Telco’s Free Aircraft Services to Senators at Our Expense

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN  City – A pilot said that senators of the Philippines are free to use the helicopters owned by one of the two major telecommunication corporations in the Philippines.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone under Manny Pangilinan and Globe Telecommunication run by Ayala Corporation are duopoly in the Philippines.

The Pilot, who asked anonymity, said that whenever senators wanted to stump in the provinces and cities outside Metro Manila the choppers and the pilots are there to ferry them for free.

This information ensued when a pilot brought to this city a senator from the Liberal Party who visited a government office.

Some media men had even pictures of the solon and the tail number of the chopper.

BAGONG ANYO ng PATAR BEACH

BIHIS ng makabagong silungan para sa mga beach goers ang pambato na lugar ng bayan ng Bolinao. Ang kaaya-ayang tanawin ay bagong konsepto ng lokal na pamahalaan para gawing world-class ang lugar. – (Photo courtesy of Bolinao Tourism Office)

Dagupan's PESO is best in Region I

DAGUPAN CITY – The city’s Public Employment Service Office was recognized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the region as the Best Performing PESO under the city category.

The recognition was received by PESO Manager Jocelyn Z. Siapno during the 2017 Regional PESO Congress and Year-End Performance and Assessment held at Savannah Hotel Resort in Angeles City, Pampanga on February 26-28.

The city was given the recognition for its successful implementation of the Special Program for the Employment of Students.

For 2017, the city under the program was able to employ 322 students in the city during the summer and Christmas vacation.   

PCSO to local government officials: ‘Help us so we can help you’

“If you want PCSO to help you, there has to be an effort on your part to help increase our revenues.  Kung ayaw n’yo kaming tulungan, saan kami kukuha ng funds [para] sa lugar niyo? ‘Yung funds na makukuha namin, ‘yun din ang ibabalik namin sa inyo. Buti sana kung kasama sa GAA [General Appropriations Act] ‘yung revenues ng PCSO, wala naman. ‘Pag wala tayong benta, wala tayong ibibigay.”

This was the challenge posed by Dr. Jose Bernardo Gochoco, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Medical Services Department Manager, to all the local government units and non-government organizations that are requesting. medical or dentals missions in their areas.

The PCSO Charter, or RA 1169, particularly on revenue allocation, provides that the revenue of the PCSO shall be allocated to 55 percent for prize fund (payment of prizes), 30 percent for charity fund (various charity programs and service) and 15 percent as operating fund (maintenance and operating expenses).

Sual mayor scores a blow vs Save Sual Movement

SUAL, Pangasinan – The Office of the Ombudsman has denied the petition for assistance filed by the Save Sual Movement  (SSM) against Mayor Roberto Ll. Arcinue and Councilor John Christopher Arcinue.

Claiming intimidation and harassment from the two officials, Rosanna Marie Soriano, SSM chairperson, filed the request for assistance on June 13, 2017. Her group was opposed to the construction of a second power plant in the municipality.

This booming town is host to the biggest power plant in the country, the Sual Coal-Fired Power plant, which has a generating capacity of 1,218 megawatts.

A clarificatory conference was conducted last February 8, 2018 by lawyer Joseph Marion P. Navarrete, graft investigation officer  in the office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon.

Mayor Arcinue explained that he is always open to dialogue with anyone opposed to the construction of a second coal-fired power plant which the group is opposing.

Sen. Bam Backs Military Through Reservist Employment Rights' Bill

A measure promoting the welfare of military reservists has passed the committee level and is now up for plenary deliberations in the Senate.

In his co-sponsorship speech for Senate Bill No. 1698 or the Reservist Employment Rights Act, Sen. Bam Aquino underscored the importance of reservists in today’s issues, such as disaster preparedness and the anti-terrorism drive.

“Now, more than ever, the AFP needs a dedicated, experienced and sophisticated reserve force – comparable to the Reserve Forces of other great nations,” said Sen. Bam, the co-sponsor and co-author of Senate Bill No. 1698.

The measure was a fruit of Sen. Bam’s dialogues with members and officials of the Army Reserve Command and other government officials and hearing he spearheaded as sub-committee chairman of the Committee on Labor.

Florete’s Bombo First, Quiboloy’s Sonshine Last

LOPSIDED RADIO WAR 

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The quarterly radio survey of the five amplitude modulation or A.M bands in this city and the huge province of Pangasinan saw Bombo Radyo – Dagupan as runaway top blazer while Sonshine Radio was a poor cellar dweller.

Bombo Radyo and Sonshine are owned by Florete Group of Companies and Television Evangelist the renowned Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, respectively.

On a recent post at Face Book by a Bombo reporter, Kantar Media Philippines (KMP) bared that on its Fourth Quarter Survey of the 100 percentage radio listeners-respondents, the total breakdown from top to the lowest of their subjects are the following: 1) * DZWN – 1125Khz Bombo with 73.66% Listener Share (SL); 2) *DWCM-1161Khz Aksyon Radyo with 10.92% SL; 3) DWDH-1440Khz Relay with 4.95% SL; 4) DZSD 1548Khz Super Radyo (Manila) 3.44% SL; 5)* DWIN 1080Khz Radyo Agila with 3.04% SL; 6) *DWPR-1296Khz Radyo Asenso with 2.47% SL; 7) DWIZ 882Khz Todong Lakas (Manila) with 0.80% S.L; 8) *DZRD 981khz Sonshine 0.50% S.L; 9) DZMM 630Khz Radyo Patrol 630 (Manila) with 0.21% S.L.

Those with asterisks before the stations’ names are this city and Pangasinan based  A.M bands.