Magka-Coup ba ang Away Duterte, Marcos?

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Palala' ng palala' ang pagtuligsa ni dating President Rodrigo Duterte sa kay President Bongbong Marcos. Pagkatapos niyang banatan si Marcos sa Anti –Charter Change Rally na ginanap noong January 28 sa Davao City, isang patutsada na naman ang binitawan niya sa ginanap na press briefing noong January 30:

“Sinasabi ko lang sa kanya huwag kayong pumasok diyan (amendment of the Constitution) kung hindi niya ituloy happy days are here again. Huwag lang iyan kasi hindi talaga puwede sa Pilipino iyan para kasi pampahaba nila e…makuntento ka na lang enjoy the remaining years of your presidency huwag ka na maghanap ng gulo baka ma Marcos, Sr. ka”.

Photo credit: Philippines Star

Kasama si former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, sinabi rin ng dating Pangulo ang plano nila na mag secede o maghiwalay sa Luzon ang Mindanao dahil winawaldas nila Speaker Martin Romualdez ang bilyung bilyong pera ng Mindanao sa Manila.

Sa January 28 rally, ito ang banat ng dating Pangulo kay Marcos, Jr.:

“Bongbong, bangag ‘yan. That’s why sinasabi ko sa inyo. Si Bongbong Marcos bangag noon. Ngayong presidente na, bangag ang ating presidente. Kayong mga military alam ninyo ‘yan, lalo na ‘yong mga nasa Malacañang, alam ninyo. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, alam ninyo. May drug addict tayo na presidente! Putang inang ‘yan!”

Sinagot naman siya ni Marcos bago ito lumipad patungong Vietnam na dapat ay alagaang mabuti ng kanyang doctor si Duterte dahil may masamang epekto ang matagal na niyang paggamit ng “Fentanyl” na isang highly addictive drug.

Ang peace rally noong January 28 ay tungkol sa di pag sang-ayon ng mga Dutertes sa People’s Initiative (P.I) sa planong pagpalit ng presidential to parlimentary form of government sa Constitution na sinusulong ni Romualdez – pinsang buo ni Marcos.

Pag parliamentary na ang Pinas, maging isang panaginip na lang ang pagiging President ni Inday Sara Duterte dahil si Romualdez na ang heir apparent ni Marcos.

Tinawagan pa ng dating Presidente ang militar at kapulisan – mga armadong organisasyon na lumubo ang mga sueldo sa panahon ni Duterte – na protektahan ang pag tsubibo ni Speaker Romualdez at mga Kongressmen sa Constitution.

Ang masabi ko lang sa away nila Marcos at Duterte: Mag isip ang mga men in uniform, ano mang coup d’tat na gagawin nila ay may katumbas na kontrang pagsugpo sa mga Amerikano na hindi papayag na basta na lang ibalik ang mga Duterte sa kapangyarihan dahil sila ay kilala na maka China.

 Ang South China Sea o ang West Philippines Sea ay napaka-halaga sa mga Kano dahil ito ay host ng $5.3 trillion worth na kalakal na binabiyahi kada taon. $1.2 trillion dito ay pera ng mga Amerkanong negosyante. Malaking dagok sa kanila ang alyansang Pinas at China pag bumalik ang mga Duterte.

Hindi lingid sa mga Amerkano ang nakakabinging katahimikan ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa mga paghihimasok ng Tsina sa mga islands at shoals natin gaya ng mga pagharas sa mga resupply missions sa ating mga Marines sa ghost ship na BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal.

Bukod diyan, ang isang military takeover ay magpapabagsak lalo sa ating kulelat na pambansang ekonomiya.

Tingnan niyo ang Vietnam kung saan magsusupply sa atin ng two million metric tons na bigas kada taon sa limang taon dahil sa pagbisita ni Pres. Marcos kamakailan doon. Dati rati isa siya sa napakahirap na bansa sa Southeast Asia. Pero ngayon siya na ang No. 2 na top exporter kung saan ang Singapore ay No. 1.

Ito ang 2022 data ng SeaAsia para mas lalong maintindihan ninyo kung sino ang pinakamayaman at dukha sa rehiyon na ito:

Singapore (No. 1 U.S$ 515, 077, 895, 000), Vietnam (No.2 U.S$ 469, 548, 577, 000), Malaysia (No.3 U.S$ 353, 149, 561, 000), Indonesia (No. 4 U.S$ 291, 979,103, 000), Thailand (No.5 U.S$ 284, 106, 705, 000), Philippines (No. 6 U.S$ 78, 929, 719, 000), Cambodia (No. 7 U.S$ 20, 575, 773, 000), Myanmar (former Burma) (No.8 U.S$ 17, 084, 513, 000) Brunei (No. 9 U.S$14, 238, 438, 000), Laos (No.10 U.S$9, 158, 998, 000).

Gusto ba natin na lalong bumagsak ang ranggo natin sa Southeast Asia  dahil sa isang coup at maging ka laos na natin ang Burma at Laos?

Kung isa kayong matalinong Pilipino, alam naman ninyo na itong hidwaan nina Duterte at Marcos ay nagsimula noong tinanggalan ng House of Representatives si Vice President at DepEd Secretary Sara ng P650 million confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) para sa year 2024.  Pina iexplika at pinababalik din sa kanya kung saan niya ginastos iyong illegal disbursement na P125 million CIF na binigay sa kanya noong December 2022. May mga asunto na na isinampa laban sa kanya dahil dito.

Isa pang pinagaalburuto ng matandang Duterte ay ang pagpapasok kuno ni Marcos sa International Criminal Courts (ICC) para imbestigahan siya at mga galamay niya sa kasong Crimes against Humanity kung saan mga 12, 000 (Human Righs Watch) Pilipino ang namatay sa kanyang Drug War noong siya’y Presidente pa.

Ano sa tingin ninyo mga kapatid, dahil ba sa bangayan na ito hahantong ba ito sa isang coup?

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

Elite Rangers Quarrel, Die

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LABRADOR, Pangasinan – Two members of the elite Army Scout Ranger died last Friday in Brgy. Uyong here through gunshot wounds when Master Sergeant Marianito Bolante, 47, quarreled with MSgt. Dennis Malong Quiajado about the latter absent without leave (AWOL) that resulted for him to shot Bolante several times.

ELITE SCOUT RANGERS. These intrepid rangers are part of the Philippines military  specializing in anti-guerrilla jungle warfare, raids, ambushes, close quarters combat, urban warfare and sabotage against the country's enemies like the Moro rebels and the communist insurgents. (Photo is an internet grabbed)

The duo was part of an Army unit specializing in anti-guerrilla jungle warfare, raids, ambushes, close quarters combat, urban warfare and sabotage.

“Initial investigation disclosed that the victim together with his companion went to the house of the suspect to inform him regarding his AWOL case. During their conversation a heated argument ensued between them wherein the suspect suddenly drew a short firearm and fired successive shots towards the victim and his companion. As a result, the victim sustained gunshot wounds and died on the spot, while his five companion were unhurt,” excerpt of the spot report given to this writer by Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO) Director Col. Jeff E. Fanged.

Both of the soldiers have been assigned at the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) - Philippine Army, Camp Tecson, Brgy. Tartaro, San Miguel, Bulacan

Bolante was accompanied by MSgt. Rehum Pamisa Magno, SSgt. Denver Corpuz Obra, SSgt. Ricardo Agaton Gosang, SSgt. Regie De Dios Aquino, and Cpl. Aljon De Vera Layco who are all members of FSRR of the same address.  

When the responding policemen that hailed from the police station here arrived at 8:30 a.m, it resulted into a brief exchanged of gunfire between them and Quiajado. It stopped when the latter ran and hid inside his house.

When Col. Fanged arrived around 10;45 a.m the police started the negotiation for the beleaguered Sergeant to lay down his pistol and surrender.

“During the negotiation at around 11:30 a.m on the same date, a gunfire rang emanated from the location of the suspect and a silence was observed prompting the responding police officers to verify the location and the suspect was seen lying on the ground after he committed suicide by shooting himself using his firearm,” another excerpt of the spot report.

MSgt. Marianito Bolante (top photo) lying prostrate and bloody after MSgt. Dennis Malong Quiajado shot him to death several times with his pistol. Quiajado (photo below) lying dead  after he commited suicide after exchanging fire with the responding cops. The casualties are members of the elite Scout Ranger. Photo Credit: Col.Jeff E. Fanged

Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO) from PFU, Lingayen arrived at the crime scene and conducted processing and recovered the following: a. One Glock 17 Gen 4, 9mm with SN: AFP033623 with fired cartridge case stock in the chamber and with inserted magazine containing 12 live ammunition owned by the suspect. b. Eleven fired cartridge cases of caliber 9mm. c. One fired cartridge case for 5.56mm. d. Personal belongings and IDs of Bolante. 4. The victim and the suspect were brought to Sual Infirmary Hospital, Brgy. Caoayan, Sual, Pangasinan but were pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.

 The gray Nissan Terra’s vehicle of Msgt. Bolante and his five companions was also hit during the shooting with one bullet hole

During the confrontation between Msgt. Quiajado and the police, it resulted into a monstrous traffic that snaked from Sual to Lingayen as the law enforcers block the highway to prevent motorists of being hurt.  

P’nan to Receive Grant from US-DA Funded Program

 LINGAYEN, Pangasinan —A US-based non-profit organization is set to grant the Provincial Government of Pangasinan (PGP) PhP3.3 million, or US $58,121 worth of fishery paraphernalia.

Winrock International, which is based in Arkansas, USA, is implementing the ‘Building Safe Agriculture Food Enterprises (B-SAFE)’ funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its Food for Progress Program.

An in-kind grant agreement shall serve as the legal instrument for the implementation of the project.

The provincial legislature on its recent regular session approved a resolution authorizing Governor Ramon V. Guico III to sign, receive, and implement the in-kind donation. Aaron Sundsmo, Winrock International’s Associate Vice President of Agriculture, Resilience, and Water, will likewise sign

“The program aims to help the Philippines increase agricultural productivity by improving the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) in the production and management of supply chains and expanding the trade of agricultural and food products,” the resolution authored by SP Member Nicholi Jan Louie Q. Sison stated.

Fishery paraphernalia will include 40 sets of seine nets (kalokor), 10 units of chest freezers, and various fish processing kits.

“The Provincial Government of Pangasinan, through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAgO), will be the lead agency in the implementation of the project with the objectives to further enhance harvest, production, and processing techniques and to strengthen the capacity of milkfish processors on food safety compliance for processing bangus to promote value-added,” the resolution stated. (Ruby R. Bernardino/PIMRO)

Wala ng Yearly Registration Fee sa BIR

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Wala ng babayaran na annual registration fee ang mga tax payers sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) magmula January 22 ngayong taon.

TAXMEN. Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui (left) and central Pangasinan's Revenue District Office No. 4 Chief Aldrin Camba. 

Sa advisory na ibinaba ni BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui na pinahihinto na ang tax agency sa pagkulekta ng annual registration ayon sa Republic Act No. 11976 or the Ease of Paying Taxes Act na nilagdaan ni President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

Dahil dito ang mga negosyante ay di na kailangan mag file ng BIR Form No. 0605 na may kaukulang bayad na P500 bago o pagdating ng January 31 kada taon.

Ani ng hepe ng BIR central Pangasinan na si Revenue District Office No. 4 Chief Aldrin Camba na wala na silang babayaran pag nagparehistro ng kanilang mga negosyo.

“Ganoon din sa mga registered na iyong mga negosyo nila, iyong yearly na binabayaran nila na registration fee is mawawala na rin iyon”.

Ani ng BIR na mananatiling valid ang mga pinaghahawakan ng mga taxpayers na Certificate of Registration kasama ang mga registration fee.

“Bahala na ang mga taxpayers kung papalitan or e update nila ang certificate nila kung kalian nila gusto”.

Para magawa ito kailangan nila pumunta sa BIR kung saan sila na register bago o sa December 31, 2024 at isuko nila ang old Certificate of Registration para sa kailangan na update o replacement.

Pinagkaiba ng Street Party sa Mangaldan, Lingayen Kontra sa Dagupan

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Ang pinagkaiba sa street party sa Mangaldan at Lingayen kumpara sa Dagupan City ay mas pro – business sila sa huli base sa ginanap at gaganapin nilang kapistahan.

Ang nalalapit na pagdiriwang sa Mangaldan at Lingayen ay gaganapin sa malapit sa pinaka- merkado nila habang sa Dagupan ay ginaganap ito malayo sa pinakapalengke.

SEA OF HUMANITY that attended the street party in the Mangaldan Town Fiesta & Pindang Festival held March last year at the heart of the Poblacion.

MANGALDAN

Sinabi ni General Services Officer Fernando Saguisag A. Cabrera – isa sa mga punong tagapangasiwa ng street party sa taong ito - ito ay may sampung stages na magsimula sa CSI-Mangaldan papunta sa Cela Barrozo Restaurant.

Ani Cabrera may sampu ring banda na ilalagay sa bawat stage sa March 8 na Kalutan, Tugtugan tan Sayawan ed Dalan.

“Kasi dito iyong mga business establishments matutulungan mo rin. Meron ding proposal doon sa Angalacan sabi ko hindi kasi ang tinutulungan natin dito ang mga business establishment. Alam niyo ba ang pinakamaliit na store ubos ubos (inaudible) dahil iyon ang mabenta,” sabi ni Cabrera.

Ang Mangaldan Town Fiesta & Pindang Festival ay gaganapin sa March 1 to 11.

Hangad ni Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno ang kooperasyon at pakikiisa ng bawat sektor sa bayan sa mga inilatag na aktibidad sa piyestang ito.

Ang piyesta ay pinangasiwaan nina Advisor on Tourism and Information Officer Constantine B. Visperas, Chief Administrative Officer/HRMO/PESO Manager-Designate Helen A. Aquino, at Cabrera.

Dagdag pa ni Cabrera ang first prize ng raffle sa piyesta ay isang kotseng Toyota Avanza habang iyong ibang mga premyo ay mga tricycles na.

DAGUPAN CITY

Noong naging alkalde si Belen T. Fernandez, ang Dagupan Fiesta “Kalutan ed Dalan” Street Party ay pinagdidiwang sa Judge Jose de Venecia Highway Extension kung saan ito’y nagsisimula sa higanteng CSI Mall at dumaan sa kalsadang malapit sa Romantic Baboy, Cabalen, Tim Hortons, Conti’s, Wendy’s Bo’s Coffee, Kainan ni Mang Pepeng, Sidney’s Seafood, Dagupan City’s Common Terminal, Conrad’s, at iba pa.

Marami sa mga negosyong ito ay pag-aari ng pamilya ni Fernandez.

Noong naging alkalde si Brian Lim noong 2019 to 2022, ang Kalutan ed Dalan ay ginanap sa Dowtown Area na nasa puso ng lungsod mismo kung saan mas maraming tindahan ang nagbenepisyo.

“Mas kailangan ng mga negosyante ang ganiyang set – up dahil  maraming nalulugi sa kanila magmula ng bunkalin ng DPWH (Department of Public Works & Highway) ang kalsada sa Arellano Boulevard kung saan ito ay one way na at ayaw na ng mga tao pumasok sa lugar na iyon, “ ani ng isang kaibigan na ayaw ng magpakilala.

LINGAYEN

Ayon kay Lingayen Tourism Head- Designate Michelle Z. Lioanag gaganapin din ang nalalapit na Bagoong Festival sa capital town kung saan ang Kalutan ed Dalan ay sa paligid ng plaza kung saan malapit ang mga merkado.

“Gusto naming tulungan ang mga negosyante,” ani nito.

  Sinabi ni Lioanag na ang schedule ng kasiyahan sa March 14 ay Motorcade, Taway-Taway Cooking Competition, Lingayen Cooking Competition at Miss Gay Bagoong; sa March 15 ay Kid’s Fun Day, Free Tour to Bagoong Factories at Kalutan de Dalan; sa March 16 ay Grand Float Parade; Street Dancing Competition at Yugyugan ed Plaza.

We Fear China’s Economic Retaliation

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

If not dangerously water cannoned and intentionally rammed countless of times our supply mission vessels to our Marines ensconce in the ghost ship’s BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) at the Second Thomas Shoal (known too as Ayungin Shoal), the Chinese Coast Guard brazenly coerced recently our poor fishermen to throw the shells they caught back in the water of Scarborough Shoal – a part of the Philippines territory.

China President Xi Jinping (left) and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (Photo credit: YouTube)

All these patent violations of our sovereignty meted only the unabashed China a series of diplomatic protests from the Philippines. Why we could not do a Widodo?

CAN WE DO A WIDODO?

Widodo is Indonesian President Joko Widodo who ordered with intrepidity the firing and sinking of foreign vessels caught poaching in his country’s economic zone.

We could not do it because we fear more the economic retaliation of China than her military response.

China and the Philippines know that in case the former shot or bomb our Lilliputian coast guard and navy it triggered the automatic military intervention of the juggernaut's United States military because of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

CHINA FEARS THE MALACCA STRAIT

As long as China has no answer to the choke point in the Malacca Strait – where almost U.S$ 4 trillion of world’s trade and 60% of China oil import pass there yearly - it would not start a shooting war with the U.S otherwise she gutted to the ground her already plunging economy (through real estate meltdown where 70% of family assets are tied up ) through those lethal U.S nuclear subs. 

President Xi Jinping and his top apparatchiks in the Communist Party know this dilemma by courting mass demonstrations in China and military takeover from messianic faction in the army sympathetic to the plight of the suffering population.

CHINA'S TRUMP CARD VS PH

China’s trump card against the Philippines however is its imports from our country. By stopping to patronize them means tens if not hundreds of thousands of jobs and U. S$10.97 Billion (P616 billion) would be lost in the Philippines.

 We exported P616 billion to China in year 2022 according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Some of them were electronic equipment, ores slag and ash, copper, edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons and fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatics invertebrates.

Our import from China was U. S$29.8 billion (P1.6 trillion) billion for the same year.

Our five top exporting countries in 2022 were U.S, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore with revenues of US$ 12.4 billion, US$11 billion, US$10.9 billion, U.S$10.4 billion, and U.S$4.9 billion, respectively.

Moreover, we have 242,107 Chinese tourists that arrived in the country from January 1 to November 27, 2023. 

We have limited options to challenge China because we are a poor country.

If our total export in 2022 is a mere US$78, 929, 717, 000, our neighbors' Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore have a mammoth exports of US$291, 979, 103, 000 US$469, 548, 577, 000 and US$515, 077, 895, 000 in the same year (Seasea Stats).

As the maxim says: Beggars like us (like those military hands me down from our patron the U.S) cannot be choosers.

GRACE POE IN DAGUPAN

Outgoing Senator Grace Poe visits this Saturday the art exhibits of the Anakbanwa at the MacArthur House in Dagupan City. Poe in her 11 years as member of the Senate has been known as supporter of arts in the Philippines (Photo Credit: Dagupan City Police Station)

Guico to sign MOA with U.P for Secondment of Rovillos as PPC Prexy

 LINGAYEN, Pangasinan —On the recent regular session of the provincial legislature, it approved a resolution authorizing Governor Ramon V. Guico III to enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the University of the Philippines (UP)-Baguio relative for the secondment of Dr. Raymundo D. Rovillos as President of the Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC).

Authored by Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG. Lambino, the resolution stated that the PPC needs the services of a highly competent and technically proficient person who will serve as a consultant and interim president.

Gov. Guico

Hence, “Dr. Raymundo D. Rovillos, a professor at the Department of History and Philosophy, College of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines Baguio, has been identified to qualify for the position at the PPC.”

The resolution moreover cited that “Dr. Rovillos is willing to be seconded to the PPC for the period from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025, and hereby accepts and agrees to perform the duties as President as stipulated in the terms of the secondment.”

The PPC is a public, non-sectarian, non-partisan technical-vocational, and higher educational institution operating primarily under the subsidy of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan.

As stated in a letter sent earlier by Gov. Guico to Prof. Corazon Abansi, Chancellor of UP-Baguio, the former cited that the province is currently vigorously carrying out programs and projects that are deemed pivotal toward the realization of the present administration’s strategic initiatives in various areas such as social and economic development, public policy and governance, infrastructure, culture, heritage, and education.

The establishment of the PPC, the governor stressed, aims to prepare the youth for immediate employment in the province’s immediate communities and beyond.
“We are now in the process of developing academic programs in three areas/fields: agricultural entrepreneurship, sustainable local governance and program/project management, and creativity and design,” Gov. Guico stated in the letter. (Ruby R. Bernardino, Photo by Joey Olimpo/PIMRO)

Gold Standard’s SGLG, Pala-os na Ba?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Hindi ninyo ba napansin na sa huling pagawad ng Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) na kinikilalang gold standard sa lahat ng mga papuri sa mga local government units sa probinsiya, siyudad at mga bayan, kakaunti lang ang mga pumasa o sumali noong nakaraang taon?

Tingnan ninyo kung ilang porsiyento lang ang pumasa: 28 out of 82 provinces, 64 out of 149 cities, and 401 out of 1,485 municipalities sa buong Pinas. Sobrang liit ng mga nanalo mga kabayan: Halos one-third, more than one-half at almost one-fourth lang passed those in the provinces, cities and towns, respectively. Napa Inglis tuloy ako, hehehe!

Buong yabang na pinagmamalaki ng mga alkalde at gobernador ang pagawad na ito sa pamamagitan ng naglalakihang tarpaulin na winawagayway nila sa mga public places na nagsasaad kung gaano kagaling ang pamamalakad nila noong  2022 para makamit ang karangalan noong 2023.

PROVINCIAL GOV’T

Nakausap ko ang isang mataas na opisyal ng lalawigan (province) na kaya nilang manalo ng SGLG pero pinili nilang di na tugunan ang mga kinakailangan para sila ay mabigyan ng Gold Standard.

Ito ang seven governance areas needed na dapat makamit bago manalo: Financial Administration; Disaster Preparedness; Social Protection; Peace and Order; Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Environmental Protection; and Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

“Tingnan ninyo ang requirement sa Disaster Preparedness, dapat 70% ng 5% (ayon sa sinasaad ng Local Government Code) na budget kada taon sa kaban ay dapat tuparin,” ani ng mataas na opisyal sa akin.

Ang 5% ng isang probinsiya na merong P5 billion na annual budget ay P250 million. Ang 70% niyan na kailangan gastusin sa Calamity Fund or Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) ay P175 million.

Ilan ang award pag nanalo ang isang province sa SGLG? P4 million laang mga katoto, sobrang barya lamang! Talo ang kaban ng P171 million!

Iyang mga concern na iyan na dapat bilhin o gastusan ay training, life-saving rescue equipment gaya ng life jackets, speed boat, vehicles, others.

Taon taon ay dapat mabili o magawa iyang mga nakasaad sa sinulat ko sa itaas. Paano kung noong taong 2019, 2020 at 2021 ay nakabili na ng life jackets, speed boat, vehicles?

  Di ba extravagance at duplicity na sila? Baka malunod ang mga taga LGUs sa dami ng mga gamit na iyon, hahaha!

CITY GOV’T

Ang siyudad na merong P1 billion na budget noong year 2022 ay kailangan gumastos ng P35 million o 70% sa P50 million (5% LDRRMF) niya

Magkano ang parangal sa Gold Standard? P2.3 million lang. Talo ang kaban ng P32.7 million!

MUNICIPAL GOV’T

Ang bayan na merong P400 million na budget noong year 2022 ay kailangan gumastos ng P15 million o 70% sa P20 million (5% ng LDRRMF) niya.

Magkano ang award sa SGLG? Isang measly P1.8 million lang. Talo ng P13.2 million ang LGU.

PALAOS NA ANG SGLG AWARD?

Mukhang palaos na itong SGLG kasi madami na ang hindi nanalo at ang suspetsa ko ay may parehang argumento ang mga punong ehekutibo na wag na sumali sa Gold Standard ex-ex na ito dahil malaki ang talo sa savings na mas mabuti pang e realigned sa social services, kalsada at iba pa para makatulong sa maraming maralitang constituents.

Pag maraming mahihirap na natulungan ang Punong Ehekutibo, e di maraming botong makukuha sa kanyang reelection.

Aanhin mo ang gold standard kung matatalo ka rin lang sa susunod na eleksiyon dahil hindi naman naiintindihan ng karamihan ang bigat ng dating ng gantimpala na iyan. Sa kanila, di nila makakalimutan ang libreng gamot, ospitalisasyon at pamasahe na limang daang peso papunta sa mga kamag anak nilang namatay sa ibang probinsiya o siyudad.

Sabi ko nga sa mataas na opisyal: Isang mayamang bayan na talo sa SGLG at isang sobrang hirap na bayan na may ipinagyayabang na Gold Standard, iyong tao mas pipiliin iyong mayaman dahil marami silang benipesyo kesa mapunta lang ang malaking halaga sa Calamity Fund na paulit ulit na lang na pinapagawa ng Department of Interior & Local Government.

SGLG Gold Standard, palaos na ba Secretary Benhur Abalos?

16 Manaoag Brgys Narc –Free - PDEA

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANAOAG, Pangasinan – The aggressive anti-narcotics campaign of the mayor here bore fruits when a high official of the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) awarded the 16 village chiefs here the certificates that their turfs are illegal - drug free.

 

NARC-FREE. Manaoag Mayor Jeremy A. Rosario (extreme left) and officials from the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency leads by Provincial Director –IA V Rechie Q. Camacho during the awarding of the 16 villages represented by their Chairmen as narcotics free. The fete is held at the Municipal Health and Wellness Hall in the Presidencia de Manaoag.

The barangay chairmen received recently from PDEA Provincial Director –IA V Rechie Q. Camacho their certification. Camacho was assisted by Mayor Jeremy A. Rosario, Municipal City Anti-Drug Abuse Council Focal Person Aldrin M. Aquino, Local Government Operations Officer – VI Shiela E. Velasquez, Municipal Health Office Overseer Dr. Ela Camille Baltazar and PEMS Fidel B. Mejia (who represented this town’s Chief of Police Major Napoleon M. Eleccion, Jr.)
The 16 narcotics - free villages here are Bisal, Bucao, Calaocan, Lelemaan, Licsi, Lipit Sur, Matulong, Mermer, Oraan East, Oraan West, Pantal, Parian, Santa Ines, Sapang, Tebuel and San Ramon.
The fete for these villages have been held at the Municipal Health and Wellness Hall in the Presidencia de Manaoag.
There are still ten villages here that are not yet cleared by the PDEA but Mayor Rosario is hell bent to make them narcotics free in the soonest possible time.

Sen. Grace Urges: Challenged Cong. Arenas in 2025 Poll!

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – Supporters of outgoing Senator Grace Poe are calling her to run against reelectionist Pangasinan 3^rd District Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas on the May 12, 2025 local and national elections.

BATTLE ROYALE: Outgoing Sen. Grace Poe (left) and Pangasinan 3rd District Cong. Ma. Rachel Arenas. 

“May tama si Rachel kay Grace Poe. Taga Malasiqui siya tapos ang kalaban kinikilalang taga vote-rich San Carlos City at anak pa ni Fernando Poe, Jr (Congresswoman Rachel will have a run for her money. She came from Malasiqui while the challenger is a recognized daughter of the vote –rich San Carlos City and movie icon Fernando Poe, Jr. who was the favorite son of the city),” according to political kibitzer Pido Montoya and his friends in Calasiao’s town about this possible battle royal between the famous Senator and the well-entrenched Congresswoman.

Since time immemorial, those running for the district electoral position like the membership of the provincial board won hands down against their rivals from the five towns because they come from the landlocked most populated local government unit.

The 87 villages’ San Carlos City leads in the number of votes with 119, 210 electorates (Comelec 2021) while the towns of Calasiao had 59, 823 voters, Malasiqui possessed 79, 795 electorates, Bayambang had 76, 343 voters, Mapandan (data unavailable) and Sta. Barbara possessed 51, 281 electorates.

When Poe ran for the senatorial races in 2013 and 2019 and on her failed presidential bid in 2016, she got an overwhelming votes from the city because people there recognized her as their own.

On her May 13, 2019 senate reelection, Poe got over 22 million votes in the country, coming in second, only behind fellow Senator Cynthia Villar.

Whenever she dropped by in Pangasinan for a whistle stop in her senatorial bids and presidential campaign, she met the siblings of her father and kin from Barangay Kawayan Quiling here at a famous restaurant in this city.

“Pero alam niyo, ilang beses na akong pumupunta dito sa Pangasinan, kasi alam naman ninyong kababayan ninyo ako; alam naman ninyo na si FPJ, ang kanyang pinagmulan ay Pangasinan, kaya napaka-proud si FPJ sa Pangasinan,” she crowed about her father - affectionately called by the masa as “FPJ”  the King of the  celloluid screen - in a hustling in the 2019 Senate race in Bayambang as published by Northern Watch Newspaper.

It is not common to see a senator of the Republic running for the membership of the House of Representatives after his or her consecutive two terms or 12 years’ limit in the upper chamber.

Former Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Loren Legarda, Ralph Recto, Pia Cayetano and Allan Cayetano  ran and won too their congressional seats in the past.

It needs only for Senator Poe to be registered voter and a resident for at least one year in the 3^rd Congressional District – the most populated among the six congressional districts in Pangasinan - if she wants to elected for the lower chamber.

Poe is a present resident of Quezon City while Arenas was originally a resident of Makati City before she ventured and won in the 2007 congressional election. She was succeeded by her mother socialite Baby Arenas in June 30, 2013 in the same post. She replaced her in June 30, 2022 congressional election.

Before becoming a senator, Poe was the Chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in October 10, 2010 to October 2, 2012 under the administration of President Noynoy Aquino.

After her mother replaced her as the solon of the district, Arenas was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to become the Chair of the MTRCB in January 20, 2017 to October 1, 2021. Many believed the appointment ensued through the intercession of former President Fidel V. Ramos – a major supporter of Duterte and Arenas’ mother best friend.

Onerous, Void P8 –B Manila Water’s Contract

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

The press conference called recently by Pangasinan Governor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III thwarted the possible perception of the business communities that the huge local government became the “bad guy” when corporate behemoth’s Manila Water Company, Inc. and its subsidiary’s Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc. (MWPV) had unilaterally terminated on December 31 its P8 billion contract with the Pangasinan Provincial Government (PPG). The undertaking was supposed to be the 25 years Bulk Water Supply and Purchase Agreement (BWSPA) to the cities of Dagupan, San Carlos and Urdaneta and the towns of Binmaley, Calasiao, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mangaldan, Mapandan, Manaoag Sta. Barbara, San Fabian, San Jacinto and Villasis.

Manila Water Company, Inc.

Upon listening attentively to the governor and his Legal Chief Atty.  Baby Ruth F. Torre explained the legal sides of the PPG at a presser held at the Urduja Ceremonial Hall, the contract that started to be negotiated in 2016 under the administration of former Governor Amado Espino, III was shrouded with irregularities.

The Governor deplored that the withdrawal of the corporation put into a bad light his administration even most of the agreements ensued during the administration of his predecessor former Governor Amado Espino, III.

“Sumulat sila actually we are set to meet sometimes this January. Bakit parang lumabas sa press na parang nag default ang province. It’s a bad impression to a lot of our friends, business sectors. We’re kasi opening ang province for several investors tapos biglang sasabihin na na terminate”.

TIME LINES

The following are the time lines how the BWSPA was conceptualized and ended on non-conclusion:

September 2016:  The year when Manila Water Co. said efforts to push for the water project began when the consortium submitted an unsolicited proposal to Pangasinan

November 2018: It was followed by the initial evaluation of the Pangasinan Public-Private Partnership Selection Committee (PPP-SC) before the Notice of Acceptance was issued in November 2018.

June 28, 2019: The provincial lawmaking body issued Resolution No. 380-2019 entitled: “Confirming and Approving the Terms and Conditions Embodied in the Certification of Successful Negotiations between the Consortium of Manila Water Philippines Ventures, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc. and the Provincial Government of Pangasinan in the implementation of the Pangasinan Bulk Water Supply in the Province, and to Proceed with the Other Processes and Hereby Granting Authority to the Honorable Governor to Sign Pertinent Documents Concerning said Project”.

July 3, 2019:  The Certificate of Successful Negotiation was entered into by the Consortium and the PGP represented by Provincial Administrator Lawyer Nimrod Camba – the Chairman of the PPP – SC.

December 31, 2022: With the active assistance of the Concessionaire, the stipulation was for the PPG to obtain and execute on or before of this date the BWSPA for Phase 1-A in Villasis and Urdaneta as Schedule 6;

January 1, 2023 -  In the event the BWSPA was not secured in Villasis and Urdaneta by December 31, 2022, the Concessionaire shall not be compelled to commence construction by January 1, 2023. That if no new or amended Agreement is executed on or before December 31, 2023 and the parties do not agree to extend the period for renegotiation, this Agreement is deemed terminated pursuant to Section 8.8. 

IRREGULARITIES

Provincial Legal Officer Torres opined the following irregularities on the Agreement:

* The confirmation and approval of the Certificate of Successful Negotiation came before the execution of the said certification;

* Because of the above, Provincial Administrator Camba does not have the authority to represent the Province and to sign the Certificate of Successful Negotiation;

 * Although Camba was the Chairman of the PPP – SC, Section 13 of the PPP Code states that all recommendations of the PPP-SC shall be submitted to the Governor for consideration and approval.

  * No proof of publication of the invitation to Apply for Eligibility and Submission of Comparative Proposals to PPP Provision happened;

 * No payment of Performance Security Bond upon inquiry in the Office of the Provincial Treasurer;

  * The Notice of Award was issued prior to the signing of the PPP Contract (concession agreement). Under the PPP Code, only after the signing of the PPP Contract by the Governor that the PPP-SC shall issue the Notice of Award to the PSP. However, the Notice of Award was issued by the PPP-SC on September 30, 2021 while the Concession was entered on January 14, 2022.

Could not Force LGUs, They have Independent Water Board

Guico found impossible to obligate the nine and five local government units with the BWSPA on or before years 2022 and 2027, respectively.

“Pero medyo mabigat kasi itong condition na ito na kailangan 100% oblige iyong mga water district na kumunek dito. Mahirap iyon na kitaan sila. They have their own board, di ba? They’re autonomous and from the LGU din”.

He added that the local governments could not be forced to enter into a contract just like the corporations.

GUICO STILL WANTS THE PROJECT

The P8 billion project – probably the second biggest PPP in Pangasinan after the P34 billion 43.29 kilometers Joint Venture and Toll Concession Agreements inked by the San Miguel Corporation with the PPG - would create an infrastructure to source water from Agno River using the riverbank filtration technology.

The project was also estimated to deliver a billed volume of 200 million liters per day to 1.4 million  residents  of Pangasinan by the 25th year.

Despite the lopsided agreement entered by the then Espino Administration, Governor Guico still believed on the project of the Consortium.

“We want the project. We believe in the project but umaangal kami dahil sa mga lumalabas na diyaryo we are not pointing at them. Reputable company ito”.

When this writer asked the Governor that after this brouhaha if he was still optimistic that he could still renegotiate the BWSPA with the Enrique Razon leads corporation.

“Sana, it’s really up to them. More of we will be welcoming this kind of investment. Open kami, hindi kami nakikipag-away,” he answered.

LOOK AT OTHER PLAYERS, TOO

“Are there other players on this water concession,” this writer posed.

“Wala pa, wala pa. Sana maraming players so that we can select the best proposals,” the Governor retorted.

My unsolicited advice to the Governor is not only to limit on the renegotiation with the Manila Water Company, Inc. but talks with other big players of the trade like the Metro Pacific Water, Maynilad Water Services, San Miguel Corp – Korean Company K-Water Resources Copt (concessionaire of the Bulacan Water Supply Project) so that he could get the best concession for his constituents.

Duterte's Supporters Should Release Video Marcos Snorting Coke

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 Philippines National Police (PNP) Chief Director Gen. Benjamin Acroda, Jr. filed a criminal case against retired Army Brig. Gen. John Lacsamana Macanas, Sr. Macanas, according the police chief, used his name and photo to peddle fake information about an alleged plot to oust President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

 Acorda sued his fellow PMYer with violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code or the Unlawful Means of Publication as amended by the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

President Ferdinand "BBM" Marcos, Jr. (left photo) and former President Rodrigo Duterte (right top photo) and daughter's Vice President Sara Duterte while holding their polboron (powdery Spanish shortbread). Lately, pro Duterte vloggers have been opining about Marcos caught in a video snorting a powder cum cocaine.

Parroting what Maharlika - a fire breathing pro-Rodrigo Duterte’s lady vlogger –, Macanas had been harping on his YouTube videos’ General’s Opinion that Acorda, military Chief- of- Staff General Romeo Brawner, Jr. and presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos have confided with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. to step down from power after a video of him sniffing cocaine have reached the generals.

 Macanas used the word “polboron (powdery Spanish shortbread)” as the crack that President had been consuming.

NARCS

When Acorda reacted earlier on Macanas dragging his name in persuading Marcos to resign in the YouTube Video entitled: Good News! AFP, PNP Generals Convincing PBBM to Resign? (NOTE: Dear readers please take note of the question mark after the last word of the title because that will play a major role in the finding of probable cause and the merits by the prosecutor and the judge).

 I spent some hours watching the retired General and Maharlika’s other anti-Marcos videos.

In one of the videos, Macanas kept citing Maharlika – an Ilongga based in the United States – about a video of a polboron video being showed by the generals to their colonels – who are members of the Philippines Military Academy.

Maharlika was more acerbic than the monotonous commentary of Macanas - typical of men in uniform - that she interchanged the polboron on her videos as narcotics the president snorted with Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Jr. in the Palace. The illegal drug peddler, Maharlika added, was Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, Susmariosep!

Macanas (PMA Class of 1983) said the Generals would not forward the allegedly incriminating video to the colonels - who upon seeing them become restive – with a fear that they could disseminate it to the public.

What kind of logic was it?

HIGH ON COKE?

A livid Maharlika assailed Kuting (her other reference to Marcos) by not meeting the generals who visited him on December 28 at the Palace because according to her he was high on dope.

“Kung ako ang Commander-in-Chief Pasko iyan. Okay? Pasko di ba? Iyong mga Generals na iyan okay lang na meron tayong party na kahit man lang saang lupalop ng mundo talagang na merong sini-celebrate na Christmas party. At the fact na Dec 28 iyon palangga kung ako ang Commander- in- Chief ninyo tatratuhin ko kayong tao, hero, at bayani kahit may naramdaman akong sakit o high ako sa polboron – but definitely kung high ako sa polboron si Kuting ako, di ba?” the woman vlogger at You Tube hit the President.

Somebody from Malacanang, Maharlika said, however gave each of the generals an envelope that contain wads of money as Christmas gift from the President.

FORMER PRES. DUTERTE AS MASTERMIND

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes – rebuked Duterte as the mastermind on this video’s brouhaha.

“Aside from these personalities that are closely allied with Mr. Duterte they also have the motivation. They have the opportunity and in fact as it is the daughter of the former President –Vice President Sara Duterte is the Constitutional successor of whether it is through resignation, impeachment, (military and police) withdrawal of support, people power, coup d’état. All of these things are on the table for Mr. Duterte so that he could get back into power,” the former coup plotter turned Senator told the host of ANC TV after Acorda sued Macanas.

My take on this hullabaloo:  The Generals, Maharlika, Macanas and whoever should post publicly the video to prove its authenticity otherwise it was another ploy by the enemies of the President to agitate the people to hate him and could cause gullible members of the military and police to rise in arms against the power that be.

That video showing the President sniffing cocaine or meth could be likened to Duterte’s threat to then Senator Leila de Lima that he would show to the public how she and her driver-bodyguard copulate. Until Duterte stepped down from the presidency in June 31, 2022 no sex video of De Lima with one of her countless lovers (who were drivers and bodyguards) has been exposed by the President.

US. INTERVENES TO PROTECT MARCOS

Furthermore, if there is a putsch by the soldiers and the cops to install Duterte (who is vulnerable to be sued with mass murder of civilians during his stint) or his daughter’s Vice President Sara Duterte (who faces a suit in the Supreme Court because of her receipt last December 2023 of the P125 million in confidential funds deemed illegal by authorities and a probable impeachment bid by some congressmen allies of Marcos because of the sum), what happened in the deadly December 1,  1989 coup's God Saves the Queen could be repeated again.

I’m not talking here how the thousands of renegade soldiers under cashiered Army Col. Gringo Honasan gutted to the ground the national economy because foreign investors shunned the country beleaguered by countless failed military takeovers, I’m talking here about the intervention of the United States who cowed those soldiers when those lethal U.S F-4 Phantoms started taking off from Clark Air Base in Pampanga – then an American leased base - and flew around Metro Manila and the nearby provinces to deter the adventurism of the messianic complexed coup plotters.

I even told former President Fidel V. Ramos – who used one of my columns’ FVR Irks by Benguet’s Guv Long Speech in one of his published books – about how former U.S Vice President Dick Cheney remembered the 1989 Golpe when Ramos – a West Pointer - was then the Secretary of National Defense and one who prodded President Corazon C. Aquino to call the Americans to save their government.

At Page 173 of the 563 pages hardbound of Cheney’s memoir titled In My Time he said: “For one thing, President Aquino made it clear that she would publicly deny having made the request. Asking the United States to bomb Filipino citizens, even if they were rebels, would not go over well inside her own country. But we were committed to defend the government of the Philippines and needed to come up with a show of strength to discourage the rebels”.

DUTERTES THREAT TO THE U.S INTEREST IN THE SCS

In case the soldiers and the cops try to unseat President Marcos and those men-in-uniforms allied to him could be overpowered by the enemies of the state, Uncle Sam and his long sophisticated stick could deal with them. The Yanks would not allow the Dutertes - as my hypothetic premise – to return in power because they would be detrimental to the U.S interest against the menacing saber rattling Mainland China.

South China Sea (SCS) hosts $5.3 trillion worth of goods being transited annually, with $1.2 trillion of that total accounting for trade with the U.S.

The older Duterte when he was the president of this country for six years cozied up with the top apparatchiks of the Communist Party in Beijing while his vice president’s daughter has these deafening silences on the countless encroachments and occupation  by the Chinks of our islands and shoals in the SCS and the harassments of the Chinese Coast Guards and its militia ships on our coast guards and civilian ships that bring provisions to our Marines at the ghost ship's BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal.