Bugallon Recipient of Big Ticket Projects from the Gov’t, Investors

THANKS TO COJUANGCO-DY COLLABORATION

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BUGALLON, Pangasinan – This thriving first class town is a beneficiary of big ticket infrastructure projects from the national government through the aggressive lobbying of its congressman and the decisions of giant solar plant investors to pour their capitals here.

P55-M 3-STOREY SCHOOL BLDG

Recently, the office of Mayor William K. Dy lauded Pangasinan 2^nd District Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco for interceding at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for a P55 million three-storey public school building to be constructed at the Bugallon Integrated School (BIS).

SP Reviews Basista’s Adoption of Solo Parents Welfare Act

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

 BASISTA, Pangasinan – The members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan are currently reviewing the Ordinance passed by the officials of this town strengthening the “Solo Parents Welfare Act”.

Known as Republic Act No. 8972 as amended by Republic Act No. 11861, Mayor Jolly “JR” Resuello and the members of the Sangguniang Bayan passed Ordinance No. 259 Series of 2026 adopting the national law here.

San Carlos, Dagupan Most Populated LGUs in P’sinan

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Based on the latest 2024 census of population released on August 21, 2026 by the Philippines Statistics Office (PSO), the chances of the cities of Dagupan and San Carlos, Pangasinan to be a lone congressional district are still dimmed.

Article VI, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates that a city that reaches a population of at least 250,000 is entitled to a legislative district and can elect its own representative.

IP Rep. Add’l Member of the Sanggunian

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Sanggunian (legislative council) all over the country will be seeing their members debating, compromising, and passing laws with a member of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) based on the instruction of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) that an IP representative will be part of the legislature.

“Based on the national policy nagbigay ng kautusan ang national government and the different national agencies with regards to the implementation of the installation of an I.P sector or sectoral representative not just sa sanggunian panlalawigan even the sanggunian bayan when applicable. Kaya ang utos po ngayon ng national government, of course, the sanggunian panlalawigan would follow the guidelines,” said by Pangasinan Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino.

How a Poor Asian Country Defeated, Humiliated France

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

While pumping dumbbells and watching at the YouTube the black and white documentary of the Dien Bien Phu Battle between the French and the Viet Minh that erupted on March 13, 1954, two French soldiers digging a trench with their shovels and pickaxes in the North Vietnam mountain overlooking the country of Laos conversed with each other how the battle there could become.

The war was brought in the mountainous areas by General Henri Navarre, the commander-in-chief of French forces in Indochina (now Vietnam) and the strategist of the battle to end the insurrection of Ho Chi Minh and his journalist and teacher turned legendary Army General Võ Nguyên Giáp.

Cong. Eyes Senate Seat?

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Before my black bag -- with my valuables inside -- was left and lost in a cart at the parking lot and later returned to me at the Lost and Found Counter of S&R-Calasiao in the drizzling dusk last Thursday, I bumped into several political and public figures inside the Sol & Robert Price Membership Shopping.

Former bank manager Elmo Nilo and Cecile (the Man, er, Gay Friday on the cultural festivities of former Pangasinan provincial government First Lady Dr. Jamie Agbayani) have animated conversations with me about the members of the Rainbow Coalition (not President Fidel V. Ramos and Speaker Joe de Venecia vaunted Coalition but of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)) affairs where countless members are making raves and waves in the global, national, and provincial scenes.

Dagupan, Mangaldan in State of Calamity

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

DAGUPAN CITY – This second class city and the first class town of Mangaldan have declared their State of Calamity (SoC) where fresh funds are funneled to those residents affected by the heavy monsoon rains aggravated by tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay that inundated with floods tens of millions of pesos’ properties and agricultural crops.

Dagupan City and Mangaldan through their lawmaking bodies and their mayors approved into law the SoC in August 10 and 11 this year.

U.S WARNS CHINA NOT TO BUILD BASE IN SCARBOROUGH

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

DON'T you know that in March 2016, former U.S. President Barack Obama directly warned Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Washington not to reclaim land or build a military outpost at Scarborough Shoal, treating it as a critical red line to prevent a strategic Chinese base close to the Philippines?

The Chinese have huge military outposts in the Spratly Islands and The Paracels all in the South China Sea.

Mangrove Avenue Opens for Business

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The cozy and snazzy newly constructed Mangrove Avenue (M.A) is now open for lease to businessmen to sell their merchandise and foods.

Located near the CSI owned Stadia and the ArmyNavy Burger + Burrito of the Rivergrove Lifestyle Center in Barangay Lucao and overlooks the serene bangus fishponds perched on natural marshlands and surrounded by mangroves and nipa ecosystem, the one story long commercial structure has countless of commercial spaces according to Dr. Lucia Cariño Tuliao --the Project Directress.

Fiscal Discipline, Transparency Fuel Calasiao’s Revenue Growth

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – The fiscal discipline and transparency of the Caramat Administration earned it the “Zero Disallowance” citation from the Commission on Audit (COA) and award from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) while it earned a significant revenue growth last year and the first quarter of 2026.

ZERO DISALLOWANCE

Mayor Patrick A. Caramat said that the Zero Disallowance given for the last year’s feat of the town showed that the taxpayers money collected by his administration was not squandered.

Mapandan to Borrow P45-M from LBP for Solar Panels, Others

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

MAPANDAN, Pangasinan – This town to borrow P45 million at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to fund its procurement and installation of solar panels for the municipal buildings, its purchase of information and technology software, and kiosk for automated transactions with its constituents.

Embodied in a Municipal Ordinance No. 3 Series of -2026 of the Sangguniang Bayan of Mapandan, Pangasinan, it was part of the Order of Business of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) at the Capitol in Lingayen, Pangasinan last July 20, 2026. It was marked as Proposed Resolution No. 1486 -2026.

Mayors, Kaps Happy: Marcos Reduces Greed of Cong.

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

The 1,642 city and municipal mayors and the 42, 010 barangay chairmen all over the Philippines have been smiling nowadays after President Bongbong Marcos expose the avarice of national officials in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 28, 2025.

“Mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino!” (Have some shame towards your fellow Filipinos!),” he told the 318 members House of Representa-thieves, er, Representatives.

526-K Puno na ang Naitanim ng Guico Admin

Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Nagsama-sama ang mga empleyado ng Kapitolyo kamakailan lang upang makiisa sa pagtatanim ng mas maraming puno na bahagi ng Capitol Redevelopment Project at Green Canopy Program dito at sa labing-isang bayan sa lalawigan.

Ang mga bayan na ito ay ang Binalonan, Burgos, Bolinao, Dasol, Infanta, Asingan, Pozorrubio, Mangatarem, Mabini, Alcala, at Manaoag. 

Rice Distr.: One of the Topics Discuss at the LMP-P’sinan Meeting

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – One of the topics discussed at the recent general meeting of the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)- Pangasinan Chapter held in Manaoag, Pangasinan was the rice distribution for the marginalized sector in the local government units (LGU) in the province.

In the artificial intelligence (AI) illustration, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (far left) talks to Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno. Pangasinan Gov. Ramon V. Guico III, and League of Municipalities of the Philippines - Pangasinan Chapter President Manaoag Mayor Agerico Jeremy Rosario. 

This town’s Administrator lawyer Teodora Cerdan, who represented Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno, said the subsidy of ten kilos of rice in a six-month span from the national government will be bolstered by a purported counterpart from the provincial government.

FMR to Spike Economic Stocks of Farmers

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANAOAG, Pangasinan – A newly inaugurated P15-million farm-to-market road (FMR) was seen to uplift the economic welfare of the farmers here.

According to Pangasinan 4^th District Cong. Gina de Venecia, the new road that connects between the far-flung farmlands and the markets would lower the production cost of the crops that will give benefit to farmers and the buyers.

Barring Age, Disability for Empl. Punishable in this Town

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BASISTA, Pangasinan – Employers beware!

A law has been passed in this town that refusal to hire an applicant because of their mature age and disability is punishable by local and national laws.

 Municipal Ordinance No. 261, Series of 2026 prohibits age and disability-based discrimination. The law was declared valid and within the powers of the municipal council to enact after it was reviewed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial lawmakers).

Massive Replanting of Trees Ensue at the Capitol

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Move out bashers, massive replanting of trees ensue now at the Capitol!

Personnel of the Guico Administration here have been buried in work planting trees at the periphery of the Capitol after 192 invasive and endemic trees have been cut off to pave the way for the constructions of an eleven-story government center, an eight-story corporate tower, and the redevelopment of the Capitol Complex.

Bigger Budget for Mangaldan Next Year

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – The annual appropriation budget of Pangasinan Top 5 “richest” town is growing stronger based on the PHP 478 million indicative National Tax Allotment (NTA) for year 2027.

In a flag ceremony held here recently, Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno crowed that compared to this year’s NTA, the NTA next year will be bigger.

BIR Reg.-1 Has New Director, Other Brass

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

DAGUPAN CITY - Due to the exigencies of the revenue service, the regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Region 1 has a new director in Narciso T. Laguerta, DIR 1, after his predecessor was transferred to another post.

In the Revenue Transfer Assignment Order (RTAO) No. 152-2026 dated June 6, 2026, BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza ordered the transfer of Marlon M. Mendoza, DIR 1, who was OIC-Regional Director No. 1 in Ilocos Region to be the OIC-Regional Director of Revenue Region No. 17 in the CARAGA Region.

­­­In the March 10, 2026 RTAO, Aurora V. Flor, CRO-IV, was transferred from Regional Investigation Division Revenue Region No. 7A Quezon City to OIC-Assistant Regional Director Revenue Region No. 1 in the Ilocos Region.

BIR Region -1 covers the four provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and the sizable Pangasinan. The latter has six Revenue District Offices (RDOs) in central Pangasinan, eastern Pangasinan, and western Pangasinan.

In the January 26 RTAO RDO Chief Eden R. Serafica, CRO-IV, was transferred from RDO No. 2 in Abra, Revenue Region No. 2 in the Cordillera Administrative Region to RDO No. 4, Central Pangasinan in Revenue Region No. 1, Ilocos Region.

In the March 10, 2026 RTAO, RDO Chief Aldrin A. Camba, CRO-IV, was transferred from RDO No. 5 West Pangasinan, Revenue Region No. 1, Ilocos Region to RDO No. 6 East Pangasinan in Revenue Region No. 1, Ilocos Region.

RDO Chief and Lawyer Liza C. Dimaya from RDO No. 18 Zambales, Revenue Region No. 4, Central Luzon to RDO No. 5, West Pangasinan in Revenue Region No. 1, Ilocos Region.

The BIR calendar year (CY) 2026 collection was revised to P3.431 Trillion.

Oldest Running Newsweekly’s Sunday Punch Folds

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY -- Reports that reach this writer say that Sunday Punch will cease circulation for the four cities and forty-four towns’ Pangasinan after one last issue to be printed this week.

The English provincial newspaper has been the perennial leading community weekly in the gargantuan province. It was founded in July 1956 by Ermin Erfe Garcia, Sr. in this second class city until online publications – that could post news stories as they unfold -- gave it a run of its money.