Sen. Imee O.K Mayor Lito’s Request for Firetruck, Patrol Car

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan – Senator Imee Marcos acquiesced to intercede for the new firetruck and police patrol car from the mayor of this thriving first class town when the lawmaker visited here recently.

BURGEOUNING first class town Mayor Carlito S. Zaplan (center) joins Executive Assistant-V Rodolfo V. Barbiran Jr. (extreme left) and Executive Assistant- IV Sherwin N. Pioquinto heading to Cebu City to attend the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).  The LMP invited the Luzon Island Cluster Conference (LICC) on August 24-26, 2023 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City where 500 municipal mayors from Luzon have been anticipated to attend. The conference aims to forge collaboration among all Luzon local government units for greater opportunities that may lead to effective inter-governmental relations and the development of various programs, projects, and general services beneficial to their constituents.

Mayor Carlito S. Zaplan said the vehicles will be used to maintain the peace and order of this 29 villages municipality with more or less 100, 000 population.

He said the request of the firetruck and the patrol car had been first signified by his office in 1998. Marcos told the mayor to submit the twin-request through a formal letter addressed to her office in the Senate so she would act on them.

The presidential sister was here when she gave to Zaplan the financial aid from the national government after Super Typhoon Egay and Typhoon Frank  hammered the villages of this town with floods brought by their moonson rains.

Many towns like Calasiao and Binmaley in Pangasinan were recipients too of the P3,000 each per family of the 1,000 families per municipality of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare & Development (DSWD) distributed by Senator Marcos.

BIR Laws Harsher than LTO Laws

 JAIL TIME LOOMS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – A top honcho of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said that violation of the tax laws committed by an errant taxpayer is harsher than those with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“Ganoon pero sa amin may kaso pa puweding pang makulong. Hindi lang iyon, di ba? Magbabayad ka ng tax puwede ka pa rin makulong kasi kakasuhan ka,” Revenue District Office No. 4 Chief Aldrin A. Camba disclosed to this writer when told that driving without license cost the driver of the vehicle a P10,000 fine meted by the transportation agency.

Photo is internet grabbed.

Camba cited that the BIR laws are bolder unlike with the LTO’s where it only would not renew the driver’s license if violator could not pay the fine by driving without license.

 Aileen Peteros, the head of the Land Transportation Office – San Carlos City Branch, told Northern Watch Newspaper that driving without license metes the violator a P3,000 fine only.

“Another P10,000 if the vehicle (truck, car, motorcycle or other) is unregistered and P2,000 for the accessory penalty in case the driver was found to be reckless,” she said.

LTO FINES

The other violations and their fines and penalties imposed by the LTO:

Reckless Driving (Fines: ₱2,000 To ₱10,000) (Penalties: A 6-Month License Suspension or Revocation); Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol (Fines: ₱ 20,000 To ₱ 500,000 Penalties: Jail time of Reclusion Temporal); Not Wearing Helmets for Motorcycle Riders (Fines: ₱ 1,500 To ₱ 10,000); Vehicle Registration Violations (Fine: ₱ 5,000); Obstruction (Fine: ₱1,000);  Number Plate Not Firmly Attached  (Fine: ₱5,000); LTO Sticker Violation (Fine: ₱5,000); Tampering with License Plates (Fine: ₱5,000); Illegal Transfer or Use of Regularly Issued Motor Vehicle Plates, Tags, or Stickers (Fine: ₱ 10,000 To ₱ 12,000); Driving with Illegal, Damaged, or Substandard Parts and Accessories (Fine: ₱ 5,000 and Impoundment); Smoke Belching (Fines: ₱ 2,000 To ₱ 6,000); Other LTO Violations (₱ 1,000 To ₱ 2,000).

BIR PENALTIES AND JAIL TIME

Aside from the 25% penalty and the 20% tax interest per year, any person required under the National Internal Revenue Code or by rules and regulations promulgated there to pay any tax make a return, keep any record, or supply correct the accurate information, who willfully fails to pay such tax, make such return, keep such record, or supply correct and accurate information, or withhold or remit taxes withheld, or refund excess taxes withheld on compensation, at the time or times required by law or rules and regulations shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (P 10,000) and suffer imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than ten (10) years in jail.

FAKE AND SMUGGLED CIGGIES

Meanwhile, Camba exhorted the taxpayers and the concerned government agencies that a cigarette pack without a documentary tax is either fake or smuggled.

One pack of a cigarette has an excise tax’s stamp of P60.

“Yes iyon na iyong Sin Tax kaya nga kung may magbebenta ng mura mga P50, P60 or P70 ibig sabihin walang tax iyon. Tax ng per pakete is P60 di ba kaya ang sigarilyo P100, P120, P150”.

He said violators are sued by the tax office through Run Against Tax Evader (RATE). RATE has a fine of not less than ₱500,000 but not more than ₱10 million and penalty of six years but not more than ten years 

“So aside doon meron diyan iyong mga fake receipts. So far dito sa atin mukhang wala pa iyan. Iyong mga ghost receipts gumagamit ng (inaudible). Mahirap makipag deal sa BIR kaysa sa LTO”.

More Projects to Binmaley After 6 Dads Defect to Mayor

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

BINMALEY, Pangasinan - The defection of the six lawmakers to the fold of the mayor here by their approval of the P71, 287, 329.85 supplemental budget snagged at the lawmaking body, shows that projects for the people here desired by the executive in the future can be easily implemented.

                                                                      DEFECTORS

The six councilors are Urbano C. delos Angeles III, Jallen F. Alipio, Rolando A. Carrera, Gericho C. Francisco, Rolando D. Ferrer and Amelito A. Sison.

BINMALEY Mayor Pedro “Pete” Merrera (2^nd from left) with some of the lawmakers of the Sangguniang Bayan.

   "I salute them dahil kahit may sama ng loob sa akin, pinakinggan nila ang taumbayan ng Binmaley. Nakita nila na taumbayan ang nagsa-suffer," Mayor Pedro “Pete” Merrera said after the six councilors deserted their former four solon allies who are supporters of Vice Mayor Simplicio Rosario and eventually approved the supplemental budget that have been stalled in the five members’ Committee on Appropriation dominated by the three of the four members of the opposition.

                                                                      P71.3 MILLION

The P71.3 million have been allocated to aid the senior citizens people with disabilities (PWDs) and individuals in crisis situation, procurement of school supplies for students, purchase of supplies and equipment for the local government unit, road concreting and construction of drainage, renovation of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) building, offices of the mayor, municipal administrator, assessor, agriculture, social welfare and development and other.

With the new fund that many feared would be eclipsed by the barangay election ban to start on September 15 to October 30, Mayor Merrera promised his constituents in this 33 villages first class coastal town that he would double his effort to serve them especially his new collaboration with the new majority in the SB.

When Merrera assumed office here in June 30 last year, he has only one ally - councilor in the lawmaking body while the rest have been supportive with Rosario and his councilor-son Jonas.

Merrera defeated the younger Rosario in the May 9, 2022 election by a margin of 5,721 from the total votes of 51, 584 that have been divided among the four candidates. Merrera and the older Rosario – a former mayor of 15 years - are seen to clash for the mayorship in the May 2025 election.

                                                                        ACRIMONIES

The approval of the multi-millions of pesos’ special budget, however, was met with fireworks and frayed nerves from the mayor and some of the lawmakers.

In the August 18 committee hearing, Councilor Sison lambasted the majority members of the Committee on Appropriation headed by Coun. Buday Cagaoan for procrastinating on the urgency of the Mayor to pass the much needed funds.

“Andiyan po ang lahat na mga department heads na handang sumagot! Binigyan na po tayo ng mga kopya lahat. Sana po kung maaprobahan, this is the final urgency of our Mayor. Siguro sa susunod na taon paano na ang mga magulang na nakabili na ng mga school supplies? Tapos bibigyan mo na naman ng school supplies!”

                              COUN. ROSARIO LAMBASTS MERRERA, 6 DADS

The approval of the supplemental budget by the six councilors did not escape criticism from Councilor Rosario.

On the August 25 video broadcast seen at his Facebook account, he lashed-out on the six councilors for violating the legislative process by railroading it.

“Pagdating po kung mayroon silang violation – meron po. Noong August 23 na sesyon may nag motion sa committee hearing without a committee report. At ang nag motion pa is not a member of the Committee on Appropriation. Then the approval granting it was already terminated. Why the sudden motion to approve?”

He said the four minority councilors where he belonged were protecting the integrity of the lawmaking body. He pounced on the majority who abused their dominance by arbitrarily approving the P71.3 million supplemental budget.

“They are abusing the urgency (request of Mayor Merrera). Pangalawa, they are abusing their numbers the majority they abused being a member of the majority”.

He denounced too the six solons from approving the budget as “approved without thinking”.

“Sixty percent of the P71 million is allotted for construction projects. Ano ang purpose na urgent? Simple because of the (barangay) election? Huwag naman po. Wag ninyong gamitin ang power ninyo po para mapanalo ninyo ang manok ninyo. Mali! The process was destroyed!” he jabbed on Merrera.

WRITING ON THE WALLS

Appropriation Committee Chairwoman Cagaoan saw the writings on the wall. She said that even the committee chairmanship in the five –member committee on appropriation was threatened to be replaced by Merrera-friendly councilors.

“So pag-inalis na nila ako sa Committee on Appropriation ako lang ang papalitan doon. Maglalagay sila ng isa doon sa amin - they are on the majority. Pag majority na sila sa Committee of Appropriation ang measure asikasuhin ng Appropriation puwede na nila e discuss kahit mag object itong dalawa. Siyempre,kung sila ang majority iyon ang masusunod”.

                                                  MERRERA REBUKES COMM. MEMBERS

On the August 16 press conference called by the Mayor at his office, he rebuked the four minority solons who many supporters of the mayor thought hostage the approval of the supplemental budget:

“I addressed the Vice Mayor, this is my fourth and final urgency for a committee hearing na pinasubmit ko ngayong araw na ito. I should see to it napagtuunan na ng pansin. At alam ko sana ABC (Association of Barangay Captains) President Jonas Rosario, SK President Bautista, Councilor Buday Cagaoan and Councilor Ariel dela Concha. Sana pag-aralan ninyong mabuti ito kung kayo ay nagmamahal sa bayan. Pag hindi kayo nagmamahal sa bayan, sino kayo?! At tatanungin ko sa inyo kung ano ang pakay ninyo? Kayo ba ay talagang nagmamahal? Hayaan ninyo ang ating bayang Binmaley?”

                              PANGASINAN JOLTS BY THE WORD - WAR

Before the series of Merrera urgent requests for the august body to approve his supplemental budget, this town and the province of Pangasinan were jolted in August 9 this year when Vice Mayor Rosario screamed at the Mayor while repeatedly hitting severely the sound block with his wooden gavel at his location in the rostrum to get out from the session hall during the meeting of the SB when he appeared there to argue the much needed P71.3 million budget.

Some of the excerpts of that encounter are provided below:

 “Give us respect also. I am the Executive you give also respect. If you’re giving full (by pointing to Budget Head Jeffrey delos Angeles who was seated) sabihin niyo nanloloko!” Merrera told Rosario.

“You stopped it. I’ll be the one to ask. Jeff e admit sabihin niyo sa lahat iyan coming from his own mouth. Sabi niya baka e –revert iyan (P39 million budget for the heavy equipment’s Excavator). O! Di ko alam iyan. That’s why I am asking the Budget Officer why sinabi niya dito sa amin sa body,”Rosario retorted.

VICE MAYOR: I will not give my respect kasi nagsasalita ka e! YOU GET OUT HERE! (beating hardly the wooden gavel to the sound block). YOU GET OUT HERE!

FEMALE VOICE: Point of order!

VICE MAYOR: This is Sangguniang Bayan (inaudible), O common!

FEMALE VOICE: Point of order let's stopped it!

VICE MAYOR: You're not under us! Huwag mong ipakita na hawak mo kami dito. NO!

(Beating the wooden gavel severely to the sound block).

MAYOR: No, no, no!

VICE MAYOR: GO OUT! I tell you to go out!

In the press conference, Mayor Merrera chastised Vice Mayor Rosario when the former bad mouthed him and drove him away from the session hall.

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.

 

P5-M to Win an S.K Presidency Thru Vote Buying

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

When an uncle told me his nephew will be running for the chairmanship of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) (Youth Council) on the October 30, 2023 election, my retort: How much he’s going to spend in vote buying to see he wins the electoral derby?

Quite stunned about this corruption that confronts the teen, he answered that he did not expect that even the poll for the youth - composed of the candidates for the presidency and the seven members of the council - needs to shell-out sum to win the polls.

Photo credit: Modesk.org

Age requirement for a bet in the SK is not least than 18 years old and not more than 24 years old.

If the other party’s candidate for the presidency vote buy, there is a big tendency his nephew losses the election in a post that gives a P17, 000 honorarium a month, I told him.

I am talking from experience because in the previous election, a father of a candidate for the SK chairmanship had been telling some friends how he gave P200 each to many of the teenager- voters for the post.

“Pang load niyo (money for the mobile phone load),” he said while clasping the hand of the wide eyed grateful teenage voter with the envelop that contains the sum and the flyer of the candidate.

This vote buying activity – just like what the bets for the mayorship and the village chief - is a microcosm of what many parents of these children have been doing to see that their sons and daughters are catapulted to the prestigious helm of the SK to serve the youth in the village lawmaking body with up to two years’ term (before it returned to the three-year term after December 31, 2025 as ordered by the Supreme Court).

***

For the uninitiated, a winning SK President can become an ex-officio councilor of a town or a non-component city’s lawmaking body (we Pinoys called the sanggunian) as he leads those presidents of the SK in the villages. If his family have enough dough, wherewithal, datung, what-have-you, he can become an ex-officio Board Member of the provincial board.

The position as provincial lawmaker commands the same respect, emoluments, and pork barrel distribution what the regular board members' deserve.

Photo credit: Wix

The parents and politicians zealously bankroll and see their young kin wins so he or she can either becomes a councilor or a board member and “flaunt” the “Honorable” title appended before his or her name to all and sundry.

***

Here’s a narration of a grandpa who was a mayor when he used the family’s wherewithal to fund the candidacy of his grandson to the presidency of the Liga in the provincial board.

 After winning the burgeoning town’s SK poll overall federation presidency, the politician – an event that ensued almost two decades ago- wanted the grandson to become an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board).

“My family and I gave P50,000 to the mayor, P50,000 to the SK town president,” he told me their strategy to buy the loyalty and vote of the town ex-officio councilor.

“Why gave P50,000 to the mayor, it’s a waste of monies? It’s only the SK president in the Sangguniang Bayan that will vote for the provincial SK Federation President?” I posed perplexed.

The seasoned politico explained that even they bought the loyalty of the ex-officio councilor; the mayor could still influence him to vote for the rival candidate.

“Ang mayors ang nagbibigay ng projects sa each of the councilors. Puwede silang ma deprieve ng grasya pag sinuway nila si Mayor,” he insinuated about the S.O.P or cut from each of the contracts given to a loyal and submissive solon that runs to hundreds if not millions of pesos just like what members of Congress get from the pork barrel given by Malacanang Palace through the various departments.

Among the eight congressional districts' province, his kin lost on the votes of the four districts to the son of a mayor.

“Why?”

He answered that the Congressmen, the Governor, two billionaire businessmen interfere to influence the voters to elect the mayor’s son.

But unlike the village chief in a city who sued his fellow Kapitans that took his P50,000 bribe but instead vote for the candidate of a mayor for the presidency of the League of the Barangays presidency (a post that is equivalent to a regular councilor in the city council), the businessman-mayor told the chief executives and the parents that they have to retain the monies he gave.

“It’s yours. Our family maintains the principle that what we gave we don’t take it back”.

He said a day before the election they have “kidnapped” (a bastardized word for “billeted”) at their rest house the SK Presidents of the towns and cities’ where they dined and wined ‘em in a bacchanalian feast until the day of the election.

“One of our unforgettable experiences in that race was a candidate who was asked by his shrewd father to go in another province so he (the sly Dad) can bid the highest price from me and the Mayor (whose son was running for the coveted post)”.

I asked him why he was too focused on the enterprising father.

“The match was neck-and- neck. The opponent’s family got four districts while we got four, too, we don’t have to lower our guards”.

He said the rival’s father offered P100, 000 to the father of the SK prexy in that town but he would not acquiesce.

“I told the father my last offer was P200,000 that he immediately took”.

As a result of that chutzpah of my seasoned Hizzoner’s friend, his grandson won narrowly the election with a lead of three votes.

A very expensive election where his family spent roughly P5 million to a position that gave only a salary of P70,000 monthly (presently it’s more than P100, 000).

The politico credited the power of money in winning the tight cliff hanging race.

“Without it, we lost the election!”

Who said that money is not everything?

Look how an average thinking Kap bet in a city trounced out an intelligent former cabinet Secretary of the previous Philippines President: The Sec lost tremendously because he did not vote-buy instead offered his genius as a magic wand to solve the problems of the bellyaching masa. The hoi-polloi, err, the masa did not like it, they gravitated to the intellectually inferior candidate – probably a graduate of the Mababang Paaralan ng San Andres Bukid (broadcaster Sammy Llusala translated it to radioman Harold Barcelona: Low School of Saint Andrew’s Field instead of San Andres Elementary School) who could afford to give each of them in the eve of the poll a crisp P500 stamped with a smiling Ninoy and Cory Aquino from his income on his thriving business.

From P12-M, Gov. Guico Sees P200-M Yearly Quarry Income

  HITS CRITICS, PREDECESSORS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – With various strategies formulated by Pangasinan Governor Ramon V. Guico, III, collection from quarry activities in the gargantuan province could reach up to P200 million a year.

“Before, the target for quarry is only P12 million a year for the entire province. We have more than exceeded that several hundred times over. I think we are close to as of the last time, two weeks ago it’s already P94-million already and I think we could hit more than a hundred or even 200 million a year out of the quarry. We just have to have the political will to stop all the illegal quarry operators because a lot of them do not have permits,” he said.

EFFICIENT QUARRY ACTIVITIES. Pangasinan Governor Ramon V. Guico, III (2^nd from left) and UNLA LA Corporation President Raul G. delos Santos (extreme left) signed documents for their collaboration to provide the local government with a software to efficiently monitor the activities of the businessmen and the personnel of the provincial government on the quarry activities, gathering of correct data on them, identification and monitoring of the hauling trucks and analysis of the data related to the operations. The signing of the proverbial dotted lines ensued in August 23 at the Urduja House Ceremonial Hall of the Capitol Compound in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

The leap on the collection of the mineral activities was due on the new law that the provincial lawmaking body passed where it saw a more aggressive stance and an increase on the taxes and fees of the extraction of the sand, gravel and other minerals from public lands by businessmen. Guico cited last August 23 this year the collaboration of the provincial government and the UNLA LA Corporation through the signing in the Urduja House Ceremonial Hall of the documents with the Corporation's president Raul G. delos Santos.

UNLA LA will provide the local government with a software to monitor the activities of the businessmen and the personnel of the provincial government, gathering of correct data, identification and monitoring of the hauling trucks and analysis of the data related to the quarry operations.

In the July 10 interview with reporters held at the Governor’s Office in the Capitol, Guico lashed out to his critics about how the hike of the hauling of the minerals burdened the end users. He blamed, too, the anemic corruption ridden collection of his predecessors compared to what he is collecting now.

“Sa quarry malaki na ang revenue natin. Alam ninyo ang diperensiya nito andaming bumabatikos sa quarry. Unang una, lahat ng sinisingil diyan pumapasok sa probinsiya. Ano ang problema ninyo? Noong araw saan pinapapasok iyan?”

When a national newspaper female reporter interjected: “Sa bulsa!”

Guico reacted why these critics have been complaining.

“Tama lang itong ginagawa natin sa probinsiya. Ang kikitain ng quarry pampagawa natin ng mga bahay ng mahihirap. O ano ang problema ninyo doon? Gusto ninyo kasi malaki kita ninyo iilan lang kayo! Di ba?” a jabbed to his predecessors.

Guico blamed the business establishments who sell to the consumers an inflated prices of quarry products. The app of the UNLA LA, he said, will significantly change the skewed trading practices.

“Meron kaming app na ilalagay hopefully maaprubahan ng Sangguniang (Panlalawigan) para nagpadeliver ka lang ng quarry – parang Grab!,” the first term governor quipped.

According to the provincial treasurer’s office, the collection in the quarry activities from January 1 to August 2023 reached P97 million. The amount is more than 600 percent higher than the P15.52 million quarry taxes and fines collected on the same period last year.

Mangaldan Job Fair Offers Hundreds of Jobs Here, Abroad

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan - Hundreds of jobs abroad and in the country are available in the job fair to be held here on Friday at the Macario Ydia Development Center (MYDC), according to the office of Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

Applicants are instructed to prepare their resume or bio data, ballpen and other supporting documents. Application time will open at 8:00 Am to 5:00 Pm on the same day.

 Chief Administrative Officer / Human Resources Management Officer/ PESO Manager Designate Helen A. Aquino advises the applicants to see that the requirements her office and companies wanted to see are complete to expedite the process of hiring.  

Mayor Parayno desires that the numbers of unemployed in this central Pangasinan town decline so they can support and strengthen the state of their families.

Mayor J.R Hails SK Members

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BASISTA, Pangasinan  - Basista Mayor Jolly “J.R” Resuello lauds the council members of the Samahang Kabataan in their awarding ceremony at Barangay Bayoyong in this central Pangasinan town.

Basista Mayor J.R Resuello (extreme left) shakes the hands of the members of the Samahang Kabataan in his town.

“Ang inyong lingkod ay lubos na nagpapasalamat at bumabati sa ating SK Chairperson Avegail Rosal at SK Council sa isang napaka matagumpay na okasyon para sa ating mga kabataan. Ito ang SK Night Awarding Ceremony,” the young Mayor told the young people where many of them will be running for reelection  in the October 30 barangay and SK poll.

He said the guest of honors on this event was Pangasinan 2^nd District Board Member Haidee Pacheco, Liga ng mga Barangay President and ex–oficio Sangguniang Bayan member Giovanni Bugarin and former SK Chairperson Limar Cruz