SUAL POWER PLANT PAYS UP — From left, Mayor John Arcinue, Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr., Team Energy’s Federico Puno, and Barangay Captain Dionisio Caburao, Sr.

Sooner or later

By +Oscar V. Cruz D. D.

The signal is clear. The message is loud: jueteng is a personal curse and a national shame. This is the bitter lesson that goes with the guilty verdict rendered on a former president primarily on account of jueteng payolas. Jueteng is definitely not a small issue. It proved nothing less than the crime of plunder. It provided the penalty of “reclusion perpetua”. It even cancelled the civil rights of an ex-chief executive of the land.

Jueteng is cruel. It is evil and vile. On one hand, it is deceptive and exploitative of already poor people who even gamble away their few pesos. On the other hand, jueteng is corruptive of public officials and thus destructive of their honor and integrity. Meantime, the known jueteng lords and operators have all the fun, exercise great influence and become the untouchables in this country.
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Toasting Mr. Avenger and Mr. Spademan

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

The man of the hour inside Dagupan City government is City legal officer George Mejia.

He is now in the thick of investigating the controversial acquisitions of the previous Lim administration, stumbling upon the deception and the conspiracy that accompanied those deals. At the rate he is going, he is finding himself in an enviable position to leave a legacy in the city that will make his family proud.

So far, he has called a spade a spade, endearing him to people who demand full accountability and transparency from our public officials.

If he thinks he already has the evidence to point to the conspiracy to defraud the city government, I pray he will not hesitate to file the complaints before the Ombudsman and compel at least former City Mayor Benjie Lim and his administrator Raffy Baraan (now the provincial administrator) to account for their official acts.

Shall we call him “Mr. Spademan”?
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The PNP vs. guns-for-hire industry

More blood has been shed this week, this time in the coastal town of San Fabian, less than a month after the spillin San Carlos City.

The victims and the circumstances of the slaying are chillingly similar: both victims were lawyers, still at the prime of their lives, and both cold-bloodedly gunned down using a caliber .45 gun by men on board a motorbike out in the streets.

The identical profession of the victims, however, is quite inconsequential in linking the two cases.

Conrado “Pacpac” Soriano, Jr., who was killed in broad daylight on September 27 in San Carlos, was a popular private practitioner known for being the defense lawyer in several sensational cases. Alejo “Alex” Dojillo, on the other hand, was a government graft investigator working for the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila and comes home to his family on weekends in San Fabian. Alex was killed just last Monday this week, in the early morning hours as he was on his way to a station for Manila-bound buses.
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The Dagupan City government, through the city agriculture office, is now in the process of implementing a color-coding scheme for the river system to guide fisherfolk in the city with their daily aquaculture operations and activities.

City agriculturist Emma Molina said that water quality monitoring boards carrying three different colors will be deployed in 10 identified critical zones and water sampling stations, namely: Pugaro, Lasip Grande, boundary of Dagupan and Binmaley, Talaib-Tocok, Watac area, waiting shed near DCNHS, Dawel, Calmay Ilocano, Calmay-Carael and Magsaysay area.

Under the scheme, the color blue will indicate that the water quality parameter reading is within the acceptable ranges required for aquaculture; orange to indicate imminent danger, and red to warn that water is not safe for aquaculture operations and total harvest of stocks is recommended.
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LINGAYEN—Pangasinan is at the top of the country’s list of provinces with the highest rabies-positive dogs and four human deaths have been recorded within the year from rabies infection following a dog bite.

Dr. Eric Jose Perez, officer in charge of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian, told The PUNCH that from January to August this year alone, there were 94 positive rabies cases based on laboratory examination done by the Diagnostic Laboratory in Sta. Barbara town under the Department of Agriculture.

Most of the 94 positive rabies cases come from western Pangasinan and all four death incidents happened in Bolinao.
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The University of Luzon Taekwando Team bagged nine gold, four silver and three bronze medals en route to winning the 1^st runner up position and the 2^nd runner-up overall trophy in the recently-concluded 2007 Regional Inter-Schools Taekwando Championships.

The competition, held August 27 at the Dagupan City People’s Astrodome, was participated in by some 1,000 jins from as far as Abra province and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte.

The gold medalists are Ron Adrian Bince, Catherine Dee, Bernadeth Dee for the high school level; Nica Jane Apostol, Rochelle Cabanayan, Veronica Daroya, Frankie Cabrera, Jun-Jun Sanchez and Jake Apiado for the collegiate level.
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Rats in gov’t still playing while cats are not looking

By Gerry Garcia

THE  pronouncement of the guilty verdict on ex-President Erap Estrada was made late morning of last Wednesday, also a day devoted to national prayer for unity and reconciliation, wasn’t  even half  exciting here as in Metro Manila where limited groups of  Erap masses merged around the Sandiganbayan and in other designated places. A few cried and many faces reddened with anger over what they thought were a “political decision”.

From Basista where we motored through nearby San Carlos City and Calasiao town, we found most residents calm and peacefully receptive of the SB decision. Certainly a far cry from the scenario in Manila where local and foreign media were expecting a scoop.
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Bebot Villar next BoC chief?

By Jun Velasco

WATCHING  Joey  de  Venecia III  throw those  gentle  swings at  controversial Comelec chairman Ben Abalos  reminds us of  his boyhood, when we’d  act as his escort to  some social obligations  (mostly of the congressman) of his erpat, then oil-man businessman  Joe de V,  sent him.

Joey, with then abundant hair (it has receded a bit now) and perennial baby face, was already smart and witty that fit him to be the big man’s heir in business and politics. One thing we saw early in the boy, he was honest to a fault.

While we listened to his brickbats at Abalos, we saw the beginning of the poll man’s fall.  Joey the Third has the Junior’s lucid mind, fighting spirit and eloquence.
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