More about the real JdV

By Gerry Garcia

TO some men and women in local media today, print and broadcast, who always find themselves in face-to-face interview with the inimitable Speaker Joe de Venecia, the little Binloc man in his real self, including his memorable past, probably remain unseen. That is, unless some older colleague, like this writer, who has seen JDV up close, dared to come up with eye-popping revelations about the man’s previous life.

In his late teen, Joe worked as a correspondent for local and foreign press. At 18 Joe was already Philippine bureau chief of Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance, the first Asian news agency.     At 25, he was appointed by then Vice-President Diosdado Macapagal as one of the spokesmen of the United Opposition under the Liberal Party that propelled DM to the presidency against President Carlos Garcia. From here the young de Venecia pioneered in the establishment of the first government radio station in Northern Luzon — Radio Philippine Network  (RPN), giving him access to meeting with statesmen, foreign and local ministers, politicians and businessmen. Read more

The PM race

By Jun Velasco

WE saw a thread of heroism in former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, at least, in the way he interprets our national hero Jose Rizal’s life and thoughts, which makes him an ideal spokesman of the hero: his thoughtful nature.

In an informal huddle at the Social  Security System auditorium last Tuesday, the country’s ambassador-elect to the United Nations (vice Lauro Baja, who will, reports say, take the Foreign Affairs portfolio) was himself even in small “chismis,”so that when we whispered  that he was the dark horse for Prime Minister, he laughed the loudest.

Some say that his appointment to the UN was intended to get him near Washington or Pentagon which will surely have a say in the election (or selection?) of the Philippine PM after. Read more

A visit to Tuguegarao City

By Gonzalo Duque

TUGUEGARAO CITY - Some people are wondering why the Lyceum Northwestern   University has awarded  Doctorate Degrees in the recipients’ university or college campuses  instead of at the LNU.

Well, it is an innovation in the field of education which I am proud to claim as LNU’s new state of the art curriculum. I am proud to say that the university has earned plus points on this account.

Who were our honorees so far? Dr. Pedro San Jose of the University of Mindanao, Dr. Cezar Agnir of the Northern Christian College in Laoag City, Dr. Ben Nicolas of the North-western College, also of Laoag City, and just last Thursday, Provincial Board Member Dr. Victor Ventura Perez, doctor of humanities in public service in honoris causa, president Cagayan Colleges Tuguegarao.

Vic is a friend, a colleague in the PRISSA having been its regional vice president in Region I.  LNU’s visit to Vic’s place was also educational on our part because the trip broadened one’s horizons, mine and the entire troops who joined me. All the members of my party were full of ohs and ahs on the beauty of Tuguegarao City and the hospitality and friendliness of the people out there. Read more

419er

By Al S. Mendoza

I HAVE A CONFESSION to make. Erap and I were born on the same day: April 19. Ah, we are 419ers.

Alas, our commonality ends there.

He is a celebrity and I am not.

He is rich and I am not.

He won a Famas best actor award and I have not.

He has many women and I only have one - Sol, the sunshine of my life.

And, yes, he was a former president of this republic and I am not.  N’yet, anyways.  I say that because in this world, nobody knows for certain what the future holds for us. Read more

San Carlos City still reigns supreme in mango, bamboo production

By Eva C. Visperas

IT was an unscheduled trip but still our group went to San Carlos City though we feared we might not be able to interview our news sources because it was then already 11:30 when we headed to the city.

Of course, the place is very dear to me for several reasons: I grew up there and studied from elementary to high school. But every time I pass by  the area that I’ve known to be as Central II where I finished my elementary education, I could not help but feel a pinch in my heart because the  school was no longer there. A big shopping mall took its place.

I am always proud of the city I dearly love but I must admit I seldom gather news there. That’s why my former classmates and even their spouses like Brando Garcia who is already based in the US together with wife Arsenia and the whole family, had been requesting me to write something about our city.

Though our timing seemed wrong at first, we were still lucky because the mayor was very happy to see us. You see, it was my first time to interview him in his office. Read more

PhilRice engineers make land preparation easier

By Sosimo Ma. Pablico

Land preparation for rice farms need not be a backbreaking job anymore as agricultural engineers have already designed a set of attachments that can perform different operations with the operator riding on a seat assembly.

PhilRice (Philippine Rice Research Institute) engineers led by   Elmer G. Bautista and Dr. Bernardo D. Tadeo and a manufacturer, Roman Lugto, said the tractor operator rides on the seat assembly while plowing, harrowing and leveling the field and, hence, would no longer walk an equivalent distance from Manila to Los Baños, Laguna while doing any of the three operations. 

The seat assembly also provides a certain degree of safety and ease of operation for the tractor operator while plowing, harrowing or leveling.  Since the operator no longer walks behind the machine, he escapes possible injury that might be caused by sharp objects in the mud.  Read more

Interpretation of laws

By +Oscar V. Cruz

While this is already a long since well settled question in countries where there are three independent branches of government—the legislature, the executive department and the judiciary—it would do no harm to ask the question: who has the more immediate and better competence to interpret a law?

It seems that the best interpreter of a law is the legislator himself/herself. This made the law after much study, reflection and resolve. This is wherefore the one who knows the law better and who can wherefore best interpret the law. This appears to be nothing more than the dictate of elementary logic. Read more

I  wannabe

By Immanuelle

Take this story. A little boy cuddles up to his grandfather. The grandfather, who is also the town’s mayor, plays with the child’s hair. Idly, the grandfather asks: “What would you like to be when you grow up?”

“I wanna sit on your chair.”

The grandfather is touched, and feels more than a little proud. None among his children ever showed the inclination or expressed the ambition to follow in his footsteps, except for this dear child of his child. He tips the boy’s chin to him that they may talk into each other’s eyes. “You mean - be a mayor like me? Be a leader and at the same time, a servant to the people of the community?”

“No, Lolo!” the child’s eyes go wide. “I just wanna sit on your chair. And feel rich, and important, and powerful!” Shocked, Lolo almost drops the child from his lap.

Then take this. A girl, on her first-year of pre-med, lies on her hospital bed. In fact, the hospital is like a second home to her; she had been in-and-out of hospitals since birth for a debilitating life-threatening ailment. This time, she had been confined for a month. Her mother does not leave her bedside. She prays the novena to the Blessed Mother every now and then - for her daughter’s recovery, for strength for the both of them. Read more

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sundaypunch2@yahoo.com as in below:

Ex:
January 29, Wedding anniversary, Dop and Snow Garcia, Los Angeles, CA
May 29, Birthday, Karmina Arrogante, Dagupan City
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April 23 - (Dagupan City) Jose Sanchez, Clemente Bermudez

April 24 - (Dagupan City) Myrna Cendaña, Kathleen Crisostomo; (Manaoag) Bona Catubig Meneses

April 25 - (Dagupan City) Louela Agustin, Nenita Sandoval

April 26 - (Dagupan City) Corazon Caldona-Sandoval

April 27 - (Dagupan City) Inocencia Arellano, Pete Rebudal; (Pozorrubio) Rowena de Leon

April 28 - (Dagupan City) Dexter Quitlong

April 29 - (Dagupan City) Aurora Linda M. Calvero

April 30 - (Dagupan City) Catalino Raga,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

EVA C. VISPERAS

(April 25, 2006- Binmaley)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sir BEBOT VILLAR

(April 23, 2006)