By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

SUPREME Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno put in perspective growing public questions about which takes precedence in the administration of justice between civil rights and national security.

The “point of balance,” he said is a moving point. “There is no fixed point of balance in the administration or dispensing of justice.” Read more

SO we ask the question: Is the gun ban directed at lawless elements with guns alone or at law-abiding citizens with guns duly licensed and issued also?

If it’s the first, Governor Amado T. Espino’s directive to the policemen of Sr. Supt. Isagani Nerez, provincial police director, is hollow because being lawless and violence-prone, such gun-holders – with or without a gun ban – will always find means to have a gun at all times. What’s a gun-for-hire for if he doesn’t have a gun? Just imagining such a situation already sounds ridiculous. More so, if the governor and the police director believe that a gun ban will strike fear in the hearts of armed criminals. Quite the contrary, these people’s success at evading or thumbing their nose at the prohibition even adds to their thrill.
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By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

HE STRIKES you as a lovable, kindly bespectacled grandfather, the kind who would be playing with the apos and the little ones in the living room and at the yard and not a sage of the law who will be taking on an entire Establishment, if need be, to champion the rights of the downtrodden and disadvantaged.

But he is the Chief Justice of the Land, no mistake about it, sitting right there before a local group of journalists making his legally-spiced comments almost effortlessly and with a rather marked tone that left no doubt he will, like Voltaire, defend to the death anyone’s right to say his views whether these be pleasant or unpleasant.

Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, looking sprightly for his age, was characteristically deliberate with his words in the earlier minutes of the press conference yesterday. But as the questions and discussions warmed up, he gave the local press boys a good glimpse of how the top administrator and dispenser of justice in the country will take his stand – firmly – when it comes to choosing between human rights over any establishment’s right.
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MARIO F. KARATEKA

AMBELAT so sasakbaten na pondo’y gobyerno ed saray karakel na tatawagen iran “consultants” tan “advisers” na balang sakey a departamento tan opisina tan ingen anggan say Malakanyang.

Saya so apatuaan nen nansalita si mismon Tsirwoman na Komisyon na Serbisyo Sibil Karina David ya angikuan a diad opisina’y Presidente lan mismo et walay singa masulok a limamplon “presidential assistants” (PAs) tan “presidential advisers” ya maslak ed saraya kono et agmet talagan
kwalipikadon manbenben na ontan iran posisyon ed gobyerno.

Maples a bwelta na saray kaalyados na Presidente balet manonaay Sekretaryo Ehekutibo Eduardo Ermita a sarayan Read more

By DANNY O. SAGUN

TOTAL GUN ban or just a campaign against loose firearms?

VARIOUS reactions have met the latest move by Urduja House to make this big province a safe place to live in. Gov. Amado Espino, a former police officer himself, apparently got exasperated by the rash of violence every now and then so that he came out lately with that executive order imposing a gun ban.

Can he as governor impose such order?
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THE Supreme Court circular to judges throughout the land urging the latter to, under justifiable circumstances, impose fines instead of prison terms to those convicted of libel is not a usurpation of Congress authority and power to enact laws.

This was clarified for the nth time by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno who was in Dagupan City to address a full gospel businessmen’s conference, with reference to last Saturday’s headline news of Malacanang officials’ reactions to the circular.

“This (the SC circular) is not, by any means, a new ruling,” the Chief Justice told mediamen in a press conference. It was, he said, simply a reiteration of previous court positions on the subject of libel convictions.
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Warring political bodyguards’ gun permits ordered cancelled

THE police in Pangasinan will be recommending to higher headquarters the recall of permits issued to individuals to carry firearms outside their homes.

The move was taken in connection with the executive order issued by Governor Amado Espino Jr. last week for the imposition of a total gun ban in the province in view of the rising crimes perpetrated with the use of firearms, mostly unlicensed.
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ALERT policemen and guards intercepted on Tuesday dawn a van of decomposing fish weighing 10 tons before it could be brought to the city’s wholesale fish market for sale.

Officials said the decaying fish was loaded in a truck that originated from Masinloc, Zambales but was intercepted here before it could reach the fish market.

The City Agriculture Office said that because of the incident, it placed the fish market under even closer watch round-the clock to thwart any more attempt to unload decaying fish from Zambales or elsewhere.
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THE Dagupan City Water District (DCWD) is seeking a P100 million loan with either the Development Bank of the Philippines or the Bank of the Philippine Islands in order to finance its systems expansion.

General Manager Ramon Reyna said the loan will finance Phase II of the water district’s expansion program which aims to store and generate additional ground water for Dagupan’s increasing population.

DCWD junked its previous plan to source out the money from the Local Water Utilities Administration since both DBP and Bank of PI are offering lower interest rates. Read more

HOUSE Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., assured members of the medical profession of his support in their call for the removal of a certain provision of the Cheap Pharmaceutical Medicine Bill that they think emasculates their authority over their patients.

In a talk to members of the Pangasinan Medical Society (PMS) a day after the latter joined their counterparts in various parts of the country in denouncing House Bill No. 2844, de Venecia vowed to sit down with the principal author of the bill to bring to him the sentiments of doctors in Pangasinan and various parts of the country.

“I am inclined to support our doctors, so I would like to see the exact language that they are proposing,” he told reporters in an earlier interview at his residence.
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