I encourage our readers to freely express their ideas and engage others in a debate on issues in our Forum section but I must enjoin our Forum writers to desist from attacking others with unfair innuendoes as we try to keep the editing to the minimum.

Let’s keep the forum focused on ideas and thoughts, and resist the temptation to impugn other writers’ integrity.

Also, how others express themselves should not matter but rather the ideas and thoughts expressed. In fact, writers should feel free to write in Pangasinan or Tagalog dialect, and should not feel limited to English.

We continue to receive letters from anonymous writers and sign only as “Concerned Citizens”.

We wish to reiterate our policy that no opinion or comments on public affairs will be posted here nor published in our print edition unless the writer identifies himself/herself with a verifiable email address. We will withhold the author’s identity (and email) if requested and that the subject is sensitive while of great import to public interest.

Kabaleyans who merely wish to post greeting messages may omit their email addresses

As you might have noticed, your PUNCH ONLINE has participated in Google’s Adsense program. The listing of the “Ads by Google” has greatly enriched our content and I hope this is appreciated by our Kabaleyans.  If, however, the added information provided by the listed ads may not be what you need, feel free to search Google. This is what the program is all about - to provide more info.

            Speaking of more interesting facts and data, we will endeavor to post listings of successful undertakings by individuals or schools as advertised in the PUNCH’s print version. You may find familiar family names in there.

March 5, 2006

RE: Kabaleyan members

Dear Kabaleyans -

I am pleased to welcome our first Kabaleyan member of the year - Mr. David Lalimarmo of Massachusetts, USA!

I wish to reiterate our sincerest thanks to him, our past and future members, for without their support the online would not be possible. But more than relieving us of some of our financial burdens, enlistment in the Punch Kabaleyan Club and the renewal of membership by present Kabaleyan members insipires us to do more. There’s nothing like being told we are being useful, and therefore supported.

Also, as you might have noticed, we haved added an inter-active feature to our site by utilizing a blog format. But this was only made possible with the engagement of Ms. Julie Ann Arrogante as our site administrator. She has been working round the clock giving our site a new look even as she manages all posts on an ASAP basis.

Do not hesitate to write to her for any suggestions you might have, send to sundaypunch2@yahoo.com.

I sincerely hope you find our online services more helpful, useful and appealing.

Sincerely,

Ermin

Dear Kabaleyan  

We are presently giving our website (the design dates back to 1997!) a major make-over to make it more reader-user-friendly for our kabaleyans. We are trying out a number of options now available to us to make the site more appealing and convenient, and make it more interactive.  

Some innovations will include more pictures and articles depicting life in various communities, and finally set up the Archives section that will date back to 1956 (the year PUNCH started). The Archives section, however, will take more time to complete as we need to scan our print pages from all the way back with the help of Bitstop.  

We, therefore, ask for your understanding as we make the transition. Expect the site to be offline occasionally but efforts will be made to restore it just as fast.   

We hope that this effort will encourage many of our many Kabaleyan members to reactivate their memberships and still others to join the distinguished ranks of Kabaleyan members from all over the world. Your membership will help us sustain our efforts to keep the online going in service particularly to our overseas Pangasinenses.    

Salamat ed sikayon amin.  

Ermin