Sample Ballot of Iglesia ni Cristo in P'gasinan

MAHALIN PAGKAING ATIN

MAHALIN PAGKAING ATIN. Some 27 Pangasinense beneficiaries receive livelihood packages – 10 egg machines, 15 piglets and two bakery kits – from Pilmico, the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., to enable them to sustain their livelihoods. The turnover of livelihood kits held on Tuesday in Sta. Maria town is part of Pilmico’s Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program that aims to promote sustainable entrepreneurship through promotion of local produce. On that day, Pilmico also hosted several seminars on animal husbandry and nutrition, basic and advanced baking demos and cooking demos. (photo by Roland Naoe/PIA-1, Pangasinan) 

DCSC STARTS TRAINING ATHLETES IN ARCHERY

DAGUPAN CITY – Mayor Belen T. Fernandez and the Dagupan City Sports Commission (DCSC) has started training potential young athletes in archery at the Dagupan City National High School ground on May 2 as part of the city's summer sports clinic for children.

At least  63 children, the youngest of whom is 6 years old and  the oldest is 20 years old, are now training under the auspices of the World Archery-Philippines (WAP).

The youngest of the children is John Carlo Garcia of Oakridge International School and the oldest is Christienne Elida Osting of the University of Luzon.

Nelson Fernandez, provincial coordinator of WAP, introduced archery in the city through Commissioner Finnela T. Sim of the DCSC who invited two coaches from WAP, Andy Villamor and John Hongitan, both from Baguio City,   to train the children 

The athletes’ training is free and will last until May 6. The DCSC provided all the equipment used by the athletes in their training.

Abono Party-List assured 2 seats at SWS's latest polls

AKO BICOL leads 16 groups poised to gain at least one guaranteed party-list seat in the next House of Representatives, while the 29 parties next in rank are possible qualifiers for at least one party-list seat, based on the computation for the distribution of available party-list seats (Supreme Court ruling of April 21, 2009, BANAT vs COMELEC, G.R. No. 179271 [Table 5].

Of the 59 maximum seats reserved under the Party-List System, the following 16 parties are poised to gain one guaranteed seat each by obtaining at least 2.0% of votes cast for party list: AKO BICOL 5.82%, GABRIELA 5.58%, 1PACMAN 4.79%, SENIOR CITIZENS 3.92%, ACT TEACHERS 3.38%, KABAYAN 3.18%, AGRI 3.17%, BUHAY 3.01%, AN WARAY 2.63%, ABONO 2.54%, YACAP 2.51%, BAYAN MUNA 2.27%, AKBAYAN 2.27%, DIWA 2.18%, ANG KABUHAYAN 2.08%, and KALINGA 2.06%.

The remaining 43 seats will be allocated to the parties above and the parties next in rank until all available seats are distributed, with the condition that any qualified party is entitled to a maximum of only three seats.
Applying the computation for the distribution of available seats, the 29 parties next in rank poised to gain at least one party-list seat are: AMIN, AAMBIS-OWA, A TEACHER, INC., PBA, CIBAC, LPGMA, BUTIL, AASENSO, COOP-NATCCO, ABANG LINGKOD, ANAKALUSUGAN, 1-ANG EDUKASYON, ALONA, MANILA TEACHERS, ANAKPAWIS, TUCP, ABAMIN, AGAP, ALAY BUHAY, TINGOG SINIRANGAN, ACTS-OFW, ANAC-IP, ALL-FISH, KABATAAN, AWAT MINDANAO, ADDA, MAGDALO, ABAKADA, and ANGKLA. (Social Weather Station's May 1-3 poll)

Abono Partylist Congressman Conrad M. Estrella III 
pressed flesh with  constituents inthe 1.8 million
 vote - rich Pangasinan .

Rosendo So (extreme right), renowned political kingmaker in Pangasinan and Abono Party
List Chairman poses with (from left) Pangasinan's gubernatorial bet Mark Cojuangco,
Presidential Aspirant  Grace Poe and Vice Presidential bet Chiz Escudero. Poe and
 Escudero have been a long time allies of  So and Cojuangco.

INC endorses Cojuangco for guv’s race

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The block voting religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) endorsed last Wednesday Pangasinan gubernatorial aspirant Mark O. Cojuangco and re-electionist vice gubernatorial bet Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, Jr. for the May 9 election, according to a source in the INC.

SOLIDIFICATION: Mark Cojuangco (2nd from Right) with mayors  of Pangasinan
 when they meet at the party's headquarters in Manila to buttress their
alliance.

She said that endorsement of candidates from the posts of congressmen to the members of the town councils happened at 7 o’clock in the evening Wednesday at the different churches of the INC.

“The members will be given a sample ballot of the candidates the church supports tonight during the worship service,” she said.

The INC has 63 thousand voters in the 1,705,260 voters rich Pangasinan.

Cojuangco is pitted with the son and namesake of last term Pangasinan governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. while Calimlim slugged it out with Calasiao Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay for the vice governorship.

VM Lim's council bets sued for disqualification

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY - Five candidates here for the Sangguniang Panlungsod (Council) running under the party of Vice Mayor Brian Lim were charged with violation of election law and face disqualification from office even if they win the May 9 poll.

CHARGED. These five  Nationalista Party's candidates for the city council in
 Dagupan City were charged by Florence Claveria for disqualification after 
they were found violating the Election Code.

Respondents Redford Christian P. Erfe-Mejia, Nicanor D. Aquino, Teddy E. Villamil, Guillermo P. Vallejos, and Luis M. Samson, Jr., were charged last April 28 at this city’s Commission on Election by Florence Claveria with violation of the Omnibus Election Code when they were found unlawfully soliciting votes in a bingo bonanza game for the primary purpose of illegally influencing the voters.

Claveria moreover said that these five bets conspired with one another in clear violation of the election laws “knowingly and intentionally held and sponsored “Bingo Sessions” and distributed prices and other bingo paraphernalia for the purpose of soliciting votes and influencing the electorates and promising rewards to the people and voters” since the campaign period started last February 9 this year”.

Toff de Venecia to protect congress vs dictatorship

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – A shoo-in congressional candidate in Pangasinan will fight to protect congress if a presidential aspirant padlocks the August chamber.

“Ako to be honest hinde ako natatakot ipaglaban ko kung ano ang tama,” the 29-year old Christopher “Toff” de Venecia stressed.

Presidential bet Rodrigo Duterte recently threatened to clamp down congress if he would be charged with impeachment by his detractors in August Body that would create a constitutional crisis.

“I will be forced to declare a revolutionary government,” said the feisty and brash Davao City mayor.

De Venecia, the son of former Speaker Jose and Congresswoman Gina de Venecia, said that with a looming threat to democracy it is not easy to play with it.

“Pero kasi since that statement, we need a stand and so (I am) happy I’m with the silent majority which is growing and growing”.

De Venecia playfully said that in case Duterte succeed in closing Congress.

“I have to go down in history as the congressman with the shortest term,” he quipped with a chuckle.