Pahayag ng Pamilyang Espino sa Tangkang Pagpatay kay Ex-Cong Amado, Jr

Sa aming mga minamahal na mga kababayan,

Ikinalulungkot at mariing kinokondena ng aming pamilya ang tangkang pagpatay sa dating Gobernador at dating Kongresista ng ika- limang Distrito ng Pangasinan Amado T. Espjno, Jr., na naganap sa Barangay Magtaking, Lungsod ng San Carlos, kahapon, ika-11 ng Setyembre.

ONLY ONE DEAD not all five body guards as some media outlets earlier reported. Likewise, Police Regional Director Joel S. Orduña said aside from the vehicle of former congressman Amado Espino Jr, he had two convoy vehicles (latest media report said it was one backed up car) as backed up before two cars of the gunmen blocked the path of his Toyota Land Cruiser car. Not the sole Toyota Innova he was riding as media reported earlier. Photo Credit: Bombo Radyo-Dagupan City

Bagamat ligtas at maayos na po ang kalagayan ng ating dating Gobernador at Kongresista, kami po nakikiramay sa pamilya ni Police Staff Sergeant Richard Esguerra na nasawi sa nabanggit na insidente.

Samantala, ang ibang kasama sa convoy naman ay kasalukuyang ginagamot at nagpapagaling kasama ang ating dating Congressman sa isang ospital.

Sa ngayon, inaantay po namin ang resulta ng masusing imbestigasyon na kasalukuyang ginagawa ng ating kapulisan dito sa Pangasinan. Umaasa po kami na mabilis na matukoy at mahuli ang mga salarin at lahat ng mga nasa likod ng krimen na ito.

Sa puntong ito, nagpapasalamat kami sa Poong Maykapal, at sa lahat ng inyong suporta at dasal.

Maraming Salamat po.

ESPINO FAMILY

Source: Butch Velasco, PIO-Pangasinan

Manaoag Church Endangers, Army, K-9s Withdrawn

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A resident of Manaoag, Pangasinan, who asked for anonymity, lamented the withdrawal since Monday of the army unit and their K-9 bomb sniffing dogs that guard the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan against Islamist suicide bomber who plan to rip apart to death its parishioners and pilgrims as based on military intelligence reports first week of August this year.

He said that without the K-9s, the devotees where many come from various parts of the country, will be vulnerable in case a radical Muslim, strapped around his body with five to 20 kilos of TNT susmariosep, explodes himself among the worshipers there.

To those who skipped their Chemistry class in high school, TNT is defined as an abbreviation for the explosive trinitrotoluene.

As you can recall, the leaked memo of Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) based in Tarlac Ctiy said information showed that "a "crusader city" with business centers and "crusader churches" in Northern Luzon are being targeted for terror attack."

STATE TROOPERS guard the Manaoag church in Pangasinan following a reported terror threat in several places in Northern Luzon. Photo Credit: ABS-CBN

At the online news of ABS- CBN published on August 2, 2019 and titled “Manaoag church under tight watch; military memo cites terror threat in N. Luzon” it said: "Crusader cities is the term used by ISIS in describing target areas to fuel what they call 'Bandar Crusade,' or war between Muslim and Christian. While 'Crusader Churches' is their generic term for all historic Catholic Churches," read the memo signed by Navy Col. Glenn Celebrado, Nolcom's assistant chief of Unified Command Staff for Intelligence. Nolcom identified Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, Vigan City in Ilocos Sur, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan and the Manaoag church in Pangasinan as possible targets, saying "the definition fits but [is] not limited to" these places”.

SINAG blames BoC’s propensity to undervalue tariffs

Billions of Pesos Lost in the Coffer

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Because of the propensity of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to under value the importation of rice, billions of pesos have been deprived as uncollected tariff, bemoaned by the chair of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG).

In a recent hearing at the House of Senate in Pasay City, Sinag Chairman Rosendo So bared that before the implementation of the RiceTariffication Law, the BoC collected only 35% instead of the 50% of the out of quota outside the Minimum Access Volume (MAV).

MAV refers to the volume of a specific agricultural product that is allowed to be imported with a lower tariff as committed by the Philippines to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Uruguay Round Final Act.

“Dapat collection sa Customs is out-quota 50% collection. Bakit sa record ng BoC is 35%? Kung 50% iyong magkulekta sila doon sa mga importers may adjustment tama collection,” he cited.

DOUBLE STANDARD - Samahang Industriya ng Agirkultura Chairman Rosendo So (blue shirt) exposed at the recent hearing of the House of Senate the double standards of the Bureau of Customs in billing a tariff to the same importers since 2006 to present.

He said this malpractice affected the prices of the local palay.

DAGUPAN CITY HOSTS MinDA FRUIT FEST

(CANCELLED PO ANG FRUIT FEST NG DAGUPAN TODAY ACCORDING SA COORDINATOR NG MinDA. THE CITY GOV'T TOLD HIM AT 3 PM YESTERDAY HINDI KAYA NG LGU TO ORGANIZED THE FESTIVAL TODAY UNLIKE WHAT BAGUIO CITY AND LINGAYEN HAD DONE. NEXT SATURDAY THE FEST WILL BE IN LINGAYEN'S PLAZA - WRITER)

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Mindanao Development Authority and Secretary Manny Piñol announced that after the success of the two weekends ballyhooed Baguio City Fruits Festival, Dagupan City will host Sunday (September 8) the experience of the tastiest but cheapest Mindanao fruits being sold to her people.

“The MinDA Fruit Festival moves to Dagupan City tomorrow, Sunday. It will be back in Lingayen next Saturday and Dagupan City again the following day, Sunday,” MinDA Chair Piñol stressed at his Facebook page.

Development Management Officer – 3 Raymund Peter Esperat of MinDA told this writer in Lingayen that as of last Friday he got already the acquiescence of Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim for the famous bangus city to have a piece of the fruit galore festival.

 Secretary Piñol cited the fruit festival for Lingayen scheduled this Saturday (September 7) had 10 tons of mangosteen, 1.3 tons of longkong lanzones, 4.5 tons of pomelo 2 tons of durian and various processed fruit products from Davao City based fruit company Eng Seng and fruit farmers’ groups.

2-Day SM Foundation’s Medical and Dental Mission Benefited P’sinenses

Over 2,200 indigent residents of Rosales and Urdaneta City in Pangasinan were provided with the free medical and dental services conducted by SM Foundation on August 28 and 29, 2019.

Patients were given free services such as medical consultation, random blood sugar test, uric acid test, cholesterol check, bone density scanning, dental consultation and tooth extraction.

At the Cabuloan Elementary School in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, patients lined up to receive free medicines on August 29, 2019. More than 2,000 Pangasinense benefited from the two separate medical missions held last August 28 at SM City Rosales, and on August 29 at Cabuloan Elementary School in Urdaneta City.

X-ray test and electrocardiograph (ECG) were likewise availed by the patients through SM Foundation Mobile Clinic.

Through the “Gamot Para sa Kapwa” medicine campaign, patients also received prescription medicines and vitamins.

The medical and dental mission was made possible through the partnership of volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and marshals from Municipal Health Office of Rosales, Pangasinan Medical Society, Philippine Academy of Family Physician – Pangasinan Chapter, Region 1 Medical Center, Philippine Red Cross – Pangasinan Chapter, Urdaneta City Health Office, Multicare Pharmaceutical and SM Employees.

Since 2001, SM Foundation has brought these services to marginalized communities through its medical missions and its Felicidad T. Sy Wellness Program.

DOE gives hope to Sual residents

SUAL, Pangasinan – A large group of residents here who call themselves Sual Proprogress welcome the statement made by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi in favor of using coal as main source of energy to sustain the country’s economic development.

During the budget hearing on next year’s budget of the Department of Energy, SecretaryCusi stressed that the country would still rely on coal-fired power plants as main source of energy because it is cheaper than renewable energy sources like solar and windmills.

“Coal still serves a purpose for our baseload. Saying that we should have a moratorium on any technology must be a disservice to our energy security,” Cusi told the members of Congress.

This development elated the officers and members of the Sual Proprogress who support the planned construction of a second coal-fired power plant in the municipality to be put up by Korean Electric Power Company or KEPCO.

Worth about two billion US dollars, the project is projected to provide thousands of jobs  for Sual residents aside from millions of revenues for the municipality, they said.

Lady Councilor Returns Bribe Money

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I lauded Dagupan City Councilor Celia “Manang Celia” Lim for reportedly returning the envelope containing wads of monies given by an owner of fishpond that ingratiate with members of the legislature, we call Sangguniang Panlungsod, for them to act positively and promptly on the conversion of the real property from agriculture to commercial.

Commercial means tabon or the owner can fill it up with soil and sand and can sell it expensively to investors who want to build their edifices for business.

The actuation of the newly elected councilor, the matriarch of Magic Groups of Companies and the mother of the incumbent mayor, surprised many political kibitzers.

Members of the lawmaking body be it in Dagupan or any part of the country are assumed to be “rent seeking” upon assumption of their elective office.

Rent seeking means the fact or practice of manipulating public policy or economic conditions as a strategy for increasing profits (Google Dictionary).
In the vernacular, nagpapabayad!