By LIWAY M. YPARRAGUIRREPStar Associate Editor

LINGAYEN – Is Police Provincial Director Alan L.M.Purisima now really on his way out?

This is the question that spread on the weekend as broad hints of Purisima’s relief were dropped by the top invited guests during the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office’s (PPPO) celebration last Thursday of the 16th PNP Foundation Anniversary.

Without categorically mentioning the imminent transfer of Purisima, Police Provincial Director Region 1 Police Director Leopoldo N. Bataoil described the latter as “a very, very respectable and very effective commander” even as he thanked the members of the PPPO for its accomplishments last year that contributed much to the regional police office’s winning the Best Police Regional Office Nationwide for year 2006.
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THE Filipino-Chinese of Commerce of Pangasinan (FCCCP) has issued an appeal for the retention of Provincial Police Director Alan L.M. Purisima.

In a press conference last Friday, Engr. Rosendo So, FCCCP president, questioned the timing of Purisima considering the recent accomplishments of the provincial police.

These include, he said, the arrest in Bolinao of the leader of the notorious Pepino Kidnap-for-Ransom group, and the successful anti-illegal drugs raids conducted at Doña Trining Subdivision in Read more

By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

EASILY the hottest issue last week (and the previous week) in City Hall and media circles was the brewing tit-for-tat between Publisher Ermin Garcia, Jr. of the newsweekly Sunday Punch and environmentalist Nick Melecio.

Both friends of ours from our various advocacies now and before, we really think — at the risk of being rebuffed by either or both for offering unsolicited advice — they should each be sticking t the issue, a very real one to be sure, of a full investigation of the now tentacled foreshoreland scam over at Bonuan Binloc. So unfortunate for brilliant and courageous men like them to be waging a now almost personal fight in the news and commentary pages. We find that such a waste!

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By YOLANDA Z. SOTELO

THE past days found me with school leaders of an elementary and high school and a tertiary school.

Who would not know Ednas School, already an institution as far as elementary and high school is concerned? It’s already 40 years old, and is celebrating its 40 years. They say life starts at forty, so Ednas is just to start its life.

Ednas School has been educating many Pangasinan children, and many of them have made it in their respective fields.
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By LIWAY M. YPARRAGUIRRE

LUCKY for us Pangasinenses many good Samaritans are coming in to provide free medical services.

Last week, Philippine American Medical Association of Georgia, USA (PAMAG) conducted a four-day medical mission at the Dagupan City Astrodome. They provided medical, dental, surgical and other services to more than 2,500 patients from Dagupan City and other towns.

The Medical Mission of Oklahoma for Mental Health composed of Fil-Am doctors came next providing free check-ups and medicines on February 6 and 7 at the Philippine Mental Health Association located on Arellano-Bani in Dagupan City.

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DANNY O. SAGUN

WE see now obvious signs of discord between the mayor’s office and the sangguniang panlungsod. Well it’s election time.

The council surprisingly began to look seriously on alleged anomalies. The long-drawn land grab issue involving beach lands in Tondaligan is now a subject of full-blown investigation. The towing service by a private firm is now also under question. Even the charging of fees for the use of the public plaza was made a major part of legislative inquiry.

The legislative body was silent about these issues before. Nobody among the honorable gentlemen of the council bothered to raise those issues before. If one ever did, his colleagues just shrugged their shoulders off and nothing concrete came out of it.
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IT’S FINAL!

The wife of incumbent Gov Victor Agbayani is bidding to succeed him, it was confirmed by two Urduja House officials.

First to break the news was provincial administrator Virgilio Solis who told newsmen Wednesday afternoon that the Agbayani family reached a decision to field Jamie, a physician, in the gubernatorial fight after a long tedious consultation process with the family and their leaders.

Jamie, who will run under the administration Lakas-CMD party, is set to face Vice-Governor Oscar B. Lambino, who has earlier announced his candidacy, and second district Congressman Amado T. Espino.
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LINGAYEN – The ruling party scored a big catch when the entire Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) in Mangatarem town and in the second district of Pangasinan took their oath as new members of Lakas-Christian Democrats.

The new Lakas-CMD recruits were led by former Rep. Teodoro Cruz of the second district of Pangasinan, then provincial chairman of PMP in Pangasinan.

Cruz, together with his younger brother Mayor Nelson Cruz and Vice Mayor Gil Cuaresma of Mangatarem, and members of municipal council of the latter two, took their oath before Governor Victor Agbayani, co-provincial chairman of Lakas-CMD.
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RETIRED Army Lt. Gen. Alberto ‘Boysie’ Braganza has denied any grand design to ‘militarize’ civilian elective positions in western Pangasinan with the reported plans, starting with him, of retired Army and police officers to run for public office.

Braganza denied that he is fielding retired police and Army officers to run as mayor in his district for them to help him in his congressional bid.
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ALAMINOS CITY – Disgusted over what he called the present confusing state of politics in the Philippines, brought about by compromises and other factors, one of the closesT political ally of the administration in Pangasinan has expressed his desire to retire from public life.

Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, former member of the cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo before he became mayor in his place of root, surprised his citymates when he bared his plan not to run anymore although he has one more term left.

Only in his second term of office and still young at 40, Braganza laughed off reports that he will run for governor in the May 2007 polls. The truth is, he said he is actually planning to call it quits and return to private life.

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