By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.
AFTER the ‘beheading’ of now plain congressman Joe de Venecia comes the contrition, the pained afterthoughts , the wishful musings of what-should-have been among those who presided over his Caesarian downfall.
One such twilight soul should be Congresswoman Rachel Arenas, a fellow Lakas compatriot of JdV who, according to herself, agonized over her decision to go with those who asked that the Speakership post of the House be declared vacant, in effect asking for the head of Manay Gina’s husband on a bloody platter.
And quite reasonably so. After all, it was Jdv, with the full backing of Lakas chair emeritus Fidel V. Ramos, who got her into Lakas despite a big brouhaha Read the rest of this entry »
By DANNY O. SAGUN
PIA Dagupan Infocenter
DENGUE fever cases recorded last month reached 22, as culled from various private hospitals and the Region 1 Medical Center figures, more than double compared to the same period last year, the city health disclosed Tuesday.
This developed despite the launching last year of “Operation Itaob Mo,” a campaign against dengue, prompting health authorities to raise alert levels and asking the populace in the city’s 31 barangays not to be complacent.
Ten cases were recorded in January 2006
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STO. TOMAS – All roads led to this litle model town last week as it celebrated its 100th year of founding, highlighted by a first-ever Corn Festival last Sunday focusing on corn, the town’s top agricultural product.
The celebration already started February 1 with a parade around town and the opening ofan agro-industrial fair followed by an ecumenical service in devotion to the town’s patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinas.
Mayor Vivien O. Villar, wife of Undersecretary Antonio Villar, Jr, who heads the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Task Group, will lead Read the rest of this entry »
SAN CARLOS CITY –Market stallholders displaced by the fire that gutted the city’s old public market will be relocated to at least five sites.
Acting Mayor Joseres Resuello said the fire victims among market stallowners need not worry as they may be temporarily relocated to Malong Street, the Plaza Jaycees, the Central School, the old wet market near the Philippine National Police building and at the Phase IIarea of the new marketbuilding
Resuello who assumed leadership of the city government while his elder brother,Mayor Julier Resuello, is on official trip to the United States, inspected the fire scene Tuesday morning.
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A MUNICIPAL mayor , a judge and former official of the past city administration were among those tagged by a task force of the city government to have staked their claims on portions of the accretion area in Bonuan Blue Beach here.
City Engineer Virginia Rosario, chair of the Task Force on Squatting and Urban Poor Resettlement, named the claimants as Mayor Roy Macanlalay of Calasiao town and regional trail Court Judge Roberto Rudio.
The former city official during the administration of Mayor Benjamin S. Lim who personally admitted he is one of the applicants of public land in the accreted area is Rodolfo Fernandez, an engineer.
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OUSTED House of Representatives Speaker Jose C. de Venecia, Jr. said he is now savoring a newfound freedom that he did not know he had been longing for all thru these times.
“I now feel free from the clutches of Malacanang, (enjoying) what you call freedom from fear, freedom from stress, freedom from too many problems and freedom fromanxiety,” he said in an early morning patch phone interview over Bombo Radyo
Dagupan, from his Makati residence.
As of last week, his provincemates in the fourth district led by local executives are preparing to meet him anytime this week when he comes home, saying their love and respect for their congressman has remained undiminished despite the event of last week in Congress.
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ANDA – The mayor’s office and the sangguniang bayan in this little coastal town in the west are at loggerheads over the town legislators move for a budget increase for their office that the mayor however found “outrageous, unconscionable and a criminal waste of people’s money.”
The sangguniang bayan, responding in kind to the mayor’s opposition, had frozen action on the municipal budget for 2008, forcing the municipal administration to operate on a re-enacted budget.
“They’re asking too much,” Mayor Nestor Pulido bemoaned of the budget increase being asked by the SB “across-the-board” that was, according to him “more than 200 percent increase over the legislative body’s budget last year.” Read the rest of this entry »
THE Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan has approved Ordinance 1911-2008 extending the deadline for the renewal of mayor’s permit and payment of local business taxes in Dagupan City.
The ordinance moved the deadline from January 20 to February 15 of this year.
City councilor Dada Manaois-Reyna, author of the ordinance, said the preponderance of major business expenses in December, including the payment of employees’ 13th month pay, bonus and other incentives and the demands of the Christmas and New Year holidays, made it difficult
for some businessmen to comply with the present business tax payment deadline.
“The city government extends this considerable breathing spell to local entrepreneurs to further promote Dagupan’s economy,” Reyna said.
She added that processing of permits and paying taxes are now easy and speedy because of the one time transaction policy at the city’s one stop business center.
Taxpayers found violating the ordinance are to be fined not less than P5, 000 or suffer imprisonment of not less than 30 days or both at the discretion of the court.
The ordinance was on joint motion of councilors Alfie Fernandez, Karlos Reyna and Alfredo Quinto. (CIO/Leziel T. Cayabyab)
A TWO-LANE riverside boulevard will be constructed by the city government of Dagupan to spur tourism and further unclog traffic bottlenecks in the city’s main thoroughfares.
This was gleaned from a letter of City Legal Officer George Mejia to 53 property owners near the proposed boulevard expressing the intent of the city to acquire a portion of their respective lots for the proposed project at the banks of the Pantal river. Read the rest of this entry »
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