What If Suicide Bombers Wage Wars in Luzon, Visayas

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

While in a huddle with some politicians,TV reporter, radio commentators, and a priest who came to me and introduced himself that he reads my blog, I told them my apprehension how nerve wracking to the people in Luzon and Visayas in case a Muslim suicide bomber gets inside the huge Catholics’ Redemtionist Church in Baclaran, Pasay City, the Saint Therese Church in Dagupan City, or those churches  in Cebu City.

“Can you see the psychological effect to people in Luzon or in the Visayas in case a human clad with a vest of 10  to 20 kilograms of TNT and shrapnel blows himself just to kill dozens if not hundreds of parishioners,” I opined.

My remarked was anchored on the television news recently that an Indonesian spouses blew themselves and killed 23 people in and out of the Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu and maimed and wounded 100 others mostly Christians, civilians and soldiers supposedly well-cordoned ala Israeli security blanket Catholic church.

BOMBER - A feature of a suicide bomber with his lethal 5 to 20 kilograms of explosives. A packed vest or belt is armed with a detonator. The vest is usually packed with ball bearings, nails, screws, bolts, and other objects that serve as shrapnel to maximize the number of casualties in the explosion. (Photo grab from the internet)

In case radical Muslims, just like what they do in India, Afghanistan, Iraq, and in Indonesia, resort to this kind of warfare and wage it in Luzon, then we are damned and doomed, son of a gun!

Nabayaran Ang Mga Senators Natin?

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I saw a photo of a frail old Filipino man in his 60s but looked like an emaciated 80 years old because of lack of nourishment at Facebook who was clad in a white tee shirt with a bold print in front: “MAHIRAP KAMI, kasi MAGNANAKAW sina SENADOR, CONGRESSMAN, GOVERNOR, MAYOR, at KAPITAN”.

The entrepreneur spirit in me said: This shirt is cool. A lot of Filipino will buy it if I procure bulks of these stuffs in Divisoria and print - screen them myself just like what I did to college students’ shirts in the 1990s when I was teaching political science in a university in Dagupan City.

I learned this craft when I was a “vagabond” high school student as I watched how printing shops did their trade in the early 1980s in the war torn Mindanao.

Now I digress, salamabit!

DIRT POOR - Because of the dearth of jobs available and the problem of population explosion, poor Filipinos scavenge to meet ends in the Philippines.

The social anal list, er, analyst in me revolted where I fired in Filipino some volleys of shots,ala Tora-Tora plane, in behalf of the old man to the enemies at my Facebook board:

“Mahirap tayo kasi ang mga senadors inupuan nila ang Public Service Acts (PSA) na magbubukas sa economy natin kung saan mas maraming foreign investors papasok na dito, gaya sa Thailand, Singapore, at China because of the 100 percent ownership of the business na 40 percent lang sa kanila ang pag-aari sa kasalukuyan. Ang PSA ay approved na ng House of Representatives noong September 2017. Ayaw ipasa ng mga senators dahil ba kailangan nila ang milyon milyong pesos na pera at libring eroplano at helicopters sa election galing either kay PLDT, Globe, San Miguel, Aboitiz, JG Summit Holdings, Inc of the Gokongwies, SM Prime Holdings of the Sys, or other oligarch na sumisipsip sa dugo ng mga Pilipino at takot sa kumpetisyon ng foreign investors?”

Gadget That Can Detect Enemies Behind Wall For Sale To AFP

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

          Czech  maker says soldiers become effective in Urban Warfare

PASAY CITY, Philippines – Soldiers in the country will  be more effective in an urban warfare like in Marawi City with the  RETWis 5 radar  being sold by the Czechoslovakia arms maker to the Philippines government.

Ondrej Vanac, Czech regional sales director of CSG Aerospace Division, told recently this writer that the RETWis 5  will show to the government troops who man it how many people are on the other part of the wall or non-metallic barrier.

“It can detect the target based on chest movement that’s how sensitive it is. If there is something under the debris under the earthquake, rescue through chest movement,” Vanáč stressed.

MODERN URBAN WAR - A soldier in the illustration watches the screen of the portable Czechoslovakia made RETWis 5 radar how many armed enemies are behind the wall. The radar can detect living persons and animals in motion and at rest based on their breathing and chest movement.

In the last year’s devastating urban war in Marawi City Philippine elite troops like the Scout Rangers, Special Action Force, and the Marine Corps Recon lack this gadget to detect the Islamist radical terrorists hiding on the other parts of the walls of the edifices there.

Its brochure given to this newspaper said that the RETWis 5  (RETIA Through-Wall Imaging System) is a unique small portable radar detecting living entities behind a wall or a non-metallic barrier.

It is small dimensions, low weight and a long operation period highly portable device suitable for multi-purpose usage for special police and military units.

Vanáč  cited that it can be used for search and rescue operation like those survivors who are buried by debris after a calamity hit the place.

Politician Shuns Lousy Radio Station

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Some media men and politicians in a huddle recently talked about an electoral candidate who paid a FIVE MINUTES radio interview in a morning program at a premier radio station in Dagupan City.

“How much did he pays?” I asked.

“Seven thousand pesos,” a top brass of that radio station answered.

“Ano ang pina-interview, iyong hindi nila nakuha last Friday iyong pagdating ng Hugpong Pagbabago Coalition led by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte?” I posed.

Last Wednesday, Urdaneta City Mayor Bobom Perez and City Administrator Ronald San Juan told me about the arrival the following morning at the city’s Cultural Center of the senatorial slate sans Bong Go.

I saw at Face Book that instead of the group of governorship and vice governorship bets Art Celeste and Mark Lambino, it was the group of gubernatorial rival Governor Pogi Espino, his father Fifth District Congressman Amado Espino and Mayor Bobom who, with five mega watts smiles, welcomed the party of Sarah Duterte.

Does Truth Telling No Place at Bloc Time Radio?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

As the start of the 60 days campaign period for the May 13, 2019 election for local candidates will be on March 29, elective candidates are sizing if not buying their selected bloc time radio slot in the six A.M or (amplitude modulation)  radios and several F.M or (frequency modulation) in my city.

Bloc time rental can be cheap or very expensive. A premier A.M radio station bills a candidate almost half a million pesos in 30 minutes morning program a day for four weekdays or a month while those who were cellar dwellers in the poll of Kantar collect P120,000 to P180, 000 in a one hour a day Monday to Friday morning program for month, too.

One of the bloc time commentators told me that he will be inviting me to do analysis on his program about the gubernatorial and congressional rivals for the coming May 13, 2019 election.

He used the word “analysis” for me to do because he saw how I analyzed and predicted the winners in the past national polls by citing my data on two credible scientific surveys done by Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia, how I predicted that Manny Pacquiao would lose to Floyd Mayweather in their mega fight in May 2015 and how Pacquiao will lose big time in their future fight because of data I have about the strengths and weaknesses of both pugs. 

Mayor Spent P6M To Solicitors Last December Alone

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A first class town mayor spent six million pesos to well wishers and solicitors who go to his house last Yuletide season.

“I did not hide from my constituents who want some Christmas’ dole outs. I stayed in my house thus I spent six million pesos last December alone,” the successful contractor and mayor, who asked for anonymity, in central Pangasinan told this writer in Tagalog.

He said his vice mayor who is running for the May 13, 2019 election has been absconding his constituents who seek financial aid even before and after the Christmas season.

“Ano lang naman ang pera niya hindi stable iyong pagiging contractor niya sa ibang tao,” the seasoned politician cited.

The mayor said that his post is a thankless job because he spent hundred of millions of pesos for his personal saving to help the town’s folks since he joined politics two decades ago.

“When I was a vice mayor I even built dikes and roads in some barangays for free. I did those jobs because I don't want to be ridiculed by critics that I was a do- nothing vice mayor,” he cited in the vernacular.
 When he challenged the then incumbent mayor in the late 1990s, the latter did not seek his reelection because he was afraid to spend to a futile contest his personal savings.

Local Gov’t Tough To Run Than Corp. – Business Magnate Mayor

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG – Business magnate and this burgeoning town mayor cited that it is tough to run a local government unit (LGU) than a corporation because of the delay the former entails to the pressing needs that confront it.

“Sa corporate world 10 computers na kailangan, bukas nandiyan na. Sa LGU may Philgephs (Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System ) for bidding minimum 21 days,”  Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao told this writer with his signature chuckle.

Bayambang, Pangasinan Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao.

The family of Quiambao controls the majority shares of corporate giant Stradcom,  a hospital in the US, and other businesses like a mall. 

Voters Abuse Mayor’s Kindness As Election Nears

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Voters nowadays are exploiting the extra ordinary generosity of politicians as election nears, narrated by a mayor to reporters.

The Pangasinan mayor complained that one recent noontime, he already spent  seventy thousand pesos as dole outs to callers in his office where some even came from the neighboring towns.

“Look, my drawer is almost empty with cash,” he told media men who came for an interview.

VOTE BUYING - Money exchanges hands to favor a candidate during the election campaign period in the Philippines.

The bills he gave were of twenties, fifties, one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand.

Each of the four obviously poor mothers were  given two twenty peso bills.

“Masyadong maliit naman iyong binibigay ni mayor. Parang pamasahi na lang iyon sa tricycle,” one of the reporters quipped.

“Mga pabalik balik lang ang mga iyan kaya binabarat na rin sila ni mayor,” the other retorted.

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The chief executive of the first class town however shelled out P1,500 to one of the three members of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers' Association(TODA) who told him that they will be celebrating the anniversary of their organization.

The mayor gave two thousand pesos to five teenagers who solicited for a set of basketball uniforms in an upcoming competition in a fiesta of their village.

“Malaki iyong binigay ni mayor kasi maraming botante iyong mga players,” a scribe quipped.

The mayor generosity is fueled probably by his rival who has more money to spend in the campaign period of the May 13, 2019 polls.

"Iyong kalaban kahit P1,000 per voter kayang bumili ng boto. Hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ni mayor ang presyo ng rival sa mga bobotante," a radio announcer commented.

Elected officials in towns and cities in various provinces in Northern Luzon have a hard time because President Rodrigo Duterte stamped out the proliferation of illegal number game jueteng in favor of the legitimate Small Time Lottery (STL) that earned P26,103,422,348.39 gross sales in 2018 compared to the P4.7 billion in 2016 when jueteng rampaged during the first semester of the year when the country was still ran by then president Benigno Aquino III.

During the height of the illegal number game a mayor of a huge city in Pangasinan received P1.5 million a month from the gambling operator while his chief of police got P600, 000 monthly, according to a former councilor who is now the election campaign manager of the mayor.

“The monies I was giving to the my constituents who seek help in my office came already from my pocket. Mayors like me identified with the provincial power are no longer beneficiary of some financial shares from the legal number game,” a mayor in the Second Congressional District said.

Of course reporters who were around just played it by ear because they know that mayor like him still has a cut or  the anomalous S.O.P given by contractors and suppliers of government projects intended to the local government unit and he received shares from perya operators that front for illegal gambling that proliferate not only his town but other local government units.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

Money less VM anxious as filing of CoC approaches

    Wish Illegal Number Game Jueteng Around