Sec. Briones, Guv Espino welcome NSPC 2019 delegates

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan---Governor Amado I. Espino III expressed his appreciation to the Department of Education and the visiting delegates for choosing the province of Pangasinan as this year’s host of the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC).

Governor Espino addressed over 5,000 delegates of the NSPC during the opening ceremonies held at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) grandstand on January 28.

“Thank you Madam Secretary (Briones), to our directors who were here for choosing our province as the venue of the 2019 NSPC,” Governor Espino said.

“Being the governor of the province, I speak in behalf of all Pangasinenses. I hope that when you leave our place you will take a piece of Pangasinan with you. Enjoy our province and don’t forget the good memories that you will experience,” Governor Espino said.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones lauded Governor Espino for a job well done in hosting the 2019 NSPC.

“Ang ganda-ganda ng level of preparation. Sanay na sanay ang Pangasinan sa national events. Napakaraming national events ang ginagawa dito kaya para sa kanila, ano lang ito ‘just one of those things,” Secretary Briones said.

Mayor Spent P6M To Solicitors Last December Alone

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A first class town mayor spent six million pesos to well wishers and solicitors who go to his house last Yuletide season.

“I did not hide from my constituents who want some Christmas’ dole outs. I stayed in my house thus I spent six million pesos last December alone,” the successful contractor and mayor, who asked for anonymity, in central Pangasinan told this writer in Tagalog.

He said his vice mayor who is running for the May 13, 2019 election has been absconding his constituents who seek financial aid even before and after the Christmas season.

“Ano lang naman ang pera niya hindi stable iyong pagiging contractor niya sa ibang tao,” the seasoned politician cited.

The mayor said that his post is a thankless job because he spent hundred of millions of pesos for his personal saving to help the town’s folks since he joined politics two decades ago.

“When I was a vice mayor I even built dikes and roads in some barangays for free. I did those jobs because I don't want to be ridiculed by critics that I was a do- nothing vice mayor,” he cited in the vernacular.
 When he challenged the then incumbent mayor in the late 1990s, the latter did not seek his reelection because he was afraid to spend to a futile contest his personal savings.

SSS nananawagan sa mga miyembro na mag-update ng contact details

   

Hinihikayat ng Social Security System ang mga miyembro nitong naghuhulog bilang self-employed, voluntary, non-working spouses, at overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), na ibigay o i-update ang kanilang contact information sa SSS para matanggap ang kanilang Payment Reference Number (PRN) sa pamamagitan ng text message.  

  

Sa Real-Time Processing of Contributions (RTPC) program na nangangailangan ng PRN para magbayad ng kontribusyon ay agarang naitatala ang kontribusyon sa rekord ng miyembro sa SSS. Kapag may PRN, may natatanggap din na text message ang mga miyembro na naitala na ang kanilang kontribusyon.  

  

“Pinapayuhan namin ang aming mga miyembro na hindi pa naka-rehistro sa My.SSS kaya hindi pa nakakakuha ng kanilang PRN na magbigay sa SSS ng kanilang cellphone number para ipadala sa text message ang kanilang PRN. Kapag nagbayad na may PRN, maiiwasan ang pagkaantala sa pag-proseso ng kanilang mga benepisyo at iba pang serbisyo,” sabi ni SSS President at Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc. 

Why Many LGUs Envy Dagupan, Mangaldan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Many residents of the towns and cities in Pangasinan are green with envy after Dagupan City and the burgeoning first class town of Mangaldan purchased a multi - million pesos shuttle buses to serve their constituents.

Salamabit, they are the only local government units in Pangasinan probably aside from the provincial government that have buses to show case to all and sundry.

These people in the cities of San Carlos and Urdaneta and the towns of Calasiao and Villasis have similar grumbling appreciations about the brand new air conditioned 51 - seater bus and the shuttle bus bought recently by the Bangus City and its neighboring town Mangaldan.

VISIONARY MAYORS - Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez (left) and Mangaldan, Pangasinan Mayor Bonafe D. Parayno.

The brand new bus and the three motorcycles in Dagupan cost, according to Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, the local government coffer eight million pesos while the brand new coaster in Mangaldan worth P3.652 million to support the tourism programs of Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno.

“Ang ating 2017 SGLG or Seal of Good Local Governance cash prize na two million pesos ay dinagdagan po ng local na pamahalaan ng P1.652 million pesos mula sa Capital Outlay para makabili ng coaster na suporta sa ating mga programang pang turismo,” cited by Mayor Parayno in the recent State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) held at the public plaza.

Aside from the shuttle bus bought under the Fernandez Administration, this most populous city in the gargantuan province of Pangasinan bought countless vehicles worth tens of millions of pesos.

Local Gov’t Tough To Run Than Corp. – Mayor Quiambao

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG – Business magnate and this burgeoning town mayor cited that it is tough to run a local government unit (LGU) than a corporation because of the delay the former entails to the pressing needs that confront it.

“Sa corporate world 10 computers na kailangan, bukas nandiyan na. Sa LGU may Philgephs (Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System ) for bidding minimum 21 days,”  Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao told this writer with his signature chuckle.

Bayambang, Pangasinan Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao.

The family of Quiambao controls the majority shares of corporate giant Stradcom,  a hospital in the US, and other businesses like a mall. 

The mayor said it is difficult to deal in the local government with the members of the lawmaking body’s Sangguniang Bayan compared to the directors of the corporate board because if a mayor is not allied with the majority of the ten councilors he would have a hard time or helpless getting his programs being implemented.

“Mas complicated iyong Sangguniang Bayan lalung lalo na pag hindi mo kasama ang mga councilors. Sa (corporation) board majority share holders ka you appoint the board,” he chuckled again.

No Bet Yet for Dagupan’s Mayoral Race – Abono Chair

Party will be consulting with leaders in Dagupan City

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ROSALES – The powerful chairman of the Abono Party List (APL) has as of press time no fair-haired candidate in the mayoral race in Dagupan City.

“Wala pa!” Engineer Rosendo So told this writer if he has already chosen to support either Mayor Belen T. Fernandez or his challenger Vice Mayor Brian Lim for the mayorship of the coastal city in the May 13, 2019 election.

So, Fernandez, and Lim are Filipino Chinese or with Chinese ancestry who played a major role in the politics and business of the huge province of Pangasinan and the independent component city of Dagupan – the richest city in the nine cities’ Region 1.

FAIREST OF ‘EM ALL – (Clockwise top photo) Powerful Abono Party List’s chair and Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, Inc. (SINAG) head Rosendo So, Dagupan City’s mayoral bet and present Vice Mayor Brian Lim, and reelective Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez.

        The Abono chairman, dubbed as electoral kingmaker in Pangasinan, cited that he and party mates will call the leaders in Dagupan City about their unequivocal support for the farmers' party list so it can help win its nominees in the May polls.

“Kung sino ang susuporta sa amin,” So quipped.

The chairman, who is the head of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, Inc. (SINAG), said that APL first, second, and third nominees are Congressmen Conrad Estrella and Vini Nola  A. Ortega, and Pangasinan outgoing Board Member Clemente “Nino” Arboleda, Jr.

Dagupan Mayor Visits Wake of Former Rival BSL

Mayor, VM Brian seated beside each other

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The mayor here showed her magnanimity Saturday afternoon when she paid her respect to the remains of her former mayoral rival in the May 13, 2013 election.

Mayor Belen T. Fernandez and party were welcomed inside the Eternal Memorial Park Chapel at the Eternal Gardens here by Vice Mayor Brian Lim. The vice mayor is the son of the deceased former Mayor Benjie S. Lim who was also known on his acronym's BSL.

MAYOR BELEN AT THE WAKE - Mayor Belen T. Fernandez (left photo) outside the Eternal Memorial Park Chapel  at the Eternal Gardens in Dagupan City where the remains of former rival and mayor Benjamin S. Lim (right photo) are displayed. Photo: Mortz C. Ortigoza 

         The yong Lim and reelectionist mayor Fernandez are rival in the May 13 election this year for the mayorship of this richest city in Region 1.

          Fernandez was accompanied by some city officials like City Health Officer Ophelia Ticsay Rivera , reelective  Councilors Chito Samson, Guillermo “Emong” Vallejos, and many village chiefs of the 31 barangays here.

After shaking the hand of the vice mayor and after viewing the deceased in the casket, Fernandez and the vice mayor sat beside each other at the second row of the farthest seating area that faced the oak designed coffin flanked at each corner by two police armed honor guards.

Voters abuse mayor’s kindness as election nears

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Voters nowadays are exploiting the extra ordinary generosity of politicians as election nears, narrated by a mayor to reporters.

The Pangasinan mayor complained that one recent noontime, he already spent  seventy thousand pesos as dole outs to callers in his office where some even came from the neighboring towns.

“Look, my drawer is almost empty with cash,” he told media men who came for an interview.

VOTE BUYING - Money exchanges hands to favor a candidate during the election campaign period in the Philippines.

The bills he gave were of twenties, fifties, one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand.

Each of the four obviously poor mothers were  given two twenty peso bills.

“Masyadong maliit naman iyong binibigay ni mayor. Parang pamasahi na lang iyon sa tricycle,” one of the reporters quipped.

“Mga pabalik balik lang ang mga iyan kaya binabarat na rin sila ni mayor,” the other retorted.

P1M profit per cage for cultured bangus in Sual

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SUAL – It is one million pesos profit per cage of bangus (milkfish) for an investor of a fish cage here after he sold his product in Navotas and Malabon in Metro Manila, according to the mayor here.

Mayor Roberto Arcinue said with 20,000 milkfish inside each cage raised for seven months, the investor can get a  profit of P60 for every kilo sold at P160.

“It will give the fish cage owner a net profit of one million pesos, just for one cage alone,” he cited.

Arrays of Bangus (Milkfish) fish cages at a sea channel.

There are 750 fish cages with an average size of 10 x 10  square meters a depth of six meters orderly arranged at the Cabalitian Channel here.

According to the South Asian Fishery Development Center, the frame of the cage is made of bamboo, G.I or HDPE pipes. Its floaters are made of styrofoam, empty plastic containers. The moorings are made of cement, blocks, GI pegs or anchors. The cage can be arranged in quadrant or clusters.

“Each of the cages can fetch to hundreds of thousands of pesos,” Arcinue told this paper.

STL earned by 65% in 2018

The year 2018 was definitely a tough year for Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), but seeing how the agency hurdled all the challenges, how it grew as an agency and breached last year’s target, make all the sacrifices and efforts worthwhile.

“My first two years as General Manager was no joke. President Rodrigo Duterte appointed me here in 2016 because he expected so much from me – that I will deliver, that I will stop illegal gambling. I cannot say 100 percent na wala ng illegal gambling kasi meron pa rin talagang mangilan-ngilan na nag-i-iligal at matitigas ang ulo pero unti-unti na silang nagma-migrate sa STL, but from original 18, we now have 84 Authorized STL Agents (ASAs) nationwide,” revealed PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan.

From P4.7 billion earnings in 2016, the agency was able to raise it to P15.7 billion in just one year, ending 2018 with P26,103,422,348.39 gross sales, a 65 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

“This is record high in history of PCSO even in any other agency. Sinong hindi matutuwa? Kaya talaga abot-abot ang aking pasasalamat sa ating gaming public sa pagtangkilik sa ating mga produkto, sa ating mga masisipag na empleyado at branch managers, at s’yempre sa ating mga STL operators at agents nationwide,” added Balutan.

Of the P63.55 billion gross sales in 2018, Lotto and digit games was the highest earning product at P31,902,529,360 followed by STL.

“In 2016, P37.4 billion lang ang kinita ng ahensya. Nung maupo kami ni former PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz, we ended 2017 with P53.9 billion sales to almost P54 billion. Ngayon kasama ni PCSO Chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili at mga Board of Directors, tinapos natin ang 2018 ng may P63.55 billion na kita,” said Balutan.

STL was introduced in 2006 as part of the government campaign to eradicate illegal numbers game, but the initial implementation was not successful.

Over the years, the agency was plagued with alleged corrupt activities that even President Rodrigo Duterte described it as the “most corrupt agency in the government”.

To help fight crime and corruption, the President appointed former uniformed men in government offices, such as Balutan as PCSO’s general manager.

Balutan, a battle-tested former marine general who earned the moniker “Mandirigma” (warrior) from his many battles and years in Mindanao, was described by the President as “berdugo”.  

Unlike in jueteng, which is being drawn only under a mango tree, STL has draw courts where proceedings are being supervised by representatives from PCSO and Commission on Audit (COA).

“Kaya malaki ang tiwala ng tao kasi sabi ko nga, nakikita nila ang in and out ng pera. Ang laki ng kinikita ng STL. Kung talagang ipa-patronize ng publiko lahat ng ating produkto, mas malaki pa ang ating kikitain at maitutulong sa ating mga kababayang nangangailangan ng tulong medikal,” added Balutan.

Balutan was aware that many people were affected by the implementation of STL, especially illegal gambling operators and their local government protector, which led them to discredit STL.

“Alam n’yo ba na bukod sa nire-remit ng ating mga STL operators na ingreso sa PCSO, may efforts din ang ilan sa kanila na tumulong sa pamamagitan ng mga medical at relief missions lalo na sa mga lugar na naapektuhan ng mga bagyo. Eh ‘yung mga jueteng lords nagagawa ba ‘yan?” added Balutan.

PCSO Charter, or RA 1169, particularly on revenue allocation, provides that the revenue of the PCSO shall be allocated to 55 percent for prize fund (payment of prizes), 30 percent for charity fund (various charity programs and service) and 15 percent as operating fund (maintenance and operating expenses).

“Tangkilikin po natin ang ating mga produkto.  Kapag tumaya ka, bukod sa mga tsansa kang manalo, makakatulong ka pa. Bawat taya para sa kawanggawa,” Balutan ended.

Former Political Foes Condole with the Lim Family

Statement of former Speaker Jose de Venecia, his wife, former congresswoman Gina de Venecia and their son, Rep. Christopher de Venecia, on the passing of Dagupan City’s former Mayor Benjamin Zaplan Lim, today, January 16, 2019

RIVAL - Former Five-Time House Speaker Jose de Venecia (left) had an acrimonious rivalry with former Dagupan City Mayor Benjie S. Lim in the 2010 congressional election at the four towns one city's Fourth District of Pangasinan.

"We are saddened by the news of former Mayor Benjie Zaplan Lim’s passing today, January 16, 2019. We join the Dagupeños in mourning over the loss of its former mayor. His enthusiasm for Dagupan City will be missed. Our thoughts, prayers, and sincere condolences go out to Mayor Lim’s family and friends and the city of Dagupan".

The casket of former Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Saplan Lim being carried by policemen at the Eternal Memorial Park Chapel in Dagupan City at the wee hour today from Manila. (Photo grabbed from Facebook)


(PHOTO CREDIT: Mitz Cresencio)

GRAND REUNION OF SM SCHOLARS GRACED BY SY FAMILY

One  thousand alumni of the SM Foundation scholarship program flocked to the SMX Convention Center Sunday (January 6) to reunite with SM patriarch Henry Sy, Sr, matriarch Felicidad T. Sy , eldest daughter Tessie Sy-Coson, youngest  son Harley and granddaughter Mara Sy-Coson. Also present at the gathering were Executive Director Debbie P. Sy and Executive Director for Education Linda Atayde, AVP for scholarship Eleanor Lansang, members of the Board of Trustees, Lydia Echauz & Chito Macapagal and SM Executives led by Paul Arcenas and Ronald Tumao.

 Harley Sy , extended the family’s heartfelt congratulations to the alumni and mentioned the  lessons he learned  from  his father , such as , “You  have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan well, work hard, and be very determined to achieve your goals. Hard work is always part of success”. Harley described  his father as  more than a dreamer. He was a doer and stayed focus on his goals. The other lessons were  about  maintaining a simple life despite success  and the importance of helping others . His father continued to work hard  not for himself but for others . He created  more projects , thus generating  better opportunities for employment and  opening avenues to support our  communities.

The  college  scholarship program is now  25 years and he thinks  that a mentoring  program by the alumni for the current  scholars is timely because the latter can benefit  from  the  former’s life experiences and collated wisdom as SM scholars. “You all know this. You have gone through these tough times yourselves so help the current scholars in whatever means you can—tutor them where they are weak and make them feel that they are not alone. SM Foundation  after all is also your home,” Harley said.

This statement  generated a loud applause and approval from the alumni.

He ended his remarks with an encouraging note,  “Continue making things happen. Your story goes on and we cannot wait to hear what else you can do. The world needs more dreamers and doers like you.”

All wearing the blue jackets given them by the foundation , the former scholars rendered song and dance numbers and heartwarming testimonials from Ericson Cabrera, 2010 graduate, now school principal, Junnair Manla 2014 graduate now network engineer based in Singapore,  Novelyn Beboso, 2005  graduate now Certified Public Accountant, & Ellyson Bala 1999 graduate, now a SAVP in the IT Department of SM Prime. Their stories drew tears of joy in the eyes of listeners. An alumna, schoolteacher Gemma Gutierrez, 1998 graduate  sang an original thank you song which she composed for Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sy Sr. Alumni  joined her in singing this song .

After the  alumni’s musical number  five representatives from various batches presented the alumni’s gift to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sy Sr. – a wall art depicting “Scholars for Scholars”  a project  of “Tatang’s graduates” (SM scholar-alumni)  to pay tribute to the founder of SM Foundation and to pledge to “pay forward” the generosity of the Sys to other less-fortunate but bright students (who were once like them). The five gift presentors, Emylou Cadalzo, Loida De Vera, Elly Bala, Novelyn Beboso, Jeffry Manhulad turned over to  Debbie Sy, executive director of  SM Foundation, the “seed fund” of over P100,000 that they raised amongst themselves to sponsor one college scholar for schoolyear  2019-2020 and pledged to increase the number in the future.  They also distributed  voluntary pledge forms during the program.

Further entertainment was provided by the Act Seven band and Tatang’s graduates let their hair down so to speak and jammed with the band. The event closed  at five pm with takeaways  for  them – their inspiring  stories  began at SM and will continue to be handed down from them to their next generations. For Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sy Sr and family  and   SMFI  - Tatang’s vision of educating the youth to fight poverty was not made in vain; in fact it is a true and tested formula.

Electoral bets in P’sinan sign peace pact

Lingayen, Pangasinan — Electoral candidates from the provincial, congressional down to the local government units have signed a peace covenant for the midterm polls in May this year. 

Simultaneously held all over the country, the peace covenant signing for Pangasinan province was held in the province at the Pangasinan - Police Provincial Office (PPO) on January 13, here. The signing was preceded by the Unity Walk towards the PPO grandstand, and a Mass.

“We urge everyone to show your commitment and sincerity to ensure a peace, clean, and honest elections,” Pangasinan PPO Chief Wilson Joseph Lopez told the electoral candidates during the program held prior to the peace covenant signing.

“Ang darating na halalan ay pagkakataon para ipakita natin na tayong mga Pangasinense ay marangal at disiplinado,” PSSupt. Lopez added.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Henry Robinson said that the tandem of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Philippine Army, especially the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reinforces the peace and security operations in the province.

Dagupan acquires new shuttle bus, motorcycles

DAGUPAN CITY – The city welcomed the new year through a bustling start by again adding its expanding fleet of service vehicles.

Catholic priest Jasper Hebron, Mayor Belen Fernandez, City Administrator lawyer Farah Decano and the city department heads led the blessing of the city’s brand new shuttle bus and three motorcycle units during the flag-raising ceremony at the city plaza on January 7.

NEW VEHICLES. Fr. Jasper Hebron (2nd from left, 1^st photo) is joined by Mayor Belen Fernandez (3rd from left, 1st photo), City Administrator Atty. Farah Decano (center, 1st photo) and the city department heads as he leads the blessing of the brand new shuttle bus and three motorcycle units of the city government. Also in first photo are (from right to left) POSO Chief Carlito Ocampo, General Services Officer Engr. Melchor Guiang, City Planning and Development Officer Engr. Josephine Corpuz, City Budget Officer Luz de Guzman, City Accountant Melissa Mendoza, and City Health Officer Dr. Ophelia T. Rivera. (CIO photo by Jojo Tamayo)

The 51-seater bus is in addition to this city’s coasters which will all be used for ferrying Balon Dagupan athletes going to and from venues of competitions.

The transportation will be immediately used to carry the athletes for the coming Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) Meet.

The bus will also transport barangay officials and department heads during their “Lakbay Aral” study tours as well as those attending other official events within and outside the city.

Meanwhile, the motorcycle units will be used by the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) for their continuous traffic monitoring.

Mayor Fernandez disclosed that the service vehicles collectively cost around eight million pesos.

“We are making sure that all the vehicles and equipment that we acquired were all brand new for the safety and convenience of Dagupeños, especially our children,” added Fernandez. (Verdelle De Vera/CIO)

Guv bet lost because mayors pocket his monies

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – One of the reasons why a gubernatorial bet in the eastern part of Pangasinan lost because other mayors  did not distribute to voters the monies he instructed them to do, a high elective official told reporters.

As reaction to the news article by this newspaper’s Guico Nixes Analogy Espino Can Beat Him, the official, who asked not to be named, said that other chief executives of the local government units in the Fifth Congressional District did not distribute  the funds given to them for the voters intended by defeated gubernatorial candidate former congressman Mark O. Cojuangco in the May 9, 2016 election.

“Binulsa nila ang pera a week before the day of the election,” he cited

Those mayors abused the trust of the former solon by withholding his money for the voters while allegedly accepting that of his rival and spent them to the electorates there, he expounded.

“These mayors took the fund offered by the rival of their benefactor and used them to give to the voters to assure his victory while they pocket the money given to them by former congressman Mark”.

In that election Amado I. Espino, III outpointed Cojuangco by garnering 129, 403 votes while the latter settled for 86, 458 votes in the district.
Espino won the general election in the 44 towns three cities' province.

The eight towns and one city’s district has 324,319 voters (November 2018 Comelec data) making her  third in the most number of voters in the six districts' Pangasinan Province.

It is composed of Urdaneta City, the towns of Alcala, Bautista, Binalonan, Laoac, Pozzurobio, Santo Tomas, Sison, and Villasis.

Urdaneta City has the most numbers of voters with 87, 916 (Comelec November 2018 data)  followed by  Pozorrubio with 47, 659. Binalonan has 36, 717 voters only.

Will they fix the Pacquiao - Broner Tiff for a Mayweather Rematch?

Remember the seemingly stage Pacquiao vs Matthysse Match

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

After watching the predictions of boxing luminaries like Sugar Ray Leonard, Tim Bradley, Vasyl Lomachengko, Teddy Atlas, Andre Ward, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and others  at the Elixir of Life in You Tube on the Manny Pacquiao – Adrien Broner tiff on January 19 (20 in the Philippines) for the World Boxing Association’s Welterweight Crown I could only shake my head.

Many were wowed by the reinvigorated knock - out power of Manny as seen on his dominance with Argentinian Lucas Martin Matthysse last July 15, 2018.

I wondered why no one among these folks say that the knockdowns and technical knocked out (TKO) of Manny against Lucas was due to a seemingly rigged match as preparation for his another hundreds of millions of dollars fight with the iconic Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Salamabit, they just sparred on that match. Matthysse’s ferociousness as seen on his figths with Danny Garcia, Viktol Postol, and the hard hitting Ruslan Provodnikov was absent.

He contented himself to hit and run from Pacquiao who was rushed in the Cardinal Santos Hospital because of a heart ailment days before their match.

The champ publicist Aquiles Zonio wrote at Philboxing.com that Manny was whisked off to the hospital seven days before the match in Malaysia because he complained of difficulty in breathing in various occasions.

As the duo maneuvered to hit each other in the third round, a short left upper cut, I called .45, landed on the lower jaw of the Argentinian from Manny.

Lobby Money from Oligarchs to Senators Reason New PSA Dies?

  PSA will draw more foreigners to invest in PH and spike jobs  

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – A former congressman shared the same suspicion of some quarters that senators did not approve the Public Service Act (PSA) because of the lobby monies given by Filipino controlled corporations for their reelection.

“Baka kasama na lahat iyon. Kailangan nila ng explanatory billings,” former ABAKADA Party-List Congressman Jonathan Dela Cruz answered when asked by this writer here if the reason the senators procrastinate to pass in the third and final reading the amendment of the PSA because many of them seek reelection in May this year.

 The public perception this happened because these solons need free aircraft to barnstorm the country and hundreds of millions of pesos from these "monopolistic" corporations in telecommunication, power, transportation, and others to fund their campaign expenses. 

More foreign investors in the Philippines mean solution if not reduction of the country's unemployment problem and the diaspora of Filipinos in other countries.

Power of the Gov't to Buy Your Property

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

This is about real property owners who resisted to sell their houses and lands to the government. Can the State forces them to sell at the prevailing price of the area?

A mayor asked me about how Eminent Domain and Expropriation works after some residential and land owners would not acquiesce for his offer for the owner of a Filipino and foreign owned multi billion pesos public utility corporation to buy their lots for the good of the town, province, and the country.

The presence of the utility will not only lessen the burden of the public but provide hundreds of millions of pesos of revenues every year to the town.

Its industrial presence will not only be a multiplier effect to the bustling activities of the municipality but of the entire province whose economy moves in a turtle pace because of its reliant on still backward practices of agriculture.   

Aside from buying their lands at a handsome prices he cited, they will be relocated to other areas to build their houses for free.

‘Some politicians egged them to stone wall that until now the investors could not start the ground breaking for the construction of the hundreds of billion of pesos utility,” he told me.

I will cite here how  eminent domain as my advice to him as based on the laws and jurisprudence.