SAN MANUEL MAYORALTY BET UNOPPOSED

 Kenneth Marco S. Perez, the youngest son of former mayor and present Vice Mayor Salvador M. Perez of the burgeoning town of San Manuel Pangasinan, filed his certificate of candidacy at the Commission on Election without any political rival. The young Perez is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science at Saint Louis University - Baguio City and a graduating student of Bachelor of Laws at the Urdaneta City College in Urdaneta City.(ATONG "HEARTTHROB" REMOGAT)

Binalonan Mayor Invites Grab to Spike Better Transpo Service

           To deter pricey fares of trikes

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BINALONAN – Unlike other mayors of towns and cities, the mayor here has a political will to host GrabTrike to better-off the conveniences of the passengers despite the grumblings of tricycle drivers whose income will be threatened by a new rival.

One of the reasons of Mayor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III in opening this first class town to Grab was the perennial outrageous contractual pricing by tricycle drivers of ferrying the passengers to their destination.

AUTO RICKSHAW - Some of the three-wheel  Android phone induced GrabTrike in Binalonan, Pangasinan being displayed in front of the town hall after they joined the motorcade around the burgeoning town for their soft opening to the riding public.

A political kibitzer lauded Mayor Guico for the entry of the Android phone induced ride hailing vehicles as other mayors of towns and cities in Pangasinan could not even ban motorized tricycles and trisikad (bicycle pedicab) in their main thoroughfares.

“That’s five thousand voters if you include the voting wives and children. Since time immemorial no mayor in this town will get rid of the trisikads that are the culprits for the monster traffic in our town,” a former mayor of the central Pangasinan town told this writer.

Food production, pinag-iibayo

SUAL, Pangasinan – SINASANGAYUNAN ni Mayor Roberto ‘Bing’ Llamas Arcinue ang idinudulog sa mga lokal na pamahalaan ni Secretary Manny Pinol ng Department of Agriculture, ang programa patungkol sa pagpaparami ng ani sa sakahan, high yield at value na gulayan, pag-aalaga at pagpaparami ng mga hayop at pagseseguro na hitik sa produkto ang mga kailugan, baybayin at karagatan.

‘Mamamayan ko, Pakakainin ko!’, a food security plan program ay naghihikayat sa lokal na pamahalaan na pagtuunan ng pansin ang pagtulong sa sektor ng pagsasaka, gulayan, pangangalaga ng mga hayop at pangingisda upang maseguro palagi na may maiaahin sa hapag kainan ng bawat mamamayan ng ating bansa.

Dagupan, Urdaneta LGUs lead Region -1 Cities in Billionaires’ Club

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – Because of the growing number of businessmen and a burgeoning population this local government unit (LGU) and the one in Urdaneta City lead the nine cities’ Region 1 with their more than a billion pesos’ budget for next year.

Mayor Belen T. Fernandez told this paper that a major part of the annual appropriation budget (AAB) in 2019 will go to flood mitigation.

“One billion ten million pesos (P1.10 billion) iyan ang budget natin for 2019 at kasama pa doon ang mga flood mitigation. Napakadami naka budget karamihan sa kalsada,” she stressed.

The Local Government Code of the Philippines mandates that twenty percent of the total AAB goes to development fund.

Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez (L) and Urdaneta Mayor
Mayor Amadeo Gregorio Perez IV.

The fund, that is included in the yearly AAB, is used for infrastructure projects.

This thriving city’s rival Urdaneta on snaring investors will have a budget of a billion pesos next year, according to its administrator Ronald San Juan.

“Higher than that,” he answered if the city, known as distribution hub of live stocks and vegetables, to the query by this paper if it can hit a billion pesos for 2019.

AAB for the next year is usually done and approved by the legislature and the mayor in the last quarter of the preceding year.

Combat Jet that can Land/Take Off on Graft Prone Highways of DPWH

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Son of a gun, after some U.S high officials from the White House and Capitol Hill offered the top of the line multiple - role combat jet F-16 Viper to the Philippines, they are using now a Filipina-American F-16 lady pilot United States Air Force Major Monessa Balzhiser nee Catunca (her photo at the bottom of this article) to hype the multi-billion pesos each jet, yes Virginia EACH jet for a squadron (12 Jets), for the Philippines Air Force.
Last month, the maker of multiple - role combat jet Saab Gripen Jas 39 C (P5 billion each) sent not only its Vice President for Communication Robert Hewson but even its "deadly bird" at the Asian Defense & Security (ADAS) 2018/ Arms Expo at the World Trade Center in Pasay City to show off to high officials led by President Rodrigo Duterte, wide eyed Filipino pilots from the air force, and others the plane and its array of lethal missiles it carries.
The JAS, by the way, is the Swedish abbreviation of the aircraft for Jakt (air-to-air), Attack (air-to-surface) and Spaning (reconnaissance) - a feature for three kinds of jets in the past we now called "multi-role" just like what 3-in-1 instant coffee the Filipino pedestrians understand.

 I even have a lengthy video interview there with Saab Vice President Hewson (his and my photo at the bottom here), an Irish guy, where he crowed that the Sweden made aircraft is not only cheaper to maintain but could compete with the F-16 V versus the jets of the Chinks. 

LAND ANYWHERE - Sweden Saab Gripen Jas 39 C jet can land and short take off in Philippines highways so it can effectively fight the Chinese jets that would surely bomb into smithereens those runways in Palawan, Basa, Clark, and Villamor.

One-hour flying the F-16 V cost more than a million peso from our coffer versus Gripen's P350, 000 where the Saab made "messenger of death” can land on 400 meters long RUDIMENTARY highway, with some palay being solar dried by our hard headed farmers, with few crew to assist it compared to the one - engine's  F-16s, and other twin engines jets like F-15 that need two to more than two kilometers of runway.

Compared to F-16V, the old Jas 39, with all the payloads of death, during the Cold War  can take off on the  800 meters feeder road. The latest Jas 39 C or D can take off today less of these meters I mentioned.

Compared to F-16V . Gripen has a short-turnaround time of just ten minutes, during which a team composed of a technician and five conscripts would be able to re-arm, refuel (remember that drum where the Gripen can just suck the fuel from the hose?), and perform basic inspections and servicing inside that time window before returning to flight and shoot the bad guys Chink above. 

Primordially, to a cash strapped NATO Country or No Action Talk Only country Philippines. Gripen is ideal because it provides "50% lower operating costs than its best competitors like the F-16 V.

According to Jane's Aerospace and Defense Consulting study (2012) compared the operational costs of a number of modern combat aircraft, concluding that Gripen had the lowest cost per flight hour (CPFH) when fuel used, pre-flight preparation and repair, and scheduled airfield-level maintenance together with associated personnel costs were combined. The Gripen had an estimated CPFH of US$4,700 whereas the next lowest, the F-16 Block 40/50, had a 49% higher CPFH at $7,000.

One of the other arguments of the pro Gripen jet's proponents is in case war ensued with the Mainland Chinese and our lilliputian air force our runways in Palawan, Basa, Clark, and Villamor will be turned into smithereens by Chinese guided missiles from its ships, long range jet bombers, battle ships, or submarines lurking menacingly at the water of Scarborough in Masinloc, Zambales.

 But it we buy the Gripen, gee whiz, the plane can just land and take off in any national highway built by the Department of Public Works & Highway and keep shooting those Chinese jets above our air spaces. 

Never mind, salamabit, the quality of the pot holed and crack paved concrete as a result of the S.O.Ps given by the contractors to our corrupt congressmen who interceded for the national projects, the Gripen will still land and take off on the hated road and keeps shootin' with its missiles those bad guys in the sky.

What price glory, as the Yanks would tell us in the history books.

***

Moreover, one key aspect of the Gripen program that Saab have been keen to emphasize has been technology-transfer agreements and industrial partnerships with export customers like the Philippines.
According to an article "Gripen and Switzerland: Industrial Partnership", the Gripen is typically customized to customer requirements, enabling the routine inclusion of local suppliers in the manufacturing and support processes. A number of South African firms provide components and systems – including the communications suite and electronic warfare systems – for the Gripens operated by South African Air Force. Wikipedia cited that operators also have access to the Gripen's source code and technical documentation, allowing for upgrades and new equipment to be independently integrated. Some export customers intend to domestically assemble the Gripen; it has been proposed that Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer may produce Gripens for other export customers as well.

*** 

HERE'S the National Interest: 

"The JAS-39 is an excellent low cost fourth-generation fighter. Originally developed in Sweden the 1980s—part of the that nation’s efforts at maintaining a neutral foreign policy stance—the Nordic machine is designed to be relatively cheap, easy to maintain and fight off any potential aggressor.

Those traits have made the Gripen an attractive prospect for many nations including Brazil, South Africa, Czech Republic, Hungary and Thailand. More countries—deterred by the outrageous price tags of rival machines—are likely to jump onboard the Gripen bandwagon as more advanced derivatives of the Swedish jet enter production. Croatia, Finland, and Bulgaria are but a few possibilities as they begin to look for replacements for ageing hardware.

Sweden started developing the Gripen in 1979 as a replacement for its J-35 Draken and JA-37 Viggen fighters. The basic requirement was a Mach 2.0-class fighter with good short-field performance. Sweden expected to disperse its aircraft in case of an invasion, which meant that the aircraft had to be able to operate from 2,600 feet by 30 feet strips. The jets also had to be serviceable away from the comforts of a proper airbases since the most likely operating areas were going to be highways.

The aircraft that emerged was a single-engine, single-seat, canard design powered by a Volvo-Flygmotor RM12—a derivative of the F/A-18’s General Electric F404-GE-400. It’s a myth that Sweden developed the Gripen entirely on its own, a lot of the technologies like the engine, were outsourced to keep costs down. (Indeed, the use of British components scuttled a potential deal with Argentian) 

Over the years, there have been two previous iterations of the Gripen. The original A and B models gave way to the much-improved C and D model  aircraft. Saab is currently developing an advanced next-generation Gripen model called the JAS-39E/F Gripen NG that is likely to be delivered to the Swedish air force in 2018. It will also fly with Brazil’s air force.

READ MY OTHER ARTICLE:

Why Gripen Jas 39 a cut above its rivals like F-16V

Filipina-American F-16 lady pilot United States Air Force Major Monessa Balzhiser nee Catunca

Author being shown by Saab Gripen Vice President for Communication Robert Hewson the  mock- up display of multiple role fighter  multi-billion pesos Gripen Jas 39 C and its vaunted long range fire and forget Robot System (RBS) 15 anti-ship missile at the three-day arms expo dubbed as Asian Defense & Security (ADAS) 2018 held recently at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Philippines.

(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)

Mark subs Pat as Vice Guv’s Bet

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY - A son of a power broker in Malacanang substituted Wednesday at the election body here retired police colonel Paterno “Pat” Orduña as the vice governorship tandem of gubernatorial candidate Art Celeste.

 Philippines' "Ivy Leagues" educated Mark Ronald de Guzman Lambino replaced Orduña who withdrew his candidacy Tuesday at the provincial office of the Commission on Election here.

“He was overqualified in terms of education. He even studied at prestigious universities,” a source told this writer in the vernacular.

NEW TANDEM - Alaminos City Mayor Art Celeste (extreme right front row) who aspires for the governorship of Pangasinan and his vice gubernatorial tandem Mark Ronald Lambino (center front row) answer questions from reporters after Lambino filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) at the Comelec in Dagupan City. The vice governorship bet is the scion of a presidential palace power broker Secretary Raul Lambino. At the background are their political allies in the May 2019 election. Extreme left and right are candidates for the provincial board Darwina Sampang and Nicholi Jan Louie Sison, and Fifth District congressional bet and Binalonan Mayor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III (center).

Lambino finished his tertiary education at the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography, his post graduates at the Asian Institute of Management, UP-Diliman - Institute of Small Scale Industries major Management Programs, and Ateneo de Manila University.

After he filed Wednesday morning his COC, the 36 years old candidate said how he wished he attended Harvard after a source told this writer that he is an alumnus of that Ivy League in the United States.

He accomplished his primary school from Mother Goose Special School Systems, Inc. here and his secondary school as a scholar from the Philippines Science High School – Diliman Campus.

Celeste told this paper at the Comelec that the tandem between him and Lambino is already final despite the end of the substitution in November 29.

Section 33 of Resolution No. 10420 of the Commission on Election says the substitute of a candidate who died, withdrew his candidacy, or was disqualified may file a COC for the office affected on or before November 29, 2018 so that the name of the substitute will be reflected on the official ballots. In the same Resolution promulgated October 1, the Comelec said the substitute for a candidate, who died or disqualified by final judgment, may file a COC up to mid-day of Election Day. This would be acceptable, provided that the substitute candidate and substituted candidate have the same surnames.

The duo was accompanied by Fifth District congressional bet and Binalonan Mayor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III, Sto. Tomas mayoralty and vice mayoralty bets Ely Arciaga Ramos and Bemjamin Oculto, Jr, respectively, Sta. Barbara mayoralty candidate and Vice Mayor Joel delos Santos, candidates for the provincial board like Nicholi Jan Louie Sison of the 5^th District, hundreds of their supporters, and media men who partook their lunch together at two well known restaurants in Barangay Tapuac here.

Lambino cited his working experiences as being a technical staff of core industries in the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, Clark Freeport Zone, executive assistant in the office of the chairman, chief executive officer Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, and as private management consultant of various groups in the private sector.

He is the son of Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and Presidential Adviser for Northern Luzon lawyer Raul Lambino.

Lambino is known as the one who created the Celeste for governor movement after being given the imprimatur of the power that be in Malacanang to contest the “hegemony” of Governor Amado I. Espino, III and his father and namesake 5^th District Representative Amado, Jr in the vote – rich Pangasinan province.   

Recently, this writer opined that Orduna could be substituted by Mark Cojuangco as Governor Espino’s running mate lawyer Angel Baniqued is not known in the six congressional districts’ province.

Does Sen. Poe stance on 3rd Telco offends Duterte?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY - Would the pronouncement of a lady senator against the act of President Rodrigo Duterte offends the latter?

Senator Grace Poe told recently this writer that Duterte could not just sign an executive order through the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL) allowing a third player in the telecommunication industry controlled by Philippines Long Distance Telephone/Smart and Globe Telecom.

Senator Grace Poe (above) and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Ganito ‘yan, kasi sa batas natin may nagsasabi ‘pag ang telco, hindi puwedeng foreign owned ‘yan; so kailangan maipasa sa Senado, so ‘yun ‘yung aming itutulak. Ngayon, maganda ‘yung ibang mga korporasyon o industriya ay magkaroon ng kumpetensiya. So kung may foreign owners na magbibigay ng mas magandang serbisyo, bakit hindi ‘di ba? Pero nasa batas na kailangan muna naming ma-amyendahan,” she stressed.

The duopoly of these corporations punished the Filipinos for their poor services especially the internet connection considered one of the slowest and probably expensive in Far East Asia.

“Kasi nasa Konstitusyon natin, na ito’y isang public service kaya nga tinutulak ko ‘yung Public Services Act sa Senado na maipasa para nga magkaroon tayo ng mas maraming kumpetisyon…,” she explained.

The old Commonwealth Act No. 146 or known as Public Service Acts restricts the ownership of public utilities. It is the reason that discourages foreign investors to come to our country and instead go to Thailand, Singapore, China, and Vietnam where they can own up to 100% of the capital and the control of the board of directors.

DA gives livelihood assistance to Dagupan farmers

DAGUPAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) continues to support this premier city in Region-1 by giving additional livelihood assistance to  local farmers.

The fresh DA assistance was in the form of at least 1,000 coffee seedlings which was distributed by the city government to some 200 beneficiaries from different barangays.

The recipients are farmers from barangays Salisay, Mangin, Tebeng, Bonuan Boquig, Bonuan Binloc, Bonuan Gueset, Bacayao Sur, Bacayao Norte, Lucao, Malued, Bolosan, Lasip Chico, Lasip Grande, Mamalingling and Pogo Grande.

City Agriculturist Emma Molina said that planting coffee will help meet the current high demand for coffee beans in the market.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol speaks before the agriculture stakeholders as Laoac Mayor Silverio Alarcio and Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez listen. The event was the recent visit of Pinol in the eastern Pangasinan town.

STL earns P19B in 9 months, surpassing 2017 overall sales

Small Town Lottery (STL) operations continues to rake in revenue as it now surpassed the 2017 collections as early as September 2018.

“From the period of January to September, STL sales has already earned P19,799,218,822, which is P4,051,797,151 above the total STL sales in 2017,” reported PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan.

 

Balutan explained that the increase in revenue could be credited to the increase in the number of operating STL authorized agent Corporations (AACs) and in the Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipt primarily contributed to the increased revenue, through the support of our betting public.

Fernandez versus de Venecia for Congress

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) of the four challengers of House Representative Christopher “Toff” de Venecia for the next year’s election in the Pangasinan’s 4^th Congressional District drew mix reactions from the public.

CONGRESS - Former Dagupan City Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez (left) challenges reelectionist Congressman Christopher de Venecia in the one city four towns’ district in Pangasinan. Both are scions of two illustrious political families of the vote rich city.

After former Dagupan City Mayor Alvin Fernandez, a lawyer, Teodoro Wilhelm “Winky” Manaois, a descendant of a political family, Dagupan City Councilor Redford Mejia, and De Venecia’s relative Larry Gryson de Venecia filed their COCs, the congressman’s cousin Solo de Venecia had his guns ablazing by mercilessly riddling the wannabees at Facebook.

“Wonky, Red, and Alvin. No sabong iyan, sahod lang. Nuisances lang, sahod lang kung tag ulan”

“Pustahan tayo Mortz, aatras iyang tatlong iyan”

“Puro Dog Dog (Asu-aso in the vernacular – MCO) Lang mga iyan”

But other political commentators saw the entries of some of the four in the hustings as threat to the young solon, whose present post he inherited from his father former five-time Speaker Joe and mother two-term congresswoman Manay Gina.

One of them said that many voters will be deceived at the lenthy and time consuming ballot where they would shade the box after the surname “De Venecia” without knowing that  it is of Gryson and not Christopher since both of them follow each other in the alphabetical order of the surnames of the ballot where the unwitting voters select a myriad of names that begin from the Houses of Senate and House, dozens if not hundred of party lists, governorship bets and their tickets for the provincial board, aspirants for the mayorship, vice mayorship, and to the dozens for the sangguniang bayan or panlungsod (town and city councils).

“Full Support for Celeste” – Bayambang Mayor

Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG – “Expect our full support for Celeste for governor!” declared to thousands of supporters by the mayor here at the air conditioned state-of-art public gymnasium who accompanied him after he and his ticket filed recently their certificates of candidacy (COC) at the office of the Commission on Election.

Mayor Cezar Quiambao told this newspaper that he and his constituents will support the governorship bid of Alaminos City Mayor Art Celeste versus Pangasinan Governor Amado I. Espino, III in the May 13, 2019 election.

“Two days ago we took our oath of offices as members of the Nationalista Party. Since Art is a member of the Nationalista Party what I can share with you expect our full support for Celeste for governor,” Quiambao, a business tycoon, declared in a press conference that included his thousands of supporters who listen attentively on the series of questions and answers between the chief executive here and the more more than a dozen of reporters.

Q & A - Re-elective Bayambang Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, reelectionist Vice Mayor Raul R. Sabangan and their complete slates for the Sangguniang Bayan (legislature) for the first class thriving town face members of the media for a press conference while thousands of supporters of the Team Quiambao listen. The event was held at the town gymnasium after the party filed their certificates of candidacy at the election office in the town.

 After witnessing the filing of the CoCs

 of Celeste in Dagupan City, reporters motored immediately at 10 am last October 12 from the provincial Comelec office in Dagupan City to witness the reelectionist Mayor Quiambao and his party filed their CoCs at the Comelec Office here at 11:30 am of the same day.

Through the political strategy of Quiambao, 2016 gubernatorial candidate Mark Cojuangco won against his rival Amado I. Espino, III with more than two thousand votes  in this burgeoning town.

Governor Espino’s father and namesake, Pangasinan Fifth District Congressman Espino Jr, is a political nemesis of the mayor here after the solon sided with Quiambao’s mayoralty rival Zenaida and her husband former mayor Ricardo Camacho.

Cojuangco will “K.O” Baniqued in a Vice Guv Race

If He Avails for the Substitution  

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

To the fanatics in the curcillo and the dasal (prayers) in the Mahal na Araw, the “K.O”  in the title of this column does not mean Karlo Orduña, a medical doctor and a son of a vice gubernatorial aspirant, but is an abbreviation in boxing as “Knocked Out”, son of a gun!

Now, let’s go to the jugular why Cojuangco will K.O Baniqued.

Countless political kibitzers opined that former congressman Mark Cojuangco should run as the tandem of gubernatorial candidate Art Celeste.

SUBSTITUTION – Political pundits are still looking for a substitution to ensue on the part of Nationalista Party’s gubernatorial candidate Art Celeste where his present vice gubernatorial tandem Paterno Orduña (Nationalist People’s Coalition) will give way to former congressman Mark Cojuangco to run as second fiddle of Celeste versus a “nobody” on the camp of PDP-Laban re-elective governor Amado I. Espino, III in the Pangasinan province. At photo from left clockwise: Cojuangco, former board member Angel Baniqued, Sr., and Orduña.

They said Mark is a shoo-in because his opponent is nobody except to the district where he served as a countless terms board member.

Cojuangco’s name is already known among the almost two million voters at the six congressional districts mammoth’s province after he ran and lost as governor in the May 2016 election.

The duo should be pitted with re-elective governor Amado “Pogi” I. Espino, III and his vice gubernatorial tandem former Third District Board Member Lawyer Angel Baniqued.

Celeste, who filed his Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) last October 11, runs under the Nationalista Party while Espino and Baniqued, who filed their CoCs last October 15, are under the PDP-Laban.

In the afternoon of October 15, retired police colonel Paterno Orduna filed his COC for governorship under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Even they have different parties; Orduña and Celeste are seen together in the consultations with leaders and hustings in various parts of the province.

 Pundits see them as tandem in case Cojuangco will not file his candidacy to the substitution the election regulation provides up to November 29 this year.

Section 33 of Resolution No. 10420 of the Commission on Election says the substitute of a candidate who died, withdrew his candidacy, or was disqualified may file a COC for the office affected on or before November 29, 2018 so that the name of the substitute will be reflected on the official ballots. In the same Resolution promulgated October 1, the Comelec said the substitute for a candidate, who died or a disqualified by final judgment, may file a COC up to mid-day of Election Day. This would be acceptable, provided that the substitute candidate and substituted candidate have the same surnames.

When I asked the son of Colonel Orduña, the amiable medical practitioner Doctor Karlo Marco Orduña, if there is a chance that there is a substitution on behalf of his father before and on November 29, this was his retort:

“The party will decide if dideretso na siya or may substi pa. As of now green light pa sya,” Dr. Orduña, the fan of the antics of Pangasinan heartthrob media man Atong Remogat, told me.

Cojuangco is the provincial chairman of the NPC, the powerful political party whose members are some senators that coalesced with President Rodrigo Duterte’s party. NPC was founded by Mark’s father business mogul Eduardo ”Danding” Cojuangco who is the chairman of San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

The young doctor, a member of a political family in Bugallon town, explained that his father will run, as a good soldier, if the party tells him to do so.

“It is a passion to serve the province more over it is a party's decision for him to run,” he stressed.

But can we call this one a spoiler: In the last day of filing of the COC at the Comelec-Provincial Office in Dagupan City, when I told a candidate for an elective district office that Cojuangco could substitute Orduña so he could wallop, bludgeon, and knock-out  the politically inferior Angel Baniqued in the race to the No. 2 post at the Capitol, my source told me that the Espino Camp plays mind game too with the Celeste Camp.  

“It would not be Baniqued, their trump card is to commission outgoing Sixth District Congresswoman and former Vice Governor Marlyn Primicias-Agabas as replacement of Baniqued comes November 29”.

Salamabit, is this true? Since the power that be in the camp of the Celestes told me that the solon and her husband Tayug Mayor Tyrone Agabas, the heir apparent in her congressional throne, are allies.

Does Celeste have an ace to restrain Marlyn from running to the Espino Camp by commissioning somebody like Myrna Custodio, who filed her candidacy versus Tyrone at the Comelec, to give way through substitution for somebody bigger to spoil Tyrone’s moist eye for congress?

Geez man, this is a chess match!

 

(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)

TAKLUB (TRAP)

Trap (Tagalog: Taklub) is a 2015 Filipino drama film directed by Brillante Mendoza and starring Nora Aunor, Julio Diaz, Lou Veloso and Aaron Rivera. Taklub centers on the survivors in the aftermath of the Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the central part of the Philippines, especially Tacloban, Leyte and how they picked up their lives a year after the typhoon.
It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.^[2][3] At Cannes it won a commendation awarded by the Ecumenical Jury (Wikipidea)

 

It’s Bona vs Marilyn in Mangaldan's Mayorship

 By Mortz Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – The reelectionist lady mayor here is being challenged by another woman candidate for the next year’s election.

Mayor Bonafe D. Parayno will be facing Marilyn Lambino for the May 13, 2019 mayoralty election in the Central Pangasinan town.

The camp of Parayno had already filed their certificates of candidacy (CoC) on the first day of the filing in October 11 while those of Lambino will file their CoCs on the last day or on October 17 this year.  

 
                                                  TEAM BONAFE D. PARAYNO

 The filing of CoC will end on October 17 and without an extension, according to the Commission on Election.

The tandem of Parayno for the second highest elective office here will be re-elective vice mayor Pedro “Jojo” Surdilla, Jr. while Lambino’s vice mayoralty bet will be former Vice Mayor Manny Casupang.

Casupang (Nationalist People’s Coalition) and Mayor Parayno (then of Liberal Party) tangled for the mayoralty race in the May 2016 election that saw the former vice mayor lost by garnering only 17, 757 while the mayor got 19,093 votes.

A third mayoralty candidate Joel Meneses (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) got 9,852 votes.

Those who are running for the Sangguniang Bayan (legislature) under Parayno, whose party is PDP-Laban now, are re-elective councilors Baby Abalos, lawyer Joseph Cera, Jojo Quinto, Aldrin Soriano, lawyer Johnny Cabrera, Bernabe Cervas, Arnel Fabia, and former League of Barangays President Juvy Frialde while those of Lambino will be Bong de Vera, former councilor Joel Meneses, Boy Cayabyab, Christopher Romero, Mabel Bautista, Magda Villanueva, Rodolfo Elcano, and Mario de la Cruz.

Lambino is the wife of Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Administrator and Chief Executive Officer Raul Lambino who was recently appointed concurrent Presidential Adviser for Northern Luzon.

TEAM MARILYN LAMBINO (Internet photo grabbed from Taga Mangaldan Ka 'No)  
.

Meanwhile, the officials of this town led by Mayor Parayno won anew this year the Seal of Good Local Governance(SGLC).

For several years, Parayno and this town were recipients of the SGLC.

According to Parayno, this first class town was awarded as one of the 263 local government units that included provinces, cities, and municipalities.

She cited that this burgeoning town was one of the 207 among those in the town level and one of those 23 municipalities out of the 44towns in Pangasinan.

The other municipalities that won were Agno, Aguilar, Alcala, Anda, Balungao, Bayambang, Binalonan, Bugallon, Burgos, Calasiao, Infanta, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mangatarem, Natividad, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Umingan, Urbiztondo, and Villasis.

The basis in clinching the SGLG award,where principle '4+1' applies to pass four core areas and at least one essential area, are Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, Peace and Order, Business-Friendliness and Competitiveness, Environmental Management, and Tourism, Culture and the Arts.