aguirre, Executive Assistant on Boracay Affairs of Malay municipality, told CNN Philippines recently, that the Villar’s family owned Costa Vista lacks some necessary permits for the construction thus the local government had ordered it to stop the work on the project.

VILLARS - (L to R) Department of Public Works & Highway Secretary Mark Villar, Former Senate President Manny Villar, and Senator Cynthia Villar. The Villar Family owned the multi-billion peso home builder Vista Land whose  Costa Vista conglomerate member is constructing a P6.6 billion's  six residential towers, private villas, hotel, a pavilion with viewing deck, pool, convention center and a commercial quarter in Boracay Island, Aklan.

But residents there including the one who took the video that went viral in social media said the humming of construction activities there remain unabated.

They criticized the excavation despite the closure of the island for environmental rehabilitation. They cited the site is near a natural habitat for endangered fruit bats.

The continued activities of Costa Vista despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s suspension order of construction there would be perceived as grave abuse of power on the part of the Senator and her son Mark Villar who is the secretary of the Department of Public Works & Highway.

The solon said the family owned business has the legal documents and title to do the build up.  

Senator Villar is the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources while DPWH Secretary Villar is part of the Boracay Task Force.

The Villar Family is into the leading home builder in the country’s Vista Land.

It is spending P2.2 billion for the 6.5-hectare endeavour. It is spending another P4.4 billion to add 15 more hectares to the project.

Costa Vista Boracay was described as a project that will include six residential towers, private villas, hotel, a pavilion with viewing deck, pool, convention center and a commercial quarter.

The Villars also owned the Boracay Sands Hotel there.

An ABS-CBN report cited that a “road network going to Costa Vista Boracay is currently being built.” It noted that the road “covers parts of the mountain.

When President Duterte mulled the six month closure of the world renowned island to start in April 26, the opposition of Senator Villar was acrimonious.

***

Son of a gun, I remembered the infamous quote in Spanish of Liberal Party's stalwart and Senate President Jose Avelino when he told Saluyot President Elpidio Quirino  at a Malacanang meeting in January 15, 1949 ”What we in power for?!”

This poser ensued on his exhortation to the Ilocano president to tolerate corruptions committed in the government by their LP allies.

"Why did you have to order an investigation Honorable Mr. President? If you cannot permit abuses, you must at least tolerate them. What are we in power for? We are not hypocrites. Why should we pretend to be saints when in reality we are not? We are not angels. When we die we will all go to hell. It is better to be in hell because in that place there are no investigations, no secretary of justice, no secretary of the interior to go after us,"  cited by the Visayan (Samar) Senate President.
Holy Molly, those verbal somersault were sheer hubris and abused of power!

Thanks God our present president did not come from Ilocosvakia like the corrupt Ferdinand Marcos who nearly fed us to the dogs in the 1980s. Thanks Jesus he came from Davao City and a no non-nonsense Dirty Harry Duterte.

That gaffe was vehemently denied by the Quirinos and historian Quintin Doroquez who blamed Manila Chronicle reporter Celso Cabrera who zealously wrote the incident from Spanish to English.

I hope the Villars would not blame me on this article for citing them.

Gee whiz, I only read my info from various dailies.

I used to cover the lady solon when she first ran for the Senate in 2013. Her media aide the pretty Mavic Chavez would sometimes sneak me in for a one on one interview with her and we sometimes reached pre-dawn when she (The Madam) graced the coronation night of some fiestas at the towns in Pangasinan.

Patent grave abuse of authority, the Villars and us Filipinos should remember, caused the downful and disgraced of former Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teu and the forthcoming probable plunder or graft cases to be filled by the Ombudsman to her, brass of government owned PTV-4 brass probably lead by Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar, and Teu’ brother broadcaster and PTV-4 block timer Ben Tulfo, head of Bitag Media Unlimited, Inc, who got the lion’s share of the P60 million advertisement contract in a meeting of minds grossly disadvantageous to the government.

Why? Salamabit since Bitag my dear Watson caters to the C,D, and E classes Filipinos who love to hear expletives, arrogance, and machismo and not foreigners who should be the audience target of the P60 million so they would come to tourist spots of this country and spend their dollars and give jobs to our people.

(You can read my selected columns at mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

Elected kap accuses rival of ignorance

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – A newly elected barangay chairman here blamed the ignorance of his rival on how to run a village as based on laws.
Re-elected Lucao Punong Barangay (village chief) Marcelino Fernandez exposed the lack of knowledge by his lone opponent when the latter promised to the 4,700 voters that 50 percent of the budget yearly will be used to purchase a lot where a barangay hall will be erected and the following 50 percent of the next year’s budget will be for the construction of the edifice.

“He did not know how to govern a village,” Fernandez, who is the ex-officio councilor of this city, assailed rival Gerry Claveria.

He said 55 percent of the yearly general funds of the barangay goes to salaries of the officials, ten percent for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) funds, five percent for Calamity Funds, five percent for Senior Citizen’s fund, 20 percent is Development Fund where projects like construction of building and purchase of lot are taken.

The yearly revenue of Lucao, the No. 4 biggest village in this 31 barangays’ city, is more than nine million pesos.

The Local Government Code of 1991 says that the total annual appropriations for personal services of a barangay for one (1) fiscal year shall not exceed fifty-five percent (55%) of the total annual income actually realized from local sources during the next preceding fiscal year.

“The IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) P7 million, Real Property Taxes are more than P1 million. Garbage fees from households and business establishments and clearances are more than P1 million. All in all more than P9 million,” he cited the funds that entered the coffer of his village yearly.

Fernandez hit the campaign promise of Claveria that he would not bill each of the household owners of P50 to P60 monthly of their garbage collected by the village's officials.

“Kung hindi siya maniningil ng basura saan niya kukunin ang salaries ng garbage collectors, street sweepers namin?” he posed.

The re-elected Chairman, who is the President of the League of Barangays here, said as village chief he and each of his Kagawads or Council Members receive a monthly honorarium of P21, 000 and P16, 000, respectively.

DONATE A BOOK FOR THE CHILDREN OF MARAWI AT THE SM STORE

 Give the children of Marawi the gift of reading this year with The SM Store’s Donate-a-Book campaign.

Students from Alabang Elementary School received brand new school supplies
courtesy of The SM Store’s Donate-a-Book project in 2017. 

        

        It can be remembered that the five-month-long siege in Marawi affected thousands of children’s lives. Some schools were destroyed while children have no longer access to education and can’t afford basic learning materials like books and school supplies.

        Reading is known as a powerful tool for healing – as it helps the mind to find its peaceful place.  This is because books are motivating, inspirational and give a vision of human strength. Help the children of Marawi overcome difficulties and dream again with the Gift of Reading.

        In this joint project of The SM Store and SM Stationery, booths have been set up in all The SM Store branches nationwidee. Shoppers can now have the chance to donate new books, pre-loved books and brand new school supplies set from May 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018.

Sual officials bat for one more power plant

SUAL, Pangasinan – Officials here led by Mayor Roberto Arcinue share the view that construction of more power plants is the most effective way of providing cheaper electricity and preventing another power crisis as what happened in the past.

They made the observation after noting that another multi-national company is planning to put up a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant in this thriving town.

This first class municipality already hosts Team Energy’s 1,200-MW Sual power station, the country’s biggest coal-fired power plant, located in Barangay Pangascasan, Sual ,which began operation in 1999.

PCSO bankrolls ‘Sagip Mata, Sagip Buhay’

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has bankrolled the “Sagip Mata, Sagip Buhay” project of the Department of Health (DOH) and the provincial government of Isabela through mobile eye clinics.

‘SAGIP MATA, SAGIP BUHAY’     PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan (rightmost), PCSO Chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili (second to the right) and Director Atty. Bong Suntay (second from the left) formally sign the memorandum of agreement for eye mobile clinics for the Province of Isabela with Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (third from the right) and Isabela Vice Governor Antonio Albano (third from the left) and 1-PACMAN Party List Rep. Enrico Pineda (leftmost)

The project was formalized through the signing Friday last week of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at PCSO that was led by Chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili, General Manager Alexander Balutan and Director Bong Suntay; DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III; and Isabela Vice Governor Antonio Albano who represented Gov. Faustino Dy III, Isabela 1st District Representative Rodito Albano III, 1-PACMAN Party List Rep. Enrico Pineda, and Isabela 3rd District Rep. Napoleon Dy.

Balutan said the project provides free diagnostic and refraction services as well as free eyeglasses to the less privileged among Isabela’s local constituency who have no access to and cannot afford these services, specifically those who are elderly, women, and children suffering visual problems or impairments.

He said the charity agency will provide the funds to finance the cost of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures involving diseases of the eye (i.e. glaucoma, cataract, etc.). subject to the guidelines for the implementation of PCSO’s Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP) and compliance by concerned patients of the documentary and other requirements required under the IMAP.

List of new Mangaldan Kaps in 2018 poll

 Here under is the unofficial list of those 30 Punong Barangay (village chairmen) who won the May 14, 2018 election in the thriving first class town’s Mangaldan, Pangasinan:

Mangaldan was founded by Dominican order missionaries from Spain (the third such city in Pangasinan). It is known to have already been a Spanish encomienda by 1591. During World War II, Mangaldan had an airstrip that was used by the American military.

Mangaldan celebrates its annual Pindang Festival along with its town fiesta during first week of March. The popular carabeef tapa (Filipino-style dried meat), locally known as pindang is the One Town One Product (OTOP) of this municipality.^[6] It is also home of the original makers of the famous delicacy – the Romana Peanut Brittle. The town bagged the grand slam award when its inland body of water, the Angalacan River, was adjudged as the cleanest river in the entire province for the third time which was awarded in 2012.^[7]

According to columnist Mortz Ortigoza, one of the major sources of revenues here are the thriving market place and the laboratories of renowned pharmaceutical companies that buttressed the coffer of this town.^[8]

The municipal government operates its slaughterhouse with a rated "double A" by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) that guarantees the butchered meat as safe and clean.

In 2015, the annual budget of Mangaldan involving a total appropriation of Php 208, 527, 497.39 which would be the biggest for a first class town in Pangasinan.<sup>[9] (Wikipedia)

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The “Luck” brought by 18th of April for candidates in Mangaldan