NIA Region-1 has P700-M Budget this Year

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan – The four provinces’ coverage regional office of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) has a budget of P700 million this year, according to its regional manager.

Region-1 Regional Manager Gaudencio “Dennis” de Vera told Northern Watch Newspaper the amount will be allocated to the irrigation projects in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan.

TOP HONCHOS. National Irrigation Administration Region -1 Manager Dennis de Vera (left) and NIA Deputy Administrator for Administrative and Financial Sector Ralph Lauren A. Du during the latter visit at the regional office in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan. Both of the executives are illustrious sons of the mammoth Pangasinan province.

De Vera was sworn as acting Regional Manager by Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya on January 5, 2022 at the NIA Central Office in Quezon City.

The Regional Manager cited that the Agno River Irrigation System Extension Project (ARISEP) is a special project’s entity not under his power.

“Iyong gumagawa ng integrated projects siya kasi ang coverage niya 5^th and 6^th Districts (of Pangasinan)”.

Aside from the two congressional districts in Pangasinan, the billions of pesos budgeted ARISEP covers the parts of the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.

Although the chief of the ARISEP and the Region-1 NIA chief have the same designation and salary grade, the chief of the former is called “Project Manager” while De Vera is dubbed as “Regional Manager”.

“Oo project manager ang tawag e. Kami naman regional manager kasi region naman kami. Siya project kasi project manager”.

 NIA Region 1, according to its website, has a total land area of 1,301,260 hectares. The potential irrigable area is 349,484 hectares covering the four  provinces of the region.

The total service area is 119,158 hectares while total firmed-up service area is 103,091 hectares, NIA Regional Office 1 serves more than 125,800 farmer-beneficiaries. As of December 31, 2016 inventory report, the Regional Office operates and maintains 27 National Irrigation Systems (NIS) and 785 Communal Irrigation Systems (CIS).

Administrator Visaya highlighted in the 198^th IATF Task Group on Food Security Virtual Presser that as of December 2021, the NIA recorded 65.28% irrigation development, irrigating 2,042,392.66 hectares of agricultural land nationwide. Under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration and for the period of 2016-2021, there has been an increase of 311,264.66 hectares or 7.95% increase in irrigation development.  Visaya stressed a record in history, that the status of irrigation development for year 2021 is 11.68% higher than the irrigation development status 10 years ago.

May 9 Election in P’nan Credible – Comelec

No Poll's Protest for Guv

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

DAGUPAN CITY – The provincial election supervisor of the Commission on Election in Pangasinan said the recent May 9 national and local elections in the province was credible and peaceful.

Clean Fraud-Free Polls

“Mas credible naman kung ang Pangasinan ang bangitin. Hindi ko naman na witness iyong other provinces and region. As far as Pangasinan is concerned generally peaceful.  Election Supervisor Ericson Oganiza disclosed in a media interview posted at the social media.

RIGGED POLLS? Former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. (2^nd from right, top photo) and supporters decried in a press conference he called last May 11 that his two sons’ Governor Amado “Pogi” Espino, III and 2^nd District Rep. Jumel Anthony Espino were victims of election cheatings in the recent local election; Second photo clockwise shows 5^th District Rep. Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III and spouse Ma-an show the proclamation certificate given by the Commission on Election held at the provincial legislature in Lingayen, Pangasinan that he won the governorship race of the gargantuan province; Third photo bares People’s Initiative Lawyer Laudemer I. Fabia meets reporters after he and his group filed at the provincial Comelec office in Dagupan City the 21,000 signatures backed petition exhorting the poll body to have manual recount in an election in Pangasinan they suspected to be rigged. 

He lauded the opposing parties in the forty-four towns and four cities’ province for shying away from violence during the electoral exercises.

 The provincial election supervisor, a lawyer, said the law has the mechanics how to deal with an election protest if a complainant saw an election offense marred the integrity of the poll.

“Kahit sino pueding sabihin iyan at meron naman tayong proceso para mapatunayan na may nangyayaring dayaan. Hindi man dayaan kung di mga pagkakamali. That is through an election protest. Sasabihin natin na magastos ang proceso pero iyan ang batas natin, e”.

Former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. decried in a press conference he and his political supporters called that his sons Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, III and 2^nd District Congressman Jumel Anthony Espino were cheated.

“Tiyak meron nag hack diyan o gumawa ng kung paano man ang ginawa nila diyan na iyan ang lumabas na resulta. Kaya iyan ang sinasabi ko three termer si Pogi (Governor Amado Espino, III) palagay ko naman hindi kapanipaniwala matalo siya more (than) 65,000, 187 na pala ngayon. 187,000 talunin mo iyong third termer na nagpi perform, awardee palagi? Nakita nila ang buong personality niya sa panahon ng ayuda. Tatlong beses nagpupunta doon sa mga barangay mismo. I doubt very much ang result,” the patriarch of the political family Espinos – who reigned the mammoth province for almost 20 years -  told reporters in a press conference he called last May 10, 2022 held at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

5^th District Rep. Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III and former Congressman Mark Cojuangco defeated six years’ Governor Espino and his younger brother 2^nd District Congressman Jumel with lead votes of 187, 801 and 14, 584, respectively.

If it involved the candidates for the provincial position, Oganiza cited, the complaint will be forwarded to the Law Department of the Comelec in Pasay City.

If the election protest has merit, then a manual recounting through revision of ballots will ensue as mandated by law.

PRESS CONFERENCE called by Aguila last May 11 to answer the accusations of former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. about the massive cheating done by the party to his governor and congressman's sons. The presser was held at the residence of 2nd District Cong. - Elect Mark Cojuangco at North Bay School, Maramba Blvd., Libsong West in Lingayen, Pangasinan. From L-to-R: Abono Party List Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella, 1st District Cong.-Elect Art Celeste, Bayambang Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, Vice Governor-Elect Mark Lambino, Pangasinan Governor-Elect Ramon Guico, III, 2nd District Rep. -Elect Mark Cojuangco, and 5th District Cong. - Elect Ramon Guico, Jr.. PHOTO BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

He explained that during the court proceeding for fraud or irregularities in the either the local, provincial, or national election, the ballot boxes will be opened and the offended party examines the ballots like how those shaded name of the candidates’ fare in the counting of the machine.

He said however that there is no complaint for the position of the governor in Pangasinan.

‘As far as doon sa position na binanggit ninyo wala naman kami na receive na notice from the main office kung may protesta for that position”.

Any election offense in a city and the province is handled by the Law Department of the Comelec in Metro Manila.

He said the protest of the organization the People’s Initiative that filed their affidavit on May 16 in the provincial Comelec office in Dagupan City was forwarded to the national office for the concerned authorities there to evaluate if it merits a case of probable cause.

He said the organization did not state what position in the provincial election the counsels led by lawyer Laudemer I. Fabia are protesting.

On May 16 Fabia filed a petition backed by 21,000 signatures of voters that he said could swell in number as the days’ progress.

“Wala po tayong pinagbibentangan na nandaya. Naniniwala lang po kami na may mga iregularidad at may mga dayaang nangyari,” the Lawyer told members of the media.

He said their petition was first of its kind in the country where “it is within the discretion of the Comelec to grant or deny our petition”.

Fabia cited too the illegal transmission of the ballots in the counting machine as one of the complaints in the petition.

Oganiza said petition of the People’s Initiative exhorted the election body to grant them a manual vote counting of the ballots in Pangasinan.

It is the first time, the election supervisor continued, he encountered a complaint like the one launched by the organization without a specific elective position being mentioned.

Lauds the Fast Conclusion of the Ballots’ Counting

Oganiza congratulated the members of the electoral board, poll workers, employees of the Comelec, and others who expedited the counting of ballots to get the winners compared to the previous elections.

“kabisado na ng ating technicians sa Comelec, ang ating mga election officers ang ating mga poll workers,” he cited how these people deal the malfunctions of some of the counting machines.

He cited the glitches that these people trouble shot were the initial misreading of the votes of the secure digital (SD) cards, short circuiting of the machine, and others.

“Iyan nagpabilis sa proceso, mismo ang mga taga “on” may part. Iyong taga Sanggunian Panlalawigan (provincial legislature) empleyado doon sa nakaka-witness tuwing election anong araw kami inabot. Sila doon mismo ang nag comment na mabilis ngayon. Napansin ninyo na mabilis alam na ng mga workers natin ang gagawin”.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

Powerful Politico Explains How Aguila Defeated the Espinos

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's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional  first grade 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.

Top Gun - 2 Inspired by Israel Bombings of Egypt, Iraq, Syria

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

The Missus, my eldest son Jigger, and I watched recently the flick’s Top Gun: Maverick in Robinsons Place Pangasinan in Calasiao town.

 While the duo bought our packs of popcorns and cold soda nearby the movie house, I asked the woman who tended the ticket booth how their clients fare after the onslaught of the pandemic.

Compared to the pre-Corona Virus Disease -19 (Covid-19) in March 2020, she told me, more people in the province patronize their four theaters.

“We have only two now. But patrons start to comeback when we opened business early this year,” she spoke in the vernacular.

Let Me Opine

MANEUVER. One of the scenes in the flick's Top Gun- Maverick where United States Air Force and test pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Actor Tom Cruise) maneuveres his F/A-18E/F Super Hornet during a practice with his top gun's pilots in a mission to bomb the unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant of a rogue state's Iran.

Allow me to opine on this $548.6 million box office's movie as cited by the May 6 Fox News report:

  Although this Peter Craig and Justin Marks’ written and Joseph Kosinski’s directed $170 million budgeted 131 minutes’ fiction film shot in May 2018 to April 2019 (through an IMAX -certified 6K full-frame cameras), it was shelved for public consumption because of several complex action sequences, pandemic, and scheduling conflicts. The film smitten me because I was a combat aircraft buff (who attended the aircraft static display at Clark of the American, Australian, and Filipino troops and even interviewed Saab Gripen Vice President for Communication Robert Hewson during the three days 2018 Asian Defense & Security (ADAS) held in the World Trade Center), and avid fan of the history of wars –from Germany (they called it then as Prussia) prominent World War- 1 General Erich Ludendorff, U.S Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur genius in sandwiching 135,000 Commie North Korean soldiers who became Prisoners of War in the Battle of Inchon in early 1950s (where my still living 94 years old Father fought in another theater of that  Korean War), to my town mate Feliciano Luces alias Kumander Tootpick of M’lang, Cotabato bravados like eating the raw ears of Muslim rebels to enhance his anting-anting (amulet) during the Christian-Moro War of the 1970s.

Many of the concepts in the celluloid screen of Top Gun came how the French built single seat fighter’s Dassault Mirage III jets  evade the Soviet’s Surface - to-Air-Missiles (SAMs) in Egypt when the Israeli Air Force (IAF) blindsided the Egyptian when they flew low through the Mediterranean Sea and hit most of Egypt's 19 airbases, runways, and MIGs and other planes parking and refueling on the grounds in the Six Days War that started in June 5, 1967; Israel’s Operation Opera where in June 7, 1981 eight newly purchased F-16A Falcons from the United States were used after months of rigorous training in a covert airbase in the Sinai to drop four bombs that obliterated the French made $200 million nuclear power plant of Iraqi Despot Saddam Hussein near Baghdad; and Israeli airstrike’s Operation Orchard participated by eight combat jets’ F-15Is and F-16Is, and an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) radar jamming aircraft, helicopter, and laser- wielding elite Israeli Shaldag special-forces’ commandos who direct the bombs of the jets on Al Kibar’s nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria. The surgical strike ensued after midnight of September 6, 2007 where 10 North Korean’s nuclear scientist allegedly died there.

Plot of the Movie

In this flick, the U.S discovered that the Iranians have constructed an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant in the valley surrounded by snowy mountain ranges. The area – probably near the borders of either Turkmenistan or Afghanistan was guarded by countless SAM batteries sitting menacingly on the summits and a squadron of Russian made fifth-generation (stealth) multi-role Sukhoi Su-57 jets were parked in an airbase down there.

Author - a son of an Airforce man - poses with the posters of Top Gun

- Maverick after he and his family watch it at a movie house in Robinsons Place Pangasinan.

Since the mode of attack mapped by Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson was inferior to the concept of test pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Actor Tom Cruise) – who remains an Air Force Captain despite his backer and contemporary was already an Admiral of the Pacific Fleet -, Simpson grudgingly adapted his idea.

Maverick told the selected F/A -18 E/F Super Hornet jet top gun pilots of the USAF who were Lieutenants and Captains that the mission was risky because even the four F-18s could evade the radars in their entry (just like what the Israeli jet pilots done in the Six Days War and Operation Opera by flying 100 to 50 feet above the sea and ground) from their aircraft carrier somewhere in the Caspian Sea by negotiating high speed  cruise through a long zigzagging canyon, their “egress (the term they use there)” or exit would be dangerous if they could not complete it in less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

He told the young officers –graduate of U.S Naval Academy - that by ascending nose-up in the middle of those steep mountain through life threatening 10.5 Gravitation Force or G-Force ("Damn, it could prejudice the integrity of the air frames of the F-18," I quipped inside the theater. As what Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw said the F-18 could only fly with a maximum of 7.5 G-Force) and nose dive upon reaching the summit they avoid being detected by the SAMs .

But the SAMs’ radars still saw them that triggered their missiles to chase those jet planes.

While the four jets manufactured by Boeing (sold at U.S $67 million each) maneuvered and released their flares and chaffs so the heat –seeking missiles could not hit them, Maverick sacrificed his F-18 to shield the jet of Rooster (the son of Nick "Goose" Bradshaw his Naval Flight Officer (NFS) in the first Top Gun who died after they ejected from their burning F-14 Tomcat) to spare his life.

As the three jets were heading to the USS Abraham Lincoln, Rooster disobeyed order and returned back and saw the beleaguered Maverick hiding in some trees but ready to be mowed to death by the Yak-B four-barreled 12.7 mm flexibly mounted machine gun of a Russian made  gunship–that ugly looking attack lethal helicopter Mil Mi-24 (Hind) - as ugly as  Max Alvarado and the Philippines Turkey- made T129 ATAK choppers,  ha-ha-ha-ha!

The Hind gunship exploded before the eyes of Maverick and the spectators in Robinsons while Rooster ejected and parachuted to the snowy shrouded forest after a SAM’s missile hit his plane.

The duo later entered a hangar while escaping and saw an old F-14 Tomcat jet. This F-14 – that lacked many of its navigational and communication systems – was one of the 80 F-14A Grunman jets bought by Shah (King) Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran from the U.S in the early 1970s but the Tehran government still use them especially in their war against Iraq.

They flew it going to the carrier. But two Sukhois  Su-57s saw them and a dog fight ensued where the protagonists used missiles and cannons. Through the deftness of Maverick, the F-14 destroyed them but another Sukhoi appeared somewhere and fired its air-to-air missile to them.  Luckily or thanks to the scriptwriter and the director's order, Captain Hangman and his F-18 demolished the multiple-role Sukhoi (the poor version of the U.S made stealth F-22 Raptor) through his AIM -120 air-to-air heat seeking rocket.

 Maverick and Rooster returned to the carriers. Since their front tire was ripped off when it hit a structure during its full blast short take - off in the Iranian runway, a net provided by the personnel of the carrier caught to safety the descending plane after it hit the deck.

Everybody cheered –including some of the movie goers – on that safe landing.

It’s a scintillating flick especially to a combat jet buff like me but at a cost of P300 (U. S$6) per head from my pocket. Oh, it’s P1,300 rather from my wallet for the three of us to include the packs of popcorn and sodas hahaha!

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

The Lethal, Costly Weapons of a Cobra

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's 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.

No More Mayor’s Permit for BIR License’s Application

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan -  Requirement of a business or mayor’s permit is no longer necessary for a trader to apply for a license in the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Revenue Officer Love Joy Morales said that a taxpayer is only required to accomplish the following: Certificate from the Department of Trade & Industry, valid identification, filling-up the necessary data needed on the BIR Form 1901, and registration fee of P500.

Photo credit: Ahcaccounting.com

Morales pronouncement was quoted by this newspaper on the Facebook Page of Revenue District Office No. 6 based here.

 The BIR released Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) No. 57-2020 removing Mayor’s Permit* (MP) as one of the mandatory requirements for registering a business with the agency. The removal is part of the streamlined registration requirements and revised documentary requirements checklist to further ease doing business in the Philippines.

The tax agency cautioned the public that the Mayor’s Permit is still a requirement for full business registration in the Philippines. It is only removed as a prerequisite for registering with BIR. As such, business owners can register their business with BIR while obtaining their Mayor’s Permit from their Local Government Unit (LGU) at the same time. 

Meanwhile, the BIR in eastern Pangasinan is tasked by the national government to collect P2.2 billion this year.

 According to its RDO No. 6 Chief Maria Bernadette Mangaoang that last year her office chalked up P1.8 billion collections.

The tax office covers fifteen towns and one city.

The chief of the BIR in central Pangasinan told recently this writer that he was ordered early this year to collect P4.9 billion for January to December this year.

Revenue District Office No. 4 Chief Gil Vinluan covers fourteen towns and two cities in the central part of the province.

SM Paw Park, a PAW-some place to shower furry friends with love

 Looking for a PAW-some place to make happy memories with your beloved fur baby? Paw Park at the SM City Urdaneta Central in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan is the perfect place to go.

True to its tagline: “We got it all for you”, SM proves that shoppers can find everything they need and love in the mall as it re-opened recently its indoor Paw Park now located at the Level 3 of SM City Urdaneta Central.

 It is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fur parents can now take their dogs to a fun and active playdate as the park features obstacle courses and agility training equipment, where pets can learn tricks, do exercises or simply socialize with other dogs.

These obstacles include Double Hoop Jump, Adjustable Tire Jump, Tube Tunnel, Agility See Saw, Weave Poles, A-Frame, and Dog Walk Ramp. Enjoying the park is absolutely free but with a simple online registration to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for both pets and owners. Just scan the QR code and register.

 For everyone’s safety and comfort, Paw Park rules should be observed: 1. Owners should be fully responsible for their dog(s). 2. Dogs must be leashed when not inside the dog park. 3. Please open only one gate at a time. 4. Owners must immediately clean up after their own dogs both in and out of the dog park. 5. Dogs must be at least 4 months of age and be up to date with all vaccinations. 6. Dogs that are aggressive, disruptive, in heat, or ill are not allowed. 7. Customers within LGU’s age restrictions are not allowed to enter the park. 8. Maximum of two (2) dogs per adult. 9. Limited to 13 people at a time inside the park. 10. Equipment in dog park is for dogs only. Please do not let your children climb on the obstacles. 11. Food, drinks, glass containers are not permitted inside the dog park. 12. While you can bring your own dog treats and toys, make sure that no other dogs will be competing for them. 13. Private dog training and other commercial activities without management approval are not allowed. 14. Any person bringing dogs into this park assumes the legal responsibility, jointly and individually, with the owner of the dog(s) for any damage, disease, or injury to persons, other dogs or property, caused by the dog(s). 15. SM management reserves the right to refuse entry to any dog that presents any risk to other humans and dogs. 16. The park may close without prior notice due to weather, maintenance, special events, or when deemed necessary. The SM Supermalls continues to create a pet-friendly place for dog owners and their families to safely walk their pets and at the same time, dine, shop and play. It is also a testament of SM’s continued commitment to keep bringing new, exciting, and safe offerings to its community in the new normal. You can also visit Paw Park at SM City Rosales located at the ground floor near Mall Atrium and at SM Center Dagupan’s ground floor beside McDonald’s. Make everyday a play day with your fur babies. Don’t leave them at home. Come visit SM City Urdaneta Central and take them at the Paw Park for a fun day out full of great fun adventures and shower your furry friends with the love they deserve.

Lousy Gun Laws

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

My California based younger sister Sadie sent a YouTube's video link to the family’s chat group:

Switzerland: So Many Guns, No Mass Shootings.

It’s an American TV show’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah digs how Yanks and their school children have been mowed to death by, susmariosep, 1,900 of mass shooting incidents since 2012.

Photo credit: Hindustan Times

A Swiss gun expert in this video blamed the liberality of the Americans to own guns. He cited:

- Anybody can buy at the stores like Walmart

- Borrow guns from parents, siblings, and others

- Own a gun immediately without background check if one is a convicted criminal and others (insane or one with lucid interval – Mortz)

The same gun expert told The Daily Show that the ALMOST ZERO gun incident in Switzerland (a mass shooting was reported in 2012 at the Swiss Parliament) is anchored to the following factors:

- Swiss people are disciplined when it comes to guns thanks to their mandatory military training

- Buyer of a gun is subjected to stringent background checks if they have been convicted criminally (or they are a nutcase like those many American grade school children’s killers – Mortz)

- Follow strictly the law that when the gun is not used it should be unloaded

- Swiss folks don’t bring guns in public like schools.

When the latest school children shooting in Texas where 19 innocent grade school kids died because of a cocky 18 years old used a semi-automatic assault rifle’s AR-15 (a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design) before being killed by law enforcers in a shoot-out, President Joe Biden said as seen on television: That this kind of incident (mass shooting) did not happen in countries outside America.

Damn, the Americans have been killing their children because of their loose gun laws.

Salamabit, with those 1,900 mass shooting incidents to the U.S of A - the land of milk and honey and the land of the brave – this hell-hole country’s Philippines looks like a safer tranquil place to live for our school children than the ordeals and anguish those Yanks face.

Power Play Between Guico and Espino Continues

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Upon discussing in my room how incoming Finance-Secretary Benjamin Diokno will prioritize the implementation of existing tax measures to hit a 7% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth yearly instead of the new tax laws to pay the staggering matter of concern’s P12.6 trillion debt of the government and the Philippines achieving the upper-middle-income status in 2023 as espoused recently by outgoing National Economic  Development Administration (NEDA) Karl Kendrick Chua, my eldest son Jigger posed to me: Pa’ ano ang NEDA ng city o bayan?

I told him “Planning and Development Coordinator (PDC)”

NEMESIS. Pangasinan Governor-elect Ramon "Monmon" Guico, III (left photo) and political nemesis former Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr.

Its duties and powers as provided by Section 476 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines, the Bible of towns, cities, and provinces in the country, where I quoted some of them below:

-          Formulate integrated economic, social, physical, and other development plans and policies for consideration of the local government development council;

-            Conduct continuing studies, researches, and training programs necessary to evolve plans and programs for implementation;

-           Integrate and coordinate all sectoral plans and studies undertaken by the different functional groups or agencies;

“Parang hindi ko napapansin iyang Planning - masyadong low profile,” my son, who worked as consultant during the first mayoral stint of Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, said.

I explained, as if I was still teaching political science in college decades ago, that unlike the Administrator, Agriculture, Treasurer, Information Officer, Assessor (damn, the most lucrative of em' all, hihi!) and others who are pursued by the media because of the brouhahas that these offices can enlighten if not answer them, the PDC works without fanfare in the corner.

“Indespensable iyan kasi diyan nakasalalay ang mga new sources of revenues ng local government unit sa kanyang recommendations sa office of the mayor and the eventual approval ng lawmaking body”.

***

In the press conference early this month in Lingayen called by Pangasinan Governor-elect Monmon Guico and his congressmen- elect’s allies’ 1^st District, 2^nd District, 5^th District, and Abono Party Representatives Art Celeste, Mark Cojuangco, Monching Guico, and Eskimo Estrella, respectively, they did not only rebut the election cheating yarns of their political nemesis ex-Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. but discussed their planned flagship projects like the new expressway that could reduce travel that snake vice-versa  in the 1^st and 5^th Districts, more export processing zones that could generate jobs, opening of the harbor in Sual, regional and international airports in Alaminos City and in San Carlos- Binmaley area, respectively, and others.

   All of these are laudable because they could buttress the lethargic economy of the mammoth backwaters province if one compared her to those in Central and Southern Luzon’s provinces that host special economic zones. But despite these visionary programs, many of these projects need the imprimatur of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan (provincial lawmaking body).

The status of the head counts of the Dads that belong to the Opposition (Espino allies) comes noon of June 30 is the elephant in that room.

They are the eleven Board members (I said 10 before but the quick-draw gun enthusiast Dr. Karlo Orduna told me I overlooked the ex-officio from the Councilors’ League) versus the four allied Dads of Governor Guico.

Former Governor Espino for me will move heaven –and- earth to rally his allies in the August body to stonewall any of these projects that could make Guico and the congressmen more “guapo” in their reelection bid.

The battle scarred retired soldier and seasoned politico’s Espino should know that it will only take four of his BM allies (to make the equation eight for Guico and seven for himself) to desert him and caused him and his sons’ to be battered again in the 2025 election. Their defeat in those races will virtually weaken them and make them a political nobody in the 2028 election thus a prudent and intelligent handling of these solons are a must.

How to convince these four Dads (I saw one or two susceptible “Moms” there haha!) is a matter for Guico and his allies to formulate. How to make these eleven lawmakers stick till the next D-Day three years from now depends on the brinkmanship of the Espinos to persuade them not to fall on the attractive offers of the powers that be.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

Greedy Member of the House of Representatives?

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's 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.