Who Funds the Huge Campaign Expenses of Senators?

 

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

        A Philippines Senator receives P204, 000 monthly or P17, 136,000 for his/her six years’ term including his/her 14^th month pay (Yes Virginia! Government workers in the Philippines received their 13^th and 14^th months pays nowadays).

 Why on hell that some of the candidates of the same office could spend more or less P1 billion each just to win a post that gives each of the 24 members only more than P17 million salary in six years? Quite an incredible amount that could baffle an ordinary spectator.

FPJ Partylist Takes P’sinan by Storm

               AT THE EXPENSE OF ABONO, API, OTHER PROV’L PARTIES

 

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

DAGUPAN CITY – The FPJ Panday Bayanihan has been a nightmare to partylists in Pangasinan that have been left out in cold because it is fronted by the popular Senator Grace Poe as its campaign manager and was catapulted at the Top-7 of the prestigious poll's outfit Social Weather Station (SWS).

With outgoing Senator Poe bringing her celebrated party yesterday with big celluloid screen star like Coco Martin –of the famed Ang Batang Quiapo and Probinsyano television series -- while they snaked in a caravan for all and sundry to see in this city, Basista town, and the 87 villages’ San Carlos City -- the last nail on the coffins of partylists like Abono and Abante Pangasinan-Ilokano (API) loom.

FPJ first nominee is Poe’s son Brian Poe Llamanzares.

While FPJ perched at No. 7 with 2.45% at the SWS on its poll of January 17-20, 2025, Abono and API were at the cellars or outside the Top 57 parties that could win the congressional plums.

It should be 63 partylists as based on the constitutional mandate of 20 percent but popular parties’ 4Ps, Duterte Youth, and ACT-CIS got nine congressmen that make 57 partylists that are expected to win.

Abono and API represented by Congressmen Robert Raymund “Eskimo” Estrella and Michael Morden are at No. 65 (it should be at No. 59) and No. 143, respectively out of the 148 parties that compete to the votes of the Filipinos.

Aside from the  exceptional fame of actor Martin that carries the Probinsyano television series  that relived the saga of Poe’s popular iconic actor father Fernando, the Senator as campaign manager is too big a figure compared to Estrella who is an average solon and Morden that this writer could not determine if he is an average or below average congressman as both gauges were not seen by this writer where he debated intellectually on a bill against fellow members of the august chamber at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City or being a  member of a committee chiding and citing with contempt corrupt government officials before the national television like what those famous lawmakers have been doing at the Quadcom.

Morden’s Facebook Account before was full of posts of various species of bonsai plants that he specialized. He was a tree connoisseur even when he was a factotum of Abono Party Chair Rosendo So and before he defected to former Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr – the founder of API and this year’s first nominee, this columnist knew it because he frequented the office of So – a big and famous Chinese - Filipino businessman and philantropist in and out of Pangasinan.

Abono’s popularity has been declining after it lost its second nominee in the 2019 election.

In the 2013 and 2016 election it got two congressional seats represented by Estrella and Pacoy Ortega (2013) and Vini Ortega (2016).

In the May 2022 election, API and ABONO got 449, 346 (1.24%) and 287, 460 (0.80%) votes, respectively, where the were allowed by the Commission on Election (Comelec) to have one representative each.

Would the May 12, 2025 midterm election be a Coup d’Grace for the two Pangasinan parties because of a very popular figure La Senadora Grace hyped his son -- both descendants of the renowned pistolero Fernando the beloved son of the vote rich San Carlos and the scion too of the mammoth Northern Luzon’s province?

Coup d’Grace, by the way to the unsophisticated, means “a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal”.

“Delikado si Abono at API pero takot sa inyo si Grace Poe,” this writer jested recently to Pangasinan 3^rd District Cong. Ma. Rachel Arenas when both bumped into each other at the columnist’s mother-in-law birthday at Brgy. Macabito, Calasiao.

“Hindi naman,” the reelectionist solon quipped.

Several months before the filing of the certificate of candidacy (CoC), this op-ed writer had been badgering in his blog and texting the camp of Poe – a friend during her senatorial stumps – to challenge Arenas for the congressional diadem of the most populated district in Pangasinan.

But Poe did not take the bait but instead launched a partylist that became a juggernaut as it became the Top 7 – shoving and jostling with the likes of the very popular two to three nominess each assured 4Ps, Duterte Youth, and ACT-CIS -- among the 148 partylists that aspired to be a part of the 20 percent of the 313 members’ 20th Congress.  

FPJ was too popular that even Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez “betrayed” her partylist Abono as her Facebook Page drummed up the coming of Poe, Martin, and famous rock band Itchyworm,  and others for a caravan around the coastal city.

“TANGGOL IN DAGUPAN!! Ipasyal lang po natin sina Sen. Grace Poe, her son Brian Poe-Llamanzares kasama ng Team Unliserbisyo na iikot sa Dagupan! Ramdam natin ang init ng pagtanggap ng mga Dagupeños!” reelectionist Mayor Fernandez said as she joined the caravan.

As what Karl Marx said on his book Das Kapital: "Whither capitalist, whither!” Would it be Whither Abono, API, whither? as politicians in Pangasinan join the band wagon of Grace Poe.

Hindi 4th Dist. Iyong May Bilihan ng Tig P1K Kada Boto

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza

MADAMING nagtatanong sa akin sa Messenger ko at sa mga kaibigang media men sa pagbisita kanina ni Climate Change Secretary Robert  Borje sa Capitol sa Lingayen, Pangasinan tungkol sa blog ngayon araw ni lawyer at congressional candidate Alvin Fernandez na:

Photo is internet grabbed.

“𝑨𝒚𝒖𝒏 𝒔𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈 𝒏𝒊 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒛 𝑶𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒐𝒛𝒂, noong 15 Pebrero 2025, posted ng 10:28AM, isang sikat na broadcast journalist ng Northern Watch, na madalas mag post sa kanyang facebook, with PUBLIC VIEWING, na umaabot sa 87,501 views ang ibang post niya, may nakausap siyang isang Kongressman, to quote,
“𝘼𝙔𝙊𝙉 𝙨𝙖 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣 – 𝙣𝙖 𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙜𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖 – 𝙣𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙥 𝙠𝙤, 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞 𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙤 𝙖𝙮 𝙠𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙣𝙜 85% 𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙖 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙤.
𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙬𝙖: 𝙆𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙖 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙮 266,894 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 - 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 85% 𝙤𝙛 313,994 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙜 𝙋1,000 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙮 𝙠𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙨 𝙣𝙜 𝙋266, 894,000 𝙤 𝙋133,447,000 𝙥𝙖𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙮 𝙋500 𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙖 𝙩𝙖𝙤.
𝙐𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 80% 𝙩𝙤 85% 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙤, 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙞 𝙨𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙞𝙮𝙖.”
AKO NAMAN na si Alvin Fernandez, AY NAG COMMENT sa kanyang post.
266,182 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂 4𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 310,771 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒈 2022 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒐𝒓 85.65% 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒈 2022 𝑬𝑳𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺”.

Aniko ibang distrito ang tinutukoy ko doon. Iyong ma intrigang sipi ko na iyon  ay galing sa lumang column at blog ko na nagkamit rin ng maraming reaksyon, pagkagulat, at pagka -iskandalo sa mga netizens sa loob at labas ng Pilipinas matapos kong ipost sa  blog/vlog kong 101 Talk Radio kahapon.

Na ipost ko iyon noong sinusuri ko ang mga lumang sinulat ko sa nakalipas na dalawang dekada dahil gusto kong mailabas sa librong sinusulat ko na may pamagat “Paano Nanalo ang mga Pinoy sa Eleksyon” na plano kong ibenta online (gaya sa "Kingmaker:The Hard Copy" ni Atty. Vic Rodriguez) sa mga tumatakbo ngayong 2025 eleksyon.

Baka mag best seller itong ginagawa kong raket at magkadatung ako ng limpak limpak, hahaha! Pagnagkataon tatakbo akong mayor o kongresman tulad ni Alvin doon sa amin sa Mindanao dahil mura ang bilihan ng boto, este, gastusan doon para sigurado ang aking pagkapanalo.

(Pagpasensiyahan niyo itong lumang laptop computer ko minsan mali-mali ang lumalabas na salita, hahaha!)

Iyong pinagkunan ko ng “excerpt” ay kasali sa mga sinulat ko sa Northern Watch Newspaper at sa mga blog ko sa huling dalawang dekada. Tungkol sila sa mga panayam ko sa mga alkalde, kongresman, at mga senador kung paano sila nanalo sa eleksyon. Kasama na doon kung paano sila namimili ng boto, ang dami ng tao na kailangan nilang bilhin, ang timing ng pabili, mga uri ng armas na ginagamit ng mga goons nila, saang lalawigan sila kumukuha ng mga tauhan nila para panakot nila sa kalaban, ang sabwatan nila sa mga matataas na opisyal ng kapulisan para may bentahe silang manalo, at iba pa.

 Naniniwala akong madami ang gustong makaalam nitong pinagkakaabalahan ko sa mga nakalipas na mga buwan. In short, from the horses’ mouth mismo ang mga source ko.

Pag nag click iyong libro ko, isusunod kong isulat kong paano magnakaw ang mga elective officials sa mga  proyektong gobyerno mapa local at national man kung saan marami sa kanila – kasama na doon ang mga opisyales ng DPWH o Departamento ng mga P*tang Ina at Walang Hiya este Department of Public Works & Highway – ang nagkukwento sa akin kung sila nagmu-moromoro sa bidding, ang laki ng kupit na tinatawag na s.o.p galing sa kontraktor na binabayaran ng pamamahalaan.

O’, saan pa kayo nakakita ng manunulat na ganito na alam niya kung paano mamili ng boto sa eleksyon at paano magnakaw ang mga dorobong pulitiko.

Pero uulitin ko, iyong tag P1,000 o P500 na bilihan kada bobotante na sinabi ko at ni quote ni Alvin ay sa ibang distrito iyon at iyon ay galing sa lumang column at blog ko.

 Ganoon kalaki ang bigayan doon noon dahil ang kalaban ay kayang magbigay ng tig-isanlibong piso kada voter rin. Wala namang ganoon kalaking halaga na umikot sa isang lungsod at apat na bayan ng Quatro Distrito noong naglaban noong May 9, 2022 election si last term Congressman Toff de Venecia kay Atty. Alvin kung saan ang una ay nakakuha ng 213, 020 boto at ang huli ay merong 53, 162 votes.

Magbabangaan ngayong May 12 congressional election si Alvin  at si dating Kongreswoman Manay Gina de Venecia. Ang huli ay ina ni Kong. Toff.