By Danny O Sagun

A total of 65 aspirants yesterday trooped to the provincial election office here to file their respective certificates of candidacy for local positions, from governor down to provincial board member.

Incumbent Gov.Amado T. Espino, Jr. will seek re-election under the administration Lakas-Kampi party against second district Congressman Victor E. Agbayani, whose wife, Jamie, lost to Espino in the last elections.  Jamie is seeking to succeed her husband as representative. Read the rest of this entry »

WHILE Lakas-Kampi-CMD will slug it out with the Liberal Party in the provincial election in Pangasinan, it looks like the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) that tied up with the local party, Biskeg na Pangasinan, will steal the show in the congressional fights.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD headed by reelectionist Governor Amado Espino Jr. and his runningmate Mapandan Mayor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim has congressional candidates in all districts except in the fifth district.

The congressional candidates of Lakas-Kampi-CMD are former Bolinao Mayor Jesus Celeste in the first district, Board Member Nestor Reyes in the second district, Rep. Rachel Arenas in the third district; Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Eleazar Quinto in the fourth district; and Presidential Management Staff Secretary Hermogenes Esperon in the sixth district.
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THE government’s plans to rehabilitate areas in Luzon hit hard by the recent typhoons is focused on expediting reconstruction and aiding economic recovery.

This was according to the nation’s economic managers who met members of the local business community at Lenox Hotel in Dagupan City on Thursday, their first stop in  a nationwide roadshow.

Finance Secretary Gary B. Teves, chairman of the Special National Public Reconstruction Commission, said they are focusing on the rebuilding of physical infrastructure, enhancing access to social services, such as medical care and education, and helping SMEs (small medium enterprises), the backbone of local economies, get back on their feet. Read the rest of this entry »

SAN CARLOS CITY –A formidable alliance has been formed between the Soriano and Tulagan camps here to capture the third district congressional seat now occupied by Rep. Rachel Arenas, daughter of socialite Rosemarie ‘Baby’ Arenas, and City hall from the rulling Resuellos.

This was seen with the filing last Saturday of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for congressman by lawyer Gallant Soriano of the prominent Soriano clan and Generoso ‘Gener” Tulagan, Sr , patriarch of the Tulagan family. for city mayor of San Carlos.

The alliance is said to consolidate the voting muscle of the city for a native son and not divide it as what happened in the 2007 congressional race when both Gallant and Tulagan’s son ran for congressman. Read the rest of this entry »

By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

BY the time this piece comes out, all speculations  about who’s running and who’s not in the Pangasinan local elections will have ended. So far, as this is being written, the challenger  to incumbent Governor Amado T. espino, none other than Rep. and former governor   Victor E. Abyanai, has yet to be seen by the usual throngs of mediamen who have practcially camped out at the provincial elections office in the3 Astrodome compound.

Agbayani’s running-mate, however has alrfeady filed his candidacy, giving the unmistakable hint Victor will be appearing at Comelec supeervisor Reddy Balarbar’s office in a matter of hours.

This is the moment long awaited by the people — for the two gladiators to formalize their readiness and resolve to enter the arena , brandishing their own weapons to woo Pangasinenses and have them decide who of them best represents the heart and soul of Pangasinanlandia. Read the rest of this entry »

 By ORLY GUIRAO 

BARBARIC, uncivilized, insane, unpardonable.

These could be the adjectives that best describe the Maguindanao massacre where more than 30 journalists – in line of duty  — suffered painful death. Painful because there never was a chance for democracy to defend itself. The shocking incident crushed in one fell swoop the protective mantle reserved for the Fourth Estate.

The loss of lives of innocent and defenseless people because of political wardlordism is more than a reason for a massive indignation that demands an immediate rewriting of the Constitution with provisions requiring death by musketry for people, especially the misguided, unreligious Muslims, committing such a dastardly inhuman act. Read the rest of this entry »

By DANNY O. SAGUN 

IT’S a big question mark yet as this piece is being written whether Dagupan City Mayor Al Fernandez would be running unopposed. Will former hizzoner Benjie Lim heed the clamor of his supporters and finally join the fray? If he will, many will be happy including barangay officials and the media, huh?

Land Transportation Office chief Art Lomibao as of press time is still agonizing whether to face his ninang, Manay Gina de Venecia, or remain in his LTO turf. Anyway he has seven good months to go and who knows the next Malacanang occupant may be his friend. And he has yet to see his pet project RFID blossom under his watch.

The congressional race in the fifth district may be a walk in the park for Sison town Mayor Carmen “Kimi” Cojuangco, who last Friday afternoon already filed her certificate of candidacy.Binalonan Mayor Monching Guico, who earlier told a media forum he was offering himself as an open, ready-to-reach congressional representative, in allusion to the reported unreachable stance of Rep. Mark Cojuangco, seems to have changed his mind. He now wants to maintain his being a national figure (mayors’ league national prexy, you know) so he will try his luck in the Senate. Read the rest of this entry »

PINAKBET NEN INSIYONG

Nen RAUL TAMAYO 

MABALINEN agpakaammo, sarag to lay manpa guwapo,satan so nibagak ed saray kandidato basta alwaran yo ya agyo bibitlaey paiboto, ta no saan madiskwalipika kayo.

Unong lanti ed Korte Suprema ed impangontra da ed samay ibabagay Omnibus Election Code ya kasumpal mon  mangiyarap na kandidaturam ed Comelec,kaukolan ya manpareen ka no  kandidato ka ta umpan naakusaan kan masakbay ya mangakampanya. Natan balet, ed panamegley na desisyon na korte suprema, sarag moy mangipatikyab na panangilugay lautla ta pasko la, mangipropaganda na kaisipan mo ed nanduruman isyu na bansa,luyag o baley o amay tatawagen mi ran taga media ya “advocacy plugs” basta dimo ibagbaga a botosan daka, ta no saan madaksan ka.  Read the rest of this entry »

EMBATTLED Undersecretary Antonio ‘Bebot” Villar  of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) found quick and unequivocal support and solace from his kabaleyans at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in his unending battle against big-time smugglers and their allies who are believed to be behind the latest strings of cases filed against  him.

The SP members rose as one anew in passing Monday a resolution defending Villar and the PASG against recent criticisms and charges before the House of Representatives and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The cases have seemingly hit home this time as the PASG had been immobilized temporarily thru a court order. Villar however vowed he and his group will resume their operations just as soon as the court order is lifted. Read the rest of this entry »

PRESIDENTIAL Management Staff chief Hermogenes Esperon hailed the first concrete step in the building of  re-regulating pond just downstream of the  San Roque dam  which is the groundbreaking for the project but issued a cautioning word that ‘it could become “just a big swimming pool”  if  government does not provide the needed annual budget for lateral canals in irrigable areas in the  next four years

Esperon said even if the re-regulating pond would be in place, it will remain just a big swimming pool if the needed lateral canals leading to the rice-producing areas would not be in place.
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