VICE PRESIDENT Noli De Castro will enjoy more powers than what he is enjoying right now as soon as the interim unicameral parliament opens.

This was revealed Saturday by House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., squelching reports that the vice president would have no role in the unicameral parliamentary government to be set up soon in place of the bicameral presidential government.

He told newsmen in an interview at his residence here before flying back to Manila that on the contrary, the position of Vice President de Castro will be upgraded under the new set up.

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THE Dagupan City team displayed winning form and earned a total of 84 medals in the Ilocos Region Athletics Association Meet held at the Narciso Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen on March 19 to 24.

Composed of 236 athletes from various elementary and secondary schools, the Dagupan team bagged a total of 39 gold medals, 25 silver and 20 bronze effectively giving the city a big leap compared to last year’s medal tally.

Mayor Benjamin Lim commended the Dagupan delegation led by General Athletic Manager Edil Abalos after the city ranked fifth in the secondary division besting other city schools division.

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MANAOAG – Some 100,000 pilgrims and devotees will flock to Manaoag during the coming Holy Week as part of their yearly devotion to the Blessed Mother.

This was disclosed by Mayor Napoleon Sales who said the number is just a conservative estimate because on Sunday’s even when it is not Holy Week, the devotees swell to some 30,000 to 40,000 alone.

“We expect a bigger crowd on Holy Week, especially on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, than on ordinary Sundays, that is why we are preparing for their short stay,” he said.

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ONE of the summer surprises included in the city’s celebration of Bangus Festival 2006 is the staging Beach Volleyball Championship Games that involves lots of action and spiking on white sand on April 27 to May 1 at the City Plaza.

Mayor Benjamin Lim will lead the ceremonial serve during the opening ceremony at 8 am to formally open the competition.

According to Manny Gatchallan, chairman of the event, top-rate volleyball teams from universities and colleges in Manila were invited to participate in the event such as the University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Dela Salle –St. Benilde College, PATTS University of Aeronautics, St. Louis University and University of Cordilleras.

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THE national president of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LBP) stressed here that “loss of confidence” is not one of the grounds for removing any official from the league’s 1,700 chapters all over the country.

James Marty Lim president of the League of Barangays of the Philippines told the city council here on Monday that there are 14 grounds where an officer of the barangay leagues may be removed but loss of confidence is definitely not one of them.

These grounds are specified in the constitution and by-laws of the national barangay league that was adopted based on the Local Government Code and the Constitution, he intoned.

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CITY government officials and employees of Dagupan City will finally receive their additional P1,000 monthly allowance after the Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved on Monday a supplemental budge amounting to P5.2 million.

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, acknowledging the urgency of the appropriation ordinance, said the additional budget was also necessary to ensure that the city government’s operations is not disrupted, especially in the implementation of programs and services.

These programs include ecological and sanitation, public enterprise and revenue generation, development management, health services, security and protective services, agricultural services, nutrition, cultural heritage council, publication and information, tourism, anti-hawking, legislative services, traffic management, peace and order and peoples law enforcement board.

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SAYAN INDIO
Mario F. Karateka

MAKAPATAKTAKOT kalamor so agawgawadman ed Estados Unidos nen imbeneg a simba, laotla dimad Tennessee, Missouri tan Alabama, saray tatawagen ya “midwestern states”. Lorey ka tay anggad talora apatiran “tornado”, amay maksil tan aneket ya baleg a alimbusabos, so kinmena ed sarayan pasen ed loob labat na sakey simba.

Lasus-lasus ya kaabongan so tinmetekiab tan aderal-deral; naimadyin yola no panon amasnok so tawen ed saraman a bekta tan no antoy kebyew na pagew daray akaimaton ed singa salot ya linmeksab nanlapud tawen mismo. Mipadpara la siguro ed takot ya sinmabid saray walan akabantay na insabog na Mount Pinatubo no iner dinmeket so tawen tan anggadiad Pangasinan sinmabi so pinon dapol ya imbugay bulkan.

No diad siyentipikon paliwawa, sayan “extreme weather disturbances” et epekto na say tatawagen dan El Ninyo tan La Ninya. Singa naatiwel lay panaon o klima kanian agla namamantaan so pansalat to ed loob labat na pigaran agew — o oras. Saray relihiyoso ibagaran saraya la imay senyales na pansampot na mundo.

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E D I T O R I A L

HEARING it from the unflappable Jose de Venecia, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, one gets the impression that Charter Change is a done deal and that it’s all over but the opening of the champagne.

Going by the speed with which the Cha-cha train is moving, with every administration machinist hopping on to assure it won’t be derailed at any point, one can almost see the opposition to this government “project” failing at every turn to stop the locomotive and in desperation, is just about to throw itself on the tracks in a final, sacrificial bid to halt the inevitable.

Just last week, De Venecia rattled off the scenario to some mediamen who were reduced to looking like some amateur race track bettors getting an inside tip from a veteran bookie. As he painted the fast-paced Malacanang-House thriller, by July, the interim unicameral parliament will have replaced the House and the Senate whose now joined members would elect among themselves the Speaker of the first unicameral parliament. A Prime Minister will then become the Chief Operating Officer of the government. He will be coordinating and taking charge of the Cabinet.

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AFTER ALL
Behn Fer. Hortaleza, Jr.

WE had hoped our story and commentary last week on the unfortunate sickness that befell police officer Harries Fama, chief of the Anti Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force of the Provincial Police Office would be the last. After all, you don’t unduly belabor and detail a man’s sufferings or anguish without sounding like a sadist, and especially as the Pangasinan Star is no scandal sheet.

But after learning from someone that yet another, a third, police officer, not from Pangasinan but from neighboring Tarlac, had gravely fallen ill with symptoms very similar to Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS), the disease which Fama — bless his lucky stars — had apparently barely survived, something tells us there’s more than meets the eye in this medical story.

Our friend who frequents the Provincial Police Office in Lingayen said another officer who spent time in the PPO last March to help train members of Task Force Hagibis on motorcycle-rising and maneuvering was himself suspected to have fallen ill from GBS, also last month. His case, unlike Fama, and a “Lamsen” (who died in the hospital, took a more dramatic if bizarre turn — in agony, he killed himself.

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THE PEN SPEAKS
Danny O. Sagun

THERE seems to be no turning back anymore for Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim as regards his congressional comeback bid. Just look at his posters hanging in every conspicuous corner of the city and maybe in the other towns of the fourth district already although we have yet to see one in our humble town of San Jacinto.

Innocent as the billboards and posters may appear to be, basically just congratulating the new graduates this school year, a closer look other wise. BSL introduces himself, not as mayor of the city but as “former congressman.” The word former was written quite small you’ve got to go near it to read it. The word congressman was written in big letters and easily read from afar.

The purpose was obvious. He wants to present himself again to his former constituents in the district as an alternative to House Speaker Joe de Venecia.

Speaking of posters, tarpaulin-made at that, there are many such posters hanging everywhere. These are not promoting goods or products but — politicians. Faces of city officials –the mayor, the vice-mayor, and the councilors – are prominently displayed.

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