Battle Royal Looms bet. Bataoil, Cojuangco

 FOR THE 2025 MAYORALTY DERBY IN LINGAYEN

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – A battle royal for the mayorship looms in this capital town between the reelectionist mayor and a former congresswoman.

The sources of this newspaper said that former Pangasinan 5^th District Rep. Carmen “Kimi” S. Cojuangco - the wife of 2^nd District Cong. Mark O. Cojuangco - had registered at the Commission on Election (COMELEC) here as voter and was seen to exercise her Right of Suffrage in the last Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan Election (BSKE).

CROSS SWORDS. Former Pangasinan 5^th District Rep. Carmen “Kimi” S. Cojuangco (left photo) is rumored to challenge Lingayen, Pangasinan Mayor Leopoldo N. Bataoil on his reelection in the May 2025 election.

Political kibitzers said that the former Congresswoman - a former resident of Sison, Pangasinan - has a moist eye for the mayorhsip of the 32 villages and 107,728 populated (2020 census) coastal first class town.

 Cojuangco became a member of the 16^th Congress in June 30, 2013 after succeeding her husband. She lost a wide margin to former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. when the latter challenged her in the May 2016 congressional derby. Espino left Cojuangco with a lead votes of 40, 438 among the 226, 324 electorates who voted in the eastern Pangasinan’s district.

When asked by this newspaper if he is amenable for another government position broached by the power-that-be, Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil – who is on his second term – was hell-bent to run for reelection in the May 2025 poll and finish his third and last term.

“I have said it already I will focus on my third term and whatever these plans are I’ll respect them. But I will focus on my third term. But when the right time comes I will officially declare it,” he told Northern Watch Newspaper.

Bataoil, a nine-year former congressman, said he is presently enmeshed in solving the myriad problems the local government unit faces.

“There are many problems of our town. Madami po ang dapat isagawa and I have always been helping many of our constituents but in the process funds are not enough so nakatulong sa akin iyang pagiging congressman nakakaraos kung saan ay nakaka request ako ng mga national funds, regional funds, provincial funds. On that note, nakakatulong dito sa local funds,” he narrated.

Bataoil, a retired police general, beat in the May 13, 2019 mayorship election then incumbent Mayor Josefina “Iday” Castaneda.  Castaneda and incumbent Congressman Cojuangco are allies.

Pincoy can Give Gina a Run for Her Money

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

During the Christmas party held at the Mermaids in Baywalk, Lingayen through the generosity of Pangasinan Governor Monmon Guico and the local government unit’s provincial information office (PIO), I had a lengthy animated conversation with media practitioners while we quaffed booze and gastronomically enjoyed the limitless array of sumptuous foods.

DUKES OUT. Former Health Secretary Francisco” Pincoy” T. Duque (left photo) and former Pangasinan 4th District Cong. Gina de Venecia.

One of the respected members of the fourth estate told me - when I inquired – that Dagupan City’s Councilor Celia Lim will run for the mayorship of the coastal city in the May 2025 election while her son former Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim will duke-out with former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia for the four towns and one city's Fourth District.

“Tama iyong sinulat ko na si Brian isa sa probable candidate for the congressional seat,” I said on my December 3, 2023 blog’s at mortzortigoza.blogspot.com.

But seasoned radio broadcaster and Capitol Post’s Editor-in-Chief Ruel Camba told me that the candidate that will give Gina a run for her money would not be Brian but former Health Secretary Francisco ”Pincoy” Tiongson Duque who was at the citadel guarding when the pandemic Corona Virus-19 scourged the country in March 9 2020 (start of the State of Public Health Emergency) with countless death of Filipinos that bellied up too the economy  until its mitigation and control in July 22, 2023.

“Can you still remember that Pincoy’s factotum vie for the congressional office versus the last term Cong. Toff de Venecia in the May 9, 2022 election?” the salt and pepper  haired Ruel posed to me.

“Oo, si Manny de Guzman ka barangay ko dating driver ng mga Duques,” I quipped in the vernacular about Pinggoy’s moist eye for the national elective post in Pangasinan even before the 2022 election.

The substitution plan – where everybody then waited with bated breath – did not push as Pincoy finished his almost five years stint at the Department of Health until President Rodrigo Duterte relinquished his post at noon of June 30, 2022 to incoming President –elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. 

Duque became Philhealth President (2001-2005) under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Arroyo’s Health Secretary (June 1, 2005 – September 1, 2009) and became the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (February 3, 2010 – February 2, 2015).  

Duque’s father and namesake nicknamed Paco - the former governor of Pangasinan – was Health Secretary during the term of Gloria’s President-father Diosdado Macapagal from December 30, 1961 to December 30, 1965. I know this because I taught political science and economics at the tertiary of Lyceum Northwestern University (owned by Pincoy and his siblings) in 1990 to 1999 while the dapper and jazz loving Pincoy was one of the executives there under the stewardship of his older brother and media friendly school's president Ado Duque – a former U.S Air Force’s surgeon.

I agree with the prognosis of Ruel Camba.

 Pound for pound or hundreds of millions of pesos for hundreds of millions of pesos of the de Venecias – who lorded the district for 33 years since patriarch former Speaker Joe de Venecia became a Congressman in December 30, 1969 -, Pinggoy could give the De Venecias a run for their money.

Susmariosep! I still remembered what I wrote before about pyrrhic victory when I was goading former Governor and Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr. to duke out with Gina in the 2019 election on my Nov. 9, 2017 blog’s Espino Urges: Challenge the De Venecias, Arenases, here’s the excerpt of that op-ed article that saw print at Northern Watch Newspaper where I’m the present Editor-in-Chief:

“You know what Pyrrhic is? I posed to Ruel while we imbibed negative 8 Celsius or  zero cold bottle of Red Horse beers.

“It’s a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is equivalent to defeat. One could be victorious but the heavy toll negates a true sense of achievement,“ he retorted.
“Ya, it was about  King Pyrrhus of Epirus  whose army was tragically damaged in defeating the Romans at the Battles of Heraclea and the Asculum hundreds of years ago,” according to the pambalot ng tinapa I accidentally read,” I said.

Son of a gun! Who was that U.S President who quipped after he won his Pyrrhic reelection? "Another victory like this and our money's gone!"

Wherewithal versus wherewithal Pincoy Duque has more campaign chest compares to Mall Czar Brian Lim – whose weakness financially was seen in the last few days of the 2022 mayorship acrimonious derby where he was trounced out big time by come backing former mayor and Mall Czarina Belen T. Fernandez who was bursting with unlimited dough, err, cash that awed and shocked Brian and company. 

But the “aging” Gina de Venecia would defeat both of them if Brian persisted to run for the powerful post that could divide his votes with that of Pincoy at the advantage of the already entrenched De Venecia's matriarch.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

It’s the U.S not the Colombians that destroyed Escobar

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

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I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.

W𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 sa P’sinan N𝗮𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗻𝗴 T𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 P𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝘂la kay Guv

Patuloy ang pag-alalay sa mga Barangay Frontline workers ng administrasyon ni Governor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III.

XMAS GIFT. Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico, III leads the distribution of the P2,000 financial assistances to the 3, 803 Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, Barangay Service Point Officers, Child Development Workers of the provincial government in Districts 1 and 2 of the mammoth province. (Texts by Mortz C. Ortigoza)

Kamakailan lang, nakatanggap ng tig-dalawang libong pisong (P2,000) financial assistance ang 3,803 Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, Barangay Service Point Officers, Child Development Workers ng District 1 and 2 mula sa Pamahalaang Panlalawigan.

Pinangunahan ni Gov. Guico, Vice Governor Mark DG Lambino at Cong Art Celeste ang programa. Nakibahagi rin sina 2nd District Board Member Philip Teodore E. Cruz at Haidee Sanchez-Pacheco, First District Board Members Apolonia DG Bacay, Napoleon C. Fontelera Jr. at Alaminos City Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste.

Naging matagumpay ang pagbibigay ng financial assistance sa tulong ng Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Provincial Governor's Office, Provincial Treasurer's Office na ginanap sa Alaminos City at Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center sa Lingayen. (Kristene Flores, Joey Olimpo, Mark Sydney Soriano)

Sta. Barbara Wins Gold Standard’s SGLG

By Mortz C. Ortigoza 

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan – The mayor here personally received the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) - dubbed as the Mother of All Awards - from Department of Interior & Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos.

On the local government unit’s Facebook Page, Mayor Carlito Zaplan and several of this town’s top executives and elective leaders boasted the P1.8 million cash incentive given to the first class landlocked town after winning the plaudit last December 13 to 14.

SGLG AWARDEE. Sta. Barbara Mayor Carlito Zaplan (2nd from
left) receives from Department of Interior & Local Government 
Secretary Benjamin Abalos (extreme left).

During the annual ceremony held at the Manila Hotel in Metro Manila, Zaplan was accompanied by Councilors Eleazar Dalope, Bobby Barbiran, Phyll Anthony Zaplan, Ramil Delos Santos, Roderick Torio, Marking Cruz and Bernardine Barbiran, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President VJ Bauzon, Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer Wilma Coquia, Municipal Agriculture Office Head Alicia Noche and Pastor Rodheric Noche.

The 24 towns and three cities in Pangasinan that garnered the 2023 SGLG awards were Aguilar, Alcala, Anda, Asingan, Balungao, Bani, Basista, Bugallon, Burgos, Infanta, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mapandan, Rosales, San Fabian, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, Sto. Tomas, Tayug,  Urbiztondo and Villasis and the cities of Alaminos, San Carlos and Urdaneta.

DILG Secretary Abalos has urged the 493 Seal of Good Local SGLG awardees this year to share their success stories with other LGUs.

Of the SGLG awardees for 2023, 28 are provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities.

Enacted through Republic Act No. 11292 or "The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019," the SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program that encourages LGUs’ commitment to continuous progress and improve their performance along various governance areas.

All LGU awardees will receive an SGLG marker and incentive fund of P4 million for provinces, P2.3 million for cities, and P1.8 million for municipalities.

Mayor Niña Gives P1-M Xmas Gift to LGU Workers

 

GIVES TOO 140 LAPTOPS TO MENTORS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan – The lady mayor here donated P1 million to the local government unit’s workers so their Yuletide will be cheerful.

The cash gift taken from the personal fund of Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis “Niña” Jose Quiambao was given on December 20 during the LGU-Year End Assessment held at the Pavillion -1 of the St. Vincent Prayer Park in this thriving town.

 

ONE MILLION PESOS. Bayambang Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis “Niña” Jose Quiambao (center) shows to the public a P1, 000, 000.00 giant dummy of a check where she donated the amount from her personal fund to the personnel of the local government unit.

The one million pesos was used for raffle draw of the employees so the winners could buy goods like groceries, packages and appliances and help their cash needs and others.

The gift-giving being held every year here even commenced from the time of the terms of Mayor Quiambao’s predecessor and husband Cezar T. Quiambao.

Meanwhile, Mayor Niña Quiambao led the members of the Local School Board here by donating 140 laptops for the teachers of Bayambang District -1 of the Department of Education.

The new laptop could expedite and lighten their preparation for their learning material they regularly do here.

Quiambao also donated to the mentors her salary from the municipal government.

BIR Suspends Field Audits, Op. Nationwide

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has suspended from December 16, 2023 to January 7, 2024 its field audit and field operation on the taxpayers.

“All field audits and related operations by the Bureau of Internal Revenue about the examination and verification of taxpayers’ books of accounts, records and other transaction are hereby ordered to be suspended from December 16, 2023 to January 7, 2024,” according to BIR Commissioner Romeo “Jun” Lumagui, Jr.

TAX BOSSES. From top left photo and clockwise: Revenue District Office (RDO) No. 21-A Chief Charmaine C. dela Torre who supervises Angeles City and North Pampanga, RDO No. 4 Aldrin A. Camba who oversees central Pangasinan, RDO No. 9 Chief Gil Vinluan who supervises Benguet Province, RDO No.8 Chief Merlyn Vicente who watches Baguio City and RDO No. 6 Chief Eden R. Serafica who oversees eastern Pangasinan.

During the suspension period, Lumagui continued, the issuance of written orders to audit or investigate the taxpayer’s internal revenue tax liabilities will be on hold, except in the following specific scenarios:

1)      Investigation of cases prescribing on or before April 15, 2024; 2) Cases involving tax evasion; 3) Processing and verifying estate tax returns, donor’s tax returns, capital gains tax returns and withholding tax returns concerning the sale of real properties or shares of stock along with returns; 4) Examination and/or verification of internal revenue tax liabilities for taxpayers retiring for business; 5) monitoring of privilege stores (tiangge); 6) Other matters or concerns subject to specific deadlines.

Examiners and investigation shall utilize this period for completing office based tasks and finalizing reports on cases when fieldwork has already been completed.

 

Basista Wins SGLG while Dagupan City Fails

 

SMALL TOWN BEATS BIG CITY ON GARNERRING GOLD –STANDARD NAT’L AWARD

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Small town Basista has beaten Dagupan City in this year’s winner of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) – the gold standard of all awards among local government units (LGUs) -- by meeting all if not most of the criteria given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) when they were evaluated last year.

CHIEF EXECUTIVES. Basista Mayor Jolly R. Resuello (left) and Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez.

The fourth class Basista under the stewardship of its four years’ Mayor Jolly R. Resuello navigated successfully the seven governance areas needed for an SGLG’s accolade. They were the Financial Administration; Disaster Preparedness; Social Protection; Peace and Order; Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Environmental Protection; and Tourism, Culture and the Arts.

Basista – awardees of three SGLG since Resuello became a mayor of the rustic landlocked town in June 30, 2019 – received last December 14 at the Manila Hotel in Manila the SGLG 2023 from DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos. He was accompanied by Vice Mayor Dante Bustarde and other luminaries from Basista.

DAGUPAN CITY

Dagupan City under the helm of Mayor Belen T. Fernandez shocked many spectators in Pangasinan by failing to win the prestigious 2023 SGLG.

 But a kibitzer worth his salt would be nonchalant if he knows that under the criteria for the Financial Administration the coastal second class city - mired into squabbles with then Mayor Brian Lim versus the majority lawmakers in the Sangguniang Panlungsod – had been a candidate for the fiasco based on its delayed passage of its 2022 budget.

The basis for this year’s SGLG was the criteria of the LGUs in 2022.

Here how an LGU hurdles the Financial Administration:

1)      Unqualified or qualified COA opinion;

2)      Compliance with Full Disclosure Policy;

3)       Local revenue collection growth (average for three years);

4)      Utilization rate of 20% internal revenue allotment component;

5)       Functional municipal development council;

6)       Utilization rate of Performance Challenge Fund;

7)       Utilization rate of Bottom-up Budgeting/Assistance to Municipalities Fund;

8)       Approved annual budget

 

At No. 8, the P1.35 billion budget for Dagupan City was only approved by the majority of the lawmaking body - identified with Lim’s political nemesis former Mayor Fernandez – on June 15, 2022.

The Local Government Code dictates that a budget for succeeding year should be deliberated on or before the end of the current fiscal year – which on this case was year 2021 (Section 319). The ordinance enacting the annual budget shall take effect at the beginning of the ensuing calendar year which on year 2022 (Section320).

 Failure to do so would prejudice No. 4 (Utilization rate of 20% internal revenue allotment component of the budget) thus depriving the leadership’s constituency for development projects like infrastructures (Section 287). 

(NOTE: When Fernandez reclaimed the mayorship by defeating Lim on the May 9, 2022 election, the majority members of the lawmaking body identified with Lim would not approve the P1.3 billion 2023 budget because Fernandez would not divulge the names of her 1,900 job order employees (JOEs), barangay health workers and others to the critical opposition majority – a clear violation of Section 455 parag. IV of the Code that says: “The City Mayor...provide such information and data needed or requested by said sanggunian in the performance of its legislative functions”.  It was also a violation of No.2 (full disclosure compliance policy of the SGLG). It was only approved last September through deceit by the minority councilors identified with Fernandez. This sleight of hands had been reproached as illegal by a letter from the Department of Budget Management (DBM) received by the SP early this month, according to Councilor Red Erfe - Mejia during the session in December 12, 2023. Would Mayor Fernandez, the minority councilors and others become liable to criminal cases like malversation, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the non-bailable Plunder Law and others for railroading the P1.3 billion?  This budget’s brouhaha would surely discriminate again the bid of the second class city for an SGLG award to be given next year) .

BASISTA

An exhilarated Resuello on its Facebook Page proudly told the public that for the third time his administration won the gold standard bequeathed by the DILG to towns, cities and provinces all over country.

GOLD STANDARD. Basista Mayor Jolly R. Resuello (2nd from left) receives from Department of Interior & Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos (extreme left) the 2023 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) - the gold standard of all accolades a local government unit in the Philippines could recieve from the national government.

“Itong parangal na ito ay ating nasungkit sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaisa ng bawat opisyales ng ating bayan. Isang group effort na pinagkaisahang gawin upang maabot ang tagumpay na makuha itong muli,” the upbeat mayor stressed.

His cited that indispensable collaboration of his office with Vice Mayor Dante Bustarde, members of the lawmaking body, department heads, unit heads and the employees, the police in the municipality, the public school teachers in the town, and the leaders of the villages there has given positive result.

“Asahan ninyo na ang local na pamahalaan ng Bayan ng Basista ay magpapatuloy at hinding - hindi magsasawa sa pagbibigay ng serbisyo at pagpapa-progreso sa inyong lahat at sa ating mahal na Bayan ng Basista,” Resuello added.

The 24 towns and three cities in Pangasinan that garnered the 2023 SGLG awards were Aguilar, Alcala, Anda, Asingan, Balungao, Bani, Basista, Bugallon, Burgos, Infanta, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mapandan, Rosales, San Fabian, San Manuel, San Nicolas, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, Sto. Tomas, Tayug,  Urbiztondo and Villasis and the cities of Alaminos, San Carlos and Urdaneta.

DILG SEC. ABALOS

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos has urged the 493 Seal of Good Local SGLG awardees this year to share their success stories with other LGUs.

Of the SGLG awardees for 2023, 28 are provinces, 64 cities, and 401 municipalities.

Enacted through Republic Act No. 11292 or "The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019," the SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program that encourages LGUs’ commitment to continuous progress and improve their performance along various governance areas.

All LGU awardees will receive an SGLG marker and incentive fund of P4 million for provinces, P2.3 million for cities, and P1.8 million for municipalities.