IS DAGUPAN City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim ready to reconcile with President Macapagal-Arroyo?

Many posed this query in the wake of the recent meeting between the two over lunch at the favorite seafoods restaurant of the President here some two weeks ago where she and her family dropped by on their way to Baguio City.

Administration local officials were gladdened by the development as they noted the parting of ways by the mayor and the President when the former joined the call for her to step down in the wake of the “Hello, Garci” scandal.

Vice-Gov. Oscar Lambino, Lakas acting provincial chair, felt elated saying their meeting could pave the way for reconciliation. “Nakakabuti sa sambayanan pag ang mga namumuno ay nagkakabatian,” he noted, adding that the President has been extending a hand of reconciliation to her critics and enemies of the State like the communist and Muslim rebels.

Lambino had earlier criticized Lim for distancing himself from Mrs. Arroyo by joining the opposition’s call for her resignation. He had said that earlier suspicions by Lakas stalwarts about Lim’s loyalty and color were proved true by the mayor’s act.

Lim joined that lunch apparently on invitation by the President herself. Reports said she inquired on the status of projects in the city particularly the multi-million bangus processing project in Bonuan.

She reportedly was taken aback by the mayor’s revelation that the project had not even started due to lack of funding. She had released some P10 million for it but the amount was not enough and so the pet project of the mayor could not get off the ground.

Lim’s attempts to follow up additional funding from the agriculture department proved futile due to bureaucratic red tape thus possibly engendering his joining opposition calls for the President to resign.

‘Cracker-looking pillbox blows 7 family members p.1

A 25-year old father in Dagupan City was rushed to the hospital in serious condition after he ignited at 9 a.m. on New Year’s day a bundle of suspected pillbox found by his nephews in the beach which they mistook for a fountain cocktail sparkler that may not have exploded during the New Year revelry.

The left wrist of Jemar Llamas, a part-time assistant at the weekly “Sunday Puch”, was amputated even as he is also in danger of losing both legs ripped by shrapnel from the supposed pillbox.

Also injured by shrapnel were his nephews Michael, 15, also a part-time newspaper folder; Julius, 13; Jerome, 11; Junji, 8; Jayson, 7; and Giovanni, 10; al surnamed Llamas who were only few meters away from the site of the explosion.

All the Llamas boys were sent home after treatment except for Giovanni, who suffered third degree burns in the face and various shrapnel wounds in the body. The Llamases were among 24 persons rushed to the Region 1 Medical Center as a result of the noisy New Year’s Day revelry in Pangasinan.

The police are now investigating the incident involving the seven Llamases, especially because of reports that the bundle of suspected pillbox was actually a dynamite used in illegal fishing that was wrapped in Christmas paper.

Michael Llamas said the item may have really been a pillbox deliberately designed to look like a fountain cocktail sparkler so that anyone who finds it would ignite it and cause injuries.

After finding it only about a meter away from the highest reach of tide, Michael brought it to his uncle Jemar who was at that time singing at a videoke bar.

Minutes later, Jemar lighted the wick of the object that caused the explosion.

The Llamases ignored a stern warning by health authorities earlier not to pick up leftover firecrackers and ignite these as this could endanger their lives.

Seventeen other persons were rushed to the R1MC all for blasting firecrackers, eight at the Don Amadeo Perez Memorial District Hospital, two of them for astray bullet wounds; and nine at the Polymedic Medical Center in Villasis, seven of whom were victims of vehicular accident on New Year’s eve.

The victims of astray bullets were one from Villasis and the other from Laoac town. The other victims of firecrackers rushed to R1MC were Gloria Cornel, 41; Raymund Rampas, 6; Jonathan Collado, 4; Joswe dela Cruz, 53; Von-Von Guieb; Michael Mamaril, 28; Johnson Lavarias, 14; Vergel Ventare;

Herbert Carbonnel, 15; Er Lolie Bautista, 11; Michael Menalon, 19; Erwin Lumantas, 23; Joel Viray, 3; Chest Nut Maramba, 16; Edwin Ibasan, 31; Nelson Castillo, 25; and Mel Ferrer.

Authorities at R1MC said there were lesser number of people hospitalized this New Year’s Day than last year which was 51.