I received this e-mail from Ms. Virgie Pasalo.I am sharing it to you.

OFWs Beware! Text Scams on the Loose.
Yesterday, I got this text message from cellphone number +639284207393 which states:

"SMART PADALA:CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON NOKIA N90 FROM OUR NETWORK TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE PLEASE CALL TOLL FREE HOTLINE 09284203793 DTI PERMIT #2578"

I did not call this number because I do not send money through SMART PADALA and could not explain to myself why I would be in their list of winning numbers.

I got another one today from cellphone number +639207857269:
"Congratulations you won major prize promo raffles by PCSO please call dont text RENE RAMA 09109069804, 9am today release check prize REA RAMA sec. board of judges."

For two weeks now, I send my receipts to 9778, to participate in the Premyo Sa Resibo (PSR), a project of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to make tax collections more efficient. Since I was half-awake when I received the text at 6:55am, I thought I won the daily draw on Friday, October 13, from my receipt at Shopwise.

Doubting, but half-believing, I called the number of a certain Rene Rama, who informed me that the PCSO and SMART have an ongoing promotional activity in celebration of the PCSO Anniversary, and that they held an electronic raffle to share their blessings to SMART subscribers. The prize, P200,000 tax-free, will be under my name, and will be sent through the nearest Western Union nearest my residence. Unable to restrain myself, I asked, "Is this a scam?" He feigned offense and told me, "PCSO does not deal in scams, and anyway, if you do not believe his story, the prize will just be given to charity."

He then asked me to text my name and address at his cellphone number, and to call him immediately after I have done so. So I did. After that, he asked me to buy two SMART Buddy Prepaid Cards because according to him, it was because of SMART that they were able to access my cellphone number. He strongly reminded me that SMART requires not to use the cards, but to text their numbers to his cellphone number after which he will give me the two claim numbers at Western Union. I told him, "Okay, but I can not attend to that now, I will do that later." He replied, "We only work half-day on Sundays."

At 11:35am, impatient to wait for my call (which I intended to make in the presence of authorities), Rama texted an ultimatum,

"Kung hndi n kayo mag claim ibibigay k na s charity us donation. Kung mag claim p kayo pls call me now tnx."

There are several inconsistencies to this story. First, it is difficult to believe that PCSO works overtime on Sunday to inform winners to a raffle draw whose results can be announced on working days. Second, the text said that the prize will be in check, but now it was going to be sent through Western Union. Third, if I sent him the numbers of the SMART Prepaid Cards that he asked me to purchase, he can now key in the numbers and use it himself. Fourth, if I legitimately won a prize, why would he serve me an ultimatum? There are fifth, sixth and so many other inconsistencies, but these are enough to document how it is done, so I could warn others about their operation.

I surfed through the internet and found that some OFWs have similar experiences. When you receive a text message, make sure you are fully awake to understand the text, and do not buy those SMART Prepaid Cards and send the numbers to these con artists. If you do, you would have contributed in financing texts to use to scam others.

PLEASE WARN OFWS.

BURGOS, Pangasinan—The mayor of this coastal town is urging the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Crime Laboratory agents in Manila to release as soon as possible the results of the laboratory test on the suspected illegal drugs substance placed in drums and other containers which were seized in barangay Anapao hereSept. 28 yet.

This, as PNP elements in the province, suspect that a new modus operandi of illegal drug manufacturers seemed to have been conducted here with the suspects suspected to have encamped in the area using tents while manufacturing possibly shabu.

Mayor Domingo Doctor told this corner over the weekend in a telephone interview that eight big drums, about 20-galloner containers, several brown bottles suspected to have contained ephedrine, a substance used in making shabu, were left abandoned in the area.

These were discovered by joint elements of the local police, provincial police, elements of Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) after the lot owner, Wilson Bonilla, reported the incident to the mayor about five days later when he allegedly saw intruders camping inside his isolated lot in a hilly area.

But no one was arrested due to late reporting of the incident and only the abandoned paraphernalia were confiscated.

“We’re wondering what takes long the government agency concerned to release the result,” Doctor said in Tagalog.

He said they have “zero development” about it and they feel at a loss.

“Shabu ba yong mga nakumpiska o ano? Sa Manila ba dadalhin o saan (Were those seized shabu or what? For Manila or where)?,” Doctor asked.

He, however, said he has called a meeting among the barangay officials so that in case they come across new faces in their area, like foreigners, they should immediately report it to proper authorities.

Why Burgos?

Doctor said he is wondering why the suspects chose his town as the place for their illegal drugs manufacturing since it has been consistently adjudged drug-free. This town is among the coastal areas in western Pangasinan.

He said the suspects, with the new discovery of their style of manufacturing drugs, could be now doing a “guerilla operation”, doing their illegal trade by transferring from one place to another.

He said they are now possibly shifting their operation to rural areas.
“Dati sa building sila gumagawa. Ngayon mukhang iba na (Before, they did it in buildings. Now, it looks like it’s a different thing),” he said.

He said perhaps if the reporting was made timely, there could have been a bloody encounter between the suspects and government troops.

Police report posted only on Oct. 6 at the PNP Pangasinan website showed that recovered were two empty mineral water containers colored blue with Aqua Karada markings, two empty mineral water containers without marking, four empty blue container without cap, eleven empty blue container with cap, three empty black containers with cap, one blue container with unknown liquid substance, one greenish container with black residue inside, one empty big black bucket, four empty blue drums, one empty green galvanized container, one empty green galvanized container, one empty stainless steamer, 57 seven empty dark colored bottles, 20 white papers, four styrofoam containers, eight styrofoam containers with eight holes each, 66 rubber gloves, 10 rubber hoses, one cigarette pack with Chinese marking, one yellow funnel, one plastic with Chinese character markings.

Foods with Chinese character markings

Superintendent Noli Taliño, deputy police director for operations and also the provincial intelligence officer, told this writer in a separate interview that the suspects are possibly foreigners with local contacts.

He said the wrappers of foods left in the area by the suspects bore Chinese character markings. The abandoned bread also showed that the suspects have just left the area because they were not yet spoiled.

Doctor said the bottled drinking water seized also bore markings that these were made and brought from Dagupan City.

Taliño described the place as isolated, steep, slippery and bushy although it was about 100 meters away from the roadside. The surroundings had very foul smell, he said.

There were first camping site, second until the highest part where a tent was installed for possible manufacturing. At the peak, no one could smell what’s “being cooked” up there, the mayor said.

“Perhaps this could be a mobile shabu laboratory but we can’t conclude yet until we have received the results of the laboratory test,” Taliño said.

He was informed that the machine of Crime Laboratory was destroyed, thus the delay of the results’ release.

Some of the drums were buried, others already empty while some gallons had contents.

It may be recalled that sometime in 1999 there 422 kilos of shabu seized from four Chinese in Infanta town this province, a town near Burgos. This was then considered by authorities as the biggest shabu haul.

BUGALLON, Pangasinan, Philippines—This town, about seven kilometers away from the capital town of Lingayen, is eyeing to get national attention when it stages its Deremen Festival during its annual town fiesta celebration in November.

Mayor Rodrigo Orduña told this writer that they are now coordinating with various sectors in the town as they intend to cook the biggest inlubi, a delicacy made of deremen, also known as pinipig (glutinous rice colored black cooked with coconut milk) at the town plaza.

Deremen is a favorite Pangasinan glutinous rice delicacy available during the months of September to December. It is especially planted with the locally known macaroyo variety, harvested at a tender age, smoked and pounded with a rhythm at night using a farmer’s equipment known as lasong or taltalan.

This coming November 30, Bugallon will celebrate its annual fiesta
celebration and this year’s fest promises to be a unique and exciting one,
with the planned “ Deremen Festival”, Orduña said.

He added that they will also show different ways to cook deremen.

He said they would like to go back to history when deremen or different ways of cooking it like inlubi was the main food on the table of Pangasinenses during All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2 respectively for their guests to enjoy.

“Maybe we’ll just try with a small event,” the mayor said.

He said deremen is called “a labor of love” because the long process is tedious before one could have and enjoy it.

DAGUPAN CITY— Pope Benedict XVI would be the last person on earth that could speak ill of the Muslim religion, said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, as he added that the alleged attack, insult or offense made by the Pope against the Muslim religion “is not only a gross falsity but also a bad joke”

In a statement yesterday, Cruz, former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said, ”If anything at all, the allegation is instead a shameless attack, insult or offense to the Pope”

Cruz said the relationship between faith and reason was the focus of the lecture of Pope Benedict XVI on 12 September 2006 at the University of Regensburg.

He added that the Holy Father has always loved the academe, considering that he is himself an eminent scholar.

“His kindness and humility are only matched by his knowledge and wisdom. Learning and prudence—these can be said as the human attributes that best describe the person of Pope Benedict XVI,” Cruz added.

He said the substance of his (Pope’s) lecture is a threefold truth: First, faith and reason are compatible. Second, faith illumines reason functions. Third, reason affirms faith acts. In other words, just as God has the disposition to make himself known to man, man on the other hand has the capacity to know God.

Cruz said the Holy Father cited the Surah 2,256 that reads: “There is no compulsion in religion.” In plain words, the Pope himself subscribes to the truth brought forward by Mohammed that mere force cannot make man have faith. Man should not only see the rationality of the faith but also freely accept it. Otherwise, man would not have genuine faith. Violence or force has no place in the interaction between God and Man. In the same way, force or violence cannot make man really believe in God”.

He said that sometime in 1391, there was the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus who in his dialogue with a Persian scholar said: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword, the faith he preached.”

Cruz clarified that it was definitely not Benedict XVI who said this. The truth is that the Pope countered this errant pronouncement by the said Emperor by citing precisely that according to Mohammad himself “There is no compulsion in religion.” (Surah 2,256), he said.

”Where is the attack, insult or offense?,” Cruz asked.

But most Muslims across the globe saw it in a different way and were in uproar over the Pope’s comments allegedly linking Islam with violence.

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines—Two young siblings, aged five and three,died after they drowned when their father left them in their house the other day in sitio Lico, barangay Camantiles this city.

Supt. Paquito Navarrete, the city police chief, identified the fatalities as Eric Delos Reyes, five and his three-year old sister, Jopay Delos Reyes.

Navarette told this writer that based on investigation, the two were left by their father, Gabby Delos Reyes, 22, carpenter, around 6:00 a.m. Thursday.

But when he returned home, he was informed that his children died due to
drowning as their house was very near the Tulong River.

Police said Eric was trying to save Jopay who was then drowning. Their cadavers were found within the area.

(This article I wrote was also published in The Sunday Punch)

BASISTA, Pangasinan— In this quiet small town, music is its heart and soul. And soon, it will create noise when it stages its “Orchestra Festival”.

Consider this: The town, with only 13 barangays, has about nine orchestras, seven of which are found in just one barangay, providing music and entertainment during barangay and town fiesta celebrations across the province.

In fact, before one enters the town, a marker that reads” Welcome to Basista: Hometown of Famous Orchestras” greets visitors. Also below the greeting are words “Where Fine Music Begins”.

The town with a land area of 1,560 hectares only, which celebrated its 45th foundation anniversary last Sept. 5, actually has only about 26,000 population.

With its popular orchestras being tapped to provide music and entertainment in as far as Metro Manila and in other neighboring provinces of Pangasinan, Mayor Raul de Guzman and the town officials are planning to stage next year the “ Orchestra Festival”. This will pit the nine orchestras against each other in a showdown that will truly delight the townsfolk and their guests.

De Guzman said they have actually planned to hold the said festival last year but lack of time prevented them from pushing the project.

In next year’s town fiesta celebration (held annually every second week of March), de Guzman said they are set to hold the festival that aims to further propel the popularity of the town’s orchestras not only province-wide but nationwide as well.

De Guzman, whose family is also into the orchestra industry with their famous Don Podring de Guzman Orchestra, said in a small barangay of Dumpay alone, seven orchestras are found there.

The mayor said all of them in the family composed of seven siblings are into this business. Some family members are singers, orchestra conductor while others play different musical instruments. They assist altogether during fiestas.

Although the business is seasonal with its peak months from November to May, de Guzman said it is a good source of livelihood to those involved in it, majority are from this town.

De Guzman said getting into the orchestra business has become a “family affair” as he noted that it is a special talent and skill passed on by their forefathers to the next generations. Most of the singers have other family members also involved in the orchestra either singing too or playing other musical instruments.

One orchestra that assists in fiestas has about 40 men involved.

Bayambang Mayor Leocadio de Vera Jr whose town is adjacent to this municipality, said that during the traditional one week town fiesta celebration in every city or municipality in the province, with nightly programs like Sangguniang Kabataan, Professionals, Liga ng mga Barangay, Senior Citizens, Balikbayans, People’s and Coronation, it is a common request that there should be an orchestra assisting.

“”Siyempre, pag masaya ang mga tao, masaya na rin kaming mga mayors kaya hanap naman kami ng mga willing sponsors para talagang lively and colorful ang aming fiesta (Of course, if our townmates are happy, we, the mayors are also happy so we try to find willing sponsors in order to make our fiesta lively and colorful)”, de Vera said.

Villasis Mayor Nonato Abrenica said orchestras are certified crowd drawers during fiestas.

“Iba ang dating. Siyempre live music yan at minsan sa isang taon lang nangyayayari (It’s a different thing. Of course that’s live music and it happens only once a year,” Abrenica said.

He added that although it is quite costly, with price ranging from P60,000 to P80,000 for local orchestras and higher if Manila-based every one night until wee hours performance, local government units still try to find means to have one or two during the main event in town fiesta celebrations because it has become a tradition where people from all walks of life enjoy a different kind of entertainment.

With its music reverberating around the province, this town’s orchestras which started sometime in 1970s, promise to give better entertainment each year, de Guzman said.

And as one exits the town, another marker reads,” Where Fine Music Ends”.

BINMALEY, Pangasinan— Special Action Force (SAF) men are especially trained
to fight terrorists and insurgents and should not be doing a lighter job as
security of VIPs (Very Important Persons).

Thus, as directed by Philippine National Police (PNP Chief Director General
Oscar Calderon, about 1,600 especially-trained policemen for SAF detailed as
security of VIPs or doing lighter job of securing establishments like
Congress, Senate and other Cabinet buildings are now being recalled.

Calderon, who was here last week for the inauguration of the town’s new
police station, told local newsmen that these SAF men are “not being removed”
but are “recalled” where they are detailed.

“We are recalling these especially-trained forces to concentrate on counter
insurgency”, Calderon said.

Those recalled as security of VIPs are being replaced with other policemen
who are trained on VIP security, he added.

Asked if there are VIPs complaining regarding this move, Calderon said,” We
cannot satisfy everybody. There will always be complaints but if you could
show the real intention of the recall, I believe they would agree with us”.

He said SAF men are trained to fight terrorists as well as insurgents.

Calderon said they are now training auxiliary forces from the ranks of
retired policemen, security guards and civilian sectors to secure VIPs and
businessmen and they will be employed as security of these VIPs and
businessmen.

Meanwhile, Calderon said they are now doing “target hardening” as well as
conduct of checkpoints along the streets in Metro Manila and suburbs in
preparation for the 9/11 terrorists’ attack.

Although the 9/11 attack happened in the US on Sept. 11, 2001 where 19 men
affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners
which crashed resulting in the death of almost 3,000 people, he said there is
a Filipino mentality wherein we recall incidents during its anniversary.

He said they have already alerted their regional commands to take
precautionary measures on establishments that could be soft targets of
terrorism.

He added that they have been strict in the conduct of implementations of
checkpoints like in the airports, bus stations, light railway transits as
well as in malls.

There are also policemen in uniform and in civilian clothes who are armed and
ready to engage against people with criminal activities in these places, he
said.

He said the police have also advised owners of big establishments to hire
more security personnel to better secure their establishments.

DAGUPAN CITY– One Oscar, a man in uniform, promised to stop jueteng in Luzon
by the end of this month.Another Oscar, a man of cloth, doubts it could be
done without the blessings of the "big boss".

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz gave cheers to the recent
pronouncement of Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Calderon
in his resolve to stop jueteng this month. But, he said that "the good
Director better be convinced that unless he has the approval and blessing of
the national leadership, he cannot “totally stop” jueteng in the country".

The Senate Inquiry on Jueteng amply demonstrated this preferred status of
jueteng in the country, he said.

Cruz, chairman of Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng (Crusade Against
Jueteng), said that there are certain signal truths that Calderon is
respectfully invited to look into to verify this reality-or otherwise.

The good director should know by now that jueteng has long been the big curse
of the poor bettors and the big blessing of its influential operators, the
senior prelate said. He should also by now aware that most of those corporate
entities running the STL (small town lottery) are the jueteng capitalists
themselves using the jueteng structure to collect STL bets, he added.

Cruz said the good Director should likewise be now cognizant of the fact that
STL is conveniently used by its collectors as a cover-up precisely to gather
jeuteng bets as well. Furthermore, without deliberate manipulation, STL will
not bring money to its financiers, on account of which jueteng cannot but be
played with it, he added.

He said the good Director should be convinced that just as STL is approved by
a Province, City or Municipality by introductory payolas to certain local
authorities, jueteng on the other hand also thrives only on account of
payolas to those specifically enjoined to stop it, he said. He added that
Calderon should realize that just as drug money runs the elections in certain
American countries, jueteng money runs much of the elections in this country.

Cruz said the good Director should remember a key reality in the stop-and-go
signals of jueteng before a scheduled election. For the 2004 National
Elections, jueteng was totally stopped for two months or so, the priest said.

"Immediately thereafter, jueteng came back with a vengeance, the reason for
the stoppage was simply for those concerned to arrange and agree upon how
much payolas go to whom and when-in anticipation of the projected election
campaign expenses," he said.

He added," The good Director better be convinced that unless he has the
approval and blessing of the national leadership, he cannot “totally stop”
jueteng in the country".

Cruz, whose fight against jueteng has reached the halls of Senate, said the
Senate Inquiry on Jueteng amply demonstrated this preferred status of jueteng
in the country.

"The Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Jueteng can only send its well wishes to the
good director for his success in freeing the country of the greed and avarice
of jueteng syndicates-permanently!," Cruz said.

BINMALEY, Pangasinan—With more candidates signifying interest to join the gubernatorial race in 2007 , the fight becomes more exciting.

As the incumbent governor is due to finish his three successive terms, second district Rep. Amado Espino Jr said he has been preparing for the 2007 gubernatorial elections in Pangasinan making it possibly a six-cornered fight.

Espino, now on his second term, said it’s his option to run for governor in this vote-rich province, possibly wrestling it out with Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino, Governor Victor Agbayani’s wife Jamie Eloise, retired Philippine National Police Chief Arturo Lomibao, sixth district Rep. Conrado Estrella III and Undersecretary for Local Governance Antonio Villar Jr.

However, Villar, despite being pushed by influential officials and rich people to support him in case he runs, is still quiet about the fight.

Next year’s gubernatorial fight is seen as the most exciting with the exit of Agbayani as this will be a “free-for-all” electoral race.

But Espino, former regional director of the Philippine National Police in region 1, said he believes that Lomibao, his classmate in the Philippine Military Academy, whom he described as his partner ever since and kumpadre, will not clash against him.

“One has to give way and we will be supporting each other,” Espino, KAMPI’s regional and provincial chairman, said.

He added that Estrella talked to him few days ago , saying that he is no longer interested to run for governor and will instead support him. Estrella is only in his second term as congressman in his district.

URDANETA CITY— Money scattered in the street after a French-Filipino national lost about P150,000 to thieves who slashed his bag after withdrawing said money in a bank here last Aug. 28.

Police reported that around 12:00 noon along Alexander st., Poblacion here, Pedro Soriano Lee, 50, married, with addresses at barangay Calepaan this city and 219 Malta Village, Tapuac, Dagupan City was victimized by unidentified thieves.

Lee had just come out from PCI Equitable Bank along Alexander st this city after withdrawing said amount and about to board a Victory Bus Liner heading towards Dagupan City when he was allegedly blocked and bumped by a group of persons composed of three females and one male.

The suspects allegedly slashed his bag containing the money and the victim only noticed the incident when bystanders scrambled to pick up the money scattered in the street.

Suspects ran in different directions.