Projects, cut, reasons why congressmen turncoat

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 

Many reelected mayors in the concluded May 9 election lost their bid.

“The loss  was a huge slap on the face of these politicians,” an incumbent mayor, who served his first class town for more than 20 years, told me.

PHOTO CREDIT: rodrigo75.wordpress.com

He cited that a sitting mayor in a first class town receives more than a million pesos a month of payola from illegal number game jueteng and other forms of gambling, millions of pesos S.O.P (euphemism of 20 percent or more cut) from government projects and supplies sold by the contractors to the municipal government, while his opponent spends to defeat him in the election by using his personal monies.

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Recent news reports said that outgoing House Speaker Sonny Belmonte was disappointed about the mass defection of the members of the once vaunted Liberal Party.  Just weeks after the May 9 poll, these solons swear allegiance to the Partido Demokrito Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) of president-elect Rody Duterte.

Many of them fought tooth, gum, and nail for the presidential victory of Mar Roxas who helped them get projects from the Palace.

Now they unabashedly sing hosannas to Duterte forgetting that weeks ago they were flirting with Roxas as if he was the best thing that happened in their lives.

Was this bad taste in the mouth?

Pangasinan DPWH joins 2016 Oplan Balik Eskwela

DAGUPAN CITY – To ensure the smooth opening of classes on June 13, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) actively supported the government’s “Oplan Balik-Eskwela” program by preparing the roads leading to schools.

Bernardo Caronongan , information officer of the DPWH-Pangasinan 2nd District Engineering, said his office mobilized the maintenance division to repair and conduct maintenance of roads leading to schools, re-painting of pedestrian lanes and markings, as well as the cleaning and clearing of debris and de-clogging operations of drainage systems to avoid flooding in schools.

Caronongan said the maintenance of roads, schools and classrooms is part of the department’s commitment to ensure the safety of pupils and students in time for the opening of classes this school year.

“Ito pong pagpipinta ng mga pedestrian lanes along national at local roads ay kinakailangan para matiyak ang kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral sa tuwing sila ay tatawid sa kalsada sa kanilang pagpasok o pag-uwi mula sa eskwelahan,” said Caronongan during the “Pantongtongan Tayo” radio program of Philippine Information Agency (PIA) – Pangasinan on Tuesday.

He said the annual Oplan Balik Eskwela, which is actively participated in by DPWH, is an Inter-Agency Task Force that addresses the problems encountered during school opening.

Schools in the second and fourth congressional districts in the province where pedestrian lanes are already repainted are as follows: Bolosan Elementary School, West Central ES, Central I ES, Dominican School, Tubuan Elem. School, Ramon Magsaysay Integrated School, Magtaquing ES, Binmaley I Central ES, Binmaley North ES, Papagueyan ES, Camaley ES, Dumpay ES, Aguilar Integrated School, Salomague Sur ES , Salomague Norte ES, Salomague Norte High School, Umanday ES, First Baptist Learning Center, Mabilao ES, Bulasi ES, Babasit ES, Buenlag ES, Mansabinan ES, and Guiguisangan ES.

Dasol gets salt equipment aid from DTI

DASOL -The local government of Dasol received an equipment assistance on Tuesday from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that will boost the town’s salt production.

Natalia Dalaten, chief trade and industry development specialist of DTI-Pangasinan, said the equipment aid worth Php 496, 500 will be used for the salt iodization project in this western town of Pangasinan.

“The delivery of assistance was made possible under the agency’s Shared Services Facilities (SSF) project aimed at accelerating the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises through practical tools and training, and by helping them upgrade and upscale,” she said.

Dalaten said the equipment assistance provided by her agency will increase the production of iodized salt to meet the global demand and at the same time, it would help augment the income of local salt makers.

She added that the LGU- Dasol is targeting at least 50 entrepreneurs and individual beneficiaries of the salt iodization project that will fuel the local economy. (PIA-1, Pangasinan)

Region 1 cops arrest 329 persons; net 244 firearms for gun ban violations

CAMP BGEN OSCAR M FLORENDO- The Region 1 police headed by Chief Superintendent Ericson T. Velasquez collared 329 violators and confiscated 244 assorted firearms during the duration of election gun ban all over the region from January 10 to June 8.

Velasquez said the 329 persons broken down into 310 civilians, 12 government officials and employees, five security guards and two policemenwere arrested for carrying firearms, gun replicas, airgun/airsoft gun,  explosives and bladed weapons.

Based on data from the PRO1’s Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD), 145 were arrested in Pangasinan, 62 in La Union, 54 in Ilocos Sur and 68 in Ilocos Norte.

The Region 1 police also seized 244 assorted firearms composed of 82 high powered and 162 low powered firearms; 30 firearm replicas, air guns and airsoft gun; 32 bladed weapons; and 36 grenade and explosives.

Velasquez said the violators were arrested through checkpoint operations, buy-bust and police response.

A total of 316 incidents were recorded, 172 of which were referred to Prosecutor’s Office, 128 were filed in court, two are under investigation, two were referred to DSWD, 10 were dismissed by Prosecutor’s Office and two has no case filed.

16-M dispersed since 2007 OPAG to disperse 135-K fingerlings

Lingayen- - -The provincial government through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) will disperse a total of 135,000 pieces of tilapia fingerlings to various communal waters in Alcala town, San Carlos City and  municipality of Rosales on June 10, 21 and July 1, respectively.

Dalisay Moya, OPAg officer-in-charge, said that of the total number of tilapia fingerlings, some 65,000 pieces were dispersed to Alcala while 30,000 pieces will be dispersed to San Carlos City and 40,000  pieces to Rosales.

The activity, Moya said, is part of the continuous project launched by the Espino administration to increase fish production and fish capture of marginalized Pangasinense fishermen.

In addition, tilapia fingerlings dispersal to communal bodies of water has become a regular activity of the provincial government to intensify fish production in Pangasinan primarily intended to increase the income of Pangasinenses engage in small scale fish farming.

Aside from the fingerlings dispersal, Moya earlier disclosed that OPAG also conducts skills training seminars on tilapia farming to provide aquaculture technology know-how among marginalized fisherfolks.

It can be recalled that Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. initiated the massive river clean-up to clear the province’s river systems of all the illegal structures that have caused environmental destructions to our waters.

As such, Gov. Espino previously noted that the beauty and richness of the rivers in Pangasinan have been brought back disclosing that “the fishermen can now fish again without using permanent fishing structures which pollute the rivers.”

Dagupan Mayor to speak at UN New York

 Mayor Belen T. Fernandez left for the United States at the invitation of the

 United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and 

the Law of the Sea to serve as one of the panelists in its 17th meeting at 

the United Nations Headquarters in New York on June 13-17.

OFF TO U.N. A fisherman in Masinloc, Zambales tells his horrifying experiences
with the Chinese Coast Guard at Scarborough Shoal to Dagupan City Mayor Belen
 T. Fernandez (extreme right) and foreign and local media men. Mayor Fernandez
 would grace the United Nations in New York middle of this month as resource
 speaker on environment of the United Nations Conventionon on  the Law of 
the Sea  (UNCLOS). MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

The meeting will focus on two segments: the environmental, social and economic dimensions of marine debris, plastics and microplastics and progress made in preventing, reducing and controlling pollution from marine debris, plastics and microplastics; and challenges, lessons learned, best practices and way forward to prevent, reduce and control pollution from marine debris, plastics and microplastics.

Mayor Fernandez will discuss in her presentation under the panel segment the topic entitled: “Challenges, lessons learned, best practices and way forward to prevent, reduce and control pollution from marine debris, plastics and microplastics".

Pangasinan students undergo training on integrity development

ROSALES– Twenty six students from ten various secondary schools in Pangasinan underwent a five-day leadership training on integrity development conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman on May 23 to 27 in this town.

Luzon Deputy Ombudsman Gerard Mosquera said the training dubbed as “Young Leaders Integrity Development Camp” aims to develop the integrity of the chosen 8th and 9th public school students and promote among them the values of honesty in the government.

“Napakalaki ng halaga kapag ang gobyerno natin ay pinatatakbo ng mga honest at tapat sa kanilang tungkulin kaya importante na maumpisahan itong paglinang ng mga values na ito at earliest age as possible,” said Mosquera.

The 26 students were chosen from the 300 applicants who obtained an overall general average grade of 89 percent and grades per subject not lower than 85 percent during the preceding year.