Rubbing Elbows with the P'sinan Guv

 RUBS ELBOW. Pangasinan Governor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III rubs elbow with Northern Watch Editor-in-Chief Mortz C. Ortigoza during the State of the Municipality Address of Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno. Upon seeing the Editor, the young visionary governor hailed the former to join him at the head table.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTING AT THE CAPITOL IN PANGASINAN

 

CHRISTMAS LIGHTING AT THE CAPITOL IN LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN HELD AT DUSK

OF NOV. 1, 2023. IT WAS GRACED BY GOVERNOR RAMON GUICO, III AND IMMEDIATE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY.

Mangaldan Honors as One of Most Competitive LGUs in Region-1

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) feted this central Pangasinan first class town as one of the top performing local government units in the 2023 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Survey in Region-1.

GUV AND THE MAYORA. Pangasinan Governor Ramon V. Guico, III (7th from left) poses with Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno (seated) and her officials during Parayno’s 2023 State of the Municipal Address held on November 30 at the Public Auditorium of the first class town. The event coincides with the lady chief executive's birthday. (Photo by Mortz C. Ortigoza)

In the recognition held recently at the La Union Convention Center in the City of San Fernando, La Union, DTI Region-1 Director Grace Palgui-Baluyan lauded the administration of Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno as one of the awardees.

“In this regard, we are deeply honored to invite you as one of the LGU awardees. Your presence is a great source of inspiration to other LGUs and stakeholders in promoting the culture of competitiveness in the region, ”an excerpt of the letter of Baluyan to Mayor Parayno furnished to Northern Watch Newspaper.

The event dubbed as Fiestakucha: Rimat ti Amianan highlighted the exemplary contribution of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the growth and development of the priority industry clusters.

Rankings of Cities and Municipalities are based on the sum of their scores on 4 Pillars: Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure and Resiliency. Provincial rankings are based on population and income weighted average of the Overall scores of cities and municipalities under a province.

This 30 barangays’ town raked this year numerous awards like the 2nd Place Overall Most Competitive Municipality in Region 1, 2nd Place Most Competitive LGU in the Pillar of Resiliency in Region 1, 1st Place Most Competitive LGU in the Pillar of Innovation in Region 1 and 3rd Place Most Competitive LGU in the Pillar of Infrastructure in Region 1.

LGU Mangaldan also garnered the award as the Top 3 Most Competitive LGU in the Pillar of Resiliency for 1st to 2nd Class Municipality Category in the Philippines during the Philippine Creative Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Congress last September 28 held at the Manila Hotel, Ermita, Manila.

Among the 48 towns of Pangasinan, Mangaldan is one of the few – like Sual, Binalonan, Bayambang to name few – that is most economically progressive.

On her proposed 2024 local government’s budget of P430, 000, 000, she leads the pack while the burgeoning municipalities of Lingayen (P408, 222, 843), Calasiao (P380, 000,000) and Binmaley (P324, 360, 000) follow.

Acorda to Retire on Dec. 3 or BBM extends his Term?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Will each of the following names below - some of the remaining members of the elite Philippine Military Academy - become the successor of PNP Chief Benjie Acorda on December 3?

Or will President Marcos appoint a graduate of the Philippines National Police Academy as the heir apparent of Acorda thus ending the monopoly and influence of the PMYers in the helm of the PNP!

The last PMYers that were commissioned in the PNP were those of PMA Class of 1992 . They were either one, two or three - star's generals now and will be retiring next year or four years from now.

I know this because I met many of them when I worked at the information office of the PMA in the late 1980s.

Excerpt of a news report:

"Chief for Administration, Lieutenant Gen. Rhodel O. Sermonia; PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, Lt. Gen. Michael John F. Dubria; and PNP Chief Directorial Staff, Major Gen. Emmanuel B. Peralta.

Sermonia is a product of PMA “Makatao” Class of 1989. He is the last member of PMA Class 1989 in the PNP but will be retiring from the police force on January 26, 2024.

Dubria and Peralta are both classmates of Acorda from PMA Class 1991. Dubria will retire on December 20, 2024, while Peralta will mark his 56th birthday on August 24 next year.

Another member of PMA Class 1991, PNP Director for Comptrollership, Brigadier Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil is also being mentioned as a candidate for the next top cop.

Born on February 7, 1969, the 54-year-old Marbil used to be the head of the PNP Highway Patrol Group who rose to become a Police Regional Office 8 director in Eastern Visaya".

Those alumni of Class 1992 of the PMA that could bag the top post of the former Philippines Constabulary:

Major General Romeo Caramat - my classmate at the College of Law in Pangasinan - , Major Gen. Junel Estomo, Brig. Gen. Matthew Baccay and Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee.

Lee, by the way is an Ilocano - like Acorda - and hailed from the City of San Fernando in La Union.

Lee's wife Bong Lee came from Batac, Ilocos Norte. Pres. Marcos and Acorda - from Laoag City - are from the same province of Ilocoslovakia - the proud bailwick of the The Apo Ferdie - the father of BBM.

One of their mistah or classmates is National Capital Region Police Office Chief Jose Melecio Nartates (PMA. '92) who will be retiring on March 2027 (He was born in Santa, Ilocos Sur in March 1971). My Bubwit told me that Nartates and Pimentel are two of the few candidates being groomed to be the big boss of the PNP.

BUT WHAT THESE I GOT NOW FROM THREE SENIOR PNP BRASS: NO HEIR APPARENT YET FOR ACORDA NEXT WEEK.

"Wala pa! Tahimik lahat ayaw malasin!"

"Wala pa Mortz, baka ma extend!"

"Good evening Sir Mortz, wala pa maingay ngayon. Wala pa matunog lahat tahimik".

Those were their messages on my Messenger, sanamagan, to answer my poser.

They were different before Acorda was handpicked by President Marcos as the next PNP Chief despite the acrimony that Estomo (who was then "chummy - chummy" with Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos, Jr.) would replace last August 24, 2023 the beleaguered PNP Chief Director General Rodolfo Azurim, Jr.

I wrote on my October 13, 2022 - eleven months before Acorda became PNP Chief - political blog that on the birthday bash of Police Lt. Gen. Mariel Magaway (PMA' 86) in the posh Valle Verde in Pasig City, I met some Colonels and senior officers of the Directorate for Intelligence (D.I) led by their then chief Major Gen. Acorda . When my sister-in-law Liza Magaway – the Missus of Magaway (former Chief of D.I) – introduced him to me, she quipped to me and Acorda that the latter would be the next PNP to replace Azurin.

Upon hearing it, the following morning I wrote on my blog: Acorda will be next PNP Chief. That was a prescience or a scoop or whatever compare to the predictions of some opinion writers in the country because after 11 months the PMYer from Laoag City - and the younger brother of my friend's Revenue District Office Chief Trina Acorda Villamil of the Bureau of Internal Revenue - became the top whip of the national police force.

Basista Nat’l Awardee of ADAC

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BASISTA, Pangasinan – This small Pangasinan’s town under Mayor Jolly “J.R” R. Resuello has been feted recently by the Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as one of the national awardees from the 246 local government units (LGUs) in the country.

The DILG said the awardees have been honored during the 2023 Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) Performance Awards held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.

NATIONAL AWARDEE. Basista Mayor Jolly R. Resuello (center) is all smile as he receives the national award from the Anti-Drug and Abuse Council held at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.

DILG Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. said that the 246 awardees were chosen based on the ADAC functionality and sustainability of drug-free or drug-cleared status.

They were selected, Abalos said, based on the percentage of completion rate of graduates versus enrollees at the Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP).

“ADAC is a multi-sectoral council responsible for the formulation of plans and the implementation of local anti-drug abuse programs, projects and activities in a particular locality,’’ he explained.

ADAC is chaired by the local chief executives at the provincial, city and municipal levels.

In addition to the ADAC Performance Awards, the DILG stressed that special recognitions were given to LGUs for their outstanding efforts in implementing effective drug rehabilitation programs and initiatives in their communities under the CBDRP.

The theme for the awarding ceremony is “Bayang Pinag-isa ng Diwa Laban sa Ilegal na Droga”, which is in line with the President’s call for the nation to unite against the danger of illegal drugs.

Basista was part of the 37 LGUs in Region-1 that received the national plaudits.

Aside from the town, other Pangasinan local government units that were feted were Anda, Burgos, Calasiao, Malasiqui, Mangatarem, Mapandan, San Manuel, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Urbiztondo and Alaminos City.

 MEANWHILE, together with the officials of Basista, Mayor Jolly R. Resuello became a recipient of another award from the 2023 Gawad Parangal Ng Nutrisyon.

This town and the municipalities of Burgos, Mangatarem and Bayambang and the cities of Alaminos and Urdaneta all in Pangasinan raked seven of the seventeen awards given by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) – Region-1 to the local government units in the four provinces’ region.

 The feting of the award was held in November 23, 2023 at Ariana Hotel in Bauang, La Union.

The 13 villages’ Basista received the 2022 Green Banner Seal with compliance rating of 96.51% from the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) given by the Provincial Nutrition Committee of Pangasinan.

The award ensued because of the collaboration by Resuello – the Municipal Nutrition Committee Chairman – with Vice Mayor Dante P. Bustarde, Sangguniang Bayan Members Councilor Teresita S. Erguiza (Chairman Committee on Health), Ms. Lorelei G. Licuanan (Nutrition Officer II/Municipal Nutrition Committee Co-Chairperson), Dr. Lilibeth A. Fermin (MHO) and Barangay Malimpec Chairman Joseph Mamaril.

The Resuello Administration has been given also the following special recognitions:

• First 1,000 Days Program LGU Adopters in the Region • LGU with Established Nutrition Office • With Consistent Reduction on their Prevalence Rates from 2021 to 2023 basis on the Operation Timbang (OPT) plus results on the following indicators:

1. Combined Stunting and Severely Stunting; 2. Combined Overweight and Obesity; Combined Wasting and Severely Wasting.

Moreover, Dr. Ana de Guzman, the Pangasinan Provincial Officer 2 of the Provincial Nutrition Action Office (PNAO), bagged the 2022 Regional Outstanding PNAO in Region 1.

 

Cayetano Tututukan ang mga Suliranin ng Transport Groups sa Gitna ng Modernization

Nangako si Senador Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Sabado na tututukan niya ang mga suliranin ng transport groups na nahihirapan sa pag-modernize dahil sa laki ng gastos at sa kahirapan ng pagkuha ng utang.

"First and foremost, hundred percent I hear you… So count on me to be one of those na magbabantay at titingin [sa issue na ito],” sagot ni Cayetano sa tanong ng isang transport group adviser sa isang press conference sa Baguio City nitong November 25, 2023.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano

Ayon kay Joseph Cabanas ng Gabriela Silang Operators and Drivers Association, hindi naman tutol sa modernization ang mga transport group kundi humihingi lang ng tulong sa gobyerno para makapangutang. “Gusto namin [ng modernization]. Mangungutang kami pero may counterpart sana ang gobyerno.” wika ni Cabanas. Sinabi ni Cayetano na nauunawaan niya ang mga transport group dahil isa sila sa mga lubhang naapektuhan ng COVID-19 pandemic dahil karamihan ng mga tao ay hindi pinalalabas ng mga tahanan. Dahil tapos na ang medical emergency, patuloy na naghihirap ang maraming tao. “Just because the pandemic is over and big businesses have recovered doesn’t mean lahat ng Pilipino nakarecover na,” wika ni Cayetano. "The reality is iyong may mga parlor na maliit, carinderia, iyong mga nag-invest ng 1-2 million (pesos) sa small buisiness — kung naubos 'yan noong pandemic, hindi nila basta basta maproproduce ngayon ulit yan,” dagdag pa niya. Ayon kay Cayetano, hindi naisa-alang-alang ng nakaraang administrasyon ang pagkaka-iba-iba ng mga lugar sa bansa kaya’t ang inilatag nitong transport modernization program ay tila “one-size-fits-all.” “Kung sa gamot walang cure-all, sa programa ng gobyerno lalo in a country with more than 7,000 islands, wala namang one-size-fits-all,” aniya "Kasi hindi pare-pareho. May mga lugar na mas malalaki ang highway so mas maraming jeep than tricycle. Dito sa Baguio maraming taxi, then the buses papunta ng [malalayong lugar tulad ng] Dagupan, Nueva Ecija, Manila,” dagdag niya.

’Win-win’ formula ang PTK

Sinabi ni Cayetano na ang isa sa mga programang inumpisahan niya — ang PTK (Presyo, Trabaho, Kita/Kaayusan) — ay napatunayan nang mabisa sa pagsagot sa mga pangangailangan ng mga sectoral groups na nahihirapang kumuha ng pautang. Ikinuwento niya ang karanasan ng isang PTK group sa Iloilo na nakatanggap ng P250,000 sa kanyang programa at napalago ito hanggang sa nakabili ng 90 buses gamit ang isang P100-million loan. Ngayon aniya, kumukuha ito ng isa pang P100-million loan para sa karagdagang electric buses. "What do they have na wala sa iba? A win-win formula. Wala namang problema kung magkautang basta sure kang mababayaran mo at sure kang makakautang at sure kang kikita,” aniya. Sabi ni Cayetano, ito ang “hugot” ng isa pa niyang programa na nagbibigay ng P10,000 sa mga nangangailangan. “It was not standalone. Ang kasama ng programa na y’un is how to provide financing na merong at least one to three years na grace period… Huwag ka munang magbayad ng one to three years hanggang makabawi [ang negosyo mo],” wika niya. Sinabi ni Cayetano na tiyak niyang gugustuhin ng mga transport group na magmodernize basta makakakuha sila ng katulad na programa. “Basta win-win, most [drivers and operators] papayag [sa modernization],” aniya.

Busty Actresses Prostituting with Politicians

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Former Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr. was convicted recently by the Sandiganbayan (criminal court) with 210 years of jail time after he embezzled P44.184 million from the provincial government of Maguindanao – whose governor then was his father and namesake Andal, Sr. – of fabricated delivery of 1.14 million liters of diesel.

Photo of a sultry lady is an internet grabbed.

An excerpt of the conviction by the court considered the poser: how could Andal owned Shariff Aguak Petron Station delivered in year 2008 1.14 million liters to the various infrastructure projects of the literally poorest province in the Philippines when Petron Corporation only delivered 618, 000 liters and its underground tank that has only a capacity of 31,000 liters?

The acts of Andal and conspirators were evident bad, patently fraudulent and palpably dishonest. We called this as INCREDIBLE delivery of goods, son of a gun!

***

The conviction of the former mayor – known for his eccentric behavior – coincided on the 14^th anniversary of the gruesome massacre of 58 people – including the 32 reporters who joined the convoy. 

It ensued on November 23, 2009 when the evil Unsay commanded the murder of Genalyn - the wife of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu – a schoolmate in the early 1980s at the Southern Baptist College in M’lang, Cotabato – when he challenged the younger Ampatuan for the 2010 governorship election of the landlocked province in Mindanao.

There was evidence on that horrendous killings that at least five of the female victims, four of them reporters, were raped before being murdered while "practically all" of the women had been shot by guns on their genitals by the men of Andal, Jr.

Andal, along with his brothers Zaldy and Anwar Jr., were found guilty of 57 counts of murder over the ghastly massacre.

                                                                                    ***

When I attended the 60th birthday of fellow Ilonggo and Cotabato trucking magnate Don Roberto “Jun” Alba, Jr. held at the swanky and cozy Sirmata in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, one of the kasimanwas (fellow Ilonggo in English) used to be the agricultural consultant of Unsay.

“Don’t you know the huge hectares of his corn farms succumbed to insect infestation and he lost multi-millions of pesos of his money there,” he told me in a huddle.

“Maayo waay ka niya ginpapatay sa bulong nga ginhambal mo sa iya as his farm consultant? (Good that he did not order you killed after what you advised him what insecticides he would use on his farm?),” I inquired with curiosity.

My friend said the Datu was not angry and told him instead: “We could not do anything. It’s Allah (God) Will”.

My friend, who asked on conditioned of anonymity, told me that when they were in Manila Andal allegedly hired the sexual services of voluptuous busty Manila actresses who moonlighted as prostitutes to moneyed individuals. Two of them have first letters “A” and “V” on their first names.

I told him one of them fornicated with a rich Pangasinan’s politician. The other lady who had tryst with the moneyed man was the then sultry young actress with an “A” on her first letter of her name and a “Z” on her surname. She married before a debonair actor and a hot runway model but their marriage was annulled by the court probably because of the promiscuousness of the gorgeous thespian.

“I spent more or less P1.3 million for her on her various visits in the hotels in Dagupan,” my politico pal told me almost two decades ago.  

Those actresses I mentioned are still active on the celluloid screen business.

If you're dead curious what are their complete names, just asked me gently on my Messenger, hahaha!