Disgruntled Supporters of a Mayor

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

After being stranded for almost four months in the war-torn Cotabato Province when I was caught by President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of the lock down in March 15 to May 15 versus the phantom lethal Corona Virus Disease-19, I wiggled out through a three days lorry ride last July 4 and be in Pangasinan with seasoned Pangasinan media men making rounds of interviews with politicians, public officials, and figures.
Lately, we went to the farm of a veteran public official where he treated us and some major supporters of Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim for lunch. I heard the grumblings of these demoralized supporters, whose loyalty started during Lim’s father’s mayorship stints, how the subalterns of Brian gave them a run around every time they want to meet him.

An illustration of a disgruntled person. Photo Credit: Goole. com

They unburdened to me their exasperation against the cordon sanitaire that screened the callers of the younger Lim in his office.

Four of these leaders who were responsible in bringing votes to the Lims every time they joined an electoral race deplored being sidelined by the younger Quatro de Jack’s members.

One of them blurted out: “It was liked the proverbial camel in the Bible entering the hole of a needle.”

Son of a gun, I just learned te - he there that even politician and not only the Devil can quote scripture too in the Gospel.

This Pesticide can Save Mindanao's Farmers from Expenses

                       AFTER IT SHOWED ROBUST HIGHLY PROTECTED POMELO TREES

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

M’LANG, Cotabato Province – Farmers in this sweetest producing pomelo town are expected to shift to AMO Growth Enhancer after a major planter attested how the Enhancer will save them tens if not hundreds of thousands of pesos for their crops' protection against pests and diseases.

Jerry Reyes, a resident of Brgy. New Janiuay here, said that it cost him an arm and a leg spraying with pesticide every other day his countless of hectares of pomelo trees to maintain their sweetness and to deflect attacks by bugs, fungi, and others.

“I only used three drums (of water) I poured and mixed them each with a sachet of AMO,” he said about the growth enhancer dubbed as miracle fertilizer he bought at P750 each from Nathanael Fabila who is a renowned seed distributor in Mindanao and manager of AMO Fertilizer there.

Pomelo fruits and their healthy leaves.

Since he shifted from the more expensive fungicide and pesticide to AMO in June 14 this year, Reyes a retiring Captain of the Bureau of Fire of Philippines, started to spray 60 trees, or hills as farmers call them, by eight days interval. Because of it he saw the leaves of the trees became greener, fatter, and more conditioned thanks to the growth enhancer manufactured in Calasiao, Pangasinan and became popular in Northern Luzon particularly.

"After my second spray I will make the interval by 15 days to save on fungicide".

AMO is kelp based fertilizer. It contains only small amount of N, P, and K, it means highest in Potash but adds valuable micro nutrients, natural growth hormones, and vitamins that help increase yields, improve soil structure, reduce plant stress from drought, and increase frost tolerance.

“I saw there maggots shunning the trees and they were thinner,” he cited after he sprayed with AMO the manure from his poultry houses he used as natural fertilizer of the big citrus trees.

There are now less falling leaves in between the stretch of the trees because of the sturdy leaves.

ALTERNATIVE. Cotabato Province’s pomelo planter Jerry Reyes (left photo) listens attentively to plant growth enhancer AMO’s Mindanao Executive Nathanael Fabila who explains to the former the pilot project he will venture into countless trees of the sweetest big citrus tree to be sprayed every 15 days with the growth enhancer. AMO will replace the more expensive pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide Reyes use to the leaves of his tree every other day. 

Eleonor “Lotlot” Alba- Antonio, an executive of the hundreds of hectares’ Sheba Pomelo Farm, said that in her countless of years as supervisor of planters of huge hectares of pomelo in the provinces of Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani, and Davao, the sweet pinkish if not red pulp fruit planted here is the tastiest.

“Aside from the combination of proper care, right fertilizers and pesticides the factor of its being the sweetest is the soil of this town,” Antonio told this writer in her 24 hectares of the scientifically known citrus grandis' plantation in Barangay Buayan here.

But venture in these fruits entail a huge expenses because they are fertilizer and pesticide pampered from a farmer.

You have to wait for five years and the harvest is twice a year. A farmer earned a gross of one million pesos in one hectare per harvest or a net profit of five hundred thousand  pesos (per harvest or one million pesos in two harvests a year with one million pesos in fertilizers, pesticides, labor, and other expenses - Author),” she cited.

Many farmers here, including those former rubber and palm oil planters, shifted to pomelos because of the hefty returned of investment.

AMO is a 5-in-1 formula developed by lawyer Eric G. Acuna, a former congressman, where a farmer can use it as organic fertilizer, soil conditioner, growth enhancer, foliar,  fungicide,  and insect repellent.

READ: 

M'lang Produces The Tastiest, Sweetest Pomelo

SWEET. Pomelo tree and fruits in New Janiuay, Mlang Cotabato. The rustic landlocked town is a major producer of the bitter sweet fruits in the country.  The person in the photo is the author.

(Send comment to totomortz@yahoo.com)

DE VENECIA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, TULOY PA RIN!

Bukas na ang tanggapan ni Congressman Toff de Venecia para sa college scholarships.

Ang mga bagong aplikante ay pinapayuhan na mag-apply sa website na: stufaps.chedro1.com/congressional at i-print at pirmahan ang enrollment form na makikita doon.

Pinapayuhan din ang mga aplikante na ihanda ang mga sumusunod na dokumento: kopya ng Grade 12 grades, bio-data na may 2x2 picture, certificate of residency at certificate of good moral character.

Kasama ang enrollment form, ang mga ito ay isusumite sa tanggapan ni Congressman De Venecia.

Para naman sa mga magre-renew ng kanilang college scholarship, mag- register kayo, online sa nasabing website (stufaps.chedro1.com/congressional) at sundin ang mga panuntunan kung paano ire-renew ang inyong scholarship.

Pagkatapos, ay maaari niyo nang i-submit ang mga nabanggit nang requirements, kasama ang inyong certificate of grades kung saan kayo huling nag-aral.

Ang District Office ni Congressman De Venecia ay bukas, tuwing office hours, mula Lunes hanggang Huwebes mula 8:30 AM hanggang 3:30 PM .

Ito ay matatagpuan sa: A.B. Fernandez Ave. Dagupan City (beside Banco De Oro, sa tapat ng Janas Bakery, Dagupan City. Ito ay may telepono, bilang 523-6391 at 0947-324-7674.

Bagamat naantala ng pandemya, naibigay na rin ng tanggapan ni Congressman de Venecia ang mga scholarship cheques mula sa CHED (Commission on Higher Education) noong isang linggo.

Ang De Venecia scholarship program ang isa sa haligi ng paglilingkod ng mga De Venecia, na sinimulan ni five-time speaker Joe de Venecia noon pang dekada sitenta. Mahigit 25,000 na ang nagtapos sa kolehiyo, dahil sa programang ito.

Sa kasalukuyang panahon, isinama rin ito ni Congressman de Venecia sa kanyang plataporma ng paglilingkod, na tinaguriang BAGETS (B-uhay na Turismo, A- Agrikultura, G- Gusali at Imprastraktura, E-dukasyon, T – Trabaho, S – Serbisyong Pangkalusugan)

Aktibo rin ang kongresista sa mga pagpupulong ng Committee on Basic Education, kung paano ang wastong modality ng pag-aaral sa panahon ng pandemya, at sa Basic Education and Culture Committee para maasikaso ang tamang pondo ng mga ahensiyang pang-sining at kultura, tulad ng NCCA, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, National Museum, CCP, National Archives, Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino at National Library, para masigurong ipupursigi ng administrasyon ang 10-point socioeconomic agenda nito, kasama ang pagsulong ng creative arts for economic growth.

Pathetic Backbreaking Labor at P63 a Day

By Mortz C. Ortigoza
I thought the seemingly inhuman backbreaking job of manually crushing stone happened during the time the International Labour Organisation (ILO) denounced the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention of 1999 when women and kids were seen chipping stones with hammers for quarry purposes in Sub Saharan Africa like in Benin (one of the 20 poorest countries in the world), Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
When I was cruising in a lorry the Pan-Philippines Highway at Catbalogan City in  Western Samar Province last March 6, 2020, I posted with caption photos of shacks where I commented how small the huts and how poor the people who lived at the seaside and near the stretches of the national highway there.



SORRY stone breakers at a village in Calbayog City, Western Samar I interviewed recently about their sad plight where they earn each P63 a day in a backbreaking work. Because of the scarcity of jobs in the Eastern Province these people are forced to hammer stones to smithereens for construction materials. From left is the couple Dionelda and Emilio Gallardo.

"Madami magagandang dalaga diyan malapit sa San Isidro (town), Samar (Province) kaya lang taga basag ng bato sa tabi ng highway (A lot of pretty ladies there near San Isidro town, Samar Province however they worked as stone breakers near the highway,"Roberto "Jun" Alba, Jr., a pal and owner of one of the two air conditioned wing van hauler trucks’ convoy, that I rode from Cotabato to Luzon through Western Samar Province texted me so I can drop by and see how abject poverty rear there ugly heads there when he saw me documenting at Facebook the second day of the three days land trip I had recently from M’lang town in Cotabato Province to his motor pool in La Loma, Quezon City.

PAGSISIKAP NI REP. TOFF NA MAI-ANGAT ANG AGRIKULTURA, NAGBUBUNGA NA!

Malapit na nang maisabatas ang panukala ni Rep. Toff de Venecia na Magna Carta of Young Farmers, na naglalayong magbigay ng insentibo upang ang mga kabataan, edad 15 hanggang 35, ay bumalik sa industriya ng pagsasaka at pangingisda.

Pangasinan Fourth District Congressman Christopher "Toff" de Venecia helped the Department of Agriculture in the distribution of farm machinery to three farmers cooperatives in the one city and four towns' district in Central Pangasinan. The distribution materialized because of the funds accrued from the department's Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Mechanization Program.

Lumabas kasi sa pag-aaral na ang average na edad ng mga magsasaka ay 57 to 59 years old. Nito lamang nagdaang linggo, ang nasabing panukala, na pinangalanan nang "Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Act" ay nakapasa na sa Committee level ng Kamara. Matatandaang isa ito isa sa mga priority bills na nirekomenda ng NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) na dapat maisabatas, para makamit ng pamahalaang Duterte ang minimithi nitong pag-unlad ng ekonomya.

Nakasaad sa nasabing panukala ang pagbuo ng Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council, upang bigyan ng boses ang kabataan para sila’y makagawa ng mga polisiyang makakatulong sa kanilang sektor. Maliban dito, aktibo rin ang kongresista sa pakikilahok sa iba pang aspeto ng agrikultura, gaya ng katatapos na Committee hearing para amyendahan ang Seed Industry Development Act of 1992.

Samantala, nitong nagdaang linggo, ay namahagi naman ang tanggapan ni De Venecia ng mga agricutural machineries sa tatlong samahan ng magsasaka sa ika-apat na Distrito. Ang proyekto ay naisagawa sa tulong ng Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Mechanization Program ng Department of Agriculture, na ginanap sa munisipalidad ng Lingayen.

Pangasinan Fourth District Congressman Christopher "Toff" de Venecia helped the Department of Agriculture in the distribution of farm machinery to three farmers cooperatives in the one city and four towns' district in Central Pangasinan. The distribution materialized because of the funds accrued from the department's Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Mechanization Program.

‘Pinas Pang -3 sa Mundo na Makalat sa Plastic – Cong. De Venecia

By Congressman Christopher "Toff" de Venecia

Ang opisina ng inyong lingkod ay dumalo sa simulation ng distance learning gamit ang iba't ibang pamamaraan ng pag-aaral.

Ang junior high school at senior high school ng Dagupan City National High School ay magpapatupad ng online at modular instruction for learning.

Para sa Modular Learning, ang ating mga magulang ay pupunta sa paaralan para sa mga printed modules na sasagutan ng mga estudyante sa kanilang mga tahanan at isusumite ito sa susunod na linggo para makuha ang susunod na module. Ang Online Learning naman ay gagamit ng Google Meet App na magsisilbing online classroom kung saan magtuturo ang mga guro ng kanilang asignatura sa loob ng 45-50 minutes at bibigyan din ang mga estudyante ng modules na magsisilbing guide kung sila may madidisconnect sa online classes.

Alam natin na maraming concerns ang mga magulang at mga mag-aaral sa nalalapit na pagbubukas ng klase sa susunod na buwan, kaya naman tinututukan natin ang mga saloobin ng ating mga Kabalyean para mas mapabuti ang implementasyon ng online learning, blended learning, at iba pang modes of learning para sa lahat.

The Philippines has become the world’s third largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean and has among the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia. (Photo is internet grabbed)

***

Sinimulan po natin ang ating linggo ngayong hapon sa isang Economic Affairs hearing kung saan nakapanayam namin si Ginang Nanette Medved-Po para malaman ang magagandang programa at polisiya ng Hope in a Bottle at kung anong mga panukala ang pwedeng ihain ng Kongreso para mabawasan ang produksyon ng plastik o di kaya nama'y hikayatin ang mga kumpanya sa pamamaraan ng pabibigay insentibo para mabawasan ang kanilang paggamit nito.

Prov’l Gov’t Bats for Covid-19 Hospital in Region

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN , Pangasinan – A resolution from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) of Pangasinan requested President Rodrigo Duterte and the Department of Health (DOH) about the establishment of a dedicated anti-pandemic hospital.

Board Member Jeremy Agerico “Ming” Rosario, a surgeon, said that in case the concerned party acquiesced, the measure could serve the beleaguered Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) patients with enough doctors and nurses, medical facilities, and funds from the government.

 
Board Member Jeremy Agerico “Ming” Rosario

“Iyon nga nagpasa ng panukala na hinihiling ng Probinsiya ng Pangasinan through this resolution sa ating butihing Pangulong Duterte at D.O.H na mag establish ng dedicated Covid hospital dito sa Region-1,” he stressed.

Rosario said the national government can either choose three government hospitals in Region -1 as full pledged Covid-19 referral facilities.

“Meron dito sa Regional Medical Center meron sa ITRMC (Regional Medical Center) sa San Fernando at iyong Don Mariano Hospital diyan sa Ilocos Norte”.

Rosario wished that the specter brought by the pandemic could be resolved so people could return to their normal lives.

Meanwhile, an ordinance helped passed by BM Rosario was the mandatory usage of face mask in public places.