Oscar dela Hoya: A good fighting blood

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

IT was the evening of November 25, 2006 when I personally met for the first time the illustrious and universally celebrated boxer Oscar dela Hoya, the top honcho of the well-known boxing promotion group called “Golden Boy Promotions.”

I met him at Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas during the post-fight press conference of world champion Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and Filipino Jimrex Jaca.

Salven Lagumbay of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and I—representing this paper—were the only two Filipino media men who covered that unforgettable World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight clash wherein the legendary Chicano Marquez demolished the Cebuano knockout artist Jaca in the ninth round.
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Children in the streets

By Marifi Jara

On more than once occasion, while waiting at the shed across the San Fabian church for a bus up to Baguio, I’ve been approached by children, on average between seven to ten years old, begging for money.

Always, I am tempted to tell them, “There is no dignity in begging.” A life lesson I learned from one of my Jesuit professors back in university when we were on the topic of moral dilemmas over giving alms to streetchildren.

But I never open my mouth knowing that that would be a lesson that will simply fly by their young minds. I just toughen myself up and simply shake my head to say no.
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Playground in my mind

By Emmanuelle

THEN  our playground was gone.

It didn’t disappear overnight. It took a long-time coming, like all things proverbial, slow but sure. We should have prepared ourselves for it, like waiting in dread for the next tooth to give-up its walls, exposing the nervy pulp to pokes and pins.

The see-saw dropped off its parts first. One time we saw one seat plunked down hard to the ground together with one plump boy. Next time, we see there are no seats at all, just a thick metal pole balancing naked on a fulcrum, like outstretched arms praying for kids to come seesaw with it.
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NEW TRAFFIC POLICIES SEEN

A transport summit is being planned in Dagupan City to discuss the petition of members of the transport sector to alleviate their plight.

A principal issue involves the proposal to reduce the two “coded” days of public utility jeeps banning the latter from the city’s streets to only one day.

The summit was suggested last Tuesday by Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo upon reading The PUNCH’s story last issue on the appeal of members of the Alliance of United Transport Organization Inc. headed by Benny Aquino.

City Ordinance 1848-2005 set “two-day off” for each public utility vehicle plying the city’s streets based on the license plate number.
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The country’s growing call center industry is moving into Dagupan with at least seven operators already signifying interest to open shop in the city.

City Councilor Alfie Fernandez, chairman of the trade and industry committee of the Sanggunian Panlungsod, said representatives of these call centers have looked at the city and its potential to house operations.

The plans of the interested call centers were disclosed by Fernandez during a committee hearing he called on Wednesday in connection with his resolution seeking to convert the entire third floor of the Malimgas Public Market as location for call centers.
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THE search is on.

The new city administration, following orders from City Administrator Alvin Fernandez, has started the investigation and search for the missing steel bars and trusses retrieved from the burnt Bugnay Market located in front of the city hall.

The city administrator issued a memorandum to City Engineer Virginia Rosario last August 14, directing her to provide information within 72 hours as to the whereabouts of the steel bars and trusses.

Fernandez previously made a similar inquiry from Rosario but was told to direct his question to one Robert Sison, an alleged favored contractor under the Lim administration.
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LINGAYEN–The police scored major hits this week with the arrest of four leaders of organized crime groups involved mostly in cattle rustling.

In a press conference Wednesday, Senior Superintendent Isagani Nerez, provincial police director, said the separate arrests were carried out by provincial police forces in tandem with the Ilocos region force.

Those nabbed include Romeo Ramos, alias Ponso or Niño, Arthur Tabor, Rey Quitaleg and Alfredo Gonzales.

Ramos is the suspected leader of the Ramos cattle rustling group, an organized crime group/criminal gang engaged in cattle rustling activities in San Carlos City and in the towns of Malasiqui, Basista, Urbiztondo, Bayambang, Sta. Barbara and in other parts of Pangasinan.
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ONLY less than two months in office, the administration of Dagupan City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. was already compelled to adopt belt-tightening measures, specifically on energy consumption.

City Administrator Alvin Fernandez issued a memorandum on Monday directing all offices at the city hall to switch on their air-conditioners only from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to   4:00 p.m. instead of the 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. continuous use.

City Legal Officer George Mejia said the city hall has already exceeded the budget allocated for the year for energy consumption because of the unrestrained and excessive use of the previous city administration.
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Eduardo Pontaoe
19 Aug 2007

 

 

Bear with me all you posters of the Forum. I wanted to be very, very clear on these Olympic records.

1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, Georgia Men’s Individual Road Race. There were 184 participants over 221.85 kilometers, with 116 cyclists finishing. Gold . . . . . Pascal Richard of Switzerland Silver . . . . . Rolf Sorensen of Denmark Bronze . . . . Max Sciandri of England Lance Armstrong finished 12th. George Hincapie came out at 76th. No Filipino cyclists participating.

2004 Summer Olympics Athens, Greece Men’s Individual Road Race. There were 145 contenders with only 75 who crossed the finish line. Gold . . . . . . Paolo Bettini of Italy Silver . . . . . . Sérgio Paulinho of Portugal Bronze . . . . . Axel Merckx of Belgium It is fascinating to note Jan Ulrich gold medalist 2000 Olympics struggling at 19th. Erik Dekker silver at Barcelona was 41st. George Hincapie of USA came limping at 24th. Tyler Hamilton came out gasping at 18th. Lance Armstrong disappeared. Again, the Philippines did not field any would-be challengers.

Edwin
17 Aug 2007

 

 

Eduardo Pontaoe,

You amaze me. For one who seems to think he is God’s gift to the (pseudo) intellectual world, you have only shown your ignorance.

1.. An intelligent person RESPECTS another person’s privacy. By the continuous use of my last name you have shown those who reads the posts what kind of a person (?) you are.

2.. Your continuous condemnations of the Philippine government with no solutions only shows everyone your dislike of everything Filipino. Are you ashamed of your race?

3.. Again, if you think something is wrong don’t stay 9000 miles away in Chicago, go back to the Philippines and run for office. Bitching but doing nothing accomplishes nothing. Gadflys, like other insects only contaminate everything they land on. That’s why the fly swatter was invented.

4. I thank God that you were not in Viet Nam with me. I was with MEN.

This will be my last post at you because I have found myself sinking to your level and I don’t like the smell.