NOEL VS RICO —With malice towards none, with charity for all, please permit me to discuss the platform of Manuel “Noel” Bumanglag, the candidate for Barangay Chairman under the team Balon Bonuan Gueset, whose personal slogan is “All is well kay Noel”, and of incumbent Kapitan Rico Mejia

Why only Bumanglag and Mejia despite the fact that there are three other candidates running for Barangay Chairman in Bonuan Gueset?

It is because it was only Bumanglag, a newcomer in politics, and his team and Rico and his team who found time to visit our place to campaign and ask for our votes.

Probably, the other candidates for Kapitan think me and my neighbors are easy to get and will vote for them even if they do not campaign and show their faces to us.

If this was what they were thinking, then they were wrong. Like the rest of the voters, we discern and will vote for those who we think can do much for our village.

It was Bumanglag and his team who slipped his campaign handbill in our front gate when I went out to check who knocked on our door.  After reading his material cursorily, I handed it to my wife and asked her to leave it on my writing table so I could read it more lengthily when I would write my Random Thoughts for the week.

Bumanlag’s campaign handbill shows him raising the hand of one of his candidates for kagawad Ramil “Wow” Soy. On the reverse side is the general plan of action of the Balon Bonuan Gueset Team that Bumanglag heads.

According to the many padyak drivers campaigning for him, Noel, although a neophyte in politics, appeared to be the most aggressive and dedicated from among the candidates.

They see hope in Bumanglag that with him, a change could be finally coming in Bonuan Gueset, incidentally the most populous barangay, not only in Dagupan and Pangasinan but also in the whole region.

This young political upstart whose middle name is Balolong appeared to have reached out to more people and covered more spaces in Gueset than all of his rivals during the campaign.

I was informed that in Noel’s line up are most of the incumbent kagawads in Bonuan Gueset, with only one incumbent kagawad running under incumbent Kapitan Rico.

We heard from officemate Rod who lives on Paras Street that among all the Kapitan hopefuls in Gueset, it was only Bumanglag who was able to assemble a complete ticket. (Rico was with his whole line up, including his son Solo Mon Mejia, when he came to our house).

In his campaign handbill, Kapitan Mejia called on Gueset voters to return him to his post with slogans: Say boses na karaklan, dyad serbisyo nailaloan.” “Say maaro ed katotooan  Nen saman ya Anggad Natan Agan Balot Nabayaran”. 

I did not see any program or list of projects that he intends to do for Bonuan Gueset.

In a brief talk with him, Mejia appeared confident he could be reelected to his post as he introduced to me his son Mon or Solomon.

In contrast, Bumanglag and his team seek to provide the people of Gueset a transparent and corrupt-free government, and emphasized that they will not fake documents. (It’s an allegation being leveled against the incumbent Barangay administration).

Moreover, Bumanglag assured that there will be no new taxes, and that the village clearance fee and business permit fee will be reduced under his administration.

Actually, it was my first time to see Rico in our village again after a long, long time, the first when he came to see us when my family was still new in the place and swiftly acted on my (and the late Mr. Ereso’s complaint) about the nightly videoke being played by our neighbor.

Bonuan Gueset residents, we heard had hoped that Rico would introduce house numbering so the mailmen will not have a hard time locating addresses of mail and parcel recipients but that remains a hope to this day.

For Bumanglag, an in-law of the Fernandezes, also vowed to fix all roads in the village, many of which are now literally potholes and have virtually become like flowing rivers during the rainy season, a work that could have been done by Rico in his many years in office.

Moreover, he intends to give Bonuan Gueset its first barangay ambulance and… hold your breath, a fire truck.

We wish these two men good luck. May the best man win. – Leonardo Micua

 

BLATANT VIOLATION BY GAS STATIONS — “Resibo, Ma’am/Sir?”

Sounds familiar? For vehicle drivers, it’s a resounding yes, I guess.

Operators of gasoline stations who refuse to issue receipt are aplenty in Pangasinan.

Personnel of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) need not go far. All they have to do is gas up at random and they will easily discover gas stations that do not issue official receipts (ORs) for goods sold.

Why do gasoline boys ask that silly question after they have refilled the gas tank of a vehicle? Tinatanong pa ba yan?

Were they taught to ask this question by their employers? Para makaiwas sa buwis na babayaran kung sasabihin customer na,” Huwag na!” ?

As far as I know, issuance of ORs should be automatic, no reminders needed.

Any establishment that fails to issue official receipts are criminally liable.

Here’s my quick research on the of the National Internal Revenue Code Section 264 on Failure or Refusal to Issue Receipts or Sales or Commercial Invoices told me:

“(a)   Any person who, being required under Section 237 to issue receipts or sales or commercial invoices, fails or refuses to issue such receipts or invoices, issues receipts or invoices that do not truly reflect and/or contain all the information required to be shown therein, or uses multiple or double receipts or invoices, shall, upon conviction for each act or omission, be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand pesos (P1,000) but not more than fifty thousand pesos (P50,000) and suffer imprisonment of not less than two (2) years but not more than four (4) years.

“(b)  Any person who commits any of the acts enumerated hereunder shall be penalized in the same manner and to the same extent as provided for in this Section:”

If only BIR men will do the rounds, I’m sure many will be apprehended.

I believe they’re aware of this, as most of them have their vehicles when they report to their offices.

But it’s a big puzzle why many gas stations continue their practice of asking their customers, “Resibo, Ma’am/Sir?”

Hindi pa pinagmumulta kaya di pa rin nagbabago.— Eva Visperas

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