Lea Sembrano Croce
28 Feb 2007

Happy 19th birthday to my sister, Romalyn L Sembrano of Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City. Happy happy birthday sis, may all ur wishes comes true. God Bless U always!

Love and good wishes from Australia ate Lea, kuya Mario, niece Carissa and nephew Carlo and Cy

Mar Magsano
27 Feb 2007

 

 

Jun Velasco,

Nancy Cornista Estrada and Dr. Fernando Estrada do not own a hospital in Pennsylvania. They used to have a Medical Surgery Clinic with other doctors, but they closed it down 3 years ago, because they cannot afford to pay their malpractice insurance.

Many doctors and surgeons in Pennsylvania left to work to another state, because they can not afford to pay high costs of malpractice insurance. Many hospitals are closing down. A lot of doctors are out of work and they retired early.

I think your friend Dr. Fernando Estrada is one of them, out of business and now he is working for a catholic hospital where he went to school for and his patient will pay him not the hospital.

Eduardo Pontaoe
27 Feb 2007

 

The General cometh. This will be a test of who shall prevail in the rough and tumble world of Santa Barbara politics. Carlito Zaplan, the ex-mayor is running. With the opposition in disarray as shown in the last election when Carlito’s wife Jinky demolished everybody, then the only chance of beating the Zaplan dynasty is the cohesiveness of the other side of the fence if they can convince themselves to go along with Reynaldo Velasco. It is a foregone conclusion the opposition faction of the Cabangons, the Erfes, the Joses and all disgruntled members of the Zaplan clique have already anointed a mayoral candidate and it’s not Velasco. Hoping they can work this out.

Zaplan with all his present shortcomings is formidable. He has the network and the equipment against all odds. Lito Zaplan was tested in battle and had been mayor of the town thrice and one with no opposition. And being in the team of Arroyo (his wedding ninang) he is well connected and also the backing of The Biskeg party of Pangasinan which Bebot Villar is his compadre.

How about Velasco? Can he win in a town where votes are auctioned? He’d never be in the thick of political maneuvering and deceit. The possibility of him winning in a highly charged political town where allegiance is cheap is suspect. But, Santa Barbara needs new ideas, a new beginning and Velasco, how rookie he maybe in politics, is the right prescription to curve the disease of non-transparency in governance. He can be the person for the time and place to change the concept of Santa Barbara’s subliminal politics. I am not a betting person. The odds are against him but it’s all in the horse flesh. He could be a surprise since Harry Truman.

Ben Arenas
27 Feb 2007

Just want to wish my dad, Benjamin D. Arenas Snr. of Tapuac Dist., a happy 60th birthday on 10th April 2007. May you have many more birthdays to come. Will be thinking of you on your special day.

Love and miss you lots. Love from all your boys and girls in Scotland, UK. Love you, pa. Take care always, and look after yourself. - Ben Jr.

Miguel Bulatao
27 Feb 2007

This coming elections, let us all do our part to protect our votes. With our manual system of counting, election results are always prone to cheating. There is a good chance that a rightful winner will be cheated out of office should he not have enough poll watchers. Having enough poll watchers to guard your votes entails a lot of money. Thus, only candidates with deep pockets (and even deeper motives) will be able to guard their votes and poor candidates do not stand a chance against these “buwayas” who will have nothing better to do in office but to try and recuperate the funds they have used in their campaign. Maybe this is the reason some of them do not want to leave their posts?

Hindi pa siguro nila nabawi ang gastos nung huling eleksyon kaya they will do everything just to remain in power. Let us not let this happen. We must stop money politics in Pangasinan. If we do not do our part and guard our votes, who will? Let us not wait for a candidate to pay us to guard his/her votes. Let us do it on our own will. Stop money politics now. Iboto natin ang candidatong may malaking puso, hindi ang candidatong may malalim na bulsa. If we remain passive, then we have no right to complain about the present situation we are in.

Eduardo Pontaoe
26 Feb 2007

 

To: Atty. Luis C. Catubig,

What’s there to get mad about? You’re fiery refusal in admission and demanding a public apology from The Sunday Punch and Mr. Juanito Lagao concerning the described properties at Tondaligan Park, is not only uncalled for but undeservedly aberrant. The aforementioned real estate properties with the Dagupan City Assessors Office and the Department of Environment of Natural Resources are as follows: Tax Declaration Certificate Nos. 4070949 and 4071046 with an area of 4065 sq. meters apiece. These properties in question are inside Tondaligan Park…in your name… which according to the investigation being done by the City are questionable and are being challenge the authenticity of ownership.

So far, by far there are already 38 TDCs cancelled according to The Punch recent report. You told us that a piece of property transferred to you by your father and having an area of 4065 sq. meters and located at Binloc, is only property you have and not two (2) as published. But in your post you did not show the Tax Declaration Certificate No. of this property you acquired from your dad to dispute that one of these in question is legit.

Remember that when Mr. Lagao of DENR released the fictitious owners at Tondaligan Park, I would assume that he checked the legality of each property. If one of these properties is titled it will show and it won’t get printed. So, the idea of Mr. Lagao making a mistake on the properties…any property as filed…is nil.

Checking diligently your properties, it appeared that one is listed as Luis C. Catubig, #4070949 and Luis Catubig, #4071046. You can cut the former from the latter but you can’t pretend these persons are separate. An example: Myrna C. Lopez, #4070141 and Myrna Lopez, #4070162 are one and the same person.

However, Dagupeños and the taxpaying public should be thankful to Gonzalo Duque in his exposé because without him this thing wouldn’t see the light of day. I salute him. Having the chutzpah…the fortitude…the mettle…the intrepidity…the audacity to go where others fear to tread.

Lastly, you and I could concur, ‘Ag ontitit so bolilit no aga napildit’.

The Miniature President

It has been both amusing and engrossing to see in the past week how news about the contest for governorship is intensifying in many provinces, particularly in Luzon.

This includes Nueva Ecija, which has been put in the Commission on Election’s list of “areas of concern” precisely because of the gubernatorial race; Pampanga, where the two top bets seem to be vying not just for the people’s vote but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s endorsement which could possibly prove to be a double-edged sword; and Batangas, where showbusiness and family ties give it an added sensational twist.

The gubernatorial battle in Pangasinan, though it has yet to grab national media attention, is even more hotly-contested. 

The list of wannabes is long and fascinating: Dr. Jamie Agbayani, wife of the incumbent governor, Victor Agbayani, who has confirmed two weeks ago that his spouse is indeed in the running; Rep. Amado Espino, the current congressman for the second district of the province; Vice Governor Oscar Lambino, a veteran politician and loyal party member who has threatened to bolt from the ruling LAKAS-CMD party if Agbayani is chosen over him to become the administration’s bearer; Undersecretary for local governance Antonio Villar and one who may very well be considered as the dark horse, Oscar Orbos who has already once served the position.
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Absentee Guadiz is back to “work”

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

Our report about the insistence of Mr. Roberto Sison, the favorite contractor of my favorite mayor Mr. Benjie Lim, to invoke his right not to comment on the missing steel bars and trusses on abandoned Bugnay commercial center only serves to validate our suspicion that something stinks to high heavens in the Magsaysay Tourism complex project being pursued by my favorite mayor.

            First, the bidding for the project showed telltale signs of a failed bidding but the city legal officer, Dindin Baniqued, provided the legal gobbledygook to uphold the proceedings, never mind that the documents used were clearly aimed at misrepresenting facts. Second, my favorite mayor asked the city council to pass a resolution on an after-the-fact basis, meaning he completed the negotiation without city council’s authorization then now demands it purely as an administrative compliance with the law. Thirdly, absentee Onor-onor chief Teofilo Guadiz III submitted his committee’s endorsement of the project presenting arguments that practically subverted the truth. (Mercifully, that report is still unsigned. Why kaya?).

            Now comes the refusal of the contractor who cleared the area in question to shed light on the missing steel bars. (In our book, it’s called obstruction of justice).     

            If you still don’t smell that something stinks, you should see your friendly EENT tomorrow.
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VFA’s ’soft approach’ in Sulu

By Gerry Garcia

TODAY, after more than half a century of independence from Mother America, there are still protests and rallies, though launched in harmless clusters mostly by so-called militants, daring “imperialist Yankees” to keep hands off matters that are not their business here, and to go home!

We find this attitude odd, are in fact against over accusations of imperialism directed at the United States of America… as if it was a colonial power ruling over and exploiting countries of the Third World, which she truly is not.
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Gloria Pagsolingan Geronimo
26 Feb 2007

Kuya Romy,

Salamat sa pakikiramay nyo. Yes, our beloved father’s homecoming was on Jan. 29, 2007. Dumating kami ng Basista ng Jan. 30, 2007 to see him… to be with him for the last time. Inilibing po siya ng Feb. 10, 2007.

Salamat po ulit and regards. God Bless.