N e w s

MAYOR GUICO GOES FOR BROKE
Binalonan refuses to remit collections
* Risks showdown with Agbayani, Finance dep't.

LINGAYEN--The provincial government may end up filing a suit against the Binalonan municipal government for its refusal to remit its P2 million real property tax (RPT) collections last year.

Records showed that of the 47 towns and cities in Pangasinan, only Binalonan has not remitted its RPT collections to the provincial government to date, in violation of laws.

Provincial Administrator Virgilio Solis said the municipality of Binalonan may be charged with violation of the code of finance and other applicable laws for not remitting its  RPT collection to the province.

However, Solis said he may yet  talk to Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico, Jr.  to thresh out any problem the latter may have with Gov. Victor Agbayani in order to settle the issue.

It was Guico who ordered his municipal treasurer not to remit the town's RPT collections to the Provincial Treasurer as Gov. Agbayani allegedly had not fulfilled his promised projects to the municipality.

In a statement, Guico, national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, urged Gov. Agbayani to be transparent and to explain to the Pangasinenses where the huge collections from RPT are being spent in order to convince taxpayers to pay their dues on time.

"I beg to disagree with him (Guico)",  said  Solis, adding that based on records, millions of pesos were allocated by the provincial government to Binalonan for various projects and many of these had already been implemented.            

Solis said the act of not remitting RPT collections violates the code of finance and the corresponding fines would be imposed upon  the municipality not complying with the rules and regulations. APE

Booty mulled for 4 Magdalo escapees

MANGALDAN- Bounty hunters are now being eyed to help in the arrest of the four Magdalo escapees.

This became evident after Philippine National Police chief Director General Arturo Lomibao said that the PNP is contemplating to put up a reward system to speed up the arrest of four Magdalo mutineers who escaped from their confinement at  Fort Bonifacio.

Lomibao announced this in a talk to newsmen when he was guest of honor and speaker during the inauguration of the newly renovated Mangaldan Police Station here on Friday.

“We are contemplating  P500,000  for each of the four escapees,” Lomibao said when asked about what the PNP is doing in order to have the four military officers namely, Capt. Nathaniel Rebonza and lst Lieutenants Lawrence San Juan, Sonny Sarmiento and Patricio Bumidang, back in government custody.

All are members of the Magdalo group facing court trial for staging a mutiny two years ago at Oakwood in Makati City.

Lomibao said the police have printed mug shots of the four which would be placed in population centers like malls, terminals, seaports and airports.

Asked if the CPP-NPA and the Magdalo group will form a coalition of forces, Lomibao said:” I’ll not be surprised  if they do because the CPP-NPA and the recalcitrant Magdalo mutineers who escaped both want to destabilize the government so that they can take over”.

 “But of course the PNP and the military will not allow this to happen”, he said.

At the same time, Lomibao announced that the PNP will go on a legal offensive against the CPP-NPA in the next few weeks.

He also said the police will file charges against those who attacked police stations, liquidated policemen and conducted offensive against authorities on alleged orders from   Netherlands-based Jose Maria Sison, CPP  founding chairman.

Lambino defends Arenas' entry into Lakas party

MALASIQUI--Politics is addition.

Thus said Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino when he administered the oath of Rachel Arenas, the Harvard-educated daughter of socialite Rosemarie  Arenas, as new member of the ruling party in Pangasinan.

Lambino, party co-provincial chairman  in Pangasinan, defended his act of swearing in the younger Arenas  as new member of the party last January 14 at his residence.

The oath-taking of Ms.  Arenas was witnessed by her own mother.

The vice governor said there should be no questions raised when Rachel took her oath as new member of the ruling party since the latter is now a long time resident of Malasiqui.

The Arenases maintain  a    15-hectare   mango  plantation in barangay Nancapian, Malasiqui whose products they intend to export.

“Ms. Arenas possesses  all the qualifications and none of disqualifications to be a member of the Lakas CMD in Pangasinan,” Lambino said.  .

He said swearing in somebody to be a member of the party is a privilege granted to party provincial chairmen, pointing out that the entry of the young Arenas  is an addition to the party.

Asked whether he consulted the other party members before swearing in Arenas, Lambino said there was no need because she was only getting into the party.

He said consultation would be needed if Arenas is seeking the blessing of the party in case she decides to run in an election.

In a news conference last  Christmas, Rachel indicated her desire to run for Congress in the third district of Pangasinan.

Rachel denied they are strangers in Pangasinan because this is the province where their roots are. They are related to the Reyna and Calimlim families in Dagupan and Pangasinan.

De Venecia to build 500 houses for cops

MANGALDAN—Speaker Jose de Venecia  Jr, has announced a national mass housing program for the benefit of  policemen and soldiers, and will be launched initially in his own fourth district.

Speaking during the inauguration of  the newly renovated Mangaldan Police Station at noon Friday, De Venecia said there will be initial 500 housing units to be built in his own district to be distributed to policemen who are still homeless.

“We will start it in our own district, to be duplicated by other congressmen throughout the country,” he said. 

He said he is optimistic that his fellow congressmen will follow suit and housing projects for policemen will soon mushroom in the countryside.

De Venecia said he already discussed the project with PNP chief  Police Director General  Arturo Lomibao and with    Armed Forces chief of Staff General Generoso  Senga.

The location for the first project is still being studied  by De Venecia in consultation with the municipal executives of  Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Manaoag and Dagupan City.

Under the plan, homeless policemen and soldiers will have a chance to own their respective    homes which they and   their respective families can call as their own.

The project, he said, is envisioned to help solve the big housing backlog in the country today and boost the mass housing program of     President      Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

De Venecia also announced that the government is soon creating a Department of Housing to be headed by Vice President Noli de Castro that will spearhead the construction of mass housing projects for homeless Filipinos.        

Lingayen beach prostitution rampant

LINGAYEN—Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese has been asked by residents of Lingayen to launch a crusade to stop rampant prostitution along the Lingayen beachfront just at the back of the Urduja House.

In their letter to Archbishop Cruz, concerned students, parents, teachers and members of the religious groups in Lingayen said they were constrained to ask the help of the archbishop after failing to secure positive response from the town and police authorities.

Saying the problem of prostitution in the area has turned for the worse, the unnamed concerned  citizens appealed to Cruz to launch a crusade  similar to what he did  jueteng in order to finally stop the flesh trade at the Lingayen beachfront.

The concerned citizens said the unabated prostitution in the area, under the very noses of the police and town officials, has destroyed the tourist's image of the Lingayen beach.

Copies of their letter to Archbishop Cruz were furnished to Gov. Victor Agbayani, Lingayen Mayor   Ernesto Castañeda, the chief of police, the principals of different high schools, the barangay captains and the media in a bid to call attention to gravity of the issue.

“Our problem here are the youth who are mostly high school students and are prone to be victims of prostitution,” the concerned citizens wrote.

To date, high school boys are seen frequenting the area day and night seeking out services of prostitutes.

They said that the prostitutes service their customers at anytime of the day in sheds, bahay kubo and cubicles that have been erected along the beach front, adding that their services are each being offered for P30 to P50.

At night, these structures are transformed into beer houses where the prostitutes pose as guest relations officers.

The concerned citizens expressed hope that with the crusade to clear the beach of prostitution, the Lingayen beach can slowly regain its lost reputation as one of the top tourist destinations in Pangasinan.

City cops seize 31 gambling machines

FOLLOWING a 72-hour deadline given by Mayor Benjamin Lim, the police in Dagupan seized 31 slot machines called video 'karera', including the banned fruit game, all locally known as "ameneng'.

This is in compliance with a memorandum of Lim he  issued last Tuesday  giving the police within 72 hours to clear Dagupan of all video karera machines which were the subject of numerous complaints by pupils, students, parents and teachers.

Alarmed by these complaints, Lim earlier said he was prepared to fire  Police Chief Edgar Basbas from Dagupan if he is unable to comply with his order to eradicate all gambling machines being operated in the city within the specified deadline.   

The    ultimatum prompted the police to seize 31 video karera machines within 12 hours, but not a single operator of these machines was arrested.

Observers, however, believe the number is only a drop in the bucket in view of reports that more than 100 units were reported to have been operating in the city.

Mayor Lim has not given his reaction to the police's   failure to arrest operators.

According  to the police, 10 of these 31  gambling machines were seized  in Mayombo, five in Bonuan Boquig, four in Bolosan, three in Lucao, two each in Bonuan Gueset and Tebeng; one each in Pantal-Arellano and Barangay IV.

Three of these gambling machines were reportedly abandoned by their still unknown owners along a barangay road.  APE

 Brain drain just okay with GMA

SAN FABIAN — “The drain is more than compensated by the fact  that Filipinos who work abroad keep sending remittances home so therefore  they can educate their relatives”.  Thus said President Gloria Arroyo to newsmen here Wednesday when  asked to comment on the  employment program under her administration.

 Hawaii-P'sinan relations enhanced

LINGAYEN--Friendlier relations between Panga-sinan and Hawaii were further enhanced with the visit to the province two weeks ago by Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle. This was the impression of Gov. Victor Agbayani who signed a memorandum for mutual cooperation with Gov. Lingle, who led a team on goodwill visit to the Philippines in connection with the centennial anniversary of the Filipino migration to Hawaii.

Guv suspends two prov'l jail guards

LINGAYEN--Governor Victor Agbayani has ordered the suspension of two provincial jail guards for one year without pay after a high profile prisoner considered one of the top drug lords in Pangasinan escaped last year while in their custody.  In his January 9 directive, using the results of the probe by the fact finding committee chaired by lawyer Virgilio Solis, provincial administrator,  the governor ordered prison guards David Motas and Renato Mendejar assigned at the Pangasinan Provincial Jail suspended for one year without pay for gross neglect of duty effective upon the latter's receipt of the order.