Stupid Question from a Reporter

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I exchanged notes lately with some media colleagues at Gloria Maris Restaurant when one of them told me about his anecdote with a fellow woman reporter.

He said he was with her when they interviewed the chairman of a party list for the forthcoming election.

He recalled that he asked the chairman with the following:

“Sir, are your top party list's nominees are Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mrs. C?”

“Yes, the three of them!” chairman, a rich man, retorted.

Not to be outshone, the woman reporter confidently interjected:

“Sir, if you have three nominees who among them was your favorite to support?!”

The male reporter told me he cringed near the wall where he was seated. He was too embarrassed about the stupidity of the question.

“The office’s staff of the chairman were seen restraining themselves to guffaw," he told me, of course, in Tagalog.
 They, son of a gun, could not believe that the seemingly intelligent looking reporter riding in a then flashy car could ask that idiotic question.

DONATE-A-BOOK, SHARE THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE WITH SM

         Just in time for the back-to-school season, SM shoppers can share the gift of knowledge through The SM Store’s SM Share Movement Donate-A-Book campaign in all branches nationwide.

Ongoing until July 7, shoppers can donate books and school supplies to benefit school children of select SM Foundation supported schools. In exchange, shoppers will receive 50 pesos discount coupon for every donation made.

Grade three pupils of Balanga Elementary school received brand new back packs with school supplies from The SM Store.

Earlier donations from the campaign, which was launched last May 20 were distributed to the Balanga Elementary School in Bataan where employee volunteers from the nearby branches of The SM Store in Pampanga and Olongapo shared a fun-filled day with grade 3 pupils.

 The SM Store donated books from Olongapo and Pampanga branches enough to fill up the mini-library of the two storey school building donated by SM Foundation. Bags and school supplies were also donated just in time for the back to school season.

The grade 3 pupils of Balanga Elementary school were also treated to a story telling session by The Story Telling Project (TSP), a non-government partner organization of SM, with the aim to spark hope, inspiration and imagination through storytelling.

Gov’t O.K Taxis to Ply in Dagupan, Region-1

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The government has allowed a franchise of 30 taxi units in this city to operate here and the entire Region-1.

According to lawyer Leland R. Lopez, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has already released the provisional authority to operate the public utility vehicles.

TAXI - The part of the thirty units of Toyota Avanza's taxis operated by the Bonuan Transport Service Corporation (BTSC) parked at one of the bays of the just been inaugurated mammoth Dagupan City Transport Terminal in Judge Jose De Venecia Highway Extension at Barangay Tapuac, Dagupan City. The BTSC is where its main office is located. Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza

 “Dito na rin mag ta- take off and operate iyong first na taxi operator ng entire province of Pangasinan na awardan na rin kanina ng probationary authority to operate. Meron na po silang 10 taxi units owned and operated by the Bonuan Transport Services Corporation,” he said.

Lopez is the counsel of SPD Development & Consultancy that owns the sprawling almost hundreds of millions of pesos modern Dagupan City Transport Terminal located at the Judge Jose De Venecia Highway Extension at Barangay Tapuac here.

PH has second highest electricity price in Asia

THE country’s average electricity price for residential customers is now second highest in Asia as of January this year, according to a consulting firm that specializes in providing power market advisory services in the Asia-Pacific region.

           Based on data presented by International Energy Consultants Managing Director and lead consultant Dr. John Morris, the top 5 countries with the highest power rates surveyed in Asia are Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

The Philippines electricity prices at an average cost of P15 per kilowatt hour are some of the highest in Asia and have become prohibitive to many investors. Compared to booming countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, the Philippines is badly suffering from a dip in foreign direct investment with expensive electricity cost as the main culprit.

Solution? Construction of more coal-fired power plants to meet the need to produce about 1,000 megawatts a year.

Guico mulls more cong. districts in Pangasinan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BINALONAN – A Pangasinan congressman wants to see two to four congressional districts to be apportioned to the present six districts so they could boost economically the mammoth province.

Fifth District Representative Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III told this writer at the terminal of the family owned WCC Aeronautical and Technological College about the proposed law he has been mulling.

“Just imagine each of the eight to ten districts gets a billion of pesos’ allocation every year,” he cited.

With four districts approved by congress and signed into law by the president of the Philippines, Pangasinan could have ten congressmen.

WINNERS - Then Fifth District congressional candidate Ramon "Monmon" Guico, III (extreme left) ride a human powered tricycle driven by then provincial board's  aspirant Louie Sison. Both forayed to win the hearts and minds of voters in a village of the eight towns one city' Pangasinan's district in the May 13, 2019 polls. The duo won the electoral derbies.

According to Pangasinan Fourth Engineering Office's District Engineer (DE) Simplicio Gonzales and Pangasinan Second Engineering Office DE Edita Leano Manuel of the Department of Public Works & Highway, the average allocation of infrastructure projects from the national government to each of the Second, Third, and Fourth Congressional Districts will be about one billion pesos this year.

Pangasinan has a population of 2,956, 726 according to the 2015 Census.

It’s Nice to Die in this City

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When I was buying a hand of lakatan bananas in a talipapa (makeshift store), I asked the spouses who manned it if the place I was standing was part of the city of Taguig where the former lady mayor is the wife of my friend then senator and now  House Speaker - wannabe Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Barangay Southside po ito sir. Pinagaagawan ito ng Makati City and Taguig,” the husband, a septuagenarian, told me while he wrapped the almost P100 bananas' hand (P70 a kilo) I bought.

“Nasa Supreme Court na iyang away diyan sa BGC (sprawling world class commercial hub's Bonifacio Global City) at mga barangays. 
Kung kayo ang tatanungin sino mas gusto ninyo?” I asked.

 Both blurted out: Makati!

I told them that in my province Pangasinan many mayors there give P3,000 to P5,000 to the bereaved family of the deceased.

“Magkano ang bigayan sa patay dito sa Makati at Taguig?” I confidently asked them since I knew the nuances of how local chief executives forked out sums to lighten up the grief of their helpless constituents.

The wife said Taguig only gives coffin while Makati City provides the family a coffin, P4,000, canvas, and expenses for coffee, biscuits, and others for the entirety of the wake.

Free coffin, anyone?

If Taguig City has more or less P10 billion annual appropriation budget (2017 AAB was more than P8 billion) this year, Makati City collected P15.8 billion revenues last year that could be part of its reenacted budget, thanks to the procrastination of her opposition dads, this year.

Sus, these mammoth budgets have shamed the P1.10 billion and almost P1 billion AABs of the cities of Dagupan and Urdaneta in my province Pangasinan!

Vice Guv Mark, 4 BMs Take Oath

VICE GOV. LAMBINO AND 4 SP MEMBERS TAKE THEIR OATH. Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG. Lambino (middle) takes his oath of office at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) session hall on June 30.  Also on the same day, three new board members and one returning board member sworn into office, namely: Donabel N. Fontelera (2^nd from left) – 1st district, Vici M. Ventanilla (extreme left) – 3rd district, Nicholi Jan Louie Q. Sison (2^nd from right) – 5th District and Von Mark R. Mendoza (extreme right) – 2nd District. /SMDG (Photo by MVSadim)