Bobotantes hit after nixing ex-judges, docs, lawyers

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – Political spectators bemoaned the loss of former judges, lawyers, and doctors in the last May 13, 2019 election.

One of them was former regional director of the Department of Interior & Local Government Romeo Prangan.

The former executive deplored the myopia of many voters who elected candidates in exchanged of twenty to one hundred pesos per voter despite their being intellectually inferior.

Instead of voting those respected members of the bar and medical profession to contribute their intellects to hammer laws at the Sangguniang Bayan these voters preferred those intellectually inferiors’ candidates,” Prangan bewailed to this writer about the pathetic preferences of voters to those candidates aspiring for the legislature.

 

BEMOAN - A former regional director of the Department of Interior & Local Government bemoans how voters squandered the opportunity to elect and exploit the experiences, intellects, and talents of former Municipal Trial Court judges Florante Gabat (left) and Santiago Marcella, Jr. who failed to win their aspired seats in the Sangguniang Bayan (legislature) of Calasiao and San Fabian towns.

He added that voters’ choice went to the gutter in last poll after they exchanged the future of themselves and their children to those financial paltry given by moneyed candidates.

Prangan cited those who lose their councillorship bids were former Municipal Trial Court Judges Santiago Marcella, Jr. (No.18 for the eight slots) and Florante Gabat (No.11). Marcella and Gabat ran but failed to win in San Fabian and Calasiao towns in Pangasinan.

SoKor Fetes Warriors with Grand Concert

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

It was heart warming to see recently my 91 years old father and some Korean War’s veterans hugged and saluted by coat and tied South Korean executives at the lobby of the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo at Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City.

“Thanks for your heroism and service in saving our country,” a Korean who just darted off from his family embraced my pa’ and other octogenarian and nonagenarian former warriors for their gallantry and intrepidity in the first cold war between the United States and Soviet Union that ensued 70 years ago.

RESPECT - A South Korean rendered his snappiest salute to a member of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea before the start of the Korean War Memorial Peace Concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines that celebrated 70 years of the Korean War and mutual exchanges between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

The Philippines sent 7,420 soldiers in five Battalion Combat Teams to defend the nascent South Korean government in the 1950-1953 war against the claws of communist Mainland China and her puppet regime North Korea.

The formal attired event attended by the diplomatic corps lead by U.S Ambassador to the Philippines' Sung Kim, government luminaries, cadet corps of the Philippines National Police, and surviving spouses of the veterans and their descendants, was sponsored by the burgeoning South Korean government dubbed as The Korean War Memorial Peace Concert that celebrated 70 years of the Korean War and mutual exchanges between our country and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

It was showcased by the world class RoK’s Seocho Philharmoniker throught the baton of conductor Jong-hoon Bae, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, soprano Rachelle Gerodias, baritone Byeong-in Park, Canadian famous trumpeter Jens Lindeman, and other popular talents. 

The Korean War, joined by the belligerent Philippines and 15 countries that were members of the United Nations, broke in June 25, 1950 (coincidentally the night of the concert at the CCP).

BAYAMBANG MAYOR TAKES OATH FOR SECOND TERM

OATH – Bayambang, Pangasinan reelected mayor Cezar Terrado Quiambao took his oath of office with administering officer Municipal Trial Court Judge Dominico A. Sanchez (not in photo) in the former inauguration for his second term after he overwhelmingly defeated come backing former mayor Ricardo M. Camacho. Other in photo is Quiambao's beauteous wife Mary Clare “Niña” Jose-Quiambao (extreme right forefront) and family members.

The oath taking held last Friday at the town's air conditioned state-of-the-art gymnasium included reelected vice mayor Raul R. Sabangan and the eight councilors who all hailed from Quiambao’s slate. Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

Posing for posterity with my former college student Marg "Gigi" Junio (center) a nurse working abroad. She is a member of the illustrious huge Junio Clan in the mammoth town Bayambang. Gigi is with her mother here as her (Gigi) first cousin former vice mayor now incumbent Councilor Mylvin Junio joined the inauguration of business tycoon and the burgeoning town mayor Cezar T. Quiambao. The mayor speech was well applauded by the crowd when he told them that he talked with the president of SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) for the construction of the huge SM-Bayambang. "Will the SM Bayambang ensues this year?" I asked the mayor. "Yes," he told me.

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Sual folk still hopeful over 2nd power plant

 SUAL, Pangasinan-A group of residents here urged incoming Mayor Lizeldo “Dong” Calugay to push through with the construction of a second coal-fired power plant to further boost the local economy.

Calling themselves Sual ProProgress, the group pointed out that the municipality stands to collect about P800-million a year in real property taxes to be shared by the province, the municipality and the barangay where the project shall be constructed.

A modern coal power plant.

Aside from tax revenues, the plant with a 1,000-megawatt capacity would generate more than a thousand jobs for the locals as well as reduce the cost of electricity for households.

Korean Electric Power Corp. (Kepco), the biggest power supplier in South Korea, is the proponent of the project with a cost of roughly two billion US dollars. Initial negotiations for its construction were initiated by outgoing Mayor Roberto Arcinue.

Oldies Want to Preserve, Popularize Spanish-Era Warehouse

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – Old- timers called Jayceeken and a solon seek the government guidance how to conserve, develop, and popularize the abandoned concrete walls of the Philippines National Railway Incorporated (PNRI) warehouse  here.

These storied historic walls played a proud role in the halcyon days when steamed power locomotive trains snaked from Tutuban Station in Manila to Dagupan City and vice versa in November 24, 1892 up to its last day of service in 1988, according to Councilor Jigs Seen, the chairman of the Committee on Cultural Heritage and Arts of this city’s legislature.

 He explained that when the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan (FDMD) constructed a 195 – kilometer railway from its main terminal at Tutuban in Manila to here, this immovable property became an architectural heritage under then railway’s construction supervisor British Engineer Henry Kipping.

Passengers posing in front of the "Ferrocarril de Manila y Dagupan" (c. 1885). Photo Credit:Wikipidea

 “ He later married one of  history characters and resident of Dagupan the beauteous Leonor Rivera – a former girlfriend of national hero Jose Rizal who visited her by traveling to Dagupan from Calamba, Laguna,’ Seen cited.

“It used to be the warehouse of the PNR. The main terminal was near the back of the present building of the Development Bank of the Philippines,” Sual Mayor Roberto Arcinue told this writer.

Ph Farmers Hit China-Owned Syngenta for Non Payment

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAUTISTA, Pangasinan – Farmers in Northern Luzon are up in arms against a Chinese controlled biotechnology company after it breached not to pay the P80, 000 to P120,000 a hectare of corn variety it contracted with the farmers here.

Syngenta AG is a global company that produces agrochemicals and seeds and is based in Basel, Switzerland, according to Wikipedia.  As of 2014 it is the world’s largest crop chemical producer that conduct genomic research  It is owned by ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Farmer leader Dean “Iyong” Roque feared that the victims did not only come from this poor town but those kernel yielding planters in Ilocos and Tarlac provinces.

AGGRIEVED – Farmer-leader Dean “Iyong” Roque exhorts farmers at Barangay Poponto in Bautista, Pangasinan to unite for a strong leverage to demand payment to Chinese controlled biotechnology corporation’s Syngenta that defaulted to pay each of them on the agreed price for each of the hectare that was planted by the innovative corn the corporation tasked them. Roque feared that corn farmers in the provinces of Ilocos, Pangasinan, and Tarlac were “duped” by Syngenta. PHOTO BY MORTZ .C ORTIGOZA

They accused Syngenta of defaulting of their promise to pay them P80,000 to P120,000 per hectare of corn they harvested.

They planted the cereal from November 2018 to February 2019 with a condition that within 15 days after harvest they will be paid by the Chinese controlled corporation.

But after almost five months they are still waiting for their remuneration.

There were 26 farmers here who planted various hectares of the corn variety that Syngenta sell expensively as hybrid seeds to customers all over the country.

“If we computed P17.40 per kilo that we sell to them. Syngenta sells our harvest all over the country for P500 to P600 a kilo,” this village administrator Emmanuel Gaoat said.

Their contemporaries in the nearby Bayambang town headed by Roque complained too how they were allegedly duped on the mode of payment after the harvest.

Peryahan Workers Avoid Massive NBI Raids

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – Before the joint task force of the National Bureau of Investigation struck a countless numbers of gambling bet stations in Pangasinan Thursday, personnel of the Peryahan ng Bayan (PnB) took their materials, closed their shops, and scampered away to avoid arrest.

According to a staff of its number game’s rival a franchisee of the Small Town Lottery (STL), before the enforcers of the NBI from this city, cities of Manila and Baguio, and provinces of Nueva Ecija and Pampanga launched their massive raid, all the betting stations of the PnB in the 44 towns and four cities’ Pangasinan closed shops and their employees absconded.

ARMED - Armed- to- the- teeth enforcers of the National Bureau of Investigation prepare to launch a raid on their target at a city in Luzon.

“Pinagtatanggal nila iyong mga tarpaulins nila na may pangalang Peryahan ng Bayan and my mga logos ng PCSO. Kung legal sila bakit nila tinangal at nagsipag taguan sila? Major Fajardo kung legal kayo bakit nagsitakbuhan ang mga tao ninyo?” an official, who asked for anonymity, of the STL’s Authorized Agent Corporation (AAC) Speed Game Inc. dished out at former Army major Efren Fajardo whom he cited as the reputed administrator of PnB in Pangasinan.

Speed Game, Inc, a business rival of PnB, complained about the reduced presumptive monthly retail receipt (PMRR) that it remitted to the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office in Manila because the latter illegally encourages bettors to play on its 1 to 38 number combination against the former 1 to 40 combination figures.

Pangalawang power plant sa Sual suportado ni Pangulong Duterte

LINGAYEN – Ang plano ni Gov. Amado “Pogi” Espino III na gawing investment destination ang Pangasinan ay lalong lumakas ang tsansang maisakatuparan matapos ihayag ng Pangulong Duterte ang kanyang pagsang-ayon sa pagpapatayo pa ng karagdagang coal-fired power plant sa bansa upang masawata ang maaring pagkakaroon muli ng krisis sa kuryente.

President Rodrigo Duterte, second from left, poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo during a meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea last year.

Magugunita na isa pang coal-fired power plant ang balak ipatayo sa bayan ng Sual ng Korean Electric Power Corporation na nagkakahalaga ng two billion US dollars. Ang naturang power plant ay may generating capacity na 1,000 megawatts.

Ang pagpapatayo ng power plant ay isa sa mga pinag-usapan sa pagbisita ni Pangulong Duterte sa South Korea noong nakaraang taon.

Sa nasabing bilateral meeting ng Pangulo at ni President Moon Jae-in ng South Korea, hinikayat ni Pangulong Duterte si President Moon na dagdagan pa ng South Korea ang investment sa Pilipinas,  lalong-lalo na sa energy generation, manufacturing, automotive, food processing at agri-business.

Exiting Dagupan Mayor Signs Into Law New PUJ Route

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – To ease up the traffic congestion here and to expand the route of public utility jeeps (PUJ), Mayor Belen T. Fernandez will sign into law Monday the resolution passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (legislature) last Friday.

According to Councilor Jeslito “Jigs” Seen, selected PUJs from the eastern part of this expanding city and those that hailed from the three barangays in Bonuan that are barred by the coding system will be allowed to ingress at the junctions near Silverios Restaurant in Arellano Street and near Jollibee in AB Fernandez Street.

“Oo, after that punta sila sa Arellano (Street),” Seen referred to PUJs that came from these sides of the city.

The multi-million pesos Lucao-Dawel Bridge at the De Venecia Highway Extension where public utility jeeps in Dagupan City will ply. (Photo Credit: Phil. Geoview.info

Those jeeps that are to be included in the new route are from Barangays Bonuan Gueset, Bonuan Binloc, Bonuan Boquig, Tambac, Bolosan, Salisay, Mangin,Tebeng, and Mamalingling

Seen said those franchised PUJs that ply CSI to Downtown Area and vice versa are not included in the new ordinance.

The outgoing solon explained that the jeeps will enter the junction of the De Venecia Extension Highway near Silverios and cruise the stretch of the Highway and circle at the parking space of CSI Mall in Barangay Lucao so they can loop to their origin.
The Highway has almost three kilometers in length or almost six kilometers if based on the round trip of a PUJ.

Mayor spends P20-M to aid VM

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A reelective mayor spent twenty million pesos not to ensure his victory but to give succor to his vice mayoralty tandem beleaguered by the vote buying resorted by her rival in the recent poll.

“Iyong taga kabila namimili ng P250 per voter noong pakurong. Iyong vice mayor ko P250 kada botante ang kaya kaya binigyan ko ng P250 para P500 kontra sa P250 ng kalaban,” the mayor in Central Pangasinan told this writer.

He did it because his cash strapped mayoral opponent did not resort to use money to win the hearts of the vulnerable voters.

“I spent twenty million pesos because I gave two hundred pesos to sell myself to the voters and aided my vice mayor with another sum”.

Both candidates for the mayoralty and vice mayoralty are into big contracting business building infrastructure for the government.

SM - P'gasinan Honors Ph Independence

SM City Rosales uses Pangasinan’s famous tourist destinations in a colorful paper quill mosaic as tribute to the Philippine flag.
These tourist draws that become part of the aesthetics in the mall's Independence Day 2019 Centerpiece are The Manaoag Church, Alaminos Hundred Islands, Bolinao Lighthouse, St. Vincent Ferrer Statue – the world’s tallest bamboo statue located in Bayambang, and Mount Balungao.

SM City - Rosales' paper quill mosaic.

The giant mall, according to the mall's media affairs head KJ Santiago, hailed the community in the creation of the mosaic for the coming anniversary of the Philippines Independence through paper quilling.

Quilling or paper filigree, as defined by Wikipedia, is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs

It took more than two weeks for participants to create it. 

Santiago said that thousands of paper quills were produced by sixteen persons that include students from Feliz Academy, Inc. 
The flag is the country's emblem of sovereignty - dating back to the unfurling and declaration of Philippine Independence 121 years ago.
The colors of the Philippine flag were the dominant colors used to portray Pangasinan's gems - the famous tourist attractions.

Election is liked Waging War

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Running a political campaign is liked waging a war.

In my conversation with a newly minted high elective official, he told me that running for governorship and a congressional seat in the 2022 election a candidate should look for viable candidates to challenge the opponents who are allied in these two positions.

“So the rival in either of these two posts could spread thin his financial resources thus weakening them and ensuring the victory of their opponents”.

He cited that these phenomena happened in the concluded May 13, 2019 election where the opponent in the national position lost because he was preoccupied overseeing and funding many political fronts.

”Sus, it sounds Sun Tzu. They are no different in war,” I quipped.

“Why?” Another politico, who was part of a huddle, posed his question to me.

I told him about the rash and audacity of Germany’s Fuhrer Adolf Hitler when he launched his ambitious plan to conquer Great Britain and the vast land Soviet Union, and waged wars in the Mediterranean and Africa against American General George Patton and British Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery.

“What happened there?”

“After Hitler annexed and partitioned Austria, Finland, Yugoslavia, and Romania and invaded Poland, flushing out the British in a beach called Dunkirk, France, defeating the French in France, he attacked Great Britain thru a legendary air war battle because the country was separated by the English Channel to France and then he launched an invasion of Soviet Russia called Operation Barbarossa”.

Improve Lingayen, Boost workers’ Integrity – Bataoil

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – The first order of day of the mayor-elect here when he assumed office at noon of June 30 is to repair the plaza, face lift the market place and boost the integrity of his public employees.

“Ang sinasabi ng taong bayan linisin ang Lingayen. Ang mukha kasi ng Lingayen buong plaza buong palengke at ang municipal government iyon mismong tanggapan. So sa akin gusto ko na e unite once and for all ang ating taong bayan," former police general and newly elected mayor Leopoldo Bataoil of this capital town in Pangasinan cited.

SOUTHPAW MAYOR – Outgoing congressman and Lingayen Mayor-Elect Leopoldo Bataoil (4^th from left) poses a southpaw stance with amateur boxers from different towns and cities in Pangasinan.

He lamented during his grand rally, he and his slate members were deprived to do their afternoon stump because of the knee level flood brought by the downpour.

“Ang lakas ng ulan tapos nagkaroon ng baha doon mismo at hanggang sa kalahating binte na but then the people stood their ground talagang nandoon sila nakatayo at nag cha- chant “Bataoil Bataoil Bataoil!”.

A supporter of the solon told this writer that upon assumption of office, Bataoil will prioritize the roofing of the Dela Cruz Auditorium in the plaza here so the crowd and the equipment will not be soaked again by the heavy rain that undermined their grand rally.

She added that the mayor-elect will also repair the drainage system to avoid the flood that met them.

Power plant project to employ thousands of residents in Sual

SUAL, Pangasinan - More than a thousand workers are needed for the planned construction of the second power plant in this town.

This was learned from the representatives of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) which is currently holding talks with municipal officials headed by Mayor Roberto Arcinue for the construction of the second power plant.

Also, more than three hundred regular employees would be needed for its operation.

Project workers and employees needed should come from this coastal town as mandated by an ordinance which requires investors to recruit Sual residents for their manpower requirements, if ever available locally.

Aside from hundreds of jobs, some P800 million in real property taxes could be collected annually from the proposed power plant, which shall be shared by the province, this municipality and  barangay Baquioen here where the plant would be located.

KEPCO E&C has developed high capacity, highly efficient, and environment-friendly 1000MW class coal fired thermal power plant design technology in response to the strengthening of global environmental concern and the securing issue of large scale power plant sites.

It was reported that majority of Sual residents welcomed the second power plant project, including womenfolk, senior citizens, farmers and fisherfolk, employees, and students who stand to benefit through the scholarship program of the project proponent .

The project proponent is spending about two billion US dollars for the power plant project which has a generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts.

The mayor said this will boost and stabilize the power supply for the Luzon grid to do away with frequent power interruptions.

Bobom Loses Veem’s Race: I Ain't Buy Votes

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

  

URDANETA CITY – The outgoing mayor of this thriving city in Northern Luzon cited his loss for the vice mayoral derby here because he did not resort to vote buying.

“Why will I spend say P30 million to vote buy? That’s profligacy and a folly because I could no longer recoup that based on my three years’ term salary as vice mayor,” Mayor Amadeo “Bobom” Gregorio Perez IV told this writer in Pilipino during a visit by the latter to his office here.
A city vice mayor just like here receives a remuneration of P100,000 monthly.

The nine years’ stint mayor thought his sterling performances as the chief executive here will be his show window to voters to intelligently vote for him but he was wrong.

According to the official count of the Commission on Election, Mayor Perez’s opponent vice mayoralty challenger Jimmy “Jing” Parayno routed him with 16, 302 lead votes out of the 67, 729 voters.
"Wala, pera pera na lang ang mga botante ngayon," he deplored.

ROUT - Urdaneta City outgoing mayor Bobom Perez and his vice
 mayoralty rival who routed him in the last poll Vice 
Mayor -Elect Jing Parayno.

His younger sister was dumped by Vice Mayor Rammy Parayno with 8,635 margin in the mayoral race where the lady bet got 30, 060 while Parayno dusted her with 38, 695 votes. 

Jing Parayno is the nephew of Mayor-Elect Parayno.

 The outgoing mayor only smiled when a radio broadcaster told him that vote buying was practical if one runs for mayorship because the winner can reclaim his expenses through the cut given by suppliers and contractors who transact business with the local government unit.

“The vice mayorship is a thankless job since the occupant cannot do an abracadabra for his advantage because he has no direct access with government funds,” the radio commentator said in the vernacular.

 Perez’s congressman and mayor grandfather and father former mayor and former solon Amadito Perez, Jr. governed this burgeoning vegetable and cattle hubs of Northern and Central Luzon since the 1960s.

The young Perez told this newspaper that he will not seek reelection for the mayorship in the May 2022 election because “I am retired already”.

This“retire quip” was not new with the chief executive because last 2017 he mentioned this when asked if he will seek the congressional race in the May 13, 2019 election versus Fifth District Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. after he bowed down from office in June 31 this year.
In October last year, he accompanied his sister where they both filed at the Comelec here for their chosen elective post

“That is not true. After I stepped down from office, I consider myself retired from politics".

Espino was trounced out by Binalonan Mayor Ramon “Monmon” Guico III in that poll.

“I asked Bobom last year that he run for congressman but he begged off and told me to instead challenge Espines,” Guico told recently this writer.

Guico upset Espino by 3,512 votes where the former and latter scored 124, 136, 121, 624 votes respectively.

Sources close to the exiting mayor said that after the one-year ban for public office, Perez, a close party ally of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, will either be whisked to a post in the Department of Agriculture or at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Perez told this newspaper that when Mayor Duterte asked Malacanang’s advisers if where could Hukbong Pagbabago lead by Duterte and some senatorial bets do their stump in February at the humongous province Pangasinan, Custom Commissioner Isidro Lapena, a village mate of Perez here, told the presidential daughter to instead talk with Perez and not the governor of the province.

“Mayor Sarah called me that the PSG and PMS will be coming in a short period of time and my sister and I were asked to look for someone to sew for our  blue party’s vest,” he smilingly narrated.

He cited that he was the only Pangasinan politician who was with Duterte and party at the guest lounge of the Cultural and Sports Center while Governor Amado Espino III and his father congressman Espino who were not members of Hukbong were at the stage waiting for the guests to speak to the big crowd the mayor and his village chiefs brought to the Center.   

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Dredging machine to focus on Calmay River's mouth

DAGUPAN CITY – Another dredging machine has arrived in Dagupan to augment the continuous desilting operations of the city’s river system.

This is the Dredge 14-A  which recently arrived from Vigan City to help fast track the clearing operations of the sandbars that accumulated in the mouth of the river.

This is the second dredging machine that came from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) this year.

With a 14-inch diameter, the new cutter pump machine is also the biggest suction machine among all those currently operating in the city.

It can dredge up to a capacity of 270 cubic meters per hour or at least 1,620 cubic meters every day.

Dredge 14-A will be joining the newly-repaired Dredge Visayas I deployed in Barangay Pugaro to help improve the discharge and flow of water by clearing out the sandbars and silt at the mouth of the Calmay River.

Visayas I, which can dredge up to 240 cubic meters per hour, has so far cleared over 2,500 cubic meters of silt in the area since it began its operations this May.