90 athletes train at NRSCC for Batang Pinoy Nat’l Finals

Lingayen – Ninety (90) athletes of Team Pangasinan are now undergoing in-house training and conditioning at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) provided by the provincial government in preparation for their participation to the forthcoming Batang Pinoy (BP) national games slated on November 27 to December 2 in Cebu City.

            The Pangasinense athletes – 16-year-old and below – won in their respective sporting events during the BP – Luzon Leg held last July in Malolos City, Bulacan.

            Athletes who will compete in the national finals of Arnis, Athletics, Cycling, Boxing, Chess, Karatedo, Lawn Tennis, Sepak Takraw (girls), swimming, taekwondo, volleyball (boys), basketball 3/3 (girls) and wrestling will undergo in-house training from November 14 – 22.

‘Team Pangasinan’ which taps the best athletes from various towns and cities in the province was conceptualized by Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. to become the official delegation of the province in Batang Pinoy, a grassroots development program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the Filipino youth.

            Provincial Sports Director Modesto Operania said that Governor Espino released the marching order for the conduct of the training to assure that Team Pangasinan will field competitive and well-conditioned contenders in the BP national games.

In a briefing before the training, Operania told 31 coaches and trainers from various DepEd schools divisions in the province: “We aspire to maintain or level up our over-all performance in the national finals, so we must double our efforts in preparing our athletes.”

3 P’sinan towns enter P200M Club

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – This burgeoning municipality and her neighbouring towns Calasiao and Sta. Barbara would become a member of the P200 million - club among first class municipalities in Pangasinan that allocated two hundred million pesos annual budget in their coffer next year.

Mayor Parayno

Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno said that based on the proposed budget submitted by her office to the Sanggunian Bayan (town council) for approval, the budget she appropriated is P225 million.

In this year’s total development fund of this town of P35,995,000 or 24.56% of the P146,586,989.00 Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government , Mayor Parayno allocated P8,245,000 for Poverty Reduction Program, P1,500,000.00 for the medical equipment of the Urgent Care Clinic, P250,000.00 for the Stimulation & Therapeutic Activity Center, P1,500,000.00 for the Municipal Housing Program, P2,000,000.00 Establishment of Center for Special Concerns, P1,000,000.00 Mangaldan Youth Development Center Improvement, P4,000,000.00 Evacuation Center/MDRRM Office Improvement, P1,000,000.00 products display of Mangaldan Pasalubong Center, P11,500,00.00 for Public Market Improvement where P10,500,000 goes to Loan Amortization to Land Bank of the Philippines and P1,000,000.00 for Phase II Market Improvements, P1,000,000.00 Solid Waste Management, P100,000,00 Urban Greening/ Tourism Promotion, P500,000.00 Flood Control Projects, and P,1000,000.00 E-governance System for the General Public Services Sector.

CALASIAO

The P200.540 million calendar year 2016 annual appropriations for Calasiao is being deliberated at the provincial council after it was passed by the town council and the proverbial dotted line was signed almost a month ago by Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay.

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The P200.540 million budgets have been allocated to the following:  P73.5 million for personal services; P70.2 million for maintenance and other operating expenditures; P4 million for the capital outlay, P9 million for financial expenses and P43.6 million for other special purpose appropriations.

Calasiao is host to mammoth corporations like Robinsons Mall, Honda and Toyota Car Centers, Pure Gold, and the new Philippine Gaming Corporation sanctioned Electronic Casino and a call center at a huge state of the art edifice located at Barangay Bued.

STA. BARBARA

Mayor Lito Zaplan said his town will have a P200 million annual budget next year.

TREE-PLANTING ACTIVITY OF PMA CADETS

TREE-PLANTING ACTIVITY OF PMA CADETS. The cadets of Philippine Military Academy Class 2016 in coordination with the provincial government of Pangasinan plant seedlings along the coastal area of the Provincial Mangrove and Information Center in Arnedo, Bolinao as part of the Cadet Immersion Program: Aksyon at Gawaing Bayanihan (CIPAG Bayanihan) 2015 held in Pangasinan from November 16-18.  /Photo by Jun Moran

Hit man kills prominent hotelier in P’gasinan

CALASIAO – Motorcycle riders in tandem struck again in Pangasinan and killed a prominent hotelier, owner of a cockpit arena, and electronic casino here.

DAMAGED S.U.V. The bullets peppered sport utility vehicle (SUV) white Toyota
 Fortuner of Pangasinan prominent hotelier Adolfo “Doping” S. Fernandez who
 owned the Dagupan Village Inn in Dagupan City and whose family
 owned the Regency Hotel in Calasiao. 

Adolfo “Doping” S. Fernandez, 60, according to police report, was leaving out at 3:20 Pm last Sunday his Calasiao Cockpit Arena after the customary 20 minutes break for aficionados when a hit man back riding on a Honda XRM sneaked from somewhere inside the  car parking space of the arena and started pumping his .45 caliber hand gun on the victim's white sport utility vehicle (SUV) Toyota Fortuner with plate no. ZFG-172.

“The victim still managed to continue driving until reaching the highway and went out of the vehicle seeking assistance to bystanders but he was followed by the suspect and shot him again,” this town chief of police chief’s Supt. Rizaldy A. Dalope said on the police report.

In the ocular inspection of the vehicle by this newspaper at the police station here, the gunman fired seven bullets at the left side of the heavily tinted SUV hitting on the left side passenger’s door, left side door, left side mirror, and left front tire.

Fernandez was hit at his left forearm and left thigh as bullets penetrated the left front mirror and  left front door's handle  bar of the vehicle.

Doping Fernandez

“Victim sustained gunshot wounds on the body and head that later expired around 5:25 Pm of same date at Villaflor Hospital, Dagupan City,” report continued.

As his vehicle was being peppered with bullets, a police official here said Fernandez slammed it to a public utility jeep that damaged the right bumper of the SUV.

After hitting the jeep the hotelier jumped from the SUV and ran towards the makeshift restaurants at the side of the highway asking for help. When the gunman, the source said, caught him up Fernandez faced him by raising his hands as a sign of submission.

“Gunman fired a single shot on his left temple that knocked him down,” source said.

The source said that Fernandez, whose family owned the Regency Hotel here and the Dagupan Village Inn, used to bring his handgun but in the last few weeks he did not bring it and went to his daily activities without even bringing his usual body guards.

“If he got a gun the killer or his driver would surely be dead as they could not kill him inside the SUV,” source opined.

As the riders in tandem escape using the highway near Jollibee and was bound to Sta. Barbara town, they and the motorbike fell on the ground in front of Tesoro Resort.

As the chaser on a motorcycle sympathetic to Fernandez would be catching them, the gun man poked his .45 hand gun at the chaser that cowed him.

“The hit man and his companion commandeered a motorcycle by toting his gun to the rider after they found their getaway Honda XRM conked out”

When they near the boundary of this town and Sta. Barbara, the source said, they left the robbed motorcycle and poked again their gun at a passing motorized tricycle and hopped into it and ordered the driver to go back to this town by taking off their jackets.

One of the angles being looked by investigator was Fernandez was killed because of business differences. Source said Fernandez not only lent monies to  bettors in the Arena but stood as maintainer of the Meridiane Jai-Alai numbers games, the successor of the 1 to 37 game of chance jueteng and had just built a swanky three stories state of the art edifice in Barangay Bued that would host a call center and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation's sanctioned electronic casino.

PMA Class 2016 holds Immersion Program in Pangasinan

Lingayen – The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2016 “Gabay- Laya” has expressed gratitude to the provincial government for its support on their three-day Cadet Immersion Program: Aksyon at Gawaing Bayanihan (CIPAG Bayanihan) 2015 held in Pangasinan from November 16-18.  

 

            Part of their community immersion program, the group conducted information and education (IEC) campaign on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and donation of books in selected schools in Bugallon, Labrador, Binmaley and Lingayen towns on November 16.

            Tree-planting activity and coastal clean-up along the coastal area of the Provincial Mangrove and Information Center in Arnedo, Bolinao and visit to the home of the aged, also in said town, were also conducted on November 17-18.

            In a fellowship night at the Sison Auditorium on November 16, Kristian Dave Abigui , Class President, hailed Governor Espino for his transformative leadership in Pangasinan made more appealing with “his administration’s efforts in helping and nurturing people, and empowering them to help develop communities.”

            Cadet Abigui likewise lauded the provincial administration for taking the lead in reviving local culture, history and traditions, which he said, “are needed in developing communities.”

            Recounting his memories at the PMA, Governor Espino, a member of Class 1972, pointed out in his message that “any frustration that you will receive or experience at the academy is a challenge that will make you stronger.”

            “To be in the PMA is a privilege; to graduate at the PMA is the best privilege that we could have, but the best privilege of it all is for you to pursue the visions and missions of our alma mater,” Governor Espino said.

            Cadet Abigui, on behalf of PMA Class 2016, Maj. Manuel Kalang-ad and Joey dela Cruz, Community Development Course Director, presented a memento to Governor Espino during the fellowship night along with the ceremonial turn-over of books to the Pangasinan Provincial Library.

Pangasinan books (Pinablin Dalin and Kurit Panlunggaring Anthology) were also presented by Governor Espino to the PMA.    

            Also present during the fellowship were: Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Rhodyn Luchinvar Oro, chiefs of community and district hospitals and department heads of the provincial government.

            /Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca

Bataoil delivers Privilege Speech Against “Laglag-Bala sa NAIA”

Made ocular inspection at NAIA Terminal 3 last November 9

                     By MELVIN TIANGSON SAMSON
QUEZON CITY -  Pangasinan’s 2^nd District Representative Leopoldo N.  Bataoil delivered a privileged speech in the House of Representatives here, upon resumption recently of sessions of the August Chamber against the “laglag-bala or tanim-bala sa NAIA” (bullet planting in passengers’ luggage), an extortion scam at the Philippine international airport terminals by unscrupulous security officers there.

Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil

These criminal acts sow fear to foreign and local tourists, and Filipino travelers that include the modern-day heroes’ overseas foreign workers (OFWs).

Bataoil along with fellow former police-military officers who are now legislators made an ocular inspection last November 9  at the NAIA Terminal 3 to observe and analyze the security procedures and measures at the airport that may help him and his fellow lawmakers in crafting laws that will correct the ineptitude and complacency of airport authorities as well as the systems in place at present which destroy the good image of Philippines as well as the “Tuwid na Daan” (Straight/Righteous Path) government administration of President Aquino.

Here Bataoil’s Privilege Speech last November 3 at the House of Representatives’ Plenary Session:

“The infamy of the Laglag Bala Scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is now spreading across the world. Today's regional news in Europe, in the United States, and in Asia Pacific Countries include the phrases “Beware, Bullet Scam, in Philippine Airports.” The global embarrassment now cannot be described by mere words. The sense of embarrassment is now in the hearts and minds of the 100 Million Filipinos across the world. The sense of fear also consumes the minds of the thousands of foreigners and Filipinos entering our airports every day. As the Representatives of the Filipino people and as leaders in the Philippine Government, it is our solemn duty now, in perfect timing with the resumption of the Session of the Philippine Congress, to stand here in the podiums to tackle this Laglag Bala Scam which is pulling down our country down to the gutters and away from tourists and investors.

Last September 17, a 21-year old American Missionary named Michael White was detained briefly for having a bullet in his luggage. He accused the NAIA security personnel of trying to extort from him P30,000 to let go of the bullet incident. He did not pay because he knows that bullet was planted. He was detained and was able to go free after posting a P40,000 bail. Instead of being able to freely do his religious service to the Filipino People, a criminal case regarding a single bullet is now pending against him.

Last September 18, a Filipino Balikbayan named Rhed Austria De Guzman said she was forced to pay P500 each to two security personnel of NAIA Terminal 2 after two bullets were found in her baggage. No such bullets were detected when she was screened for departure from the Los Angeles International Airport. She decided to pay after she was threatened that her crime of having bullets will be included in her travel records.

Last October 14, the Philippines sent the Los Cantantes de Manila Choir to compete in the Busan Choir Festival in South Korea. One of the choir members, a 19-year old girl, was detained by airport security personnel for having a bullet and was said to be traumatized by the incident and was demoralized for not being able to join her group on their flight.

Last October 25, a 56-year old OFW, Aling Gloria Ortinez from the Ilocos Region, was detained after a carbine bullet was found in her bag. She has been traveling between the Philippines and Hong Kong for almost 30 years already and this is the first time she had a criminal case in her life and said she was very surprised because she has not been able to touch a gun or bullets all throughout her life. She said she can't imagine why she would bring a bullet to Hong Kong when she's already very familiar with the tough regulations of the Hong Kong Airport.

Last weekend, a senior citizen named Nimfa Fontamillas was stopped at the airport for having a bullet in the side-pocket of her bag. She missed her flight to Singapore where she was scheduled to watch her 11-year old grandson play soccer representing the Philippines. The 65-year old was demoralized and traumatized by this scam.

​As a Lawmaker, I am very aware of the provisions of Republic Act 10591, or the ‘Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act’. Possession of bullets of even parts of firearms can land you with a six to eight year term in prison.

​As a Police General, I am angered on these issues because the profiles of those arrested are clearly far from the profiles of criminals and syndicate members.

​As a patriotic Lingkod Ng Bayan, I strongly condemn these incidents because clearly it is operated by unscrupulous employees of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Their modus operandi is bringing the name of former Senator Ninoy Aquino to bad light, is sowing fear in the minds of foreign and local travelers, is destroying the Tuwid Na Daan efforts of our National Government, and is causing so much embarrassment to the Philippine Republic and to our one hundred million kababayans.

​This scandal puts our country in the spot light, especially now that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting is going to be held in our country this month and they will be utilizing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as their main gateway to our country. They're cautious now and they're warning their fellow foreigners of the infamous NAIA, because they'll probably be scammed there by Filipinos.

​We are kindly recognized as the most hospitable people on the planet. We always greet our visitors with a smile and we offer them whatever we have. We lead them to beautiful tourist spots, so that they, too, may appreciate the natural beauty endowed to these 7,107 islands. We bid them farewell and pray for their safety as they go back to their own places, sharing with them souvenirs that will mark their wonderful trip to the Philippines. We are on our way to becoming one of the top tourist destinations in the world, and one of the promising investment hubs in Asia, but incidents like these put off the credibility of our country in the eyes of many foreign observers. It will be a shame for many international dignitaries, including several foreign heads of state and heads of government, to see prevailing incidents of ‘laglag-bala’ scams here in our country.

Idiotic reporting from Espino's apologists

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I could just shake my head every time I listen  to the bloc time radio programs of Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. dishing gubernatorial bet Mark O. Cojuangco as a “Tarlaqueno” or a resident of Tarlac thus should not be voted in the next year’s poll.

This is  not cheap shot, this is  trite and idiocy at their worst. These announcers have been repeating this branding as it was the best argument they have in favour of the son and namesake of the governor who has a moist eye, too, for the governorship.
Cojuangco had been a resident of Barangay Labayug in Sison, Pangasinan since 1967. He was a three-term congressman of the mammoth province’s  fifth district.
Just because he could not speak the Pangasinan’s dialect pangasinanense or Ilocano does not mean he is not a resident of the huge province.
The Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 (Republic Act 7160) provides that a candidate for the governorship must be 23 years old, should be registered voter of the province, a resident therein for at least one year immediately preceding the day of the election, and able to read and write Filipino or any other local language or dialect.
If Cojuangco could not speak the vernacular (which LGC and the Constitution, when he ran for congress, did not require), then Congresswomen Gina de Venecia and Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas should not be seeking re-election on their congressional seat in the 4th and the 3rd Districts of Pangasinan because they could not speak, too, the dialect.
I hope that other well-meaning radio announcers should not emulate the kind of arguments the Espino lap dogs have been mouthing. We should raise the campaign to a higher intellectual level and not that “Tarlaqueno-bull____t-kindda-argument”.
***
I felt bad about the exchanges of U.S black Comedian Dave Chappel and U.S King of Radio Howard Stern when the comedian said his wife is a Filipina. Stern asked if Chappel bought the wife through internet services. The latter said no. Chappel told Stern that he would be going to Cuba. Stern asked why he would go in that forsaken third world county because Cuba is a strange communist country. The comedian said: You can have  women there for a piece of chocolate. Stern said, it’s like the Philippines women are cheap.
Sannamagan, even I was listening at their exchanges at YouTube, I felt my feathers were ruffled. Kasi may katotohanan ito and I blame what happen to our country to our poverty.
 Last year $6, 201 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) poured in our country that significantly was translated to jobs. Vietnam got $9.2 billion and Indonesia chalked up $22, 580 billion, a yawning difference of almost $3 billion for Vietnam and $16,379 billion for Indonesia if compared to our lethargic draw of FDI, trabaho sana iyon para di na mag abroad mga kababayan natin. Pero that massive FDI flow would not happen here dahil hangang 40% lang ang share ng foreigner sa business dito kaya ayaw nila dito as they prefer Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia.
 Pabagsak itong bayan natin as it is aggravated by the poor bearing more children. Why? Kasi wala namang free contraceptives sa barangay clinics just like what Marcos had done in the past. Dumadami na ang tao, dumadami ang walang trabaho, balang araw chokalate na lang ang presyo ng mga tao dito. Tama rin si David Chappel sa Cuba.