Billionaire - mayoralty bet uses feng shui for date with Comelec

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG – A feng shui expert told a billionaire-mayoralty bet in Bayambang, Pangasinan that October 13 was a lucky date to file his certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Commission on Election (Comelec).

Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment.

TICKET. The mayoralty ticket of Dr. Cezar Quimbao (4th from left)
meets the press and his hundreds of supporters at the convention
 hall of his Royal Mall in Bayambang after  they simultaneously filed
their Certificate of Candidacies at the Commission of Election.

 Business tycoon Cezar S. Quimbao said that he should be filing his CoC on October 12 to avoid October 13, that represents misfortune, because of a business trip abroad on October 14.

“ Sabi sa akin ng feng shui master, sir Quimbao mag file kayo, 13 is a good day from 9 Am to 11 (Am) so nakita ninyo ho nag file kami. Nag simba kami,” he told media men and his supporters at a press conference held at his Royal Mall in the rustic town an hour after he and his ticket filed their CoCs at the Comelec.

He said the feng shui expert told him October 13 showed that he would be changing his career from being a businessman to a politician.

 “Pero hindi ako magiging traditional politician. If ever given a chance magalit na kung sino magalit, gagawin natin kung ano ang nararapat, wala akong vested interest sa pulitika,” he told the roaring and applauding crowd.

Quimbao had already gave hundreds of millions of pesos to this first class town’s coffer as business taxes after he registered here his mammoth businesses like Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc , U.S $80 million Build-Own-Operate’s Land Transportation Office-Information Technology’s Stradcom project , U.S$ 120 million Lares computerization of the Land Registration Authority, and others that are mostly based in Manila.

In one of these years he paid P20 million in business taxes that this town’s used to buy several heavy equipment like bulldozers and funded some infrastructure projects.

He was known to bankroll the mayoralty victory of Mayor Leocadio de Vera in 1997‘s election and supported incumbent Mayor Ricardo Camacho during the latter earlier term in office.

But his relationship with the mayor turned sour when the latter was implicated to a series of corruption issues.

Quimbao sued Camacho at the Ombudsman after this town Councilor Levin Uy discovered at a seminar in Baguio City that Camacho approved the release of P1,896 million from the coffer to pay the 8,000 grills for an 8 kilometers interconnected grills that Quimbao had already paid in the town’s bid for the Guinness  World Record’s longest grill during the fiesta’s street grilling with   112,000 pieces of freshwater fishes.

2 ways govern substitution of 2016 election bets

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 The recent rule passed by the Commission on Election (Comelec) talks only of the two periods of substituting a candidate who vies for an elective position in the 2016 election.

This  candidate can be either running for the presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, congressional, governorship, vice governorship, provincial board, mayorship, vice mayorship, or councillorship.

SUBSTITUTION.  Actress Lucy Torres-Gomez (middle) who substituted her
husband  Actor Richard Gomez who was vying for the 2010 congressional
election in the Visaya Region. PHOTO CREDIT: PEP

Resolution No. 9984 said the first period that will commence from October 12 to December 10, 2016 covers about the substitution of a candidate in case of death, disqualification or withdrawal of another.

Section 19 of the Resolution cited that an official candidate of a duly registered political party (PP) or coalition, who dies, withdraws or is disqualified for any cause after the last day for the filing of Certificate of Candidacies (COCs) which is October 12 may be substituted by a candidate belonging to, and nominated by the same PP or Coalition.

The law says, however, that no substitute shall be allowed for any independent candidate.

“The substitute of a candidate who has withdrawn may file a COC for the Office affected on or before December 10, 2015 so that the name of the substitute will be reflected on the official ballots,” Section 19 stressed.

In the second period it also says that no substitution due to withdrawal shall be allowed after December 10, 2015.

Section 19 provides that the substitute for a candidate who died or is disqualified by final judgment, may file a COC from December 11, 2015  up to mid-day of election day; Provided that, the substitute and the substituted have the same surnames.

“If the death or disqualification should occur between the day before the election and mid-day of Election Day, the substitute candidate may file a COC with any Board of Election Inspectors, Election Officers, Provincial Election Supervisor or Regional Election Director, as the case may be, in the political subdivision where such person is a candidate, or in the case of a candidate for President, Vice-President or Senator, with the Law Department; Provided that, the substitute and the substituted candidate have the same surnames,” the law says.

Pulse Asia is more credible than Social Weather Station

 Did SWS flirt with its client?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Polls like what two major Philippines survey outfits’ Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia (PA) have been doing became a major factor for the strategy of an elective candidate to map out how he /she improves his /her weakness or strength in an area or stop his/her endeavor to save time, efforts, and monies as election nears.

Earlier, some political kibitzers criticized SWS how it came with 137% total sampling respond on its September 2 to 5 2016 presidential polls where it found 47%  for Senator Grace Poe,  39% for Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, 35% for Vice President Jejomar Binay, and 16%  for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte  as against the standard practiced of a 100% based percentile poll.
The credibility of SWS had been questioned again by some sectors when it came days later with Survey No. 2 that was polled in the same September 2 to 5, 2015 period of Survey No.1 where a presidential aspirant Roxas landed No. 2 in the first survey while he landed No.3 in the second poll.
In No.1 poll, the top four presidential wannabes were sparsely distributed from each other while they were densely distributed in the No.2 poll. How these happen my dear SWS President Mahar Mangahas when those who were asked to answer were the same 1,200 people?
With 1,200 respondents divided by the 100% based percentile, the No.2 survey says 26% Poe, 24% Binay, 20% Roxas, 11% Duterte, 4% Roxas, 4% Senator Francis Escudero, 3% Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, 2% Senator Merriam Santiago, 1% former Senator Manuel Villar, and 5% undecided and others.
Was there a manipulation that ensued in the Ranks 2 and 3 (between Roxas and Binay) to appease a customer after he saw how close the race for the presidential office?
Why the distance, in Survey No. 2, of Binay to Grace became statistically tied and that of Roxas to Binay became almost tied as based on the margin of error (MoE) of plus 3 or minus 3?
Why survey No. 2 differed to survey No. 1 when, again, they have the same interviewees?
From the projection of 60 million voters that would go at the voting precincts in 2016, each plus or minus is 600,000 votes. Does your math how the distances of each candidate to those behind or above them count.
In Survey No.1, SWS said that Poe dusted off by 8% or 4.8 million votes Binay. If you add the 3 plus or 3 minus MoE that 4.8 million could be 6.6 million votes or 3 million votes.
Why the wide discrepancy on Survey No.1 versus Survey No.2?

Marcos on the Spratly, Vice Presidency

Q & A: Philippine Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. talks about the Philippines and Chinese claim on the islets and reefs in the West Philippines Sea and his probable run for the vice presidency with political columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza. Excerpts:

Senator Bong Bong Marcos (C) poses for posterity with
Veteran Scribe Ruben Rivera and Columnist Mortz
Ortigoza  (extreme right).

MORTZ: Sir, lately I was watching the Spratly and Scarborough Islets (in the West Philippines Sea) brouhahas there were 16 Pangasinan fishermen who wrote a complaint to the United Nations, then I saw your statement there that you were for the Bilateral Agreement with the Chinese.....
SENATOR BONGBONG MARCOS: No, no, no. I am for the Bilateral Talks with the Chinese..
MORTZ: Ya, Bilateral Talks with the Chinese...
MARCOS: Because, because for the first time in the entire situation the Chinese has agreed to talk in the framework of international law or the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) which is something that they never done before. Tapos noong nakaraan they talked about the 9 Dash Lines. Now they are willing to talk about under UN. That’s new. Hindi rin ni-rerecognized ng ating DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) hindi ata nalalaman kung gaano kalaking pagbabago ito. So we continued to do nothing except making our case in the jurisdiction ng UN.
MORTZ: The perception in the Philippines is the Chinese could not be trusted. One of the examples there is the Panatag Shoal’s hullabaloo where the BRP Pampanga left (in 2012 after it replaced the country’s frigate BRP Gregorio Del Pilar) with the Chinese as agreed. They, the Chinese ships, did not leave the place that’s why Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal now is controlled by the Chinese.

My critique on the film "Heneral Luna"

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Nakakita rin ako ng puwang sa busy schedule ko as media man na mapanood ngayong gabi iyong niha-hyped nilang “Heneral Luna” film sa Robinson-Calasiao. As a former Philippine History professor sa Manila and Dagupan City and combat buff columnist ito po ang masasabi ko:

DOWNSIDES OF THE FLICK

1) Grabe naman si DirectorJerrold Tarog, bakit naman ilang mahabang minute na nakatayo si Heneral Luna habang siya ay pinagbabaril ng Spanish M93 and Remington Spanish rifles and hacked by the treacherous soldiers of Kawit Company of President Emilio Aguinaldo. It started when the brash Luna chided some of the soldiers at the camp in Nueva Ecija that caused his unrealistic demised from the other soldiers who were hiding somewhere and assaulted him.
Akala ko nanonood ako ng super heroes film gaya ng Hancock ni Will Smith kasi noong nauubos na ang power niya (Hancock) kahit anong baril sa kanya nakatayo pa rin siya at pilit lumalapit sa kalaban. 
Iyong mga mahigit lima na bumaril kay Luna ang bala noong riffles nila parang Springfield long firearm whose bullet is liked those in Garand Rifle na nakikita ko noong bata pa ako sa Cotabato. Isang tama lang sa iyo nyan bubulagta ka na sa lupa. Okay lang sana kung kasali si Luna sa Jurumentados na Tausog Warriors noong American Colonization sa Jolo Sulo kung saan pinagtatali-an nila ang mga katawan at kamay nila para ang dugo na galing sa tama ng bala ay hindi dumaloy palabas. 
Sana ginawa ni Direk Jerrold na kahit pinagbabaril si Luna he was lying prone or supine on the ground to make the film more realistic.

2)  May isa akong nakita doon na ayaw sabihin ni Direk ang real story. Nakita ninyo ba doon ang kabit na maganda ni Luna (where the film insinuated that she was also the girlfriend of General Tomas Mascardo)?
Ang pangalan ng matalino at maalindog na dilag ay si Isidra na taga Tarlac. Isidra who?
Sa ibang media sources ang babae ay si Isidra Cojuangco, the grandmother of former President Cory Aquino and Peping Cojuangco. 
The story was Luna surreptitiously brought the monies, gold, and silver of the Philippine treasury at the house of Isidra in Tarlac. The American government in the Philippines was at a loss for the whereabouts of those hundreds of millions of pesos in the present denomination.
Sources said those Luna’s wealth created and bankrolled the Hacienda Luisita's estates of the Cojuangcos. 
Here’s the video of that story to those who are curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUbYuRxdavc

UPSIDES OF THE FLICK

1) Bilib ako sa cinematic effects ni Direk, siguro nanunood siya ng combat movies ng Hollywood at nakuha niyang gulatin ang mga manonood. Example, noong nag popped- out ang ulo ng Philippine soldier sa trench na kung saan tinamaan at sumabog ang ulo niya sa bala ng kanyon ( now ko lang nalaman na may sharp shooter na kanyonero na pala) na naging dahilan na nabasa ng dugo ang mga mukha at uniporming rayadillo ng mga kasamahan niya, iyan ika ko ang influenced sa pelikulang “ Saving Private Ryan” ni Steven Spielberg at “Full Metal Jacket” ni Stanley Kubrick kung saan bumubulwak ang dugo at lumilipad ang laman ng tao sa ere.
Pampasarap o embellishment sa film iyang mga motion na iyan.
Noong pagbabarilin ng mga bayolenting Amerkano ang mga bata at ang mga walang kalaban labang mamayan, sabi ko impluwensiya ito, anak ng bakang dalaga, ng violence  style ni Oliver Stone sa “Platoon”.

2) Expected na papatayin ang mga tulad ni Luna kasi naging threat siya kay Aguinaldo. Gusto niyang ipilit ang gusto niya kahit pang political desisyon na ng gobyerno. E heneral siya hindi siya executive or elected official na kung saan sinusunod nila ang pasya ng presidente o commander- in- chief kahit giyera na noon. Example, noong pag aarestuhin niya ang dalawang cabinet members Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Paterno because they quarreled sa cabinet meeting in the presence of President Aguinaldo. That was an affront to the president. When he arrested General Mascardo for insubordination in Pampanga and questioned Aguinaldo the following days why he released Mascardo, he was challenging the authority of the president. When he was heard by soldiers that he would even arrest Aguinaldo and his plan to overthrow the president, he dug already his grave because he made himself a threat at the power-that-be.

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

Marcos eyes VP post despite polls result

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY - Despite trailing behind Senator Francis Escudero in the latest survey for the vice presidency, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. was unperturbed by his status and says running for a higher office has risk.

Senator Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos, Jr. answers
questions field by media men in Dagupan City
last Sunday.

“Every campaign is risky. You run for the Barangay Captain is a risk. Yes, it is risky.So I don’t know it even senatorial is risky. Lahat naman walang tiyak di naman tiyak,” he stressed at a plush restaurant here last Sunday.

When asked that he better run for reelection for the senate where he was at the Top 5 than taking his chance for the vice presidency as based on the September 2 to 5 Social Weather Station’s polls.

The third quarter +3 -3 Margin- of- Error national SWS says that for the vice presidency 27% chose Senator Grace Poe, 20% Sen. Escudero, 9% Davao City Rodrigo Duterte, 7% Senator Bongbong Marcos, 7% Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada,  5% Senator Alan Peter Cayetano,  5% Senator Loren Legarda, 4% Batangas Governor Vilma Santos,  4% Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, 3%  former Senator Panfilo Lacson,  3% Camarines Sur 3rd District Representative Leni Robredo,  2% Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and  0.9% former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, Jr.

Grace Poe should up her PR versus Roxas et al

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

A world class one kilometre cemented highway contracted by the Department of Public Works & Highway cost the government P20 million.
“Iyang pag bubungkal pa ng patag sa bukid ang contractor, P20 million ang running price niyan ngayon,” a brass at the DPWH told me.

Presidential wannabes in the Philippine's May 9, 2016 presidential election.
From left Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, and Local
Government Secretary Mar Roxas.(PHOTO CREDIT: getrealPhilippines.

com)

Noong tinanung ko kung magkano ang more or less 5 kilometers new De Venecia Highway sa Dagupan City noong pinundohan ni former 5-Time Speaker Jose de Venecia ang diversion road na iyon noong 2004, the brass told me pumalo ng P400 million ang construction at pa-semento.
“Sobrang mahal naman, bale P80 million bawat kilometro ang pagawa ng 5 kilometers na kalsada!”sambulat ko.
He said it was not that expensive since the highway is first class that until now they still paint it to spruce it up.

“Saka noong ginawa iyan nasa fish pen area iyan. Kaya madaming semento, bato, buhangin binuhos diyan para maging kalsada. May dalawang tulay pa diyan bukod doon sa P900 million na bridge na ang funding ay nanggaling pa sa JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)”.
***

Social Weather Station released its latest September 2 and 3 polls on the presidential, vice presidential and senatorial wannabes.

In the presidential it showed voters' preference for Poe at 47%, up by 5 percentage points from 42% in June.
Among the three declared presidential candidates, Roxas posted the highest jump in voters' preference – 39% in September from 21% in June, an 18-percentage point increase.
Voters' preference for Binay was statistically unchanged at 35%, from 34% in June.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who had announced that he would not seek the presidency, was fourth with 16%, from 20% in June.

The survey had 1,200 respondents scientifically distributed in the entire country. 300 respondents for the four areas Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Margin of Error (MoE) for the country was +3 -3 while  each of the four areas had +6-6 MoE.  To the uniiniated, +3 or -3 means a percent or hundred thousands of votes of this could be a led or a deficit of Roxas’ 39% to Binay’s 35%. We can say that Binay can be nearing a statistical tie thus the word “plus” with Roxas or Roxas dusted off Binay with millions of votes because of the word “minus” in the +3 or -3 MoE.