Tough License Procedure Awaits Applicants at the LTO

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – An arduous and stringent process awaits applicant to obtain a non-professional driving license at any offices nationwide of the Land Transportation Office.
The new law, according to a brass here, provides that before an applicant avail of the non-professional license he or she must undergoes a 15 hours lecture, driving lesson, and practical examination at an accredited driving school.
“If they pass bibigyan sila ng certification ng driving school before they secure their student permit,” this capital town’s Land Transportation Office's chief  Aileen Tanguilig-Peteros explained. 
She cited that the certification will  be used by the applicant to apply one month after its issuance  at the LTO for a non-professional driving license.

 An automated logbook and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed in these driving schools to ensure that applicants have undergone driving lessons.

TOUGH. Aileen Tanguilig-Peteros explains the nuances of the new arduous procedures to be adapted by the LTO in April 6 for driver’s license applicants.

Marawi War Vet, Narc King Killer Dies

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

An intrepid police official who battled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
backed Maute  and Abu Sayyaf Salafi rebels in Marawi City and killed a drug kingpin died not with bullets from his enemies but to colon cancer.
The Police Regional Office-6 based in Iloilo City’s press release said that Colonel Marlon A. Tayaba, 51, succumbed to the killer disease last February 16, 2020.
“At the time of his death, Tayaba was one of PNP’s key regional senior officers as he was serving as PRO-6’s chief regional staff. Prior to his assignment at PRO-6, Tayaba was the chief of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO). It was during his watch in September 2017 when he led a team to neutralize Richard Prevendido, the alleged leader of the Prevendido drug group. Tayaba’s reassignment in Iloilo province came after a June 2017 daylight raid on the police station in Maasin town by the New People’s Army (NPA)”. 
“Tayaba was specifically chosen for his experience as ground commander of the police elite force who faced the Maute terrorist group during the height of the 2017 siege in Marawi City".

LEADER. Police Colonel Marlon Tayaba leading his troops during the Marawi City Siege where state troopers with aid from the United States , Australia, and other country had a protracted skirmishes from May 23  to October 23, 2017 versus foreign backed Muslim jihadist group. The group wanted to raise a caliphate flag and convert the Islamic City in Mindanao into a bastion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). (Photo grabbed from Facebook)

Before his tour of duty in Iloilo Province, Tayaba, a San Carlos City, Pangasinan resident, held offices as chief of police of San Carlos City, Pangasinan and Criminal Investigation & Detection Group in Manila in August 31, 2010 and August 31, 2016, respectively.

He saw action during the five months urban guerrilla's war stand off with foreign backed ISIL Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups .
The protracted siege ensued in May 23 , 2017 to October 23, 2017. It ended in the defeat and death of the leaders of the jihadists there but demolished in a Pyrrhic victory the Islamic city because of the relentless bombings of government forces aided by the U.S and other countries.

The raid of the hideout of  Prevendido where his son was shot to death by policemen and the drug lord gunned down by Tayaba was a product of patient sleuthing from the latter and his team.
After researching the locations of the various properties of the kingpin, Tayaba and company located him in Maasin town.
Here’s Philippine Star report titled " How they got Prevendido" dated September 3, 2017.
 “The three-man assault team first tackled Room 1 and immediately killed Prevendido’s son, Jason, who managed to fire the first shot but did not hit anyone.
As for the elder Prevendido, “the moment he opened the door, he immediately fired his gun,” Tayaba said.
Prevendido apparently managed to fire his gun thrice before he slumped to the floor with four gunshot wounds – one on his forehead, one under the chin and two on his chest.
Tayaba said one of the personnel who was with him did not manage to fire his gun after he got rattled.
Apparently, it was Tayaba’s reliable Glock 17 that finished off Prevendido”.

Another Pangasinan Police Colonel Harris Fama posted at his Facebook Account:“Our Police Academy mate, my kababayan, a dear friend, a brother and a Marawi warrior Col Marlon Tayaba just passed away. Join me to pray for his soul, may he Rest in peace. (After a) few days viewing in Iloilo City, the remains will be finally (put to) rest in San Carlos City, Pangasinan.”.

He is a member of Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1993.
Tayaba, who had a lengthy stints in Iloilo Province, spoke fluently the Ilonggo dialect according to  his brother, a police official too, who told this writer who naturally speak the vernacular of the Southern Island.
Both of them have college schooling in Iloilo City.

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Judge withdraws writ favoring Peryahan ng Bayan

COPS DARE TO NAB BOOKISH OPERATORS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The Pasig City’s Regional Trial Court judge who got the ire of the franchisees of the Small Town Lottery (STL) of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office recalled his Writ of Execution that used to favor the operation of the Globaltech Online Corporation's Peryahan ng Bayan (PnB).

Presiding Judge Nicanor A. Manalo, Jr. withdrew last February18, 2020 the Writ of Execution backing the operation of the PnB.

This upon the instant Urgent Manifestation of the PCSO that cited President Rodrigo R. Duterte did not approve the operation of the PnB and subject to the suspension order last February 6, 2020 of PCSO General Manager Royina Marzan- Garma.

 

“In view of the foregoing and inasmuch as per Order of the court dated December 17, 2019 which stated among other that the court shall heed any suspension order from the Office of the President, the court takes notice of the aforecited memorandum from the Office of the President and as such the instant Urgent Manifestation is duly noted as the Writ of Execution dated January 24, 2020 is recalled,” Manalo wrote on his Order.

A high official of STL’s Authorized Agent Corporation (AAC), who asked for anonymity, told reporters to drumbeat Judge Manalo’s Order to pressure the Philippine National Police’s provincial director and the chiefs of police to raid and arrest betting stations and personnel of the PnB who still persist to illegally operate.

Tight power supply paves way for 2nd power plant in Sual town

SUAL, Pangasinan – Prospects for the construction of a second coal-fired power plant here are getting brighter given the tight energy supply situation the country is experiencing.

The possibility of the project becoming a reality is further enhanced by results of previous public hearings which saw that an “overwhelming majority” of Sual residents were in favor of the second power plant.

Those who support the project stressed the need to construct additional sources of energy to avert a looming power crisis.

They noted the recent pronouncements of the National Electrification Administration advising Filipinos to brace for rotating brownouts in the coming months “because of low power supply.”

Power Shortage in the Philippines.

NEA Administrator Edgardo Masongsong said one-hour power interruptions might be experienced between April and May.

Already, power interruptions are occurring almost daily in many parts of Pangasinan.

But the projected power shortage may ease if big events will be canceled because of the CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Pinoy Doctor has Solution to Corona Virus

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Matapos mabasa ni Pangasinan-1 School Division Office Superintendent Sheila Marie A. Primicias ang personal message (PM) ko sa Messenger and the linked of the article attached to it entitled: This Man Wants to Beat Brian Lim, inatasan ni Primicias ang kanyang sport’s brass Dr. Bernardo de Guzman na mag pa interview sa akin.

But before I will narrate here my Q & A with De Guzman, sinabi ni DepEd Pangasinan-II “Sport’s Czar” Enrique Macayan sa article ko ang kanyang determination to haul most of the golds versus other SDOs in Region 1 at the coming Region-1 Athletic Association Meet in April 13 to 20, 2019.

Here’s the excerpts of my interview with Dr. De Guzman held at the swanky and cozy office of Primicias in Capital Town Lingayen, Pangasinan:

ME: Ano naman ang job description ninyo?

HIM: Ako po ang head ng C.I.D.

ME: C.I.D? Iyong po ba iyong sa PNP na nanghuhuli ng mga drug pushers at minsan nagtatanim ng mga drugs sa bulsa ng mga suspects?

HIM: Ay hindi po! C.I.D po ay Curriculum Implementation Division. Iyong sinasabi po ninyo ay CIDG ay Criminal Investigation & Detection Group sa Philippine National Police po iyon.

ME: Ay mabuti naman! Natatakot kasi ako kanina kako baka taniman ninyo ako ng drugs sa bulsa ko e hindi naman kayo taga Department of Agriculture.

Teachers and employees of the DepEd Pangasinan-1 inside the office of Dr. Primicias who eavesdropped on the interview have been amused by my posers.

Sabi siguro nila ang bobo namang media man ito. Napagkamalan pang office ng CIDG ang office namin.

Pangasinan-1 and Pangasinan 2 have an appropriation of more than P10 million, P9 million respectively  in regional sports' meet from the coffer of the provincial government under Governor Amado “Pogi” Espino, III, other donors, and the fundraising for the up to P20,000 per gold as dangled by Supt. Premicias to her athletes from the primary and secondary schools located in the Central and Western Pangasinan parts.

The ostentatious preparation not only on the awards but to the foods and outfits of the athletes of Primicias is her determination to outclass for golds Macayan and SDO Supt. Danny Sison of Pang-II, Laoag City Mayor Michael Keon and his nephew Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc, and Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim.

When I told Dr. De Guzman that players of Ilocos Norte have been training since October last year as disclosed by Macayan, the former said that upon assumption of Primicias in September 18, 2019 she saw to it that her players trained for the R1AA Meet.

Customarily, training ensues only for 25 days but not to these SDOs I mentioned recently.

*** 

CORONA VIRUS CURE (Photo Credit: Daily Express)

 Geez, I remembered the flick "Cobra" casting lead actor the former Italian pornographic star Sylvester Stallone whose famous phrase as Police Lieutenant Marlon "Cobra" Cobretti was:

Pinoy Farmer Found Cure vs Corn Plant’s Pandemic

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ROSARIO, La Union - Corn farmers of La Union Province have found the antidote against the dreaded Fall Armyworm (FAW) that scourge to financial loses their counterparts in other parts of the country and the world.

Engineer Cesario G. Sembrana told this newspaper that Victoriano de Vera was one of the countless farmers here and abroad who saw how the FAW gnawed corn plants to destruction.
“Mga kabaryo natin doon meron silang problem about iyong infestation ng corn nila. Barangay Tabtabungao, Rosario La Union. Almost all the areas sa corn production for young corn tinamaan iyong lahat noong sakit. Iyong Full Armyworm (My village mate there got problem on the infestation of the species on their corn. It is in Barangay Tabtabungao, Rosario La Union. Almost all the areas of their corn production were hit by the moth),” Sembrana, who is the National Tobacco Administration’s Provincial Manager in Pangasinan, said.

He cited that farmers try every pesticides in the market but to no avail as the FAW continues their catastrophic rampage to corn plants.

GNAWED. Corn plants gnawed by the dreaded Fall Armyworms that besieged with impunity farmers in South America, Africa, and Asia. Philippine officials are at loss how to solve this pandemic that cost hundreds of millions of pesos loses to Filipino farmers.

Sembrana said that the Department of Agriculture and the Municipal Agriculturist Office stared at a blank wall how to cure the plants that have been gobbled by this pandemic for several years already.

Farmers in Iloilo Province last year sprayed their corn plants and the areas surrounding them with clean water and muscovado sugar to draw ants that will bite the army worms.

Engineer Cesario G. Sembrana

Provincial Agriculturist Elias Sandig cited that FAW had affected farmers in the towns of Pototan, Santa Barbara, and Cabatuan.

But their methods seem ineffective as he and other corn coordinators plan to study other strategies of defeating the FAW.

Sembrana told Victor de Leon, a village mate, the owner of a one fourth hectare here to try the seaweed based fertilizer.

In years 2017 to 2018 the NTA certified AMO Fertilizer hurdling the bio efficacy evaluation trial.

“Entitled “Efficacy Test of AMO Plant Growth Enhancer on Yield and Quality of Burley and Improved Flavor Tobacco" conducted by the NTA under its Protocol Research and Development Program Crop Year 2017 -2018,”

It was signed by National Tobacco Administration’s Administrator Robert L. Seares, M.D.

“Sabi ko subukan ninyo kaya itong AMO Growth Enhancer.Sabi ko sa kanila at awa ng Diyos naka recover nga iyong field. Kahit puntahan ninyo doon sa Tabtabungao si Victoriano de Vera (I told them to try AMO Growth Enhancer. In God’s graces you could recover in your loses.You (reporters) can check Victoriano de Vera in Tabtabungao)”.

10 days after spraying with AMO Plant Growth Enhancer (APGE), the beleaguered plants whose leaves were chewed by FAW recovered.

“Iyong recovery kasi iyong mga plant was observed after 10 days (The recovery of the corn plants were observed after 10 days)”.

He said after seeing that the Fall Armyworms have found its match on APGE, he requested AMO founder and general manager Eric Acuña to distribute his product for free.

“Si Attorney Acuña provided free (AMO fertilizer) for testing sa lahat na nag attend ng meeting at iyan ang pinapa monitor ko ngayon kung ano ang progress (Attorney Acuna provided to all attendees free AMO fertilizer for testing. I am asking somebody to monitor for the progress of the test)”.

The fertilizer is known to provide high brix level that killed insects.

When told by this writer about experimental caterpillars became lethargic and eventually died upon consuming leaves with high brix, Acuña said AMO is a revolutionary highly energized carbon based molecule product much like plants that have their own sugar. When applied to the plants, it is sent to the roots fueling plant processes at the roots. It exponentially increases bacterial respiration. Multiplying the effects of carbon flow and subsequently increasing nutrient flow.

Sembrano wished the efficacy of AMO to defeat this bane to farmers here, other parts of the country, Africa, South America, and Asia.

Since it landed in Africa from its native South America in 2016, FAW has quietly eaten its path to Asia. The continent’s favorable sub-tropical environment and crops provided a steady medium of growth. It enabled this insect horde to reach India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and China– the second largest producer of corn in the world. In the Philippines, the pest has been spotted in Cagayan Valley– the country’s top corn area. Government and agricultural companies are coordinating and monitoring the spread of this pest before it affects the nation’s production, according to an article titled: Syngenta: Stopping the march of the Fall Armyworm published at Business World.

Sembrano invited stakeholders to come here in Barangay Tabtabunao and see for themselves how the growth enhancer cured the crops of Mr. de Vera and other farmers.

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(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)

P1B Fund Each For Some Cong. Districts

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

STA. BARBARA – Some Pangasinan congressional districts have an average of P1 billion allocation each from the national government this year.
 Fourth District Engineering Office's District Engineer Simplicio D. Gonzales of the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) has an allotment of P1.1 billion this year for the Third Congressional District that is represented by Representative Rosemarie Arenas. 
Major projects to be funded by the amount will be slope protection, road widening, and others.
His office that is based here prepares the construction of the P13 million egress drainage that could end the perennial flooding in Calasiao town proper whenever there is downpour.
The drainage problem in this burgeoning town started in 2017 when the owner of a land where a creek is located at the Judge Jose de Venecia Highway back filled it to elevate his property. The back filling however impeded the flow of the drainage water that run to the Banaoang River. 
 
 BRASS - Department of Public Works & Highway Fourth and Third Congressional Districts' District Engineers (DE) Edita L. Manuel (left) and Simplicio Gonzales.

Gonzales said another factor that aggravated the problem here was the construction several years ago of the sewerage that was not tilting to the exit in the Banaoang River. He explained that part of the P13 million budget was the reconstruction of a more than kilometer long concrete canal system.

Ex-Mayor, Son Cry Harassment

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 Former Sual mayor and his son  John who ran in the same post last May 13, 2019 election have been charged at the regional office of the Commission on Election in San Fernando City, La Union with Election Offenses as provided by the Omnibus Election Code by Michael Jasmin.
The former mayor said they were sued with “threat, intimidation, terrorism, use of fraudulent device, or other forms of coercion (paragraph “e” of Section 261)” and “registration of voters as seen on paragraph “y” of the same Section)” by Jasmin whom he suspected to be doing a billing for their political opponents.
“We are not worried. We are going to answer the complaint affidavit in case we received it,” the ex – hizzoner explained to this writer.
He said that their enemies are up in arms so his family could not challenge the power that be there in the May 2022 election.
“Those cases were just harassment. We would be vindicated later because the accusation were not true,” the former mayor cited.
 

ARCINUES. From left: Former Sual Mayor Roberto Arcinue and his son John. The latter, a former nine years mayor, ran for the top post of the coastal town Sual in the 2019 Election but lost to present mayor Liseldo "Dong" Calugay.

BIR Reg. 1 Director Collected P14.08B

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO – The regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue surpassed its 2018 collection by P1,611, 168, 997.55 as year 2019 ended.
In a data approved by Regional Director Thelma S. Milabao for this writer, it said that the regional office had collected P12, 469, 336, 932.55 in year 2018 while its 2019 collection computed to be P14, 080, 505, 930.10 or a spike of 12.92 percent versus the preceding year.
According to Regional Head of the Taxpayer Assistance Unit Chief Lee Caday, the regional office failed to hit the P14, 715,621,000.00 goal assigned by the national government because of a deficiency of P635, 115, 069.90 or negative 4.32 percent ion its collection.
“Masyadong malaki ang goal,” Caday cited about the daunting tasked given to them
He said that his office’s shortcoming is endemic to other regional offices of the BIR in the country.
“Kung sa school grading mataas na ang grade na ito 95. 06 percent iyon na ang grade namin,” he explained their laudable performance despite the deficiency of 4.32 percent on the goal.

FLOOD CONTROL

Pangasinan 4^th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia inspects on Jan. 31 a flood control project in Barangays Bacayao Sur and Bacayao Norte in Dagupan City that is expected to greatly minimize inundation in the area. With him are barangay officials and District Engr. Edita Manuel of the Second Pangasinan Engineering District.

Group bats for 2nd power plant to check looming power crisis

SUAL, Pangasinan- A development-oriented group are pushing hard for the construction of a second power plant here to prevent another looming energy crisis similar to what occurred in the late ‘80s.

            Calling themselves Sual Pro-Progress, the group composed of student leaders, professionals, womenfolk, farmers and fisherfolk, cited the frequent power interruptions taking place in various parts of Pangasinan and nationwide as “symptomatic of an impending power crisis that could cripple our economy.”

            They pointed out that another obvious indication was the recent pronouncement of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that residents in Luzon may have to deal with power outages during the dry season because of a “very tight” power supply.

            ERC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Agnes Devanadera told reporters last week that the region might start feeling the pinch in March or early April.

                Luzon will need from 1,899 to 1,900 megawatts to address the situation, thus, the group urged the government to fast-track the construction of another coal-fired power plant in Sual as proposed by the Korean Electric Power Corporation or KEPCO.

Leaño: BIR Eastern P’gasinan’s Top Honcho

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY – The top brass of the Bureau of Internal Revenue assigned a new head to supervise the tax collection in the one city and 15 towns Eastern Pangasinan.

According to Regional Head of the Taxpayer Assistance Unit Chief Lee Caday the Revenue Travel Assignment Order (RTAO) showed Revenue District Office Chief Helen Leaño assigned to RDO-6 here after former RDO- 6 Chief Cecilia C. Campos retired from the same post.

Leaño used to be the RDO-1 Chief of Ilocos Norte whose office is based in Laoag City.

EFFICIENT COLLECTOR. Former Revenue District Office 1 Chief Helen Leaño who covered Ilocos Norte shows her plaque of appreciation after RDO -1 was the only office in the six RDOs in Region-1 to surpassed the respective tax goals given by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to them. RDO-1 eclipsed the P1,785,049,000.00 goal by 1.88 percent at the end of 2019. Leaño through the Revenue Travel Assignment Order (RTAO) was recently assigned as the BIR chief of the one city 15 towns eastern Pangasinan. The new BIR top honcho is flanked by BIR Regional Director Thelma S. Milabao and Assistant Regional Director Wrenolph D. Panganiban. (Photo Credit: Marilyn Respicio)

RDO Chief Ramon Navarro of Mangaldan, Pangasinan replaced Leano there.

Susan Cabanayan and Lolita Salayog are the Assistant RDOs of RDOs-1 and 6 respectively.

RDO-6 became No. 2 in the tax collection efficiency for 2019 in the Ilocos Region.

Under former RDO-6 Chief Campos and ARDO-6 Salayog, it collected last year P1,830,370, 823.46 or 16. 22 percent higher versus its 2018 collection.

It fell short however of negative 1.39 percent on the tax goal given by the national office for 2019 where it did not hit its P1, 856,225,000.00 goal unlike in RDO-1 where Leaño came. She exceeded it by 1.88 percent as based on the government mandated goal of P1,785,049,000.10 or an excess of P33, 550,462.44.

This Man Wants to Beat Brian Lim

HE FEARS ONLY MICHAEL AND BELEN

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Michael and Belen who?

Laoag City Mayor Michael Keon is not only the nephew of the saluyot late despot Ferdinand Marcos but the sports icon of Ilocos Norte who dominated players of public and private  elementary and secondary schools  in the provinces of Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan during his heydays.

This was when his sports facilities and training benefited  tremendously from the graces and greases of the dictator in the Palace near the Pasig River.

Belen T. Fernandez was the sports aficionado mayor of the Lilliputian Dagupan City, ala Singapore versus  “Southeast Asian neighbors Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia”, that waylaid all the players in those provinces and their cities' division offices in Region -1.

When broadcaster Sammy Losalla asked his fellow radio tandem at Sonshine Radio Harold Barcelona what are the three neighbors of Singa-4, Harold immediately cited for all and sundry to hear ”Madali lang iyan. Singa-1, Singa-2, and Singa-3!” Ha ha ha susmariosep I digressed again.

Not only in the Region-1 Athletic  Association (R1AA) Meet, Fernandez’s chutzpah could be seen on the national and regional championship last year by clinching the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC) as the “Most Child-Friendly City” under the independent component city in the country and the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the third year in a row in 2017.

But Fernandez could not engineer a third repeat or grand slam from being back-to-back champions in 2018 and 2019 Meet in Lingayen, Pangasinan because she was beaten in a hair-thin election result by  mayorship rival now Mayor Brian Lim – the son of her political nemesis former mayor Benjie S. Lim.

Dr. Enrique R. Macayan

That  was a close shaved lead 1,239 (1.4%) votes among the 97, 073 voters in the 31 villages commercial hub of the Ilocos Region.
But unknown to both Fernandez and Lim, Dr. Enrique R. Macayan, Supervisor School Governance & Operations Division  has been smiling these days since he saw cracked on the sport’s armor of the younger Lim.

Dr. Macayan who?

He architected the rampage of gold medals harvest and championships for several of years of the Department of Education - Pangasinan -II based in the huge Eastern Province. 

“Give me P10 million budget in Pang-II and I’ll beat either Belen Fernandez or Brian Lim,” confidently declared to this writer by Macayan  who handled the sports future of the kids in the one city and 20 towns Eastern and those municiipalities in the Fourth Congressional District in Pangasinan  where he shoehorned lately for his successive failed R1AA championship bids because of the shoe string P5 million budget given by the provincial government and the DepEd to him.

A Dagupan player , during Fernandez time, whose allowance ran up to thousands of pesos not including their branded sportswears like sneakers would pity the state of the players in Pangasinan-2 and probably the mammoth 15,000 strong teachers' Pangasinan -I and other provincial and city division offices given to each of the players primordially by the provincial government.

“Pag maluwag ang budget bigay kami P500 bawat bata entire one week pag available. Pag wala P300 and uniform lang national goal. Bawat  players pangarap makarating ng Palarong Pambansa,” he averred that huge allowances are not big deal for the kids because they have moist eye to play in the national game.

He said he is not afraid of Lim and his financial juggernaut he gets in the coffer thus he can beat him just like how he decked out those players and coaches of the other division offices in the Ilocos Region.

“Wala na si Belen. Kung ang supports ni Belen e hindi ganoon ang gagawin ni Mayor Lim malamang baka masungkit namin”.

He fears however another man who gave him countless disappointment for the championships in the 2010s.

He said former presidential nephew Michael Keon returned to Ilocoslavakia as mayor of Laoag City.

“Ang kinakatakutan ko diyan iniisip  ko naman Ilocos Norte kasi nakabalik na si Michael Keon. Mayor siya ng Laoag pero pamangkin niya iyong governor ng Norte puwede niyang maimplusiyahan iyon,” he said of  Keon and Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc .

He said players of Ilocos Norte have been training since October last year.

After Keon stepped down as sport’s king of Ilokoslovakia, Macayan strutted his stuffs before the awed public when he engineered Pangasinan-II championship streaks in years 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

But he became insecure when Dagupan City Mayor Fernandez  summoned coaches from Manila  with fat checks probably and honed through the garguntuan city’s wherewithal her players to excellence.

In the March 2017 R1AA Meet held at the Qurino Stadium in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, Dagupan City breathed at the back of the neck of Pang-II like an albatross with 48 golds to the latter 52 that was declared a champion.

A year before Dagupan City was the first runner up on the same Meet.

Fernandez, a basketball player during her teen, catapulted the coastal city by wrestling from perennial champion Pangasinan – II in the February 10-15, 2018 R1AA held in Alaminos City. It earned 71 gold, 51 silver and 34 bronze medals there while Pangasinan II  and Pangasinan-1 settled for the first and and second runner ups.
 Finnela Sim, executive director of the Dagupan City Sports Commission (DCSC), said Dagupan not only won the annual sports event for the first time but also rewrote 14 meet records in swimming.
In March 6 to 11, 2019  it became a back -to- back champion in the Meet in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte by amassing 87 gold, 63 silver, and 56 bronze medals.
Macayan said Mayor Fernandez  allocated P10 million to bludgeon into submission the city's player-rivals at Region-1 in the sports meet of 2019.

Dagupan City during the time of former Mayor Benjie Lim leaped as high as “Best in Uniform” only compared to the pathetic accomplishments of Lim’s predecessors.  Sports kibitzers and Dr. Macayan saw the writing on the wall: Dagupan with all the zeal of its stakeholders and dough dangled to coaches and players was destined to the championship against its poorly funded counter parts in the region.

Dagupan City has an average annual appropriation budget of more than a billion of pesos that makes her probably the richest per capita in the four provinces and nine cities’ Region-1.

Can Brian emulate Belen amid the threat and bravado of Dr Macayan?

Let’’s cross our fingers with bated breath how Brian disappoint the sports czar of Eastern Pangasinan of the glory this coming R1AAA at Capital Town, Lingayen in March 31 to April 7, 2020.
Son of a gun, it was originally schedule on February 19 to 26, 2019 but the specter of  the Novel Corona Virus deterred the power-that-be and frantically reset it.

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(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)