Duwag Tayo, Hawak ng China ang Bayag Natin

 

Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza

Kahit gibain pa ng mga barko ng China Coast Guard (CCG) ang mga bapor ng Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) ay, tandaan ninyo, laging bahag ang buntot ng Pilipinas dahil hawak ng Chinese government ang bayag ng bansa sa pamamagitan ng kalakal ng huli sa una.

Ipapaliwanag ko mayamaya bakit duwag ang Pinas. Unahin ko muna ito: Maalaala natin na bukod sa mga pangha-harass, pagbu-bomba ng tubig, at pagba-bangga sa mga barko ng PCG, sariwa pa sa isip ninyo kung paano banggain, pagtatagain,  sibatin, at butasin ng mga tao ng CCG na naging dahilan na ikinasira ng mga rubber boats ng Philippines Navy kung saan sakay-sakay pa ang mga elite na SEAL (Sea- Air-Land) Team na mandirigma ng sandatahan natin na wala ring nagawa.

Image for representation purposes only. marineinsight.com

Ayaw pa bayaran ng Intsik iyong mga baril at mga gamit ng SEAL na kinuha nila at sa pagkasira ng dalawang inflatable boats na maghahatid sana ng pagkain at mga supply sa mga sundalo sa BRP Sierra Madre doon sa Second Thomas Shoal

Kahapon ng madaling araw binangga at sinira na naman ng dalawang bapor ng CCG ang dalawang barko ng PCG habang magsusupply sana ang huli sa Patag at Lawak Islands malapit sa Escoda Shoal sa Spratly Islands.

Ang unang pagbangga ay nangyari noong 3:24 Lunes ng madaling araw ng salpukin ng CCG ang BRP Cape Engaño kung saan nabutasan ng limang pulgada ang deck ng huli.

Noong 3:40 A.M ng parehas na araw binangga rin ng CCG nang dalawang beses ang BRP Bagacay na nag iwan ng minor na pagkasira sa PCG.

Bakit ayaw din natin banggain ang mga bapor at miliamen ships ng China? Kung baga sa Inglis ay tit for tat o ngipin sa ngipin, sanamagan!

Hindi natin magagawa dahil sa hawak nila tayo sa bayag dahil takot tayo na isasarado ng Beijing ang pag-export natin sa dambuhalang merkado nila ng mga gawang kalakal dito sa atin. Pagnagkataon, daang libong Pinoy ang mawawalan ng trabaho at gugutumin. Bangungot sa Malacanang ang senaryo na iyan lalo magproprotesta sa kalsada, maninira at magsusunog iyong mga matatanggalan ng trabaho. Takot si President Ferdinand Marcos diyan baka pasukan siya ng mga masasamang loob sa militar at makudeta siya. Di ba mga DDS sa Davao City?

Ilang beses ko ng inilalarawan dito sa blog ko ang pagkapit natin na parang tuko sa Chinese market.

Ito ang kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng “Balance of Trade” natin sa kanila:

·         Noong 2023 ang export ng Pinas sa China ay US$10.65 Billion or P573, 201, 750, 000 ani Trading Economics.

·         Ang import naman natin galing China ay US$30.93 billion o PhpP1.7 trillion noong buong taon na iyon. Kahit malaki ang kalakal ng China sa atin di kawalan sa kanila iyan dahil sila ang hari ng export sa buong mundo.

Ang mga Filipino sa Hongkong (protectorate ng China) ay nagpadala sa Pilipinas noong 2022 ng U.S $732.36 million o P41.7 billion (Statista.com). May mga Filipino rin na nagtatrabaho sa Mainland China at Macau dahil madilim pa sa aspalto ng DPWH at alkitran ng yerong bubong sa Payatas ang pag asa ng mga Pinoy na makahanap ng magandang trabaho sa Pinas. Sisihin natin ang prublemang ekonomiya na iyan sa 60-40 percent equity na nakasaad sa Constitution natin na pumapabor sa mga bundat ang tiyan na Pinoy oligarchs. Kukumentaryuhan ko iyan ulit sa ibang araw dito sa blog/column ko.

May 5.45 milyon (Statista.com) na Intsik na turista na dumagsa sa Pinas noong 2023. Pag maraming turista marami rin ang dolyares natin dahil nagsusunog sila ng pera dito kaya may trabaho ang ibang kababayan natin.

Noong nagkita-kita kami sa World Trade Center nila Department of Foreign Affairs's Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. de Vega at Assistant Secretary Roberto “Bobby” Ferrer, Jr. sa International Food Expo (IFEX) sa Pasay City noong Mayo, tinanong ko ang isa sa kanila: Bakit ayaw natin manawagan sa mga Merkano para gamitin ang lakas ng sandatahan nila sa pamamagitan ng 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty laban sa di na mabilang na pang aabuso ng mga Intsik, “dahil ba takot tayo na ihinto ng China ang daang bilyones na peso na merkado natin sa China?” ani ko.

Ang sagot ng isa sa kanila: Parang ganoon na nga?

Unconstitutional ang Pagbawal ni Dag. Mayor ng Bul. Bangus

 

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Umaangal ang isang fishpen owners sa Dagupan City dahil sa fishkill sa Bolinao at Anda, Pangasinan noong bumagsak hanggang P10-P20 ang kilo ng bangus dahil madaliang pinagha-harvest ng mga may-ari ang mga laman ng fishpens nila para to “minimized their losses”.

Nanaghoy si Cristina Flores sa kanyang post sa Facebook Page's Information Dagupan na napabayaan na ang tunay na masarap na Bonuan Bangus o Bangus Dagupan. Ang tono niya ay huwag papasukin ang mga murang bangus para tankilikin ng mga Dagupeños ang milkfish na local.

COUNTLESS rubberized fish basins full of various sizes of bangus (milkfish) at the consignacion (consignment) in Magsaysay at Dagupan City from various fishpen and fishpond owners in Pangasinan that are being sold wholesale for buyers as far as Metro Manila.

“…Gusto po sana naming hingin ang hinaing niyo sa nangyayari sa atin ngayon sa bagsak presyong bangus sa napakaraming supplies pero kulang ang buyer, demands? Gusto po naming hingin ang inyong opinyon dahil sa tingin po namin ay napapaburan na ang ibang lugar kaya tayong mga (taga) Dagupan na my maliit na fishpen owner ang nagsusuffer?! Sa totoo lang po ang laki ng effect nito sa ating mga taga Dagupan. NASAAN NA ANG 'BANGUS DAGUPAN (?)".'. the bangus capital of the world .. KUNG BANGUS NG IBANG LUGAR ANG ANDITO," ani Flores ilang araw na ang nakalipas.

Noong April 2024 ipinagbawal ni Mayor Belen T. Fernandez sa pamamagitan ng Executive Order ang mga murang Bulacan Bangus na pumasok sa siyudad.

“(Mayor) Fernandez said she had to put to stop the entry of the Bulacan bangus into the city to protect the integrity of the Dagupan bangus, which is definitely far superior in quality than the bangus in other provinces. To ensure that no more Bulacan bangus will enter Dagupan at any time, Fernandez ordered the City Agricultural Office to maintain 24/7 alert along the city highways leading to the Magsaysay Fish Market, especially at the latter’s entrance,” sipi ng newsreport sa Sunday Punch dated April 28, 2024 na may pamagat na MBTF Expels Bulacan Bangus from Dagupan.

Bukod diyan, ang mga nagtitinda sa consignacion (bagsakan ng bangus galing sa ibat ibang lugar sa Pangasinan) sa Magsaysay, Dagupan City ay pinapalabas na Bonuan Bangus ang inilalako nila kahit na galing sa Bulacan o sa Western Pangsinan ang produkto.

Palakpakan ang mga taga suporta sa media at sa ibang sektor sa naging desisyon ni Mayora kontra Bulacan Bangus.

Nalungkot naman ako at siguradong malulungkot din ang karamihan sa ginawa ng babaeng alkalde.

Ito ang mga dahilan:

Una, kawawa ang karamihan gaya ng mga bitin sa budget dahil pag wala na ang Bulacan Bangus apektado ang supply ng milkfish. Sa economics subject natin noong highschool tinuturo sa atin ng guro ang Four Basic Laws of Supply and Demand, ito siya sa ilalim:

1.          If supply increases and demand stays the same, prices will fall.

2.          If supply remains constant and demand decreases, prices will fall.

3.           If supply decreases and demand stays the same, prices will rise.

4.          If supply remains constant and demand increases, prices will rise.

Simply lang: Pag madami ang bangus na galing sa Bulacan na binebenta sa Dagupan maging P120 lang ang kilo. Pag ipagbawal ang milkfish galing sa Bulacan magiging kaunti ang supply ng bangus sa Dagupan kaya magiging P180 ang kilo sa hypothetical na presyo ko.

Ikalawa, masaya ang mga fishpond at fishpen owners pag ipinagbawal ni Mayora ang pagdagsa ng isdang Bulacan dahil kikita sila ng malaki at ikakasira naman ng karamihan ng 174,302 na population (2020 Census) ng siyudad na magbabayad ng dagdag na halaga sa uulamin nila.

Ikatatlo, kung ibenebenta ng mga tindera na Bonuan Bangus kahit sila ay galing Bulacan di rason iyan na ipagbawal dahil makakasira sa kapakanan ng karamihan bagkus dapat sila ay arestuhin at kasuhan ng Estafa o Swindling dahil pinagluluko nila ang mga walang kaalam alam na mamimili.

Ikaapat, unconstitutional ang desisyon ni Mayor Belen. Nasa Free Market Economy tayo na kahit na taga Sarangani, Mindanao puwedeng magbenta dito dahil sila ay Pilipino basta may kaukulang silang mga permits.

“The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector, ENCOURAGES PRIVATE ENTERPRISES (emphasis mine), and provides incentives to needed investments (Sec. 20, Art. II – Declaration of Principles and State Policies, Philippines Constitution)”

Sa mga naagrabyado at na iskandalo gaya ng mga supplier ng Bulacan Bangus at mga mamimili, pueding ninyong ihabla si Mayor Belen at kuwestiyunin ang Executive Order sa korte dahil ito ay ipinagbabawal ng nakakataas na batas ng Pilipinas.

Lasas: Ang Lutong Mangaldan na di pa Magaya ni Dagupan

 

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan - Kung ang bengbeng o pigar-pigar (pritong mga hiniwang karne ng kalabaw) ng Mangaldan, Pangasinan ay naagaw at pinasikat ni Dagupan City, may isang napakasarap na luto si Mangaldan na di pa magaya-gaya ni Bangus City.

INIMITABLE. The vaunted sumptous delicacy's lasas (extreme right, photo) of Mangaldan, Pangasinan that restaurant owners of the nearby Dagupan City could not yet emulate.

Ito ang lasas o dede o mammary gland ng inahing baboy. 

Sabi ng mga dayo sa puwesto ni Aling Mila Villanueva Castro sa Golia Street sa first class na bayan na ito, sila'y nabibighani sa malagatas na lasa ng putahe dahil super ang tama pag nahaluan ng sukang sawsawan at mga pampalasa na gawa ng may ari.

 "It's better than Wagyo!" buladas ng isang babaeng dayo sa palabas ng You Tube noong una niyang natikman ang lasas ni Aling Minda na dinadayo pa ng mga parokyano galing sa ibang bayan at siyudad.

PAANO NAGSIMULA ANG LASAS

Ani Aling Mila Castro, pang ulam lang nila noong una ang inihaw o prito na lasas, inihaw na chicharon bulaklak, inihaw na anakan (fallopian tube), kaleskes, isaw, barbeque, at sisig noong nagbebenta pa ang mga magulang niya ng karne ng mga ilang dekada sa Mangaldan Public Market hanggang makapag asawa siya kay Mang Max.

Matalas ang mga mata niya kung ano ang magandang bahagi ng karne.

“Seven years old nandoon na ako sa palengke nagtitinda ng karne kaya alam namin ang masasarap na parte. Tingin ko lang sa karne alam ko na ang masarap,” aniya sa Northern Watch Newspaper.

Ani Mila mga ibang niluluto nilang pang ulam sa bahay (na kung saan ang lasas restaurant ay nakatayo) noon ay inihaw o prito na lasas, inihaw na chicharon bulaklak, inihaw na anakan (fallopian tube) ,kaleskes, Isaw, barbeque, at sisig.

Naitayo ang kainan dahil sa paguudyok ng mga kaibigan ni Max noong nabubuhay pa siya habang nagiinuman sila at kanilang pinupulutan ang mga espesyalidad ng kanyang maybahay.

“Kaya sabi ng mga friends ni Max mga kaklase niya magpalagay ka na lang ng inuman, ganoon na lang”.

Noong tinanong si Mila Castro ni Mayor Bona Parayno sa kanyang opisina - kung saan nangyari ang panayam na ito – kung may lasas na noong namumulutan sila Max at mga barkada niya, ani Mila:

 “Wala pang lasas noon Madam”.

Noong nagbukas siya ng gareta noong 2011 sinabayan na rin niyang magbarbeque ng karne gaya ng mga hotdog.

Mayatmaya dinagdagan niya ang mga inilalako niya hango sa mga putahing ihaw niya noong kabataan pa siya at iyong mga inihahanda niya kay Max at mga barkada.

Isang lingo lang na nagbukas siya ng kainan sa harap at gilid ng bahay nila, sumikat na kaagad sa bayan ang mga tinitinda niya gaya ng lasas at pagkatapos ng isang buwan dinudumog na siya ng mga mayayamang customer galing sa karatig siyudad ng Dagupan. Nalaman lang nila ito sa pamamagitan ng bukangbibig.

MALALAKING MGA TAO

Mga parokyano ni Aling Mina na pinakiusap niya sa writer na ito na huwag na pangalanan ay mga malalaking negosyante, police colonels at iyong iba mga heneral na ngayon, mayor, congressmen, at iba pa.

Bankruptcy of this Political Family

 

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A kin mulls to be elected for a lawmaking seat of a first class town in the next year’s election. I told him to prepare two to three million pesos for day to day expenses  and for the purchase of votes from the voters in the eve of election if he wants to win the derby.

Was my advice dissolute or immoral since the Right of Suffrage is revered by people in a democratic society like the Philippines?

Photo credit: Groww

The solemnity of an election is only a platitude espoused by experts on the annotations of political science books,the Constitution, and jurisprudences.

In reality, one needs a lots of money be it in a presidential, senatorial, congressional and local elections despite they run against the limitation on the campaign expenses mandated by the Omnibus Election Code in the rambunctious country's Philippines.

One needs a lot of doughs for a regular television advertisement on the national elections that run up to a billion of pesos for a one year to six months’ preparation but one needs to buy the vote –from P50 to P,1000 – directly to each of the mostly ignorant masa to win an electoral seat that gives a pittance based on the monthly remuneration for a three years’ term of a politico.

Elective positions are preoccupations entered by the people who have monies to burn. I smirked seeing those candidates, for example in the top village post, mortgaging a property for a million of pesos or selling their house and lot so they can buy votes just to win a post that gives a P15,000 monthly pay for a two or three years’ term.

These candidates mired themselves with debts just to massage their ego as the most respected leader in their barangay when they get elected. Imagine, there is an adjective of “Honorable” appended before their rank and name. I found this practice and goal insane!

Almost everybody pays obeisance to the “Kapitan” and “Kagawad” in the barrio.

Ito iyong mga kulang sa accomplishment sa buhay at diyan na nagsusugal sa pagiging pulitiko kahit na malubog sila sa utang dahil kailangan nila ng prestige or respeto.

***

One example of this inanity was a former mayor and his father who borrowed tens of millions of pesos just to win the 2019 mayorship election. Debtors were freaking out because even during the mayor’s failed reelection in the 2022 poll they couldn't pay their debts they used to buy votes in the 2019 contest. When their governor friend lost the last election, their burgeoning construction business with the provincial government disappeared in thin air that aggravated their fluidity to pay their debts to angry creditors.

Worse, even their cars have been sold if not pulled out by the car dealers because of their failure to pay the monthly amortization.

Both father and son swore that they would no longer dip their fingers on the acrimonious, expensive, and dirty world of politics.

They become insolvent if not a pauper.

How about you dear readers, do you know folks like those above?

Huddling with DFA’s Top Guns on the Spratly’s Conundrum

 

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

I bumped into Assistant Secretary Roberto “Bobby” Ferrer, Jr. of the Department Foreign Affairs (DFA) at the booth of Pangasinan in the International Food Expo (IFEX) held last Friday at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

“O Bob kilala mo pa ako?”

“Siyempre si Mortz Ortigoza,” Philippines embassy in Russia former Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General and the illustrious son of Binmaley, Pangasinan told me.

ENVOY. Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. de Vega  (right) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). He was once the acting Secretary of the DFA and Ambassadors to Belgium and Mexico.

I first met him when was a graduating student of Bachelor of Arts major in Political Science in 1990 when I joined the teaching staff of the Social Science Department of the present Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan City. He is the son of the late Pangasinan’s provincial lawmaker Roberto Ferrer, Sr.

Accompanying Ferrer was DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. de Vega who was once acting Secretary of the DFA and Ambassadors to Belgium and Mexico.

We have an animated conversation when I asked De Vega why not the Philippines military used a C-130 cargo plane to air drop provisions and repair materials to the beleaguered Marines holed in at the dilapidated navy ship's BRP Sierra Madre.

I cited to the duo how the American military delivered with success their stuffs thru low altitude parachute extraction system (LAPES) and ground proximity extraction system (GPES) at the Khe San aerial resupply mission in January 1968.

During that month the mountainous Khe San - the Dien Bien Phu’s version of the gung ho Americans – where guarded by 6,000 U.S Marines and South Vietnamese Rangers against 20, 000 armed to the teeth and blood smelling Vietcong and North Vietnamese soldiers. The enemies took control of the road where supplies like 1.5 million kilos of ammunition and armaments of the besieged allies passed by and six of their transport and combat helicopters and the runway had been destroyed by enemies’ artillery fires.

 “Why our military would not emulate the Americans” I posed.

“They have their own reason,” De Vega retorted as I told him about the incessant utilization of the resupply mission through civilian vessels but water cannoned by the bigger ships of the Chinese Coast Guard.

“Are our military continue to use the harassed resupply missions to put in bad light the Chinese before the bar of world’s opinion”?  I inquired.

“That’s probably the obvious reason,” the envoy answered.

I told them that incase a coast guard or a Marine die because of the dangerous maneuvering of the Chinese ships it will trigger the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) where the U.S military juggernaut comes to the succor of the lilliputian Armed Forces of the Philippines.

 De Vega nodded his head.

He has all ears when I opined that the Chinese is not yet prepared to wage war with the Americans as long as the dilemma of Malacca Strait’s choke point is not yet solved by Beijing.

The Strait is a narrow stretch of water, 500 miles long and from 40 to 155 miles wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea.

Malacca is where China’s seaborne import from the Middle East like the 10 million barrels (2019 data) per day crude oil passes to fuel her economy. Because of that the still growing People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would not gamble to have a shooting war with the blue water navy of the United States of America especially through her nuclear subs that lurk stealthily and treacherously in the three trillion dollars a year South China Sea’s lane.

Assistant Secretary Roberto “Bobby” Ferrer, Jr. (right) of the Department Foreign Affairs (DFA).  He used to be Philippines embassy in Russia former Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General and the illustrious son of Binmaley, Pangasinan.

I told them in that huddle that incase President Ferdinand Marcos succumbed to the pressure of threat of a coup from the military – ala Erap Estrada's presidency – and he stepped down from office because of that narcotics brouhaha with actress Maricel Soriano, the U.S government would not allow China friendly Vice President Sara Duterte – whose former president father cozied up with Beijing – to succeed as the country’s Commander-in-Chief.

“Do you remember what happened to the bachelor Presidents Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam and Salvador Allende?” I posed

“Of Chile,” Bobby retorted.

They were victims of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) inspired coup d’état where the military replaced the civilian government because Diem became abusive to the Buddhists, his dictatorial tendency, and enmeshed himself to corruption and favoritism through his younger brother and chief political adviser’s Ngo Dinh Nhu and his wife the prolifigate Madame Nhu that could prejudice the U.S war against the USSR and China through their puppets North Vietnam and the Vietcong while Allende was a Marxist that could undermine the U.S business interest in South America.

“Kalian ka maging Ambassador (When are you going to be an Ambassador)?” I asked Assistant Secretary Ferrer in the vernacular.

“Bahala na si Sir kung kelan niya gusto (It’s up to Undersecretary De Vega when he wants me to be an Ambassador) as he glanced playfully to De Vega.

“Mga after one year puede na siya maging Ambassador,” the high official bantered.

“I doffed my hat to career officials like you who rose from the rank and to your present perches compare to those presidential appointees who were generals, average thinking newsmen, politicians, and others being appointed as ambassadors where some of them did not know the nuances – mga walang alam ang mga p*tang ina! - of the mandate,” I told the amused De Vega as he and Ferrer bid goodbye to end the huddle.

Oh by the way, the amiable De Vega possesses the following credentials:  Master in National Security Administration at the National Defense College of the Philippines (2004-2005), post graduate studies in International Relation at Escuela Diplomatica de Madrid (1993-1994), and Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines – Diliman (1986-1991) where he passed the Bar examination in 1991.

Damn! How can a retired Army or Police General, politician, or an average opining columnist deals with seasoned foreign diplomats without those attainments like what former acting DFA Secretary Ed de Vega can swasbuckle?