Forgiveness without Repentance, Restitution, Repentance

By +Oscar V. Cruz D. D.

Forgiveness is so easy to say, to give and even to preach when the forgiving persons were not the ones ravaged and damaged, neither the individuals exploited and trampled upon, nor the ones cheated and robbed. And even supposing that the victims themselves of big graft and gross corruption do forgive the culprits, the truth is that these are not forgiven when they are not really repentant, when they simply keep what they stole, when they actually do nothing to repair the damage they did, to undo the injustice they committed. In this case, the ones forgiving must be well commended not only on behalf of humanity but also in the name of the Good Lord. But the ones forgiven remain as culpable, reprehensible and guilty as they really are in reality and fact.
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The rice battle

The rice crisis at the local level — here in Pangasinan which is one of the major rice producing provinces in the country — has now come to a face-off.

On one side of the battlefield is the government, represented by the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Food Authority. On the opposite side are the rice millers and traders who maintain the warehouses where the Filipino staple food is stocked.

The fight between the two groups can be summed up by the accompanying word war: “inspection” vs. “raid”.
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After JDV, Archbishop Cruz is next

By Ermin F. Garcia Jr.

In case you are not aware yet, the vengeful yet threatened Arroyo government has been flexing its muscles looking at its targets in Pangasinan straight in the eyes, promising dire results. The Malacañang operators have discerned that their notorious carrot approach (P.5M inside paper bags) apparently can work wonders with most of our elected officials in the province but not with a few who dare stand up to the government who insist on ferreting out the truth.
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Bothersome bus terminals?

By Gerry Garcia

Our  fellow-Promdi province of  Pangasinan Antonio Villar Jr., seemingly always in the fore-front in the drive against corruption in the government, hit the headlines again recently when he caused the filing of charges of smuggling against 29 government officials at the Office of the Ombudsman.

This expose on smuggling of luxury vehicles was probably the hottest so far since it involved personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
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Dagupan is Disneyland

By Jun Velasco

MAYOR Al Fernandez  is under siege.

For crafting Dagupan City into a veritable  Disneyland — what with  the fiesta  galore,  colorful  buntings on every street , the boom-boom sound, the  lilting music  — from  the poblacion to  the outskirts, the  non-stop activities with  the very popular  Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez directing the extravaganza —  it’s likely natives and visitors of Nandarugapan won’t simply allow  this  downpour  of  gaiety and pleasure  to go without an assurance from the  mayor  of  its  comeback,   in all  splendor,  that is, like say, having it institutionalized as an integral part  of the Dagupan milieu and psyche.
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Some senators are changing their tack

By Gonzalo Duque

SOMETHING good is going on in the Senate. They are now coming out of their ivory tower to help PGMA move the nation forward.

Instead of allowing themselves locked in investigative work, which is not their job in the first place, they have opened up to more realistic and positive issues in legislative work.

We are referring to their (many senators) active participation in the Legislative Executive Development Council (LEDAC), a novel feature lately in the national government’s working dynamics.
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Lanz Manipor
28 April 2008

 

Is April 30, 2008 a holiday because of the “kalutan”? Last year was a special holiday for the Dagupenos.

Ed Pontaoe
28 April 2008

 

The old and gullible Bishop Oscar Cruz quipped in mockery the P10,000.00 peso bail bond he needs to avoid the pokey once the “mandamento de arresto” is thrown in his face.

The clincher . . .

Why only P10T peso? With his age, the government figured that amount is the appraised value of his rotten hide.

Isidro Ramos
28 April 2008

 

Here’s is concise text of an article dated April 27, 2008, published by New York Times.I thought it would be of interest to Mr. Gonzalo Duque and the rest of our Philippine educators.

Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League Skills.
How do they do it? Their formula is relatively simple. They take South Korea’s top-scoring middle school students, put those who aspire to an American university in English-language classes, taught by Korean and highly paid American and other foreign teachers, emphasize composition and other skills crucial to success on the SATs and college admissions essays, and — especially this — urge them on to unceasing study.
Is it any wonder why S. Korea plays a big role in the Pacific Rim economy, politics, sports, and science?

You could read more of the whole story by Seokyong Lee for The New York Times

Dick Bolt
28 April 2008

 

I keep reading about the Arenas family of Lingayen. I am wondering if it might be the same family I am looking for.

I have been looking for Pinky Arana who has a sister in Lingayen named Babylyn. It’s possible I have been spelling the name incorrectly and could be same family!

My wife went to school with Pinky that is said to be in US. The family connections in Dagupan seem to over lap, Reyna family for one!

Any help here?

Dick in MD USA