Espino family leads Pangasinenses in welcoming 2020

Governor Amado I. Espino III (extreme right) and his family--Pangasinan First Lady Karina P. Espino (5^th from left), only son Amado IV (6^th from left), his mother Bugallon Mayor Prescilla “Mely” Espino (4^th from left), his brother who is the 2nd district representative Jumel Anthony I. Espino (2^nd from left) with his wife Le Anne Denise (left), his sister Dr. Ma. Roanna Cristina Espino-Alcera (3^rd from left) with her husband Lloyd (not in photo), led thousands of devotees in welcoming 2020 through the New Year eve mass at the Capitol grounds last December 31. The other members of the Espino family were all present to include all the grandchildren and governor’s sister Ma. Regina Isabel “Mariz” Espino-Sinlao and her husband, Roslyn (not in photo). The first family also spearheads the Yuletide tradition by completing the nine-day anticipated mass (Simbang Gabi) from December 15 to 23. (Photo by Neiza Ivana Ferrer/RRB)

Pangasinan Has More Poor Families in Region – 1

              PROVINCE NO. 12 IN 81 WITH POOREST FILIPINOS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

There is a Visayan joke that described the classes of poverty in the Philippines.

Food for the rich - SUTOKIL (SUgba, TOla, KIniLaw  (Roast, Stewed Chicken Meat and Papaya, Raw Marinated Tuna) )
Food for the poor - GIPUSIL (GInamos, PUs o, SILi  (Fermented Anchovies or Round Scads, Cooked Banana Heart and Pepper)
Food for the very poor - GITUOK (GInamos , GiTUntungan sa OK-OK (Fermented Anchovies or Round Scads infested by Cockroaches).

Since I am going to use the jargons of the full year 2018 poverty incidence among population of the country by the Philippines Statistics Authority, the joke above pastilan was just a teaser on this figures’ numbing article.

There are more poor people in Pangasinan than the other three provinces of Region 1.

In the 2018 census of the Philippines Statistics Authority released last December 6, 2019, it showed that the most numbers of poor families, as seen by ranks below, are:

1.       Pangasinan:        65, 200 families (Population: 2, 957, 000 PSA 2015)

2.       Ilocos Sur   :         8, 800 families

3.       La Union     :         5, 500

4.       Ilocos Norte          4, 700

Poor farmers in the Philippines. Photo Credit: Organic Without Boundaries

As what the PSA said that a family is composed averagely of five household members, the magnitude of the poverty incidence in Pangasinan is 326,000 poor individuals. 

In terms of the Annual Per Capita Threshold (APCT) in Pesos, the families of five in the Philippines and the National Capital Region have to earn P25, 744, P28, 682, respectively, yearly.

Falling below those amounts means a part of the poor in the country.

On the Magnitude of Poor Families, there are 2, 986, 300 (14,931, 500 Filipinos) and 48, 000 (240,000 persons) in the Philippines and NCR, respectively. There are 2.3% poor families in the National Capital Region while there are 16.6% poor households in the entire Philippines.

Cotabato Has More Poor Families in Region 12

                     PROVINCE NO. 8 IN 81 WITH POOREST FILIPINOS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

There is a Mindanao joke, where many poor provinces are located, that described the classes of poverty there.

Food for the rich - SUTOKIL (SUgba, TOla, KIniLaw  (Roast, Stewed Chicken Meat and Papaya, Raw Marinated Tuna) )
Food for the poor - GIPUSIL (GInamos, PUs o, SILi  (Fermented Anchovies or Round Scads, Cooked Banana Heart and Pepper)
Food for the very poor - GITUOK (GInamos , GiTUntungan sa OK-OK (Fermented Anchovies or Round Scads infested by Cockroaches).

Since I am going to use the jargons of the full year 2018 poverty incidence among population of the country by the Philippines Statistics Authority, the joke above pastilan was just a teaser on this figures’ numbing article.

There are more poor people in North Cotabato/Province of Cotabato than the other three provinces of Region 12.

In the 2018 census of the PSA released for public consumption last December 6, 2019, it showed that the most number of poor families, as seen by ranks below, are:

1.       North Cotabato:   82, 900 families (Population: 1, 380 PSA 2015)

2.       South Cotabato:   53, 800

3.       Sarangani        :   48, 200

4.       Sultan Kudarat  :  46, 300

As what the PSA said that a family is composed averagely of five household members, the magnitude of the poverty incidence in Cotabato is 414, 500 poor individuals.

That’s staggering son of a gun!

Duterte says M'lang Airport Must Be Opened, Utilized

2ND GREAT NEWS FOR 2020!

By Secretary Manny Piñol

Over simple lunch in the Mlang National High School Principal's Office during his visit to earthquake affected areas Dec. 30, President Duterte was briefed on the actual status of the Airport, also known as the Mlang Airport whose construction was started in 2004.

Present when the President issued the instructions were Sen. Go, DILG Sec. Eduardo Ano, DSWD Secretary Joselito Bautista, Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Sec. Manny Pinol, Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco and Mlang Mayor Russel Abonado.

While the runway and the terminal building have been constructed, the airport has not operated because the Provincial Government of Cotabato has not turned over the 62-hectare property where it was built to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The previous leadership of the province cited missing documents as the reason behind their failure to turn over the project to the DOTr for final completion and commissioning.

Gov. Catamco, who is serving her first term, assured President Duterte that the provincial government will complete all the needed documents for the official turn-over of the property to the DOTr.

Sen. Bong Go, whose public statements reflect the sentiments of President Duterte, said the operation of the airport is very critical because it is located in a strategic area.

The airport operation could also boost the economic growth of Region XII or Central Mindanao where many agricultural products, including highly perishable fruits, come from.

"I will talk to DOTr Secretary Art Tugade and I will help look for additional funding for the completion of the airport," he said.

The young Senator from Davao City said he will ensure that the Mlang Airport will be opened and operational before 2022.

(First photo was downloaded from EDGE Davao website. Second photo was a selfie taken by Sen. Bong Go while the other photos showing the airport runway and the map were downloaded from Facebook.)

Read: 

Cotabato Has More Poor Families in Region 12

JDV Recalls his Two Cong. Districts

                   SAYS HE IS THE ONLY FIVE-TIME SPEAKER IN THE WORLD

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY -  A retired seasoned politician waxed nostalgic on those days he represented his constituents in two congressional districts and his being the only five-time House Speaker in the world.

“As the five –time Speaker of the House don’t take that easy. That is first time in the history of Asia and the world I served as Speaker five times then my wife retired but she served twice and the she retired our congressman son took over. Now he is on his second term. All these happened because of the affection of the people of the Second District of Pangasinan and the Fourth District of Pangasinan. I’ve been the only in the Philippines who represented two congressional districts,” Jose de Venecia, known also as JDV, told recently foreign and local guests who attended his 83^rd birthday held at his swanky coastal abode in Barangay Bonuan Binloc here.

THUMB'S UP. Former five-time House Speaker Joe de Venecia shows a thumb's up sign while with wife former congresswoman Gina de Venecia. The posterity pose ensues during the 83rd Birthday of the former Speaker held at his abode  in Dagupan City.

Clad in a red, black, and white stripped polo shirt, De Venecia thanked Chinese corporate executive Chen and his son who came all the way from China, Christian Baverey and his wife renowned first runway model of the Philippines in France and the protégée of world’s fashion icons Yves St Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy’s Tetta Agustin, other foreign luminaries, and his constituents and supporters from the old Second District and the present Fourth District of Pangasinan.

4-Star Gen. and I Admire this Nonpareil Writer

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

During the 83^rd birthday of former five-time House of Representatives' Speaker Joe de Venecia attended by foreign and local high rollers and his supporters held at his coastal abode, I bumped into former Philippine National Police Chief and retired Four-Star General Art Lomibao.

“Sir, I’ve been reading about you in the old columns of Max Soliven like when you visited him in his hospital bed,” I told the former top honchos of the National Irrigation Administration and Land Transportation Office while we shook our hands.

“Send mo nga sa akin ang link,” the PMA Class of 1974 alumnus retorted.

I told him that I read the intrepid and prodigious columns of Soliven, 77, since first year college.
I first known his death in November 24, 2006 in Japan while I was airborne to Manila from Davao City after visiting my old folks in the southern island.

“Me too, we have mutual admiration (to his op-ed),” he answered me as Regional Examiner Editor Edwin Tandoc had a hard time taking our photo op with my android phone.

Author and former national police chief retired four-star general
 Art Lomibao during the recent 83rd birthday bash of former 
five-time House Speaker
Joe de Venecia.

“Edwin, give me my phone and I’ll do the “selfie” with the general,” I said.

By the way, Soliven was Speaker JDV professor in Ateneo de Manila when the latter was cutting his teeth for his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

Here are some of the excerpts of the June 29, 2006 article of Soliven on Lomibao:

“Even while still in hospital, I managed to confer with Police Director General and Police Chief Arturo C. Lomibao who came to visit me. Lomibao, who is retiring on July 5, his birthday, has done a crackerjack job – but he had only one year and four months in which to do it. Too few men. Too little resources. Not enough firearms. Too many rascals in the police force. What can even the most earnest, hardworking, courageous chief of police accomplish – when he’s already a lameduck on the very day he was appointed? I’ve argued – and this, too, quite often with the President herself – that a police chief must have three years in which to lead. It won’t happen. The next guy slated to take over will, if my calculations are correct, have only eleven months until he retire also – next year. The third in line just about a year and a half”.

Group cites excellent ties between South Korea, PH

SUAL, Pangasinan – A development-oriented group here hailed the move taken by the Senate which lauded South Korea for its important role in Philippine development and economic progress.

Sual Pro-Progress, an aggrupation of farmers, womenfolk, students, employees and professionals, described Resolution 159 recently passed by the Senate as “a fitting recognition of the strong excellent ties between the Philippines and South Korea.”

Authored by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, the resolution said that the bilateral relations between the two countries has been tested by history and is a relationship “forged in blood,” with more than 7,400 Filipino soldiers fighting alongside Korean troops during the Korean War.

Coal Power Plant.

 It “encompasses extensive cooperation in many fields, including trade and investments, infrastructure development, agriculture, tourism, scientific and technological cooperation, energy cooperation, rural development, health and sanitation, defense and security, disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation, and people-to-people exchanges.”