Miguel Bulatao
22 April 2007

 

To the Ombudsman:

May I ask that your office investigate certain candidates who are using government resources for their campaign. I recently came across a gubernatorial bet’s campaign sortie and noticed they were using vehicles with red plates. Let us not condone this blatant display of graft and corruption. Kung sa campaign palang ay ganyan na, what more pag nakaupo na?

I don’t want to name names here for it will most likely sound like black propaganda on my part. But just take note of the candidate’s campaign posse, ang dami dami nila. I was trying to figure out how many jeeps they were using just to accommodate all of them. Yun pala, e sasakyan ng gobyerno ang sinasakyan ng mga walang hiya!

Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
22 April 2007

 

 

The Chicago heat wave of 1995 killed approximately six hundred people over a period of five days. How can you forget the worst weather-related disaster in American history? According to the news during that time, most of victims were poor senior citizens who either had no working air conditioning or could not afford to turn it on and were hesitant to open windows and doors at night for fear of crime. Sounds horrible, is it not?

Msgr. Leon Ver Bitanga, who passed away last April 19, 2007, was finally laid to rest at the Manila Memorial Park on April 22, 2007. He was 93 years old. He served as the director of the St. John’s School and spearheaded the construction of the new St. John’s Cathedral in Dagupan City.

A popular priest among Dagupenos, many regularly flocked to his celebration of the Holy Mass at the Annunciation of the Lord Parish Church in Bonuan, Dagupan City Cathedral, and at the Colegio de Dagupan church.

Born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, he was ordained as a priest in 1938 at age 24. He had been assigned in Pangasinan ever since.

At the time of his death, he was a protonotary apostolic which is the highest rank of a monsignor.
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Temperatures on the rise

IT’S getting hot, hot, hot. And we are not just talking about the summer season.

The last leg of the campaign for the May 14 polls is also heating up, especially in the fiercely-contested seat for the fourth congressional district of Pangasinan.

As temperatures rise to the upper 30 degrees centigrade level (and PAGASA warns that it could very well reach 40 by May), dirty accusations of vote-buying are being hurled back and forth between the opposing camps of re-electionist Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim (and both have threatened to actually file corresponding charges before the Commission on Election).

Vote-buying is an age-old issue in Philippine elections but no one in the history of the country’s politics has ever been convicted of this offense. Nay, even our President, who has been accused of the bigger crime of massive cheating in the 2004 election, remains comfortably in power. Politicians will buy votes for as long as there are voters who are ready to sell. Elections will only be as clean and honest as we are willing to guard our votes.
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Who wants to stop vote-buying?

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

It’s too early in the day for candidates to accuse each other of vote-buying. Everyone knows the real vote-buying happens three days before and during Election Day.

            So what are Speaker Joe de V and Mayor Benjie Lim carping about? They are just making themselves a laughing stock, particularly when they make those empty threats to file cases against each other.

            Be serious guys.

            If there are charges that people would be more inclined to believe or listen to at the very least, it would be charges of corruption while in office.

            But I doubt if either one will be inclined to start this kind of word war in the media. I’m sure our readers would be more than happy to give credit to the first one who shoots first.

            So, let’s hear it from either one. Let’s see who reportedly stole the most, from what project and how much. This way, the public interest will definitely be served. Will the true brave between the two please shoot first? 

            Harping on vote-buying with still 3 weeks to go in the campaign is a big joke! Give the people a break.
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Pacman’s next beat - with a woman

By Gerry Garcia

IT seems odd that today more people are getting sick and feeling uneasy because of summer’s heat waves which have not  stopped rising despite the expected onset of the rainy days in May . . . and the month is almost here.

This could be part of the global warming being bruited about as resulting from the presence of ozone layer in the atmosphere blocking the escape of deleterious carbon dioxide.

That’s why candidates for senator are being urged by environmentalist to back a suspension of commercial logging in the country to prevent climate change which could bring about extreme weather conditions, like flashfloods and landslides.

Forests, like oceans, absorb carbon dioxide emissions and pollutive chemicals in the atmosphere . . . and release oxygen back.
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Cool life in the academe

By Jun Velasco

WE had a wondrous taste of a cool life in the academe last Friday while we beat the summer heat and the Punch deadline.

It was Cathy’s graduation from a doctorate in Philosophy major in educational management at the Benguet State University in which Senate President Manny Villar was guest of honor.

A year ago, we were in a similar ambiance at idyllic UP Diliman where youngest son ChipChip finished Public Administration with flying colors.  We were seated beside ex- Senator Kit Tatad and Mayor Jejomar Binay, and later with guest speaker, Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto, who was introduced to us by ChipChip.
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Opposition’s goal too risky for future

By Gonzalo Duque

MY columns endorsing the re-election of   Speaker JdV received so many reactions, some critical, but mostly heart-warming. One reaction, from balikbayan Alfredo Dawana, best friend of Lito and Auring Reyna, texted me, “your column on Speaker is heaven-sent in this intriguing era of our lives. Keep it up.”

Still another one, from a fellow Jaycee, now a great guy in Metro Manila, said, “Gons, you amazed me. The guy you are endorsing was your tormentor in two congressional races where you lost.  You must be some sort of a martyr or a saint.  Anyway, well said, your column won my vote for the speaker.”

Thank you, but mind you, I have not been talking to the Speaker except when he spoke at the Lyceum Northwestern University’s graduation rites where he was given a standing ovation.
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Nobody beats Pacquiao, Fernandez

By Al S. Mendoza

WELL, what did I say?

I said Manny Pacquiao would win by knockout.

He did.

He knocked out Mexican Jorge Solis last Sunday, April 15, in San Antonio, Texas.

I also said Manny Pacquiao would win in three rounds.

He didn’t.

He knocked out Solis in the eighth round.
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Where is the accounting?

By Eva C. Visperas

No doubt the Bangus (Milkfish) Festival is a hit, not only locally but internationally as well.

Only Dagupan has this kind of festival. People from all walks of life have always looked forward to this festival started by Mayor Benjamin Lim.

In the previous years’ celebrations, sponsors were plenty, money for sure was also abundant. Sponsorship means money, anyway. The list of corporate sponsors was long, including telecommunications companies, beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks, bottled water, frozen products as the festival itself is a certified crowd-drawer.

So, let’s not talk politics here as we had been hearing that every minute of the day in the radios from opposing camps these coming elections.

Let’s talk about accounting.
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