DPWH, Solon Open P3.5M Bldg

 DPWH, Solon Open P3.5M Bldg

DAGUPAN CITY  - The Department of Public Works & Highway (DPWH) and Pangasinan Congressman Christopher de Venecia (4^th District) inaugurated  an almost four million pesos’ three rooms edifice the government constructed for the village officials of Barangay Bonuan Binloc here.

According to the district's DPWH Assistant Chief District Engineer Rebecca Zaratan, the building of the project had undergone three stages where it started during the watch of former congresswoman Gina de Venecia and continued by her incumbent solon son.

“Three  million pesos tatlong phases stage 1, stage 2… kay Manay Gina ni continue ni Representative Toff,” she stressed.

BRASS - Department of Public Works & Highway Fourth and Third Congressional Districts' District Engineers (DE) Edita L. Manuel (left) and Simplicio Gonzales.

Engineer Zaratan said the second storey is a conference hall while one of the rooms in the ground floor is for the day care center.

Barangay Bonuan Binloc Administrator Feliza Gonzales disclosed that her son Punong Barangay Jojo Gonzales intended the building for free for the residents here to hold their weddings, baptisms, and other events.

Representative de Venecia said that the conference hall will be used too as an evacuation center for the people here in case calamities like typhoon, flood, and other that hit the area.

“Sana magamit po ng barangay family and mga Barangay Health Workers para talaga ma implement ang mga pangangailangang pangkalusugan para sa kabarangay like vaccine sa mga babies. Sana magamit  ng senior citizen para sa magandang samahan sa inyong organisasyon at baka sakali maka contribute sa kabutihan ng ating barangay,” Congressman de Venecia cited.

Engineer Zaratan said that the construction of project like the one here and those in the other parts of the Fourth and Second Congressional Districts were smoothly implemented because of the supervision of District Engineer (D.E) Edita L. Manuel.

Manuel replaced last March this year former D.E Rodolfo Dion who retired after serving the DPWH for 41 years.

According to Dion there is roughly P1.5 billion projects primordially from the national departments and agencies intended for the one city and four towns district in central Pangasinan.

Meanwhile, DPWH Pangasinan Third Engineering Office District Engineer Simplicio Gonzales, whose office is based in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan, told this newspaper early this year that the one city five towns's district has P1 billion projects mostly from the national offices in this year, too.

Many of these infrastructures were intended for flood mitigation. (MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA)

Abalos shoo-in for Mangaldan’s ABC top post

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – The young but seasoned village chief (barangay captain) of Barangay Maasin is a shoo-in for the election of the presidency of the prestigious Liga ng Barangay (LnB) here on July 16, 2018.

Rolly Gubatan Abalos, 43, cited that he and his slate in the LnB (the former Association of Barangays Council) were unopposed after they filled on the first day of the three days of the filling of candidacy that started last July 9 and ended on July 11 this year.

The LnB's electoral exercise is under the supervision of the Department of Interior & Local Government.

LIGA PREXY - Maasin, Mangaldan Punong Barangay Rolly Gubatan Abalos poses with former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia in a social function somewhere in the Fourth Congressional District of Pangasinan. Rep. Christopher de Venecia and Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno, sources said, are supporting the election of Abalos as the top man of the Liga ng Barangay (LnB).The LnB’s post means membership in the nine men Sangguniang Bayan (legislative council) of the thriving town.

Abalos, a successful businessman, eyes information dissemination and dialogues among the 30 punong barangays here, improvement of the cooperation among fellow captains, and construction of the Liga’s building here where the members of the Liga can meet and thresh-out what the best for them and this town.

“Ayusin natin iyong samahan na nawala para mas magiging matibay ang samahan para at least makapag trabaho sila ng maayos doon sa kanilang mga barangay,” he stressed.

The oath taking and proclamation of Abalos on July 16 will make him as ex –officio councilor of the nine members’ Sangguniang Bayan (legislative council) under the stewardship of Vice Mayor Pedro Surdilla.

POK-POK PRICING SYSTEM

BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

When I opined at Face Book the order of President Rodrigo Rodrigo Duterte to the Department of Labor & Employment to convene the Wage Boards in the various regions in the country to increase the minimum wages, I cited that the spikes will only make the employers’ recoup their expenses for the wages from the masses – their end users.
My wife then posed to me:
“Paano iyong mga pokpok (prostitutes, harlot, and whore), Marcelo (psst my real name son of a gun!), magtataas din sila ng presyo?”

Surprised, I gave her my following answers:
1) The vaunted Pokpok Pricing system will not go with the weakening of the peso versus the U.S Dollar, or the spike of petroleum from $80 per barrel to the $100 per barrel Saudi Arabia and Russia want to happen;
2) According to friends at the squatter area when I quaffed beer with them, an 18 to 30 years old prostitute in Dagupan City could peg at P500 but if a customer knows the trade, he could avoid the pimp (bugaw) and transact directly with the pokpok for P250 to P300 in three hours short time at a motel where he would either be paying P250 for an airconditioned room, P180 for a room ventilated by an electric fan, or P80 for no ventilation at all.

"Doon na lang ako sa walang electric fan sir, P80 lang mura, malayo sa P250 na aircon," my errand boy Galman joined in a supposedly family's conversation.

Nuke-powered NoKor negotiates equally with the U.S., Allies – JDV

One of the few persons in the world who extensively knows the South and North Koreas’ politics is Philippines’ former Five-Time Speaker Jose de Venecia.

De Venecia is the Founding Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) to which many South Korean politicians are members.

Former Five-Time Speaker Joe de Venecia being interviewed by Political columnist Mortz
C. Ortigoza at the former palatial mansion at the coastal village in Dagupan City.

When he was Speaker of the House of Representatives, he brought in the Philippines many multi-billion pesos projects and grants from the South Korean government because of his connection with the people in high offices there.

 Northern Watch’s Political Columnist Mortz Ortigoza, for the umpteenth time, interviewed de Venecia whom the former considered as a political connoisseur on foreign affairs like the 2018 Inter-Korean – Summit held at the Peace House in the South Korea’s held territory near the demarcation line. The Summit was led by capitalist South Korea President Moon Jae-in and pariah but nuclear powered communist state North Korea Chairman of the Workers’ Party and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

BIR resorts to raid to spike its collection

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Amid the economic crunch, the head of the tax agency in Central Pangasinan launched Operation Kandado to boost her tax collection for this year.

Revenue District Office – 4 Chief Merlyn DV Vicente said three business establishments in Dagupan City and Manaoag town were raided by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and closed through its Operation Kandado (Padlock).

EXECUTIVES – Top honchos of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the four provinces’ Region-1 pose for posterity after a function. (L-R) Ilocos Sur Revenue District Chief-3 Trina Villamil, Regional Director Baby Nacar, Assistant RD0-4 Chief Badette Mangaoang, Central Pangasinan RD0-4 Chief Merlyn Vicente.

O.K is a measure by the tax agency to taxpayers who are remissed in reporting and paying their correct value-added tax (VAT) liabilities, their failures to issue official receipts, file their VAT returns or registered them to the BIR, understates their taxable sales or receipts by 30% or more of the correct amount on the case of a VAT-registered taxpayer, and others.

Vicente said those commercial establishment that had been closed by Operation Kandado can open their business after they pay their tax dues and comply with the requirements of the tax agency.

She said her office, that oversees the two cities and 13 towns, had been ordered to collect P4, 772, 404,000 - an 18.90% jumped from its collection last year of P4, 015, 661,029.41.

RDO-4 is the prime BIR’s office in the Ilocos Region as it has a burgeouning business environment compared to its five contemparies in Region-1.

She said that the regional office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Region 1 was tasked by the national government to collect P17, 646,987,000.00 this year.

This year’s tax target is an increase of 23.11 % to the last year’s collection of P14, 699,567,638.47, according to Revenue District Office-4 Chief Merlyn DV Vicente.

She cited that the regional office, under Director Clavelina S. Nacar that covered the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan, had a goal of P14, 334,316,000.00 last year.

A data secured by this newspaper showed the spikes of the percentages of the collection for this year versus last year.  17.35% for RDO-1 in  Laoag City ; 22.31% for RDO 2 in Vigan City;  24.20% for RDO 3 in San Fernando City; 18.90% for RDO-4 here; 22.80% for RDO-5 in Alaminos City ;  and 39.28% for RDO-6 in Urdaneta City.

BIR insiders, who asked for anonymity, told Northern Watch that many RDO chiefs considered the hundreds of millions of pesos collection target this year a tall order from the tax agency’s national office in Quezon City.

Meanwhile, after leading the monthly collection streaks’ last year, the tax office in Eastern Pangasinan faces a tall order to collect P2, 298, 570,000.00 or almost 40 % more of its last year’s collection.

According to data secured by this newspaper at the Regional Office, Revenue District Office -6 based here collected P1, 900, 827,797.19 last year.

Under the present stewardship of RDO-6 Chief Maria Isabel B. Utit, the office had an average of 17% collection performances in years 2016 and 2017.

“We reversed this office’s anemic six percent average collection performances in 2011 to 2015,” She said.

Utit, a Certified Public Accountant and a lawyer, cited her being strict to pursue what those delinquent taxpayers owed the government that resulted, as one, of the collection turned around of RDO-6.

RDO-6 covers the thriving city of Urdaneta and 15 towns.

Among the six RDOs in the four provinces’ Region 1, data shows that the tax agency’s Eastern Pangasinan office carries the yeoman’s job from the national government to spike by 39.28% of its collection last year to its target this year.

An RDO, as practice all over the country, used to have an average of 20% tax hike from its previous year collection.

Below is the comparison of the collection last year and the tax targets this year of the six RDOs:

Grumbles on the Fumbling of R1AA-2018 Brass

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Some sport stakeholders who asked anonymity had numbers of complaints of the fumbling of the Region -1 Athletic Association's games rules by the Department of Education – Region-1 headed by Sports Coordinator Edilberto Abalos.

They cited the following: The DepEd was not clear on the rules of the scaling of weights of the athletes where the sports brass changed the rules few days before the staging of the game.  They cited the delegates were told to return to the rules in 2017 as the 2018 rules, where the delegates prepared, were not approved by the leadership of the DepEd.

They changed the championship score by basing it on the points designated to gold, silver, and bronze instead of the most number of gold medals amassed as customarily used in the country.
In that new point - system the scoring were five, three, and one points for gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

“This new policy prejudiced smaller cities like the cities of Alaminos,Batac, Candon, Dagupan and Vigan,” one of the complainants dished out.

The source said the point tally system was approved by almost all superintendents of the School Division Offices two days before the game.

 “Most of them did not understand the tally methods. It should be the sports coordinators of the various school divisions who should attend and vote at the meeting of the DepEd,” one of the sources said.

The other one said this policy of point system was done in Region 1 alone and not in other Regions.

The other grievances of these sports spectators were the lack of transparency by the DepEd on the tally like how many gold medals have been won by the respective delegates as the five days game ensued and the lack of updates from the technical management of the education regional office.
Meanwhile, By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The small but well-funded and dexterously - trained delegation of this City showed to their bigger rivals in the Region-1 Athletic Association  recently held in Alaminos City who was the boss in snaring more gold medals.

“Despite against all odds we won,” Mayor Belen T. Fernandez told this paper in a text message on the prowess of the high school students here who would be joining the Palarong Pambansa (National Game) in Vigan City this coming April 16 to 20.

“Up to know hindi pa binigay sa akin pero you use the count of Dagupan City Sports Commission,” she cited on the number of gold medals won by the richest city in the four provinces and nine cities’ Region-1.

As based on the DCSC's official record the final score for this burgeoning city was 71 gold, 51 silver, and 34 bronze medals.

“From 50 plus gold medals last year to a whopping 70 plus gold medals this time around. Balon Dagupan is the No. 1 over-all Best Performance Delegation and Champion city for the first time in R1AA history beating Vigan, Alaminos, Pangasinan 1 and 2, Batac, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Urdaneta and San Carlos City”, DCSC Co- Commissioner Nestor Duque said.

Double Headers Election this May – Solon

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN – Expect a double - header village elections come May 21 this year, a congressman said.

Pangasinan Second District Represetative Leopoldo Bataoil cited that the candidates and the electorates would be seeing a barangay election and a plebiscite simultaneously to be held middle of this year.

“The barangay election maybe doubled with a plebiscite. So, in the Senate there is also an effort for the senators to separately conduct their own assembly,” Bataoil cited on the deliberations and hearings being done by the Upper House for the revision of the 1987 Constitution.

Pangasinan Police Provincial Office marks its 27th PNP Foundation Day Celebration and Awarding Ceremony this Monday with Pangasinan 2nd District Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil  (3rd from left) graces the occasion as the guest of honor and speaker. The affair coincides with the ground breaking ceremony of the multi - purpose hall that will be constructed inside the provincial headquarter in Lingayen, Pangasinan. The solon commends the efforts of policemen and gives recognition to those who are in the field, sacrificing their lives for the people. Bataoil also donated computer units to the eight municipal police stations in the 2nd Congressional District.

The solon said that the members of the House of Representatives are busily conducting their own version of the hearing for the charter change before it can be submitted to the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) of the 17^th Congress to harmonize with the version of the House of Senate.

DOLE offers over 5,000 SPES slots for Region 1 beneficiaries

DAGUPAN CITY - Poor but deserving students and out-of-school youths who are willing to engage in summer jobs can now submit their application requirements as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 1 now offers around 5, 000 slots for the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES).

Panfilo Dioquino, labor communications officer of DOLE-Central Pangasinan, said the program is open to all indigent students and out-of-school youths aged 15 to 30 years old who are willing to work and pursue their education.

“Itong taon po na ito, inaasahan po natin na hindi bababa sa 5, 000 ang open na slots sa buong Region 1. Samantala sa DOLE-Central Pangasinan, meron po tayong hindi bababa sa 510 na slos o target na mga bata na maaaring maging benepisyaryo ng programa,” said Dioquino.

Dioquino said interested applicants may submit copies of the following requirements to any DOLE office in their province or Public Employment and Service Office (PESO) in their municipalities: birth certificate, certificate of indigency, grades from the previous semester or school year, and certificate of good moral character issued by their Barangay Council for the out-of-school youth.

“Hindi lang po ito para sa kasalukuyang mga mag-aaral, tumatanggap din po tayo ng mga OSY na nais mag-aral for the school year 2018-2019 dahil ang layunin po ng programa ay matulungan ang mga poor but deserving na kabataan para sila ay makapagpatuloy o makabalik sa pag-aaral,” he said during the “Pantongtongan Tayo” radio program of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) - Pangasinan aired on Tuesday.

Dioquino said the department will shoulder the 40 percent of the salary while the 60 percent will be paid by the partner local government unit (LGU), agency, or company where the student chooses to render his or her services.

“Tamang-tama, since nagkaroon po ng pagtaas sa minimum wage rate effective noong January 25, aasahan po ng mga magiging SPES beneficiaries natin na ang kanilang makukuhang salary ay base din po sa bagong prevailing na minimum wage rate sa Region 1,” he added.

Likewise, Dioquino encouraged all interested applicants to visit any DOLE offices or PESO offices near them for additional information about the SPES program.

He said in Pangasinan, DOLE offices are located in Dagupan City (Central Pangasinan), Alaminos City (Western Pangasinan), and Rosales town (Eastern Pangasinan). (PIA-1, Pangasinan)

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