IT is easy to read something that may or may not be there when witnessing human interaction. Body language, that’s what they call it.

When Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, dark, gleaming shades and all, went up that stage last Wednesday to join a beaming Speaker Joe de Venecia while everyone was waiting for the arrival of President Arroyo for the Pantal bridge groundbreaking, the world, nay, the crowd, practically stood still.

When the first smile broke from his lips as the House Speaker approached and pulled him by the hand, gripping it momentarily, while raising a free hand to wave to the people as though saying, “All’s well here folks, see here now!”, it was something akin to an Israeli soldier amiably tapping a Hezbollah warrior, and the crowd reacted appropriately – with wild applause and some subdued hoots.
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By DANNY O. SAGUN

DAGUPAN City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim showed up at the groundbreaking ceremony for the P903-million Pantal bridge last Wednesday, a move that some local administration figures quickly saw as a good sign for a possible reconciliation with President Macapagal-Arroyo whom he had asked to step down more than a year ago.

Lim, acting like a seasoned politician, also delighted the crowd when he joined House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. onstage along with Gov. Victor E. Agbayani and Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, Jr. as they put their hands together to signify unity among them. The hometown crowd that was then waiting for the President to arrive, cheered wildly at the sight.

The mayor waxed diplomatic when he spoke and gave short but fine words for the Chief Executive and the Speaker. He even stressed the initials GMA when he thanked her as well as the Speaker for making the Pantal diversion road and bridge projects possible.
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WITH 21 back-breaking years of going after the news, commenting on issues and putting together a decent advertising and marketing campaign behind us — and more of the same ahead of us — the The Pangasinan Star is surely on its way to attaining some kind of a legendary status. Pardon the boast, but we are entitled to it anyway, this being our anniversary issue.

Somehow, when an event, an institutional milestone like this comes around, we get to thinking how the The Pangasinan Star could have perished some years ago when the odds were firmly and incessantly stacked against its survival. The July 16, 1990 earthquake that sunk the building housing our former office on Perez Boulevard here in Dagupan City and made our spirits sag along with all Dagupenos on seeing our own homes crumbling and cracked, could well have killed the newspaper too.

But that wasn’t meant to be.
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AN ANGRY Armando Aquino, Pangasinan II division superintendent, boomed at a Bombo Radyo reporter last week telling the latter to be cautious with his statements.

“I don’t know that .. wala kaming binibigay na direktiba dito .. hinahamon kita na pumunta sa mga schools at tanungin yong mga principal at supervisor kung meron akong order na maningil sila,” he said, his voice rising.

Aquino was reacting to reports by the radio station about collections of P10 to P12.50 for test booklets in schools under Pangasinan II division which covers the fourth, fifth, and sixth legislative districts.
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THE political atmosphere in the third district of this great province can be likened to that of Mayon Volcano, simmering, boiling but unpredictable as to when it will erupt and spew pyroclastic materials.
As everyone already knows, the contenders are Bayambang Mayor Leo de Vera Jr. (one of the founding pillars of Biskeg na Pangasinan) who from Day One of his last term as mayor had signified his intention to run for congressman;

Rachel ‘Baby’ Arenas, daughter of philanthropist Rosemarie ‘Baby’ Arenas; Kaaron Gener Jr., the beloved son and namesake of Cong. Generoso Tulagan, and yes, the silent and profound Board Member Angel Baniqued.
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LINGAYEN – There is now an urgent need to reset the opening of school classes from the month of June to September.
Board Member Nestor d. Reyes (second district) expressed this view as he filed a resolution supporting the growing clamor of parents, teachers and school officials to transfer the opening of classes in preschool, elementary, high school and college levels to September of each year, effective school year 2007-2008.
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LINGAYEN – The representative of the Department of Health based in Dagupan City is under fire for issuing a statement claiming there was an outbreak of dengue fever in Pangasinan.

Dr. Gloria J. Balboa, DOH assistant regional director and head of the Center for Health Development-Region I (CHD-I), said the date used by Dr. George Calugay, the CHD team leader for Pangasinan contained “numerous duplications.”
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LINGAYEN – Gov. Victor E. Agbayani urged mayors and barangay and school officials to reactivate their respective anti-dengue task forces or brigades as he noted the increasing number of dengue patients in the province.The governor likewise ordered the provincial health office under Dr. Jackson Soriano to intensify fogging operations and information campaigns to get as manypeople as possible actively involved in the anti-dengue campaign.
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MANGALDAN – The “Libreng Overseas Tawag Center,” a project of the Rotary Club of Metro Cubao has been launched in Pangasinan. First recipients are San Carlos City and Mangaldan.
This is under the club’s Committee on Community Service project dubbed as “Project Compassion” chaired by Rotarian Arturo C. Lomibao, former PNP chief.
“We are reaching out through the Rotary motto of service. On the other hand, there are friends of the Rotary helping us out with this project” Lomibao remarked. Read more

DAGUPAN City contributed to the realization of the long-dreamed Pantal bridge contrary to a claim that it is coming to fruition all thru the effort of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr.
Mayor Benjamin S. Lim stressed this point in a radio interview Friday in response to a claim attributed to De Venecia that the city spent or contributed nothing to the project.

“Hindi naman tama ang sinabi ng Ispiker na walang gastos ang siyudad sa proyektong yan,” he said, pointing to the efforts of the city to relocate the squatters and those affected by the bridge project. Read more