P u n c h F o r u m
(As of January 22, 2006)
Comments, recommendations, reactions to and public appeals for good
governance from Online readers
(Greetings and special
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Publisher
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
22 Jan 2006
Events such as the peace dialogue in Panamao,
Sulu between government representatives and the group of Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) commander Ustadz Khabir Malik deserves the
attention from the people better than anything else that are causing
instability to the country. It is the first face-to-face dialogue since
renewed hostilities in Sulu erupted in February last year.
I hope and pray that this major milestone on peace
initiatives will last not only during the entire duration of
Balikatan Humanitarian Program but a never ending peace and security
in the area and the whole country.
I wonder why the country is again back to square one,
facing again war on several fronts, against military rebel, the MNLF and
the NPA just like when FVR became President in 1992. No Filipinos must
help those who are trying unwittingly to push the country slowly on the
brink of a civil war.
Instead, we must all be Filipinos for better
Philippines.
The signing of the peace agreement between the
government and the MNLF on September 2, 1996 in Malacanang after four
years of careful negotiations was a crowning achievement of former
President Fidel V. Ramos. It formally ended 24 years of Muslim rebellion
since 1972 which claimed more than 100,000 precious lives. After four
years as President, FVR had attained peace with military rebels and
Muslims in the country.
Nur Misuari, chair of the MNLF at that time had joined
the government by successfully running for governor of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). He took his oath as governor of the
region by pledging allegiance to the Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines ending his war of more than twenty years against the
Philippine government.
Prior to the peace agreement between the government and
the MNLF, in October 13, 1995, the government with FVR as President,
the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM), Soldiers of the
Filipino People (SFP) and Young Officers Union (YOU), signed a peace
agreement ending destabilization and dangerous threat to the country. As
we all know, the acknowledged leader, Col. Gregorio Honasan, returned to
the fold of law and became a senator after the 1995 election. I guess,
he took his oath of office as a senator also by pledging allegiance to
the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines just like Nur
Misuari as a governor.
Any kind of war in the country must not be decided in
the battlefield wherein Filipinos are killing Filipinos but in the heart
and minds of the people. They must not be caught and victimized by the
cruelty of wars. War is a tragedy of absolute insanity that brings out
the very worst in us in wasting human lives, hopes and dreams, most
particularly, when we allow our political and religious beliefs to sow
hatred instead of love, kindness and understanding. We must continue
forever mobilizing our collective efforts for a better future without
the need of calamities to remind us of our social, moral and spiritual
responsibilities to other people.
"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from
a far country." - Proverbs 25:25
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
20 Jan 2006
When asked about the proposed unicameral
parliamentary system of government, Senator Joker Arroyo was quoted to
have said that the senators may as well write their obituary.
Come to think about it, if senators are to write their
obituary as Senator Joker Arroyo has suggested, what do you think will
be written?
What exactly is obituary? It is a published notice with
brief biography bearing bad or good news depending, of course, whom you
ask. Obituary is about what you accomplished and/or about what you are
known for.
For the senators to write their obituary, they must
know what they have accomplished and/or what they are known for. Did
they accomplish lots, minimal or nothing significant at all? Are they
known for something nice, something not good or not known at all? Are
they hard workers or hard to work? Are they known for the legislations
of important bills that affect and help the nation or are they known
more for investigating in aid of legislations? Are they going to include
something about what they have done with their pork barrels? I do not
think so. In all probabilities, it will be none of the above.
It will be interesting to know what were written in the
obituaries of former senators who already passed away. Do you have any
idea?
Did anybody ever written their own obituary? According
to Mr. Paul W. Brubaker, Alfred Nobel did.
WRITING YOUR OWN OBITUARY
By Paul W. Brubaker
May/June 2003
Have you ever thought about writing your own obituary?
Alfred Nobel did.
The Swedish chemist had made millions by inventing and
manufacturing dynamite. In 1888 Alfred's brother Ludvig died in France.
As Alfred read the obituary in a French newspaper, his grief turned to
dismay and consternation. What he was reading was not his brother's
obituary, but his own! (The newspaper editor had confused the brothers.)
"The Merchant of Death is Dead!" is what the headline proclaimed. Alfred
Nobel's obituary described a man who had filled his coffers with wealth
by helping people kill one another.
From that day on, Alfred Nobel was a changed man.
Troubled by what the editor had written regarding him, Nobel in a sense
wrote his own obituary by purposing in his heart to use his wealth to
alter his legacy. When he died eight years later, in 1896, Alfred left
more than $9,000,000 to fund awards for those whose work would benefit
humanity, not destroy it. Today we know those awards as the Nobel
Prizes. Alfred Nobel had a singular opportunity--to look at the
appraisal of his life at its end and still have a chance to alter it.
Isn't it true that you and I have but one brief
opportunity-a lifetime on earth-to make a difference? James 4:14
describes the span of our years as "a mist that appears for a little
while and then vanishes." If we could see just five minutes beyond
death, we'd know exactly how we should have lived here and now. But then
it will be too late!
The question becomes, "Will those you leave behind
regard you as one who accumulated treasures on earth that you couldn't
keep"? Or will you be recognized as one who "stored up treasures in
Heaven" (Matthew 6:20)--treasures you couldn't lose?
John Wesley once wrote: "I judge all things only by the
price they shall gain in eternity." And then there's the well-known
quote by Missionary C. T. Studd: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past;
only what's done for Christ will last." So ... do you need to rewrite
your obituary?
Victoria N. Carrera
Guam
victoria_nepomuceno_carrera@yahoo.com
19 Jan 2006
To The Leaders of Alaminos Pangasinan:
During our recent vacation in Pangasinan, my family
went to Hundred Islands. We were very excited and we told our children
that the place is one of the best spot to visit in Pangasinan.
To our dismay, we left the place in a hurry because
when we arrived at the place, we were swarmed by peddlers who were
trying to sell souvenir materials. They followed us all over the place
like agitated swarm of bees. We didn't even have a chance to take
pictures because the peddlers were in our faces. We found Hundred
Islands as a dead spot for tourism. There is really nothing there that
will please the tourists. I will not even recommend it to anybody who
knows what a basic tourist spot has to offer. The Hundred Island is a
wasted natural resource. Our children who were excited to see the place
were also disappointed.
This is a call to the leaders of Alaminos, Pangasinan.
Please do something about the place and those peddlers. Give them an
infrastructure or a permanent place where tourist can go and buy their
products, not them running after the visitors to make a sale. I am not
surprise why Hundred Islands is not a popular tourist spot. If you
leaders are not capable of doing the job, vacate your positions.
Alaminos Pangasinan needs capable leaders who can improve the place and
know how to create jobs for the people.
Tourism is a good source for the province income. Next
time my family comes for a visit; Hundred Islands will not be in our
list. The same deterioration happened to Bonuan Beach, Dagupan City
which now requires extensive planning and urban renewal development.
Mr. Dimagiba your comments are justified. Keep on going
and let us not give up for the future of our country.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
ramondimagiba@yahoo.com
12 Jan 2005
Hundred Islands. A place of aquatic beauty and
the enjoyment that the open sea can offer us. But, as Mr. Calvero saw
it, you can feel that withdrawal and disbelief that he felt when his
expectations turned to disgust on what he saw contrary to what was
promoted by the town of Alaminos.
When the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources
turned it over to Alaminos to manage and to promote tourism, I believed
a grant of P10 million pesos was given to Alaminos to spruce up the
place. From the get-go that place was touted as the symbol of Alaminos
competency at par with the resorts like Boracay, to try to deviate
tourist to spend their hard-earned moolahs to those places.
What happened to the money that was supposed to be
spent? What happened to the Alaminos that Braganza used to bragged?
Where is the managerial genius of Braganza when he accepted the
responsibility from the DENR?
Yo .. Hernani Braganza! Where are you? Where have you
been? Where is the hot air? It is all BRAGGADOCIO, Mr. Braganza?
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo_sapang@yahoo.com
12 Jan 2006
Lengthy diatribe on advocacy or endorsements
does not make a person president. I will try my rebuttal to be short,
concise and to the point not a mishmash of hearsays and innuendos.
I will put Fidel Ramos up to the bar on why his
energized desire to seek power is worth a discussion. Lately, Ramos has
threatened Arroyo that if the social conditions in the country are not
address there is a possibility of a revolt against the status quo. He
mentioned the chasm that separates the poor from the rich - which he is,
included in this oligarchy- the most debilitating problem that must be
approach with vigor, to wage war on this social monster.
Ramos was once the president of the Philippines. When
he became president in 1992, what did he do? He did not see the poverty,
the corruption in high places that surrounded him? Now, he tried to
blame Arroyo of her missteps that she inherited from him and that
bumbling fool Estrada. Ramos is now on the warpath of the blame game.
His election to the office and I reiterate again cost P2 billion pesos.
Where it came from? Ramos is not a very rich guy to begin with. It is
now a known fact that the inception of the gambling lords and the
crooked interests started with him, Estrada and eventually Arroyo. Woe
unto Estrada, he got caught.
All the glorifications that are being thrown at Ramos, is malarkey. An
ersatz to cover his
ineptitude in office. To those who are pushing for Ramos to return to
politics are not only arrogant but doing a disservice to the country.
Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo are as phony as an American
$3.00 bill.
Ted Calvero
Hawaii, USA
tlc_tip@yahoo.com
10 Jan 2006
RE: Web survey: 100
Islands third best place in Asia
My family had an opportunity to visit the 100 islands last year and
visited Quezon and Children's Island during our short vacation. By no
doubt, the beaches, warm crystal-clear waters, and the natural
environment make the visit worthwhile.
I have some concerns and observations though. Children’s Island is not
kid friendly at all. The boats are right in the swimming area so the
fuel is mixed with the water. There are approximately 10 boats at that
time, moored right in front of the island so there's not much place for
the swimmers. The part of the island with shades and cottages are
swarming with red ants with rubbish burning nearby. The whole island is
reeking with urine and human excrements. In the back, you can see the
sewer lines running down the water. The corals are damaged, and you
don't see much beauty underwater. This is a
blatant disrespect of the beauty of this pristine place. I live around
the greatest beaches in the world, so I know that 100 islands can
compete with the beaches of Hawaii or anywhere else. In fact, I told
everyone about this place. But the local government agencies must be
aggressive in taking back the beauty that these islands once had. They
should regulate and control the presence of boats and people. They must
impose strict fines and laws that will protect the beauty of the
islands. They should install portable bathrooms and invest in
maintenance and cleaning crews. The Department of Natural and
Environmental resources must proclaim this as a protected park. I know
this is a lot of money, but how can you market this place if tourists,
especially from other countries, experience what we just went through?
This is definitely a world-class destination, so make it as one.
Remember the old saying, "If you build, they will come?"
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
oriel@shaw.ca
10 Jan 2006
What a way to start
the New Year? Happy New Year to all!!!!
FVR has given GMA until June 30, 2007 to resign and
decide whether she would
run for parliament under an amended Constitution. According to some this
timeline is very long and starving people cannot wait. The gap between
the rich and poor is widening. The situation could lead to a breakdown
in peace and order. Ramos might be harsh and assertive to the President
but what you can do when nobody is listening while some people want to
bring down the government to protect their vested interests. I do not
think he will become another threat to the President or to anybody else
except the enemies of the state. His track record will show that he is
more interested in helping the country face any threat that will
endanger the welfare of the people and our national security. Unlike
the opposition, detractors and enemy of the state, FVR is not asking GMA
to resign because of allegations of irregularities but to make an
ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the country and its people. Filipinos
in their right frame of mind or for better Philippines should be fully
aware of these distinctions.
I strongly believe FVR when he said that his support
for any President was always incidental to national interest. He said,
“We are doing the work here in general for the welfare of the people and
for our national security.”
Please take note carefully the word “we” which means he is not doing it
alone or for his own personal gratifications. While there are some
corrupt officials in the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the PNP or
in the branches of the government, there are also lots of heroes amongst
them who are patriotic and nationalistic and who are willing to
sacrifice their lives for the sake of our beloved country and its
people. This is the FVR that I
know unlike the FVR that some people want us to believe much more to
those who make false accusations without supporting evidence. Thieves
who are proven beyond reasonable doubts in the court of law deserves to
be punished but people who make false accusations do not deserve to be
respected. They can be worse than thieves in causing pains to other
people for hurting their feelings. If you are wrongly accused, do you
not feel violated? How much more if you are trying your best and putting
your honor and integrity at stake to help the country and its people
that include ungrateful false accusers?
Ramos warned the President against a possible revolt by
the masses because of what he considered the widening gap between the
poor and the rich. We should confront the issue of poverty right away as
this bred communist rebels or suicide bombers. He said he expected the
Arroyo administration to be saddled with the issues of political
instability, second impeachment complaint against the President in July
and the worsening poverty of the people. Please note closely his
foresight when he mentioned the very probable impeachment complaint in
July by those who do not want the country to stabilize. Does the country
need and deserve all these unending political noises? I do not think so.
The nation needs to move forward without unnecessary obstacles.
FVR reminded the media that he had been sticking his
neck out since he was a young soldier and that he wanted young leaders
to do the same. Ramos said during President Corazon Aquino¹s
administration, "I stuck my neck out and I supported her nine times and
I¹m talking about coup attempts... That was a shoot-to-kill situation.
Who would want to go into that all over again?” Ramos ruled out a
possible military solution to the political crisis, saying it would be
unfair to drag soldiers and policemen into the political
controversy.
Personally, I like to add that there is more to it than
meets the eye involving billions, if not trillions, of money from
illegal sources or businesses and activities either by locals and
foreigners, illegal drugs, illegal games, corruptions, terrorism,
communism, freedom from jail and prosecutions, thousands hectares of
land and other properties, tax payments
and collections, protection of human and natural resources, interest of
foreign countries, gas & gasoline reserves, deposits and discoveries,
etc. In short, local and global economic war or fight against poverty or
human greediness or war between good and evil.
Let us face the reality that nothing is impossible,
just look what happened to United States and what is happening around
the world. We must not take things for granted. Let us not be naïve but
well-informed. Instead of focusing what Ramos, Drillon and Sotto are
planning, why not concentrate on what the terrorists, drug lords,
jueteng lords and corrupt government officials are planning? We can help
the can country better this way and be
part of the solutions instead of the problems. Situation nowadays are
unpredictable and explosive waiting to happen or to explode.
Let us not forget that the opposition, detractors and enemies
of the state are asking and doing everything they can to make GMA resign
as soon as possible and this political turmoil is causing too much
instability to the government. It is well and good if these problems can
be settled peacefully as soon as possible and not be settled by a bloody
coup-d-etat or civil war just like other countries. So help us God.
You might have noticed that my responses are long. I
cannot help it. I just want everybody, including myself, to understand
and have a clearer picture of the real enemy/enemies and the problems
that our country is facing. You can fill in the gaps, disagree with me
for as long as you like, you can correct me if I am wrong or even hate
me if that is what you like. I just hope and pray that Filipinos will
not be caught by surprise or unprepared.
What is at stake is too high for us Filipinos, it
involves the future of our beloved country and the lives of more than 85
million people and many of those who claimed to be leaders or who
claimed to love the country just do not care or are just pretending to
care.
May our beloved God bless us all.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
9 Jan 2005
The PCE's claim that Filipinos' lack of patriotism and nationalism
is the root of the country's problem. I beg to disagree. Filipinos are
one of the most patriotic and nationalistic people on earth but because
of corrupt government officials, corrupt media (most media personalities
do not report corrupt officials because they receive grease money) these
officials perpetuate in power. GMA was propelled into the presidency
because of corruption problem with ERAP and the Filipino people thought
her to be not corrupt and therefore was reelected, then she betrayed the
people by always saying that she will stop corruption after so many
years that she is in power. Is that the fault of the majority of the
Filipino people? The simple question Mr. PCE is this-Why is it that most
Filipinos overseas are law abiding people? Mr. PCE, please analyze and
do not pass the buck just to protect your favorite politicians. Someone
told me that politicians who can give grease money are not mentioned in
the news for corrupt issues.
Let us not be biased, like Mr. Ermin Garcia. Of course because of
corruption there are a lot of murders of media personalities, judges,
policemen and prosecutors whose deaths are not investigated or given
justice. That is the corruption at the highest level, but Mr. PCE,
please do not insult our intelligence.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo_sapang@yahoo.com
9 Jan 2006
The picture that could be seen on Inq.7 is deceptive to say the
least. In this computer age a picture can be superimposed, dice and cut
to distort its meaning and purpose. It can mean a thousand lies to
anybody's perspective.
The idea being floated around that Estrada tried to mend fences
with Ramos and Aquino to oppose Arroyo is not a remote possibility. It
could materialize. There is no honor among thieves especially Filipino
politicians. Politics makes strange bedfellows.
What happened in that hotel, the way it can be seen, was an evil
cabal of men plotting what should be done to topple Arroyo. Ramos could
swear to high heavens that he is 10,000% behind Arroyo. Would Arroyo
believed him? No, she won't because only an obtuse person will say what
Ramos is doing is not for political expediency.
Those who claimed that every Filipino is full of patriotism on what
is happening in that country should have his head examined. Most
Filipinos who are living abroad are disillusioned and washed their hands
on any outcome in that country. You can change the system of government,
change the constitution, change the laws and still nothing will happen.
PHILIPPINES OF THE CROOKS, FOR THE CROOKS AND BY THE CROOKS.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
oriel@shaw.ca
7 Jan 2006
A picture is really worth ten thousand
words. If we look closely to a picture it can tell us a story as well as
a large amount of descriptive text.
Published in Inq7.Net today is a picture with the
following caption at the bottom, "TALK OF THE TOWN: Here¹s the photo to
prove the Jan. 2 meeting of (from right) former President Fidel Ramos,
Senate President Franklin Drilon and former Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto
really took place in FVR¹S office at the Urban Bank building in Makati
City. Ramos sent Sotto this photo framed by the rah-rah objectives of
his peace and development foundation."
Beside the photo is news by TJ Burgonio and Cynthia D.
Balana of Inquirer with the title, “Ramos told: Speak for yourself on
position” wherein Sen.
Rodolfo Biazon challenged Ramos to publicly declare if
he was still behind Pres. Arroyo.
All that Sen. Rodolfo Biazon needs to do is to look
closely on the picture of FVR, Drillon and Sotto and he will know
immediately that former President Fidel V. Ramos is not only 100% behind
Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he is also 1000% behind the country that
we all love called Philippines.
Written around the picture are the following: Caring,
Sharing, Daring.
People Empowerment and Global Competitiveness. Mabuhay
& Best Wishes for a Better Philippines. RPDEV, Ramos Peace and
Development Foundations, Inc. and signed by FVR.
How can other Filipinos be so blind that they tell a
different story after looking at the picture?
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
oriel@shaw.ca
6 Jan 2006
According to the news, the United Opposition (UNO) is pressing proposal
for an alliance of former President Ramos, Aquino and Estrada. Estrada's
former Agrarian Secretary Horacio Morales told the Inquirer, "We, in the
United Opposition (UNO), believe that a meeting of the three former
Presidents will be a big help to the opposition".
What the United Opposition wants is very unlikely to
happen because the alliance is being proposed for all the wrong reasons.
Philippines is the one that needs a big help not the opposition. For one
thing, the three former Presidents have different agendas, a list or
program of things to be done or considered. They do not share the same
views on how to help the country and its people. Former President Fidel
V. Ramos continues to help the country even after his term as President
of the Republic of the Philippines. He wants to win the future for the
sake of the country and its people.
I strongly believe that FVR wants to leave a lasting
legacy just like his father, the late Ambassador Narciso Rueca Ramos who
was a lawyer, journalist, five-term Assemblyman, Ambassador and
Secretary of Foreign Affairs. FVR is a great son of Pangasinan and I
salute him for that. His track records will show that he never stop
fighting the rights of the more than 85 million Filipinos. He helps
prevent the downfall of former President Cory Aquino by defending her
against several coup-d-etats.
Some people, including those who claim to be political
leaders, lawyers, crime fighters, soldiers, policemen, journalist,
lawmakers and members of the religious establishments, do not realize or
do not want to realize that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom they
called simply as Aling Gloria or Ate Glo/Glue or other names that are
not very appropriate, is one of the 85 million Filipinos whose rights
are protected under the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
Former President Fidel V. Ramos protects Aling Gloria
not only because she is one of the more than 85 million Filipinos but
also because she is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the President of
the country and its people. As President of the country, her downfall is
also the downfall of the rest of the more than 85 million Filipinos. The
great son of Pangasinan has the guts, power and principle to prevent the
downfall of the nation. He makes us proud to be Pangasinenses.
We must all be Filipinos for Better Philippines.
“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from
a far country.” Proverbs 25:25
Mike Dela Cruz
Dagupan
mikedelacruz_123@yahoo.com
3 Jan 2006
CHARTER CHANGE hindi kailangan sa napakalubhang problema ng bayan. UTAK
ng pinoy ang kailangan palitan!
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo_sapang@yahoo.com
31 Dec 2005
To Nap Casilang:
Merry X¹mas and a happy new year.
Cheers! This is to you and your family from a bottle of
Moêt Chandon.
Giving up on the country of my birth, politically, is
not a hard thing to do. You and I and the rest of us discussed pertinent
solutions and all that involves the country, from forms of government
dedicated for the people, vote buying to jueteng and the end result is
always the same. Look at jueteng, the head was chopped off, supposed to
die and lo and behold like the Hydra it sprouted several heads. This
entire clamor for change is just a political gimmickry designed for the
Filipino, a conniving social creature, devoid of feeling, a people
destined for the pigsty of economic and political disorder.
Cases in point where corruption overrules
decency and public service:
1- 1992 Fidel Ramos, that “honest son of Pangasinan” spent P2 billion
pesos to win the presidency, that¹s with a capital B.
2- Estrada upgraded Ramos¹ to the tune of P4 billion pesos which came
mostly from the gambling lords. He sold the presidency even before he
was elected.
3- Arroyo spent P6 billion pesos in the May 10 elections and Poe spent
half of that amount to mount a credible challenge even though Poe was
fighting a lost cause. Arroyo also sold her soul to the devils of
underworld.
Why all these interests in the presidency? From idiotic movie
actors who cannot differentiate 1 from 2 to self-proclaimed educated few
who think they got all the solutions for the ills that befallen the
Filipino? It all come down to character, that moral constitution of a
people which the Filipino don¹t have, the corrupt well being which is
ingrained in the Filipino psyche.
And to the person who impersonated Mr. Dimagiba, the
Forum should put in place safeguards to counter this complete disregard
of common decency. There must be a password like when you are entering a
website to which is only known to the Forum for authenticity. We, who
writes for the Forum, should demand in no uncertain terms that Mr. Ermin
Garcia should act on it. Sooner the better.
Bernard Diaz
New
York
bmd7091@aol.com
30 Dec 2005
Comments to our medical experts:
Time will come our medical specialists will run out and
it is very rare to find for an expert to care or diagnose us. They are
migrating to other countries; it is sound alarming because some doctors
are working in other countries as a nurse. In a future we consult our
medical problems to QUACK DOCTORS or ALBULARYO NG BAYAN.
Nap Casilang
NorCal
Chnacrisis2@yahoo.com
30 Dec 2005
Hello all and the best of the holiday season to
everyone on the FORUM... well... here we go...
Mr. Pontaoe, I see that you actually have thrown in the
towel, given-up on your hope of a changing political atmosphere in that
"god forsaken" place.
Much as I hate to use the term, I do agree with you.
There is NOTHING in the way of changing the political system that could
alleviate the many problems that puts the Philippine Government in the
quagmire that its at.
NOTHING....change the attitudes of the politicians?
Yeah, right...who in the world would spend millions of his own money to
win a government seat with the intention of "serving the population".
well...????
Mr. Dimagiba, I think that the FORUM poster who used
your name and other details to "retract your statements" deserves a
public flogging. This is not only an attack on your person or on your
views, this malicious action is affecting all of us.
This person is not a FORUM Poster but a FORUM IMPOSTOR…
I am sure there is a way of identifying the culprit through his or her
electronic/digital footprint... how about it, Sunday Punch? Let's expose
this Charlatan and leave him at the mercy of the TRUE posters...
Here's to a New Year of Hope and Progress!!!
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
25 Dec 2005
I was really surprised that somebody in the Forum got the nerve to put
words in my mouth. What I wrote in the Forum on 11-25-05 I did never
retract. This person who did this is a coward, a faceless assassin, a
lowlife who doesn't have the guts to challenge me in what I wrote.
And to you, sir, come forward and let us know who you
are. Don't hide in the shadows like a thief. Be a man.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
22 Dec 2005
With the proposals of the Consultative
Commission coming to the fore, we can see that the worst has yet to
come. To those like me who advocated a change in governance to a
Parliamentary form how wrong I am. I thought we have the right
prescription to a debilitating disease but it is turning out to
exacerbate the situation.
I give up. Not in my generation I can see a change in
that God forsaken place. With all the candles burnt and prayers galore
nothing can de-elevate the suffering and frustrations that even Gen.
Abat is feeling now.
This is the culmination of what Quezon and his
co-conspirators Osmeña and Romulo envisioned, a government run like Hell
by Filipinos and Hell it is.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
18 Dec 2005
Culture of White Shrimps OK'd
It is really commendable to have a House Speaker like
JDV. The news which I will quote says "House Speaker Jose de Venecia,
Jr. lauded the Bureau of Fisheries And Aquatic Resources for scoring
what he called a HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH IN THE GOVERNMENT'S CAMPAIGN TO
BRING MORE FOOD ON THE DINING TABLE THROUGH ITS RESEARCH ON WHITE SHRIMP
CALLED PENAEUS VANNAMEI".
My dear readers and the Filipino people: May I ask the
following question:
1. Since the WHITE SHRIMP or the BLACK TIGER PRAWNS are very expensive
to culture, whose dining table will have more food? Poor JUAN DELA CRUZ
does not even have a dining table, so how can that WHITE SHRIMP land on
his plate?
2. What is the HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH? That most Filipinos will be eating
the WHITE SHRIMP? This is too much "bola-bola" my dear readers.
3. In that news, there is no indication of any kind of technology
transfer to poor JUAN DE LA CRUZ. So only the twelve elite entrepreneurs
will benefit from the research. It is like a cartel.
4. What are the programs of the Honorable Speaker that will help poor
Juan dela Cruz to bring at least one WHITE SHRIMP on his table?
My dear readers, let us read in between the lines to
see if what we are reading is "bola-bola" or not.
Rafael L., Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
18 Dec 2005
In response to the posting of Clarence B. Munoz dated Dec 16, 2005:
Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Speaker Joe de Venecia, Bureau of
Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, Sec of Health Francisco Duque
III, PNP Director Art Lomibao are great sons of Pangasinan. I salute
them.
We must be proud of them because they never stop fighting the
rights of 85 million Filipinos. Some people are like Clarence B. Munoz
who do not realize or do not want to realize that President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, whom she called simply as Aling Gloria, is one of the
85 million Filipinos whose rights are protected under the Constitution
of the Republic of the Philippines. Our great sons of Pangasinan protect
Aling Gloria not only because she is one of the 85 million Filipinos but
also because she is the President of the country and its people. As
President of the country, her downfall is also the downfall of the rest
of the 85 million Filipinos. The great sons of Pangasinan have the guts,
power and principle to prevent the downfall of the country and its
people. They make us proud to be Pangasinenses.
We must all be Filipinos for Better Philippines.
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa Lahat!
Clarence B Munoz
Santa Barbara/Alameda, CA 94501
cbm_818@yahoo.com
16 Dec 2005
GREAT SONS OF PANGASINAN....
In the past, Pangasinan produced a lot of Great Sons and
Daughters, some became senators, congressmen, cabinet secretaries and
even president. But some of our provincemates who are serving the
administration of Aling Glorya and even the protectors of Aling Glorya
are also from Pangasinan. Even Garci claimed that he is from
Pangasinan (nakakahiya!). We have the former President FVR, Speaker JdV,
BI Commissioner A. Fernandez, Sec of Health Duque, PNP Director Art
Lomibao di ba maging proud sana tayo dahil sila ay mga taga Pangasinan
pero kung minsan nakakahiya din lalo na pag pinagtatanggol nila si Aling
Glorya.
Only few good men left fighting the rights of 85
million Pinoys and I salute the former Governor Oscar Orbos he has the
guts, power and principle to stand against the wrong doings of Aling
Glorya di na baleng bombahin sila nang water cannons. I admire the
courage of Archbishop Oscar Cruz fighting the jueteng lords especially
the 2004 election financiers of Aling Glorya.
Hopefully the good Archbishop Cruz will win with his
crusade even Aling Glorya and FGMA are the protectors of these gambling
lords.
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon.
God Bless the Philippines and the Filipinos.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
15 Dec 2005
With the problems besetting the PAF, I think
it’s proper to change the name to: Philippine Air FARCE.
And all the officers in blue who has all the stars for
show, sitting in their offices staring into the emptiness of command,
immobilized by corruption, who got nothing to fly wringing their hands
in frustration, call them what they deserved most; members of the
Philippine Air FART.
These officers should be decommissioned for inactivity
to save money. Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
Clarence Munoz
Sta Barbara, Pangasinan
Alameda,
CA. USA
cbm_818@yahoo.com
14 Dec 2005
I was watching the first appearance of GARCILLANO in the congress hearing
last December 6 and he mentioned that is also from Pangasinan WHAT A
SHAME to Pangasinenses (NAKAKAHIYA). Our former and current country
leaders came from Pangasinan became the protector of Aling Glorya(GMA)
former Pres. Fidel Ramos, Speaker of the Joe de V, Secretary of Health
Dr. Duque, Immigration Chief Alipio Fernandez, PNP Director Arturo
Lomibao these are few GOOD MEN who are in the wrong side of the FENCE.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
14 Dec 2005
This is a follow-up on my posting on 11-26-05.
As of this writing, the Philippine Air Force had decommissioned the
principal component of its Air Force, the Tactical Command composed of
the aging F-5s. Nothing is flying to patrol and protect the air space of
the country if you can call these junks of airplanes suitable for such a
task.
Well, the government asks the US Dept. of Defense if
they can resupply the Philippine Air Force with newer planes. Looking at
the problem the bureaucrats at the US Dept. of Defense assured that
possibly they can throw away a few especially the F/A-18A/B Hornet. This
plane and the elite composites of F-15s and F-16s are also going to be
decommissioned and replaced by the newest plane that the US military can
produce - the F-22 Raptor.
The Philippines' military assistance from the US is
only $85 million dollars. At $39.5 million dollars the F/A-18 a pop, the
Philippines can only acquire maybe three (3) depending on depreciation
of the planes. Basing on the corrupt economic situation the Philippines
cannot afford to purchase even one much less a box of 20mm ammo. Why
not forego this wild idea and let the US do its share from the Mutual
Defense Treaty? Let them patrol the air space from the carrier of their
task force which they do anyway.
If the Philippines do get these planes there is a hitch
that goes with them.
These planes are in service since 1982, a piece of
technological wonder rusting at the seams.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
8 Dec 2005
The PCE, Mr. Jun Velasco did it again and is maintaining his title. The
PCE mentioned about Mon Reyna's modernization program that needs
congressional support but did not say anything what that modernization
program is. Then he goes on to scare the public about "trillions of
bacteria and other germs" in the drinking water and that Mon Reyna is
not taking any chances. Then he goes on to say that his Manila-based
friend of SaniSpring Water Purifier confirmed it and "who reported that
not many know that chlorinated water is
responsible for the hardening of the blood vessels especially the main
artery, causing high blood pressure and heart diseases". That is still
being researched by the US environmental Protection Agency.
This is what we call "cono tan cuanda" reporting like
Mr. Jayson Blair.
If the Dagupan City water manager's modernization
program is to provide safe drinking water that does not contain the
so-called "trillions of bacteria and germs" that the PCE mentioned and
at the same time not use chlorination to avoid the disinfection
byproduct (DBPs) which his friend claims to be harmful, I wonder if that
modernization program is economically feasible and people of Dagupan or
even the Philippine Government can afford it.
This report of the PCE does not make sense and it was
written only to advertise and promote his friend's business based on the
assumption that the readers are stupid. Assuming that the people can
afford to pay for the modernization program that will not use
chlorination for disinfection or use activated carbon filters or reverse
osmosis units after chlorination, thereby avoiding the problem with the
DBPs like trihalomethanes(THM), then there is no need for anyone to buy
a water purifier because the water quality is like bottled water.
So now we see the problem with this report of the PCE.
Just imagine that a city in the Philippines can afford to supply
"bottled water quality" water which anyone can use to wash his or her
car, flush the toilet and water the garden. That will be fantastic. This
is
*some words missing*
Annaliza Broquel-
Patague
Mangaldan/ Toronto Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
9 Dec 2005
I do not understand why there are still some people in the Philippines
who are afraid of the shadow of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. I
believe they have committed acts unbecoming of human beings against the
former president.
In the Philippines, politics dictates the tempo of its
economy; in other countries it's the economy that dictates politics.
Some economic experts say that the Philippines is
one of the richest countries in Southeast Asia. But the problem is
where do the people's taxes go? To the project or*****!!!!
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
7 Dec 2005
These are for Mr. Jun Velasco:
1) Drinking red wine can reduce risk of heart attack.
2) Spaghetti sauce, pizza seen to help prostate cancer.
3) Study finds alcohol-caffeine combination halts stroke damage.
4) White wine is good for the lungs.
5) Full-fat milk helps prevent asthma.
6) A pint of beer or a glass of wine triggers the growth of new brain
cells and boosts memory.
7) Dark chocolate may have a protective effect on the cardiovascular
system.
8) Hops in beer may inhibit growth of vascular tumors.
9) Light to moderate drinkers of alcohol are less likely to be obese
than those who do not drink.
10) Belly up to buffet and bar.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
6 Dec 2005
Mr. Juan (Jun) Velasco:
Unsafe drinking water? Chlorination is a water
treatment that destroys disease-causing bacteria, nuisance bacteria
parasites and other organisms. Even though chlorine is suspected to have
byproducts that trigger free radicals that are highly carcinogenic, it
is still the most available element to protect people from water
contaminants.
The confirmation of your friend, Aurelio Magnasi of
SaniSpring Water Purifier and I quote “that chlorinated water is
responsible for the hardening of the blood vessels especially the main
artery causing high blood pressure and heart diseases.” This is not only
deceptive advertising that you tried to promote on behalf of your friend
but also it showed your kind of journalism TAINTED and UNTRUTHFUL.
There are no conclusive clinical trials that proved that such cases
exist.
Let me go further. Dr. Joseph Price wrote a
controversial book in the late sixties titled
Coronaries-Cholesterol-Chlorine and concluded that nothing can negate
the incontrovertible fact that the basic cause of strokes and heart
attacks is chlorine.
But, there is the underlying catch. Dr. Price used
chickens as test specimens, where chickens were observe to maturity. One
group was given water with chlorine and the other without. When
autopsied, the group with chlorine showed some a telltale heart and
circulatory disease; the group without showed no incidence. The group
with chlorine showed retardation of growth while the other did not.
Dr. Price¹s conclusion; “ It would be common sense
conclusion that if chlorinated water is not good for the chickens then
probably is not good for humans”. This is not only debatable but also
highly questionable.
There were no clinical trials done on humans and
speculations and assumptions are inconclusive and “probably” as what Dr.
Price said is not enough.
Here in Chicago Mr. Velasco, for your info, the city
pumped 1 billion gallons of water everyday which chlorine is used to
decontaminate it. For all those years that this city done it and the 248
billion gallons of water that the good old US of A uses at any given
day, there is no evidence that the usage of chlorine affected the health
and well being of the country.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
6 Dec 2005
To the CLO Geraldine Baniqued:
What really is surprising on your part is to deny that
you did not know the council has adopted a resolution for the passage of
a pay-parking ordinance (we call it here in Chicago zone parking). That
you were not consulted on the issue and you let it go on your reasoning
that they were lawyers themselves and they knew what they did. If your
job as the corporation counsel of Dagupan City and you were getting paid
for that, it would be dereliction to duty, wouldn¹t it?
It is an insult to the people of Dagupan City that you
let everybody poked their hands in the cookie jar to get what they want.
That the legality was never explored if it was disadvantageous to the
city basing on the proposed sharing of management fees, which everybody
can see, is as crooked as the ordinance infringing on the government¹s
authority on national roads.
Denial of what happened is your only way out. Tried to
wash your hands like modern day Pontius Pilate but you are involved to
your eyeballs in a cabal of corruption in that city. As the Corporation
Counsel you cannot be blind to the corrupt machinations of the city
council if you are doing your job. What are your options? None. You owed
your job to the Benjie Lim and as a lap dog you will do anything to his
beck and call. For you to have a semblance of self respect Š RESIGN.
In Pangasinan, we have a saying: SINDARA, SINDARA,
NANPAPARA'Y LUPA RA.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
5 Dec 2005
According to the news dated Dec. 5, 2005 by Maila Ager of INQ7.net,
opposition may file criminal raps versus Garcillano.
In that news, Congressman Escudero said Garcillano
could be charged with violating the Omnibus Election Code, the
"Anti-Graft Law", or possibly the Code of Ethics and Standards of Public
Officials. He also said, besides being unethical, the contents of the
supposed wiretapped conversations between Arroyo and Garcillano
constituted illegal actions.
I do not know about you but I think something is weird.
While reading closely the said news, I noticed something missing and/or
something is odd. Which one constituted illegal actions or criminal act,
the supposed wiretapped conversations or the wiretapping of the
conversations? If the wiretapping is indeed a criminal act, due process
dictates that there must be somebody accused of committing the crime.
Whose duty and responsibility is it to file the charges? When is the
proper time for somebody to seriously consider the filing of charges for
violating the anti-wiretapping law, after months, years, or never? If
the answer is never, this will not only be an unsolved crime but also a
crime nobody wants to solve. Anybody interested to know why? Do
Filipinos have the right to know? What a shame, considering this is a
nation supposedly full of honorable, righteous and religious
people, crime fighters, law enforcers, champions of the masses and best
of all, truthful journalists an d media men?
How can we explain to Filipinos that crime does not pay
if there are unsolved crimes and a crime nobody wants to solve?
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
2 Dec 2005
There is no denying,
all the symptoms will confirm that PM Thaksin of Thailand got the
Opposition FLU (inFLUence). To prevent global pandemic of this Opp-FLU,
he must be given the anti-oppFLU vaccine called OppoThaksinFlu
Current situation of Opp-FLU pandemic threat:
Given the unpredictable behavior of Opposition inFLUence viruses,
neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be
predicted with any certainty. Information has not been compiled to help
policy-makers stay informed in a situation that is rapidly evolving
simply because the excitements in the SEA Games give natural
immunization to athletes, game officials and spectators.
Political scientists monitoring the Opp-FLU has warned people against
panic-buying stocks of a drug they hope will protect them against Opp-FLU.
They stressed that OppoThaksinFLU could reduce the effect of the Opp-FLU
viruses but was not a vaccine to prevent it. Fortunately, all that is
needed is to enjoy the Southeast Asian Games. Opp-FLU should not affect
the friendship and solidarity established among the athletes, sports
officials, and spectators from the 11 countries participating in the
biennial tournament.
I totally agree with GMA when she said, “We must treasure the solidarity
and friendship among the competitors and their respective nations as a
tribute to the Southeast Asian neighborhood to which we all belong”.
Maria
California
chrisadam99@yahoo.com
28 Nov 2005
Hello sa mga taga Dagupan City. Noong Feb. 2005 ay nandiyan kami at
naobserbahan ko lang na maraming mga prostitute sa bandang bago pumunta
ng Bonuan lalo na sa massage parlor diyan, at may kakilala ako na
nagkaroon ng tulo dahil pumunta siya sa massage parlor diyan sa Arellano
at nakakuha ng sakit. Dapat ipasara ang masahian na iyan dahil ang
serbisyo kasama pati bintahan ng laman.
Millicent Aperocho
Canada
normilaperocho@aol.com
28 Nov 2005
Hello! Wanted to check out the archives to gather some information about
Pangasinan's development in the year 2005. My husband and I will be the
emcees of the upcoming Pangasinan Association's Christmas Party here and
it would be nice to keep people updated on what's happening back home.
Not everybody has time nor the access to the internet, the seniors
especially...didn't see any access to archives on this website.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
26 Nov 2005
Mr. Bernard Diaz:
Your posting on the 23rd concerning the emergency landings of a flight
of US Air Force F-16¹s at NAIA which you deemed a violation of the
Philippines¹ air space need some serious clarification.
You advocated that government should slap the US military with the
necessary fines for the takeoffs and landings for the usage of the
airport. But, let us get into this emergency landings first hand.
Never in the annals of the US Air Force that a squadron of jets
simultaneously landed in a commercial airport in an emergency that
will tell us that they (jets) had mechanical problem at the same time.
What really is bugging me is that, if the jets used NAIA for
emergency, it does not make sense because the nearest facility the
F-16¹s can use is Basa Air Base in Foridablanca in Pampanga, which is
only a few minutes away from Manila.
Granted that they landed. The Philippines has a Mutual Defense Treaty
with the US. Will you penalize the US military on what its components
did that is covered in that treaty, Mr. Diaz? How will you enforce
such penalty when fees for takeoffs and landings are only applied to
commercial aviation?
You also mentioned that we need sophisticated equipment to enforce
Philippine sovereignty on her skies. Well, let us go and see what the
Philippine Air Force has to offer to protect us from intrusion. The
PAF has 19 F-5A¹s which three of these are the more advanced F-5B¹s as
the first line of defense. These planes are relics of the past. Of the
19 planes only 8 are in service that make the Tactical Fighter
Squadron of the PAF. These planes are in service since 1966.
You are right, Mr. Diaz, not only the PAF is 1% force, it is 100% air
and rusting fast into becoming obsolete.
Mari
USA
mareez1966@yahoo.com
25 Nov 2005
To Sunday Punch, once
more requested to Mayor of Bugallon, Pangasinan… Please put some
additional lights on Perfecto Abad St. Poblacion… coz when I take a
vacation there in Bugallon in my street Perfecto Abad St., there are
no lights in the street. Please, we are requesting you to put some
lights. It’s very dangerous at night. Thank you.
Bernard Diaz
New York
bmd7091@aol.com
23 Nov 2005
Comments to the US Air
Force F16 Plane:
The emergency landing of F16 fighter jets in NAIA violated our air
space, they should be the penalized, landing & take is payable. And also
we need sophisticated radar & airplanes to enforce our law. Is our
country 99% AIR & 1% FORCE?
Bernard
Bukidnon
berns_degs2000@yahoo.com
22 Nov 2005
Please! Can u give to
me the specific summary of hello Garci tapes about in cheating in
election? And why all politicians are known to cheat in one form of
another?
Portia
Houston
22 Nov 2005
Emmanuelle, just read
your column...So, did Tito Theo ever get married? That's why folks,
whatever you feel for someone (especially the person you love), let
him/her know coz you'll never know...The other person might just be
waiting for you to make the move, now is the time. Like they say, life
is so short so enjoy it to the fullest while you can.
Maria
USA
mareez1966@yahoo.com
22 Nov 2005
Hi
to the staff of Sunday Punch. I want to request Sunday Punch to please
help us in Bugallon, Pangasinan to put up some street lights especially
in Perfecto Abad St. in Poblacion. Thank you.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
15 Nov 2005
The reporting on the Lopez murder was not BIASED, DISTORTED, ERRONEOUS,
LIBELOUS, UNFAIR and DEHUMANIZING.
The Punch printed what was reported by the authorities that apprehended
the conspirators to the crime. When the NBI arrested the people
involved, it means the crime was solved basing on what went on before
and after the committal of the murder. It does not mean that the crime
was solved judicially before it is brought to trial.
Basing on the declarations of the murderers themselves, they implicated
that the contract to murder Dr. Lopez came from the Galvezes the
in-laws of Lopez thru Joselito Gajo, alias "Joey" who recruited the
personnel. Let us face the facts here. The Galvezes are the people of
interest as the initiators or the masterminds to the conspiracy because
without them this murder could not have moved forward without the money
involved.
The victim himself also wrote down tidbits of information. And before he
died of his wounds, he divulged that the probable masterminds are his in
laws due to his running battle in their relationship. Deathbed
declarations are admissible in court.
Now, Gajo turned around 180 degrees as the state witness and Diaz and
Fernandez (the lookouts) and Gemino (the gunman) are singing like
canaries. It won¹t be long before this capital case is brought to trial.
With all the cards stacked against the Galvezes, I would not be
surprised that one of the three initiators will admit guilt to protect
the other two or three. It¹s possible that even the wife of the doctor
is also implicated.
Well, to accuse the Punch of faulty journalism on this one... is
irresponsible. And to those who are for justice and the truth don¹t
forget the right of Dr. Lopez; the right to live that was taken from
him.
Leslie Gamila
Philippines
lesliegam@yahoo.com
13 Nov 2005
Liberal bias, agendas, distortions and erroneous
reporting in the mainstream media!
You did not give the Galvez Family the benefit of the
doubt. Do not label them masterminds if you have not proven it.
Publishing of the accusations as a fact and without proper defense
argumentation constitute presumption of guilt. It's not fair to the
Galvez Family.
Although your headline sounds catchy and it definitely
makes the NBI "look good", you are damaging another family's reputation.
"Innocent until proven guilty..." is not only a legal principle but a
moral one as well. Do not compromise morality for the sake of a good
story.
One would much rather that twenty guilty persons should
escape the punishment of death than that one innocent person should be
condemned by the public and suffer!
Toby Garcia
USA
tobygarciacute@hotmail.com
13 Nov 2005
On your article about the Lopez Murder: Unfair and Libelous!!! Solved?!
Masterminds known?!
Journalistic codes of ethics state that journalists
should refrain from referring to suspects as though their guilt was
certain.
The Galvez Family should be considered innocent until
it can be proved that they are guilty. If you are accused of a crime,
you should always have the right to defend yourself. Nobody has the
right to condemn you and punish you for something you have not done.
When you reported that the masterminds were already known, you have
branded them and convicted them publicly. They do not deserve such
treatment.
The journalist and author Janet Malcolm wrote in her
book The Journalist and the Murderer:
"Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice
what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is
a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance or
loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse."
Jake Reyes
Pasig City
somejakereyes@yahoo.com.ph
13 Nov 2005
I am an avid reader of this publication.
Unfortunately, sometimes the media spends more time dehumanizing people
and less time reporting just good old news. In the October 30, 2005
issue, this publication wrote about the killing of Dr. Lopez and I was
really disappointed at how the piece was written. It relentlessly
accused people of plotting such crime. The article even described the
case as "solved". Has it been tried in court? Have the suspects been
convicted? Has the testimony of Gajo been proven as factual?
You have defamed the Galvezes with your libelous and
irresponsible reporting. This is an intentional infliction of emotional
distress to the said family. "Masterminds known"? You report it with
such certainty. If you can't describe the conditions under which you are
relating to a source if you can't describe that in a story then
you've got no business doing it.
Please remain free of associations and activities that
may compromise integrity or damage credibility. What this publication
has done to the Galvezes is an injury to their reputation, it was not
merely insulting or offensive to them.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
11 Nov 2005
The Citizens Congress for Truth and Accountability (CCTA)
are groupies who do not represent any semblance of legality. The
self-proclaimed monopolists for the truth. Are they on a political
rampage to get maximum media coverage or just a diversionary tactic on
the part of Guingona?
As far as it goes, they are a bunch of rabble-rousers
and gadflies going nowhere.
Just wait and they will crumble down like anything else
that has no political structure to stand with.
CCTA is a fizzle.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
9 Nov 2005
Maybe the people and
the Citizen¹s Congress for Truth and Accountability (CCTA) are
interested to know the truth. Here is the truth. According to a
dictionary, a congress can be one of the following:
1. A formal assembly of representatives, as of various nations, to
discuss problems.
2. The national legislative body of a nation, especially a republic.
3. The national legislative body of the United States, consisting of the
Senate and the House of Representatives.
4. The two-year session of this legislature between elections of the
House of Representatives.
5. The act of coming together or meeting.
6. A single meeting, as of a political party or other group.
7. Sexual intercourse.
Which one best describe Citizen¹s Congress for Truth and Accountability
(CCTA)? Let the people be the judge.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one
persist in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress
depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw
Mike Dela Cruz
Dagupan
mikedelacruz_123@yahoo.com
8 Nov 2005
We disagree with the
articles about Gov. Oscar Orbos that were published in Pangasinan Sunday
Punch recently. We can see that this weekly newspaper is now being used
to destroy the good reputation and credibility of the Governor. It is
true that Gov. Orbos should remain neutral in all his opinions about
political issues of our country being a TV host of Debate, but NOT
NECESSARILY always. Mr. Gonz Duque forgot that Gov. Orbos is also at the
same time an ordinary Filipino citizen who has the CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT
to express personal opinions of what is right and wrong in our country.
We salute the Governor for making true and honest personal opinions
coming from his sincere heart about the real picture of our country.
Only a number of politicians in the Philippines have a character and
intellect like what Gov. Orbos has. Gov. Orbos is the kind of a person
our country needs at this time of political and economic turmoil. Gov.
Orbos must be elected President of the Republic of the Philippines. We
would like to know the opinion of the Sunday Punch Publisher or anyone
from the Forum. Thanks.
Jess Delfin
San Marcos, Ca.
jesdlf1@sbcglobal.net
8 Nov 2005
"WORLD CLASS?" The Sunday Punch has not come up and probably never will
with the explanation of the "world class" description on the facilities
described in your publication. What makes one a world class? Are you
just repeating what the officials mention to you? Or should it be
described as "Third World Class" instead? I wish that the Punch
management could include responsible journalism in its standards. If
not, then you are just another propaganda tool of the incompetent and
non-performing politicians who continuously are trying to pull wool over
the poor citizens' eyes.
Editor's reply: Contrary to your impression, we discussed your question
in our Punchline column last October 30 issue.
"Over the week, we received a comment from Mr. Jess Delfin of
California (see comment posted on the Punch Online) about the Punch¹s
mediocre reporting, specifically the “Manaoag gets ³world class police
station”. "He wondered what the Punch meant when it wrote “world
class” but the report said nothing about modern police communications
equipment etc. The truth is the description was Speaker Joe de V¹s,
hence the quotation
marks. And evidently, he used ³world class² in the context of tourism
since the PNP¹s building project for the police is premised mainly on
the town or city¹s priority as a tourism destination. Nothing was
mentioned about improved radio equipment, computer database, etc. "It
is “world class” for its design and facilities to serve tourists.
Period. Nothing follows.
"The next question our readers would likely ask is: Is the PNP for
law enforcement and peace and order? Or for promotion of tourism? Next
question, please."
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
7 Nov 2005
The so-called "WORLD
CLASS FACILITIES AND STATESMEN" :
It is nice to read about "WORLD CLASS POLICE BUILDING
IN MANAOAG AND WORLD CLASS FISHERY RESEARCH FACILITY IN BONUAN", all
projects of the statesman JDV. What happen to the Domalandan Bridge? Why
was it not considered as "WORLD CLASS BRIDGE"? Is it because of the
undermined foundation? Too bad I mentioned about the foundation, or else
it may also qualify as "WORLD CLASS". I believe I need to go back to
Pangasinan so that I will learn how to do engineering design of "WORLD
CLASS FACILITIES". Was the drainage
system of Dagupan that was constructed immediately after the 1990
earthquake also "world class"? I was there in Dagupan when it was under
construction and indeed the drainage system is "WORLD CLASS" because the
"SOP" almost left no budget for its construction.
Gilbert Garrido
gilbert_garrido@yahoo.com
Nov 7, 2005
On the Killing of Dr
Lopez:
If him and his wife were dis-inherited by their
father/-in-law due to a reason, will the father or any of his family
members orchestrate the former's murder? He is the one dis-inherited on
a piece of land, wouldn't he and his wife be the ones pissed more than
anybody else. Those caught killers are fabricated; and our side's name
will be vindicated as the Galvez' are innocent decent hardworking
people.
Jevie Posadas de Guzman
Offshore Ireland
jevie@hotmail.com
7 Nov 2005
PALUSOT PA !!!
Transparent or not, the attempted sponsorship of the
Loterya Ng Bayan by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan under the leadership of
Vice Gov Oscar Lambino only shows his brand of politics - Politics of
Gambling. Sponsorship or bringing such issue to the highest venue of the
province will only elicit a bad perception about Pangasinan. With the
jueteng issue became very unpopular in the country, such Loterya ng
Bayan issue out of delicadeza should not in any way be entertained in
the first place. That's why Bishop Cruz did not come. He did not give a
damn because he believes that Gambling legal or illegal is still
gambling. It will only waste his valuable time.
Political survival of the traditional politicians like
Lambino in the next election is seen as the main motive of such move. I
bet you that if he will win the governorship, Pangasinan could become a
gambling capital of the Philippines - shame on you KABALEYANS !!! Now it
can be told who really benefited from jueteng.
One thing I admire about Gov. Victor Agbayani is his
pronouncement on his opposition to the Loterya Ng Bayan. As a decent
politician he should be commended and admired for that.
People of Pangasinan should know by now whom to vote
for the governorship. They are neither blind nor deaf. Choosing Lambino
is a stupid move but how about endorsing the wife of Victor Agbayani for
the governorship? Choosing Dra. Agbayani is surely a wise and
intelligent move as manifested in handling this Loterya Ng Bayan issue.
Stupid politicians could fool some people but they can
not fool all the people or fool the people all the time. Mabuhay po
kayong lahat diyan sa Pangasinan !!!
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
5 Nov 2005
Christopher, Sunday Punch Forum is the proper
venue where we can talk anything that affects Pangasinenses. I do not
need to take this somewhere else not even to your “personal” talk page.
If the user namespace is really your own personal space, how come
anybody is free to edit it? In fact, it is part of Wikipedia as shown by
its url address. You must be the one to look closely at the url address.
It follows the same namespace hierarchy as the other webpages or the
Pangasinan webpage that we are discussing here.
I was surprised when you said in your posting, “The
policy of NPOV *does not* apply to the user namespace.” I do not know
that Wikipedian has “privilege” and “immunity” to Wikipedia¹s policy.
You are beginning to sound like a congressman or senator with their
privilege speech and immunity in Congress. Maybe that is the reason why
you like to bring the issue to where you claim as your “personal” talk
page.
I totally disagree with your postings here at Punch
Forum simply because I do not buy the idea of those who are trying to
justify something that is totally wrong in order to make other people
believe that it is the right thing to do. I am not trying to blow the
issue out of proportion, I know it is an extreme example but for the
sake of clarity, I like to cite as an example the mentality of
terrorists who wants us to believe that beheading, bombing or killing
innocent people is the right thing to do. They even praise their God
after committing the atrocities. People with this kind of mentality are
members of the devils advocate; the most tragic is the fact that some
people will take their statements as the truth even if they are full of
lies.
Encyclopedia, internet and other media promote
knowledge or awareness.
Overwhelming information is coming from all directions
and some being spread are full of lies. Unfortunately, knowledge
sometimes negatively affects us, who are one: body mind and spirit. A
worry in the mind can become anxiety in the spirit, which in turn can
become an all-too-real stomachache or vice versa, stomachache can become
worry in the mind that can become an anxiety in the spirit. Often, it is
worse than stomachache. Will it not be better to spread or share
knowledge that has positive effects to be part of our wisdom?
I strongly believe that the most responsible thing to
do in any circumstances, most especially for politicians, members of
religious establishments and others who are suppose to be role models,
is to do what is right and to actually right what is wrong. The time is
ripe for us to put everything and everybody in their proper place and
perspective. Our beloved country and its people need healing. Our
planet, mind, body and spirit need healing. They are all tied together.
We are all tied together. We all need to change for the better, if not
for the best.
Talking about change, I like to offer “The Serenity
Prayer” generally thought to have been written by Reinhold Niebuhr.
Prayer rally here is better than in the street. Nobody can hose us.
Prayers may sound corny to some but I am positive, it is not corny at
all to those who are seeking enlightenment.
“God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we
cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom
to know the difference.”
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
3 Nov 2005
Mr. Jeremias Carrera:
Your astute observation on the issues being discussed in the Forum
is well founded. It should have been brought to the forefront a long
time ago.
Non-interest on the part of the so called “statesmen” of Pangasinan
of the likes of Joe de Venecia, Ramos and Agbayani in the issues
affecting the province is the politically correct thing to do. Don¹t
rock the boat. Let the problem disappear. Let the issues die on the
vine. As gullible as the people proven thru time, shelving such is to
deflect from the political firestorm it might bring. The safest approach
to a political tinderbox, make an issue a non-issue.
Everybody should notice by now that the Forum is becoming obsolete
as the outlet of liberal, conservative and conventional thought.
Discussions are coming to a head, limited to a few interested parties,
the posters are fast disappearing Š. a dying breed. The Forum has lost
its meaning to what was intended for.
It seems the luster of the Forum where educational exchanges are
abundant is gone. So, in lieu of the prevailing circumstance, why
prolong the lie?
A great pleasure in knowing you and your participation. See you
around.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
2 Nov 2005
To Mr. SoloPalisocdevenecia:
So FVR wants to shorten GMA's term. Why is the captain
of the ship being replaced in the middle of the voyage Mr.
Solopalisocdevenecia? As your previous postings say, FVR, JDV and others
are aboard with GMA as the captain. Is this not considered mutiny? Why
are you so silent now Mr. Solopalisocdevenecia? What is your
IBALIKBAYAN's opinion on this issue?
Christopher Sundita
Tacoma, WA
csundita@gamil.com
1 Nov 2005
Rafael, you seem to be under the mistaken impression that if
Wikipedians strive to be NPOV in one instance, that they must strive to
be NPOV in all instances. Please look closely at the URL - it is in the
"user:" namespace.
The policy of NPOV *does not* apply to the user namespace. The
user namespace is my own personal space, and I can put anything in there
that I want. It is my *privilege* to be POV on that page.
On the other hand, let's say that theoretically speaking I, God
forbid, gain a bit of notoriety or notability some how. This would
justify having an article about me. I, of course, would have to allow
any articles about the ugly and bad things - along with the good - I
have been proven to do in my public life.
But you know what? Wikipedia would be the least of my worries.
Chances are, my misdeeds would very more than likely be reported by the
major news organizations already. Barring that, people who matter most
the most to me in life would probably know about it already. Wikipedia
is merely reporting what these people and organizations already know.
Have you seen the Wikipedia article about Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia? In the article it mentions
that many people do not take Wikipedia seriously.
And that is the thing with the Pangasinan language article. I was
not the person who contributed Pangalatok to the article - someone else
did. But I support its inclusion in the article because, it is
*reporting* the fact that people mistakenly use the term to refer to the
language.
My own POV? I know that you and the average Pangasinense find the
word very offensive. Because of this, it is my own POV that I should not
use the word myself. And it seems you are trying to paint me as an
anti-Pangasinan, when it isn't so.
This is my last post to you concerning this subject. If you would
like to take this somewhere else such as my personal talk page or
private e-mail, then we'll do it there.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
30 Oct 2005
Christopher Sundita, with your opinionated point
of view (POV), I do not think we can get some common ground here, not at
all. I have high regards of Wikipedia but not anymore after reading your
postings and after surfing the webpage you wanted us to take a look. The
neutrality and standard quality of that webpage is highly questionable
and it is being disputed by lots of people. The discussion/debate and
edit war that is going on in that area of the website is mind-boggling.
These factors have given me strong doubts on the accuracy of Wikipedia.
In your posting dated Oct. 25 you said, "Wikipedians
strive to be NPOV - this means talking about the good AND the bad and
the ugly." It is interesting to note that in this particular webpage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Christopher_Sundita what you have
written is all good stuff. Obviously, it is mainly because the webpage
is all about you.
In spite of the rightful objection of others, you
insist that you are free to write anything about Pangasinan at Wikipedia
website including bad and ugly stuff. Pangasinenses like it or not, it
does not bother you because you are a Wikipedian who strive to be NPOV-meaning
talking about the good and the bad and the ugly stuff, except of course
if it is all about you. It is funny; this kind of scenario is too
familiar to Filipinos who are observing the attitude of some politicians
in our country.
If you think closely about it, under the same term,
therefore, anybody is also free to edit and write anything good, bad or
ugly about Christopher Sundita on this webpage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Christopher_Sundita , you like it
or not.
The good news is that, I can assure you that I will not
do it because I know it is not right. The bad news is that I cannot
guarantee you that other people will not do it. I do not know about you,
if you are responsible enough to know and do what is right. I was amazed
about your obsession to include, in a widely read encyclopedia; a
derogatory or pejorative word which you are fully aware is offensive to
Pangasinenses although there are lots of good stuff that you can talk
about our province Pangasinan and its people. I know exactly where you
are coming from; it is all in the name of democratic rights and freedom
of expression. Coming from a person who believes that grossly hateful
term belongs to a webpage about a group of people mainly because it is
an unfortunate part of their history, what do you expect?
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
28 Oct 2005
To all posters in this forum:
What issues that are important to our fellow
Pangasinanses do we need to discuss to attract the attention of our
so-called "STATESMEN" as defined by the PCE? Are there such persons
worthy of such title anymore? I believe there are none.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
28 Oct 2005
I thought that all of the issues that we are
discussing here IN THIS FORUM are important. My question is "Why are the
people that some of the columnists of SUNDAY PUNCH like the PCE is
saying lately are "STATESMEN" are not even interested in these issues.
As a matter of fact, only the posters seem to be interested and very
rarely are there any POLITICIANS/STATESMEN interested. It is very
disturbing that people elected TO POWER has nothing to say about
important issues. Where are RAMOS, DE VENECIA, and AGBAYANI on important
issues that affect PANGASINAN? ARE WE POSTERS INCLUDING ERMIN GARCIA SO
STUPID TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF NO IMPORTANCE? How can a GOVERNOR be so
silent about the environment such as the FISH KILLS and the substandard
construction of the DOMALANDAN BRIDGE?
Christopher Sundita
Tacoma, WA
csundita@gmail.com
28 Oct 2005
Rafael, ok. Let's try to get some common ground
here.
First, Panggalatok does belong. Yes, you can put it on
the list of ethnic slurs, but the word will stay in the article. Please
take a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_(people) the word "nigger" is
mentioned.
Many black people would rightfully object to this
grossly hateful term. I understand that. However, it belongs there
because being called a nigger is an unfortunate part of the history of
African-Americans. IT IS on the list of ethnic slurs, but it is also on
this article. Do you see the reasoning now?
A neutral point of view takes no sides - it simply
reports. Removing "nigger" and "panggalatok" is a POV action. It is
censorship.
Anyway, I reworded the bit about Panggalatok. It now
says: "Pangalatok is frequently used by non-Pangasinsenses and
occasionally by Pangasinsenses themselves to refer to Pangasinenses and
their language. However, this is seen by Pangasinan-speakers as
offensive and inaccurate, especially when applied to their language;
usually people who use the word do not know that it is offensive."
To Van S. DeLeon - Under Pangasinan's entry in the 2001
"Facts about the Languages of the World," it says "Language Name and
Autonym: Pangasinan. The term Kaboloan was used during Spanish
occupation, and Panggalató is used pejoratively."
This was written by Dr. Carl Rubino, a linguist who
specializes in Philippine languages. He is a native Ilokano speaker and
has roots in La Union & Pangasinan.
Van S. de Leon
California/Basista
deleon@cox.net
27 Oct 2005
To Chritopher Sundita,
Non-pangasinan speakers and even majority (I assume
this based on personal experience) of Pangasinanses themselves are not
aware that "Pangalatok' word is derogatory. Others are passive and
tolerant and don't correct people using it. In my personal experience,
when I start correcting people ( like in parties) who use such word the
rest of Pangasinanses around me start to verbalize their support on me.
One experience I had----one Pangasinase stated that he
was not aware that it is derogatory and just accepted it. See how
widespread its usage and seemingly acceptable because of 'unawareness"
of people, even some Pangasinases themselves, that it is derogatory
slang term.
Van S. de Leon
Basista/USA
deLeon@cox.net
27 Oct 2005
Dear Christopher
Sundita,
As far as my knowledge of Philippine History and
Pangasinan History and all history books I read I never encountered the
word "PANGALATOK". It is slang word and derogatory.
Yes, it is widely used. I tolerated it since childhood because it is
widely used and overwhelmingly difficult to correct it. It is only now,
about one year ago, that I started correcting people, and with the use
of internet an overwhelming attempt to stop the usage of "PANGALATOK".It's
overwhelming use is not an excuse not to correct it. Unawareness of
people of its nature as slang and its derogatory connotation is not
excuse not to right a wrong..
With exchange of ideas in internet, such as this Punch Forum, people
will soon stop using such derogatory slang.
For Mr. Villafinia's statement of origin of the word is
plain personal opinion and assumption by him unless there is strong
evidence. NO "Pangalatok or Pangalatot" word exists in any Philippine
historical books. Even Sunday Punch Columnist Jun Velasco in one of his
articles mentioned of the word "Pangalatok". That is how widespread is
the usage of the word and
seems to be the acceptable norm.
It is not too late to correct this, you may call, error
that was not corrected because it takes massive education of the public
however with the coming of internet it is time to start the corrective
process like we do here.
It was nice reading your opinion which I disagree with.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
27 Oct 2005
Mr. Sundita, you are the one who is missing the whole point. You keep on
insisting that “Panggalatok” is the alternate or other name of the
Pangasinan language and I keep on telling you that it is not true.
According to Wikipedia, as a matter of policy, the neutral point
of view (NPOV) attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion
that both supporters
and opponents can agree.
The fact is “Panggalatok” is not an alternate or other
name of our provincial language.
It is not even an unofficial name of the language. Period.
The facts are the ones that all could agree on, so
STICK TO THE FACTS. That s what Wikipedia is all about which is contrary
to what you claim as talking about the good, the bad and the ugly.
As far as I know, encyclopedia is a reference work
offering wide-ranging information.
It is a comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. As a reference
material, it must
be factual. Wikipedians, therefore, must strive to be truthful and
honest.
I strongly believe that the word “Panggalatok” does not
belong in that particular Wikipedia webpage. Mr. Sundita, the most
responsible thing to do, as Wikipedian, is to transfer it to where it
belong, to the Wikipedia webpage containing a list of ethnic slur. The
url address is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs
Please do not list it as an unofficial alternate or
other name of our provincial language because it is not.
Jess Delfin
San Marcos, Ca.
jesdlf1@sbcglobal.net
27 Oct 2005
MANAOAG'S WORLD CLASS POLICE STATION? Your article about the new police
station is misleading. What makes it a world class station? Not once
you mentioned what equipment, ie.. radios, computers, etc. this supposed
police station is equipped with. Or are you merely repeating what the
police officials said? I did not know that Jose de Venecia funded the
construction of the building. Or is it the pork barrel funds he
received from the government was used? I find your reporting on this
topic borders on mediocrity.
Christopher Sundita
Tacoma, WA
csundita@gmail.com
26 Oct 2005
This is in response to Ramon Dimagiba.
The point that Sonny is trying to make is that
Pangasinan is more correctly a language - and not a dialect. There are
over 160 languages spoken in the Philippines. From an objective
perspective, Pangasinan is a language because I, as a native. Tagalog
speaker, cannot understand it. From a purely subjective point of view,
reducing Pangasinan to the state of dialect makes it seem more inferior,
unimportant.
The Pangasinan language has dialects of it's own. I am
not at all familiar with Pangasinan dialectology, but one town in
Pangasinan could have inhabitants who speak slightly differently than
Pangasinan-speakers residing in another town.
To compare this with English - English is the language.
American and British are the dialects. Brooklyenese, Southern, Valley,
Texan, Cockney, Liverpudlian, Estuary, Scottish, etc. are also dialects
or subdialects.
Please read my essay on the languages of the
Philippines at
http://www.geocities.com/csundita/rplanguages.html I also run a
Philippine Languages blog at
http://salitablog.blogspot.com
Rey Fernandez
Las Vegas, NV, USA
rfdz90745@yahoo.com
26 Oct 2005
We need more of the Manaoag-like policing system thru-out. Pangasinan is
not behind when it comes to tourist attraction locations. If and when
the foreigners (touristas) feel welcomed and safer, the dollar will
surely continue flowing in... But first and foremost, discipline must
first be realized before peace and prosperity can be enjoyed by all.
Whatever happened to our famous globally-noted hospitality trait?
Christopher Sundita
Tacoma, Washington
csundita@gmail.com
25 Oct 2005
Masantos ya agew ed sikayon amin!
This is in response to Rafael Oriel, et. al.
You are missing the whole point of the whole
Panggalatok thing. Yes, many consider it to be a derogatory name.
However, many non-Pangasinan-speakers do not know this. This was
unbeknownst to me until a few years ago. As such, they use this word
synonymously to refer to the Pangasinan language (not dialect).
Wikipedians strive to be NPOV - this means talking
about the good AND the bad and the ugly. Panggalatok may be offensive
to you, but it has every reason in the world to be mentioned due to its
widespread use.
It is like the word "Eskimo" - many Inuits find this
word offensive and prefer to be called "Inuits" instead of "Eskimo."
However, there is a Wikipedia article entitled Eskimo. It would be
wrong to CENSOR Eskimo simply because people find it offensive.
Furthermore, Wikipedia is not just dedicated to
"official" stuff but "unofficial" stuff as well. Imagine if we relied
only "official" government information about China - we wouldn't have
much information about China, would we?
Perhaps your idea of what an encyclopedia differs from
what Wikipedia is meant to be. So I hope you understand. I don't mean to
be offensive.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
25 Oct 2005
To: Mr. Sonny Villafania:
This is in response on your posting on Oct. 24th.
Paragraph I:
Well, Mr. Villafania, there is a Pangasinan dialect.
With all due respect only people who were born pure Pangasinense can
understand what you are talking about. FYI Pangasinan is one of the 77
dialects that are spoken in the islands. It's uniqueness can be seen as
one that is only in Pangasinan where verbal exchange could be heard like
those other dialects that's special to their origin.
You asked; if it is a dialect then what language it
came from? It did not come from any language as you assumed but it
evolved and developed by itself like any dialect in the Asian
subcontinent.
You asked; the language so-called Filipino? The
Filipino language came out thru the adaptation of the Tagalog dialect as
the national language as you know by now.
Paragraph II:
You thought that the word "PANGALATOK" came from the
phrase "PANANGANAN YA LATOK". Assumptions or presumptions got no room in
the Forum. You must be precise, to the point, the heart of the matter.
The uncertainty of your reasoning is most wanting. If you assumed that "LATOK"
which means STAKE is an ancient earthenware or "PLATO or PLATE" then I
can absolutely say; you are 360 degrees off base.
In any language writing in a simplest way that could be
understood by the common person is the ultimate in literature, direct,
concise and non-flowery.
Paragraph III:
The word "PANGASINAN" is strictly what's supposed to
mean. Not the gobbledygook of a Latin meaning or some interpretation you
tried to manipulate. The earliest knowledge of the province where it
took its name is the word "PANAG ASINAN". The province is noted for its
main industry which is salt making and every product that is salt
related; MONAMON (salted fish) and AGAMANG (shrimp paste). From this
beginning the word "PANAG ASINAN" evolved into one name.....PANGASINAN.
I reiterate again that basing on my posting on the 22nd
PANGALATOT is the word not.....PANGALATOK.
Sonny Villafania
sonny@eac.edu.ph
24 Oct 2005
To: Ramon Dimagiba and other Concerned Pangasinenses
Sir, Pangasinan is not a dialect. If it is dialect,
then a dialect of what language? The so-called Filipino?
I think the Pangalatok that we are all familiar with
came from the phrase "panangana ya latok." Latok here refers to the
ancient earthenware.
Ta pian ag tayo nairapan, aya ma'y pananganan tayo nen
saman ya tatawagen da met na latok. Baleg a plato iya no iner manuukod
so ateng a laki kaiba to 'ra'y ilalak a lalaki. Say melag a latok so
usar na ateng a bii kaiba to 'ra'y anak a bii. Naimatonan kono na
Kastila iran kustombri tayo kanyan inkuan da ya say pa-Pangasinan
marurutak ta say "pananganan da latok" singa ra no baboy ya manuukod ed
atotong. "Pananganan da'y Latok"... pinatiket dan Pangalatok.
Oala ni'ra'y awaran ono tongtong iran kabayaoasan onung
Pangalatok.
Did you know that the word Pangasinanes also connotes
"without faith" and "merciless"? From the compound words "Pangasi" and
the Latin word "Inanes".
Salaya tan maabig ya agew ed sikayo.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@euororscg.com
22 Oct 2005
On the word PANGALATOK:
Watching the intellectual exchanges between the posters is quite
fascinating. But, the real meaning of the word is outright lacking and I
cannot agree more on who is right in their interpretations.
There is a PANGALATOK word, Virginia. It is pure Pangasinan. It
does not have any Tagalog connotations as people understood. This word
is in the deep recesses of the dialect, which I can understand, few got
a hold on it.
The root word is LATOK. It means a stake; a piece of wood sharpened
and put in the ground for support. It is said; “nairongan toy latok”
which have sexual connotations. It is applied to the opposite gender,
which the male Pangasinense is noted for his sexual desires.
Going deep enough in the dialect this is what I found out. The
right word, which is Pangasinense, is PANGALATOT. It is derogatory which
is accepted as a fact of life in the social and work culture of the
native Pangasinense.
The root word is LATOT. It means indolent, which is the description
of the Pangasinense as a man and a person. It described to the innermost
fabric, the Pangasinense¹s evolution in his approach to survival and
work ethics.
Wikipedia and Sundita are on target. They are both wrong.
Jevie de Guzman
Offshore Ireland
jevie@hotmail.com
20 Oct 2005
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan especially my
kabaleyan Vice Gov Lambino has shown his true political motives. That is
to use gambling by all means to maintain their hold of power. I think
Vice Gov Lambino is very careful in assessing his political future. He
is by far the most shrewd among politicians when in comes to political
analysis and political re-alignment.
That's why he was able to successfully hold on to his
power. He is very careful in his moves. His political gambit of
supporting the Loteria Ng Bayan will surely elicit support from most of
the mayors in Pangasinan and he can use this for his ambition to become
the next Governor of Pangasinan.
Clever and ambitious enough, I don't think he will
succeed this time. His type of politics is not the politics that true
Pangsinenses needed. They need a strong leader with a strong political
will. It is not politics of convenience but politics of morality.
Favoring LNB surely exposed Lambino's political color - a politics of
gambling and immorality. Bishop Cruz's fight against any sort of
gambling will surely be opposed by the evil of politics which possesses
Lambino and the rest of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
My analysis is that favoring Loteria Ng Bayan will be
Lambino's best political gambit but probably will be his last. His kind
of politics will only fool the very people whom he claimed protecing and
helping. He is just another TRAPO.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
16 Oct.2005
Mr. Mercado, the original sentence was, “An alternate name for
Pangasinan is Panggalatók, although this name can be construed as
pejorative.” I deleted the whole sentence on the 11th of Oct. Here is
the edit summary of what I did that day: “11 October 2005 (Deleted "Panggalatók",
a derogatory slang totally not acceptable as an alternate name for
Pangasinan)”
Three hours after I deleted the sentence containing the disparaging
word, Chris Sundita put it back and his edit summary was, “11 October
2005 Christopher Sundita m (rv .. although it's derogatory, it should
still be mentioned. The fact that it is pejorative is mentioned already
in the article.)’
I responded by deleting again the sentence and put the following
edit summary, ‘11 October 2005 (‘Panggalatok" is not an alternate name
of our provincial language called "Pangasinan". No such word in our
dialect. It is a Tagalog slang denoting sira tuktok.)”
After few hours, he replaced the sentence with ‘Another name that is
sometimes used is Panggalatok, however many speakers consider it to be
very offensive.” The edit summary was, “12 October 2005 Christopher
Sundita m (minor edits & rv - The word Panggalatok is used by
Pangasinans too.)” It is interesting to note here how he calls the
people of Pangasinan as “Pangasinans” instead of “Pangasinenses”. I
noticed his confusion, not knowing when to use the word “Pangasinan” and
when to use “Pangasinense” so I tried to point out to him the difference
in my edit summaries.
I edited the said Wikipedia webpage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangasinan_language several times by
deleting the sentence containing the derogatory word but Christopher
Sundita keeps putting it back. In one instance, a furious Wikipedia user
edited the webpage by crossing out the offensive word. Chris responded
by reverting the whole thing to square one with a comment in his edit
summary that it was vandalism.
As a compromise, I replaced the sentence with the following: “The
word Panggalatok is considered pejorative or derogatory to describe the
provincial language”. Mr. Mercado, I was the one who wrote the statement
that you read when you went back to the webpage. My edit summary was,
“14 October 2005(Fact is "Pangasinan" is the only official name of the
provincial language. No other or alternate name. It is wrong for
somebody to use derogatory word to call you and insist it is your
other/alt name)”
In order to understand what happened, the whole story, sort of an
edit war, you have to view the edit summaries. Click the history tab of
the said webpage or click this url address
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pangasinan_language&action=history
If you want to view the revisions, you have to click the date of
revision.
Note: This url address did not work properly in my previous posting
because the letter y in the word “history” was excluded. It was a typo.
I sent the necessary correction but for some reason it was not
published.
Edwin Mercado
US
pangasinan60@yahoo.com
15 Oct 2005
Mr. Oriel - The author and editor of Wikipedia is pointing out the use of
the word Panggalatok as offensive and not to be use to describe a group
of people and culture. Here's the statement, “The word Panggalatok is
considered pejorative or derogatory to describe the provincial
language". I went back to the website myself and edited the word that
offended you and was successful in making it gentler. Go see and prove
me wrong.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
12 Oct 2005
I edited the said Wikipedia webpage several times by deleting the
sentence containing the derogatory word but Christopher Sundita keeps
putting it back. Check his webpage where he claims to be linguist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Christopher_Sundita.
Click the following url address to view the edit summaries: (History tab
of the webpage)
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pangasinan_language&action=history
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
11 Oct 2005
The front page pictures of Sunday Punch says everything about my
postings.
First, there is really too much corruption and incompetence at the
engineering department or district. After zooming in on the picture of
the completed portion of the Domalandan Bridge, I wonder if there is any
stupid person who would like to complete a bridge that will certainly
fail. The foundation of the bridge is undermined (I do not know of an
engineer who will design a foundation like that unless his license or
engineering education is not up to par) and I am not sure if continuing
with the project without making the necessary repairs on the undermined
foundation is a prudent approach. That is an issue for the
geotechnical/foundation and civil engineers to worry about. On the
fishkill, I believe that Mayor Benjie Lim together with all the mayors
of Pangasinan, especially the Governor has to work together to resolve
the problem. I know based on Sunday Punch news that Mayor Benjie Lim did
his best, but the GOVERNOR WHO IS A CIVIL ENGINEER is not doing anything
to address the problem. I thought he is much better than the
OORONG-SULONG OCA ORBOS. I sincerely hope that the famous BONUAN BANGUS
of DAGUPAN will not be a thing of the past just like the oysters that is
not being served at the LEISURE COAST OR AT THE ONLY SO-CALLED FIVE STAR
HOTEL. I used to brag that DAGUPAN has the tastiest BANGUS, SHRIMP, and
OYSTER. Believe me, those are the tastiest species and "PULOTAN" in the
entire world, and I am not making this up. This is based on having
tasted other species of these seafood elsewhere and comments from other
people who had TASTED our BANGUS, SHRIMP, and OYSTER. I hope those in
power will now listen to Mr. Ermin Garcia who had covered these issues
before-CORRUPTION and ENVIRONMENT.
Edwin Mercado
US
pangasinan60@yahoo.com
11 Oct 2005
Mr. Oriel - You are allowed to edit the page of your concern in the
Wikipedia.. If fact they encourage people to be bold to edit and improve
the contents. Here's your chance to shine.
Happy trails.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
6 Oct 2005
I like to inform my kabaleyans that a free internet encyclopedia
called Wikipedia had listed in their website “Panggalatok” as an
alternate name of our provincial language, Pangasinan. Does anybody know
where to send e-mail requesting Wikipedia for the necessary correction
or deletion of the disparaging word “Panggalatok” from their website? I
cannot find it. We must send e-mails to Wikepdia informing them that
“Panggalatok” is a derogatory slang and totally not acceptable as an
alternate name of our provincial language, Pangasinan.
Please check this website,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangasinense.
Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia written
collaboratively by volunteers and operated by the non-profit Wikimedia
Foundation based in St. Petersburg, Florida. It has editions in about
200 languages (about 100 of which are active). Ten editions have more
than 50,000 articles each: English, German, French, Japanese, Italian,
Polish, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish. According to Hitwise, an
online measurement company, Wikipedia is currently the most popular
reference site on the Internet.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
3 Oct 2005
Mr. Van S. de Leon, you are barking up the wrong tree. You must send
your complain to Neal H. Cruz or to Philippine Daily Inquirer.
I like to suggest that you read again my posting dated July 28,
2005 and try to understand thoroughly what was written before making
false accusation. What you had read is an excerpt from ³Can we trust
Congress to write a new Charter by Neal H. Cruz of inq7.net where he
calls former President Fidel Ramos and Speaker Jose de Venecia
³Pangalatok twins². Those were the words of Neal H. Cruz, not mine. It
is very unprofessional for him to use derogatory slang to describe
people of Pangasinan in his column which according to the editor, the
said article was published on page A14 of the July 15, 2005 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer.
I posted in Punch Forum an excerpt of the article by Neal H. Cruz
to inform my kabaleyans. I was hoping that they will send him and/or
Philippine Daily Inquirer letters of protest via e-mail for his
unethical description of Pangasinenses.
The bull
bearndrag@yahoo.com
2 Oct 2005
We are sending the information below in the hope that something could be
done to address the crime mentioned.
========
Dalawa Katao Pinagbabaril, Durog-Durog ang mga Ulo
Isang retiradong sundalo at isang kasamahan niya ang walang awang
pinagbabaril ng walo katao kabilang ang dalawang dating sundalo sa
barangay Unzad, Villasis, Pangasinan noong Oktobre 24, 2003. Dakong
alas 6:45 ng gabi nang maganap ang karumal dumal na krimen.
Papauwi na sina Eligio Datuin, retiradong sundalo, at kasamahan nitong si
Alvaro Costales galing sa bukid nang yayain sila nina Joven at Sonny
Ocampo, magkapatid at parehong dating sundalo, na uminom muna ng alak sa
Perla Molina Store sa nasabing barangay bago tumuloy umuwi. Nagpaunlak
naman ang dalawa.
Hindi nagtagal ay lumapit sina David Delos Trino na may hawak na 9MM
pistol, Ramil Victorio, at Alfredo Mones alyas Moding na parehong may
dalang Armalite.
Kaagad na binaril ni David Delos Trino si Alvaro Costales at isinunod
nito si Eligio Datuin na tinamaan sa tagiliran. Nang matumba ang dalawa
ay kaagad silang pinaputukan nina Alfredo Mones alyas Moding, Ramil
Victorio, Mario Victorio Jr., Joven Ocampo, Arturo Baquiring Jr., Sonny
Ocampo at Reniel Sapigao ng kani-kanilang hawak na armalite rifles
hanggang sa magkadurog-durog ang ulo ng mga biktima. Sa tindi ng tama
ng mga bala, ang bilugang ulo ng mga biktima ay parang dinaanan ng pison
at nagkalat sa kung saan sila natumba!
Pagkatapos ng krimen ay parang walang anumang naglakad ang mga salarin
papalayo sa mga biktima.
Dumating ang mga pulis at kinunan ng larawan ang mga biktima. Walang
nangahas na nagsalita sa mga pulis dahil sa matinding takot sa mga
gumawa ng krimen.
Makalipas ang ilang linggo, ika-11 ng Nobyembre 2003, sinasabing isang
kagawad ng nasabing barangay ang pinatay din ng grupo at sinunog pa nila
ang katawan ng biktima na sinasabing nasaksihan ng maraming tao. Ang
biktima ay kinilalang si barangay kagawad Sonny Egipto.
Noong July 27, 2005, makalipas ang halos dalawang taon, lumabas ang isang
saksi sa pagpatay kina Eligio Datuin at Alvaro Costales. Kinuha ang
kanyang salaysay at nagsampa ng kaso ang pamilya ni Eligio Datuin.
Makalipas ang dalawang buwan, hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nahuhuli ang
mga gumawa ng krimen at sinasabing malayang nakagagala pa rin sa
nasabing lugar. Dahil dito, ang kapatid ni Eligio Datuin na siyang
nagsampa ng kaso ay napilitang umalis sa lugar dahil sa banta sa kanyang
buhay.
Kasabay nito, nananawagan ang mga kamag-anak ni Eligio Datuin na madakip
na sana ng mga alagad ng batas ang mga sangkot sa krimen para umusad na
ang paggulong ng hustisya.
Para sa karagdagang impormasyon tungkol dito, mangyaring kontakin si:
Victoriano Datuin, cell phone # 09198665318
Van S. de Leon
USA
deleon@cox.net
29 Sept 2005
To Mr. Rafael Oriel Jr.,
People from Pangasinan are called Pangasinanses. You mentioned of "Pangalatok
Twins"-Cong. Joe de Venecia and Ex-Pres. Fidel Ramos. They are
“Pangasinase Twin". There is no such word as "PANGALATOK". It is
derogatory slang which means "Pangasinanses sira toktok". People from
Pangasinan are called Pangasinanse. NOT Pangalatok.
V. de Leon
USA/Basista
deleon@cox.net
27 Sept 2005
Baleg ya dayew so iter ko ed kendi Mr. Villafinia ed anos da ed
pangikurang na mablin kaisipan da ya pansiyansiya en na salita tayon
Pangasinan. Amin tayon Pangasinases gapoan tayo so manmensahe ed salita
tayon Pangasinan piano aga naandi iyan sa salita tayon Pangasinan. la
lamet baleg ya dayew ed kendi Mr. Vilafini. Agay lay liket ko no
nababasak iray anlong.da.
Michael dela Cruz
Dagupan
mikedelacruz_123
26 Sept 2005
I want to share this article of William Esposo from Inquirer.
High Ground: A Filipino Tragedy: Lament of a Balikbayan
First posted 02:50am (Mnl time) Sept 26, 2005 By William Esposo INQ7.net
MANY times, it pays to look at the view from the
outside in order to have a better appreciation of how things really are
inside. It is often good to see ourselves from the eyes and perspective
of someone who has the advantage of more detachment and distance from
our problems. One of the major reasons why we Filipinos were left behind
by our ASEAN neighbors is because we were too focused on our political
intramurals that we lost sight of the great opportunities that abound
outside our national boundaries.
With his permission, I am reproducing an emailed letter
that was sent by Eustaquio “Boy” Abay II, MD, MS, who is a member of our
Ateneo de Manila University Alumni egroup. Being someone who has seen
the country during better times, Boy¹s perspectives allow us to take a
fresh look at ourselves as a people and as a nation.
(Dr. Boy Abay¹s letter)
I have just come back from a visit to the Philippines. I landed in
Manila, stayed a while in Sampaloc, flew to Bacolod, and took a ferry to
Iloilo, then back to Bacolod for 4 days. I went back to Manila, went
straight to Cavite for a couple of days then returned to Manila for 2
more days, before returning to the US.
I went home to attend my high school reunion in Bacolod. About two-thirds
of my classmates could not afford to pay for the nominal registration
fees; much less contribute to the alma mater's many needed projects.
Many opted to just stay away.
One of the evenings was dedicated to a family get-together that included
close family members and friends. It is sad to note that much of the
conversations dealt with how tight money was, how was one to connect
with this or that persona in position so that they might get some
project approved and somehow share in the booty.
Yes, the graft and corruption, the kurakot system, has gone beyond the
government agencies. It has permeated into the private sector; in fact
it is ingrained in the Filipino way of life. Even more sad to think that
children grow up to see this as the way of life.
In Bacolod, as it was in Iloilo, driving was as much a nightmare as
driving in Manila. The road rule was: Ako muna. Bahala ka na sa buhay mo
(Me first. Fend for yourself)! In fact that was the rule of life in the
entire country.
I met with old and new friends from Ateneo on an evening at Mezze,
Greenbelt II, in Makati. That was refreshing.
I was in the company of Ateneans; many of course are exceptions to the
rule. Jun Alvendia brought me to a beautiful facility that housed
"chosen children", with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and other
handicaps, from a few months to 18 years of age. I was awed by their
discipline and courtesy, towards me and to each other. More so, if one
realizes these are children mostly 6 to 12 years of age and are
mentally/physically handicapped.
I visited a Gawad Kalinga village in Murcia, a municipality in Negros
Occidental, about 30 miles northeast of Bacolod. I had the opportunity
to visit with some of the GK village residents, some CFC volunteers, and
the town mayor.
In transit to the airport, I asked the taxi driver, a clean cut, neatly
dressed gentleman in his late 50's, “Ano po ang palagay mo sa nangyayari
sa Pilipinas? (What do you think of what¹s happening in the
Philippines?)” He replied: "Kung hindi mapa-alis si GMA sa paraan ng
impeachment, assassination na lang. (If Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not
be ousted by impeachment, then only assassination will do it.)", and he
was dead serious.
I had dreamt of perhaps starting a graduate school of medicine in the
Philippines, maybe a world-class medical care and medical training
center. But unless the economic situation and the fundamental moral
fiber of the Filipino improve, anything we undertake is futile and
empty.
I boarded PAL flight 102 to LA on September 8. As soon as I settled in my
seat aboard the Boeing 747, I wept.
Where is the Filipino¹s love of country? (End of the Letter)
To let you know where he is coming from, allow
me to give you a brief background on Dr. Boy Abay. Dr. Abay attained his
medical degree at the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of
Santo Tomas. He went to the US for further studies and completed
residency in neurosurgery at the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota with a Master of Science degree in Neurosurgery from the
University of Minnesota.
Dr. Abay then founded and headed the Abay Neuroscience
Center as its president. The Center¹s exemplary pool of six
neurosurgeons gave it the recognition as the largest private
neurosurgical group in Kansas. He also founded the Kansas Spine Hospital
a 40-bed hospital equipped with state of the art, fully computerized
and digital equipment and facilities and is its current CEO. Try
searching Google for the Abay Neuroscience Center and the Kansas Spine
Hospital and you will be impressed by what this fellow-Filipino has
accomplished. Dr. Abay is another living proof that we are a great
nation that is badly led.
There is no doubt about Dr. Boy Abay¹s capability to
realize his vision of spearheading the establishment of a graduate
school for medicine as well as a world-class medical care and medical
training center in the Philippines.
But having had a first-hand glimpse of evidences that
reveal our pathetic culture of corruption and decadence, I can
understand why Dr. Abay has decided to backtrack.
Like a world-class doctor, Boy Abay realizes that there
can be no relief for the Filipino unless the most serious ailment of
Philippine society is first addressed the corruption that has already
permeated the private sector and is now ingrained in the Filipino way of
life, as he himself put it. Noble as his plan was to establish the
medical facility that he hoped would address one of the biggest problems
of Filipinos today he knew that it would be no better than a pain
killer which cannot cure the real problem of our society, the cancer of
corruption and moral decadence.
Our situation cries for heroes. The rot has gotten to
such an extent that no less than a heroic effort will deliver us from
the hell where Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her ilk brought us. But,
alas, the problem has mutated to such a degree like a computer virus
that neutralizes an anti-virus program that even heroism is now
prevented. One wonders where all our heroes and would-be heroes have all
gone even as the virus of a Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration is
proving to be more widespread and debilitating.
It must be extremely frustrating and devastating for
someone as accomplished and so obviously nationalistic as Dr. Boy Abay
to find himself in a situation where all he can do is ask: ³Where is the
Filipino¹s love of country?² Why don¹t the leaders who brought us into
this abyss ask themselves this question? Why don¹t the entrenched elite
who have lived off the blood and sweat of exploited Filipino labor for
too long ask themselves this question?
Why don¹t the Filipino bishops of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ask themselves this question? Love
of country more so if over 40 million Filipinos count among what Jesus
Christ referred to as the Œleast of our brethren¹ is among the highest
expression of love of God. Yet the CBCP continues to shirk from its duty
to inspire Filipinos to actively fight the evil in our society and lead
the struggle to ensure that truth prevails.
Why don¹t we ask it ourselves? It will take nothing
less than our collective heroism to reverse our miserable situation. It
is our country. It is the future of our children that is on the line. If
we will not take the initiative to secure it, who will?
We, not Dr. Abay, should be the ones weeping.
You may email William M. Esposo at:
w_esposo@yahoo.com
Janellie Sanchez
Dagupan City
jannycsanchez@yahoo.com
20 Sept 2005
What is this i heard about a city ordinance that will authorized
solicitation from private individual/business entities reflectorized
stickers to be provided for tricycles in the city to prevent
accident???? Is this some kind of a joke??? Is this not the
responsibility of the tricycle operators??? Before they are given permit
to operate shouldn't their tricycles be inspected? By providing them
with these stickers, you are not helping them you are encouraging them.
If this is the case, why not just give them tail lights and head
lights????
Bernard Diaz
Elmhurst, New York
bmd7091@aol.com
20 Sept 2005
Feelings:
I was touched by your notes "When Kathleen Left"
It happen to me last July 27, my daughter Christine Garcia Diaz, left me,
she passed away. She suffered from a chemical imbalance of blood that
feeds to the brain. They call it BiPolar. She served the United States
Air Force for 2 years and she was working at New York Hall of Science as
Membership Supervisor. Her Doctor prescribed too much RX for her, she
suffered an intoxication… she died on her B-Day July 27, 2005. it
happened when I went back home in the Philippines after 5 days, I got a
call from my wife that my only daughter died after my 5 days stay in
Calasiao. She was 22 years old.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
16 Sept 2005
To Mr. Eduardo Pontaoe:
You are absolutely right. Indeed the "PROLIFIC COLUMNIST
EXTRAORDINAIRE"(PCE) Mr. Juan Velasco is maintaining his title. Mr.
Velasco's title was awarded to him officially in my May 12, 2005
posting. He started earning his title (the only title in the entire
world) after the
tragic 9/11/01 event, and because of his tenacity to proliferates,
invents and creates words, change events and facts; I was compelled to
look for the most appropriate title for him. I started addressing him
the PCE early last year and I was right in doing so. He is still the
UNDISPUTED PCE OF THE WORLD as evidenced by the Google search. Thanks
and my best regards. The forum is indeed interesting to read with the
other readers' postings and
your postings.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
14 Sept 2005
Mr. Jeremias
Carrera:
For the benefit of the people who follow the Forum, you
should clarify what's this acronym PCE is all about and who is this
person you designate.
I will make clarification on what I remembered a few
moons back. PCE stands for Prolific Columnist Extraordinaire and you are
referring to the rogue journalist....Juan (Jun) Velasco.
Your posting on the 12th seemed like Velasco did it
again. The mediocrity of the Punch journalism bespeaks how these writers
do their job. Don't they realize that they are writing to world audience
and not the local consumer in Pangasinan who by chance computers are not
available to everyone?
Velasco, Donato, Mendoza and Duque will learn the
mechanics of truthfulness when the audience of this Forum will
disappear.
The only credible writers I believed are Ermin
and Gerry Garcia.... the old guards.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
12 Sept 2005
I hope the PCE is not trying to impress us again by his statement in his
column this week about meeting the "MANAGING EDITOR OF NEW YORK
TIMES-JOHN HERBERS". JOHN HERBERS was never at anytime the managing
editor of New York Times, only as assistant national editor. Of course
John Herbers is famous for his coverage of the civil rights movement
during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
12 Sept 2005
Di niyo ba napapansin na maraming mga salita sa ating bansa na sa
katunayan ay may magandang kahulugan ay nagiging pangit at marumi nang
pakinggan. Nawawala ang tunay na kahulugan ng katotohanan.
Have you noticed that in the mind of other people, religion,
Christianity, politics, crucifix, etc. are all about waging war,
wrecking havoc, murder, domination and conquest, etc. which are entirely
different to the true meaning or representation of these words? By
definition, these words have positive meaning and their relevance can
mix and match in our daily lives. I suspect that the mental pollution is
the result of people¹s habit of integrating in their mind corruption,
cheating or other forms of undesirable wrongdoings to words like
politics, politicians, religion, Christianity, Filipinos, congress,
representatives, President, relatives of President or high ranking
officials, Sir, Ninong, Ninang, kaibigan, Kumpare, Kumadre, etc. without
due process of logical reasoning. This kind of mentality will surely
discourage others to become true Christians, religious or politicians.
It might even prevent others to extend their helping hands.
I learned that religion is the process of man trying to achieve
goodness, perfection and acceptance with God by his own effort. The
initiative is coming from mankind. On the other hand, Christianity is
God taking the initiative to show divine love in reaching for mankind.
Christianity is God saying that man cannot reach Him
except through the one path He has provided---through the acceptance of
His Son, Jesus Christ. In fairness to those who are true Christians in
words and in deeds, we must not blame Christianity or religion for any
transgressions because transgressors no longer exist as Christians or
religious the moment they committed any unacceptable acts.
Politics is the science of government or governing a political
entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its
internal and external affairs. Politicians are those who are skilled in
the science or administration of government. They are nation builders
not destroyers. If politics is science, politicians are, therefore,
political scientists. The aim of nations must be to perfect the art or
science of government in the most economical and advantageous way and to
attain this goal, the system of government must be efficient and
productive. The only way to attain high efficiency and productivity is
to establish the best system of government and to elect true politicians
to implement the system.
Do you know how much it is costing the taxpayers to govern the
country per day using the current system? Are taxpayers getting their
money¹s worth?
Are there rooms for improvements? If so, how can we
improve? There are many who do not deserve to be in the government. They
are part of the problems and must be filtered out and replaced by those
who can be part of the solutions. Fake politicians know nothing but
destructive dirty politics to protect their own interest. It is obvious
by now that even religious establishments in the country are protecting
their own interests by making sure that their tax exemption is written
in the Constitution, ignoring what our Beloved Jesus had commanded them
to do, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar¹s and to God the
things that are God's". Are they more interested what is written in the
Constitution than what is written in the Holy Book?
It is not only through intellectual method and systematic way that
we can delve into science. We can also explore science on our own simple
ways by planting trees, gardening, farming, cooking, observing the stars
and the moon, lightning, thunder and northern lights, flying kites with
our kids, walking along the beach collecting shells, appreciating the
beauty of the sand, waves, coral reefs, sunrise and sunset and
maintaining our wild and natural resources. It is essential that
scientists must not forget their social, moral, ethical and spiritual
responsibilities to others, or else, they will create monsters like
weapons of mass destruction. Divine and human laws must keep scientists
under control. Leaders of religious establishments must always be the
role models as traditional Pastors, TraPas not Trapos.
Science is the politics of our daily lives where we can
find the living proof for the very existence of our God. It must be an
instrument to help others rather than a means of destroying each other.
It is a path for those who want to become religious and/or true
Christians for it is a way of knowing our God the Creator through the
wonders of His creations including humans and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
9 Sept 2005
Dear Readers of the PCE:
Read the PCE's "unordinary" writing this week about JDV's interfaith
proposal that "got President Bush's immediate nod on a person to person
meeting in Washington." The fact is that it was during the visit of
President Arroyo when she and JDV proposed it to President Bush at their
meeting in the Oval Office, not "a person to person" meeting. The PCE
seems to always use the "cono tan cuanda" journalistic prowess like that
of Jayson Blair instead of making research for accuracy. It is like his
9/11 bomb theory with Congressman Espino and the former mayor Resuello.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
8 Sept 2005
Con-GREASE and the House of Representa-THIEVES has done it the old
fashion way.... hoodwinked the naive Filipino.
THE DIE IS CAST. To the barricades, ladies and gentlemen.
Mike Dela Cruz
Dagupan
mikedelacruz_123@yahoo.com
7 Sept 2005
Kung sana ibinoto natin yong honest, sincere or tamang congressman,
nanalo sana ang impeachment complaint. People sell their votes to the
wrong candidates. Alam naman natin na these politicians also sell their
votes in congress for money para mabawi yong perang ibinayad during
election time. Bakit kaya hindi bomoto yong ibang congressmen? My idea
ka ba why? NAPAKATANGA NATIN! PANAHON NA PARA GUMISING TAYO!
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
28 Aug 2005
Like it or not, Filipinos are in the same boat and everybody will be
affected by whatever karma is prevalent in the country. If you say nice
things about others, others will say nice things about you. If you do
something good to others, good blessings will come to you. Negative
attitude bounce back corresponding negative consequences. What goes
around comes around.
Unfortunately, what is currently happening in the country is not
something we can be proud of. Bad karma is coming from all directions.
Regardless of the underlying circumstances, I do not think it is decent
to consider calling names a democratic right using terms such as
pirates, buccaneers, mutineers, maldita, pandak, taray, tabako, snake or
rat to describe Filipinos. In foreign land, the word ³Filipino² used to
indicate industrious, patient, professional, good employee and other
virtues of a good person then came bad connotation representing lavish
spending in the midst of poverty, thousand shoes, dictator and now
echoes to our ears anak ng jueting, corruption or cheating and sooner
than we realize maldita, snake and rat will be included in the list.
Let us start bringing the word Filipino back to its former glory
and honor. We need to stop all these destructive negative publicities
caused by mudslinging that are harshly implanting dirty words in our
mind and bad feelings in our heart. I hate to see Filipinos being
passive recipients of bad fate instead of becoming active participants
in shaping the future for the better if not the best. I love to see my
birth country being blessed with success instead of being dogged with
misfortunes, natural calamities and epidemics.
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
23 Aug 2005
Mr. Solo:
With the cunning of a seasoned buccaneer, you threw a below-the
belt-punch in trying to associate every Forum poster with the ultimate
symbol of incompetence.... Arroyo.
You thought you were that smart but not smart enough to get away with it.
Your obvious mistake was your miscalculation of what the posters felt
this side of the argument. You seemed to believe that you can line them
up blindly to the smokehouse. It clearly showed your lack of class,
finesse and intellectual judgment.
Whatsdamatta with you, Mr. Solo? Were you in some kind of drug-induced
stupor that you grasped at anything that you deemed admissible?
This kind of faux pas puts you in deep-six where climbing out the hole is
nearly/totally impossible.
A piece of advice, Mr. Solo.......THINK!
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
22 Aug 2005
Mr. Solopalisocdevencia:
Please do not assume that people like me are that stupid to be aboard a
ship captained by GMA with all the rats, mutineers and pirates. Are my
postings not clear enough for you to understand?
Annaliza Broquel- Patague
Toronto Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
22 Aug 2005
The President is the biggest threat to military discipline. The scandals
that question presidential credibility and legitimacy illustrate the
gravest form of indiscipline, making the presidency the number one
threat to military discipline throughout the armed forces. For how can
the AFP continue to obey a leader whose credibility is clearly put in
doubt by tapes alleging stolen legitimacy from the national
elections???
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
21 Aug 2005
Mr. Jun Tucay: I believe things happen for a reason. For argument¹s
sake, let us say GMA did not run for President last election. Chances
are big that either FPJ, Panfilo Lacson or Raul Roco was the elected
President and the sitting President now is either Senator Panfilo Lacson
or the elected Vice-President or maybe chaos has existed while the
country is in transition and mourning for the death of its President who
died while in office. Do you think those kind of scenarios will be
better for the country?
Do you think the country is in a better shape than how
it is now that GMA is the President? Who knows what the future might
bring? What is apparent is that some kind of an unseen force is pulling
the country downward and will continue spiraling down unless Filipinos
will unite to form an uplifting counterforce.
You indicated in your posting that you know about changes in
systems that would eventually uplift the common tao. Filipinos are
endlessly searching for the cures to the illnesses tormenting the
country. Betting your last penny for the future of the nation is not
really a better proposition but as you have said, the country was once
your dear Pilipinas.
At least, you made the assurance that you are one of
those who weep and bleed for its sorry state. Unfortunately, the current
state of the nation needs more than weeping and bleeding or simply
bringing down the government.
Any cure applied to an illness must first do no harm
and must not be worst than the illness. Urgently needed are solutions,
solutions and more solutions. People are already tired of problems and
mudslinging.
It is very obvious by now that the current system of government has
plenty of rooms for improvements. A proposed federal/unicameral
parliamentary government is a good system if properly instituted. I
think it is much better than the one being proposed in Congress that is
similar to the parliamentary system during Marcos regime where the
President can dictate the Parliament including the Prime Minister,
members of the cabinet and legislators The people must have a say who
will become Prime Minister and Members of the Parliament through
political platforms and visions of stronger political party system.
Proposals must not be opposed or refused outright. The merits must be
deliberated properly in order to reach better decisions in establishing
long term plan for the country. Mahirap iyong palagi na lang suntok sa
buwan, walang maliwanag na kinabukasan at palaging napapagsamantalahan
ng mga may pansariling layunin at masasamang hangarin.
I hope and pray that Filipinos can agree and organize something more
efficient and productive that can shape Philippines¹ future for a better
tomorrow. The country needs to move forward not backward or go in
circle.
Kung hindi hilong talilong na tayong lahat sa kaiikot.
Edwin Mercado
US
pangasinan60@yahoo.com
20 Aug 2005
Dear Editor - Could you pass this suggestion on
to Mr. Gonzalo Duque being an educator and SP columnist.
Suggestion: Challenge college seniors at Lyceum U to
come up with a new format of governance uniquely different from the
western or eastern government. Kibbutz by Israeli is a good example
however small. The challenge will give them a fresh look of what’s ahead
for their benefits as future leaders of the Philippines. In fact, put
them in seclusion for a week in your campus away from the media, and
other types of communications. Silly? This is what is happening in
American Corporation since it became a capitalist and independent
country, aka "Brain storming".
I hope some positive feed back will come up with this
idea.
Jess Delfin
San Marcos, Ca.
jesdlf1@sbcglobal.net
20 Aug 2005
Mr. Solo,
I could not make out who you are. You seem to be a mouthpiece of the
inept and incompetent Arroyo administration. You must be blind and
maybe out of your common sense to continuously crow about what you
consider as a good administration. FYI, I have no desire to be in the
same boat with Arroyo and all the other incompetents wanna be leaders in
the Philippine government today. Arroyo has zero, zip, nada managerial
and leadership skills. I wonder if she can even run a small business
like a McDonalds franchise let alone be the leader of a country. Mr.
Solo, I suggest that you wake up and see what Arroyo had done for the
country for the last 4 years. Can you mention ONE thing worthy? The
only thing worth mentioning about her is she is a Macapagal. But what
good is a name if she can't perform to expectations?
Jun Tucay
CA
jun.tucay@atf.gov
20 Aug 2005
Response to SOLO's posting of 17 August: Hey
Solo, in the first place, I do not have any say in your government, GMA,
your parliamentary and/or federalism movements. I lost that some 30
years ago when I renounced my Pinoy citizenship. Having said that, let
me assure you that I am but one of the many who BLEEDS and WEEPS for the
sorry state of my once dear old Pilipinas. I was, still is and will
never be a fan of GMA (the maldita na walang isang salita). I never for
a moment believed that FPJ was Ronald Reagan reincarnate. I always
thought that once a thug, always a thug (Lacson). If only I could vote
during your last presidential election, I would have voted for the late
Raul Roco. The rest of your presidential wannabes, well, just leave them
be as wannabes. Now, let me ask you a simple question. Do you honestly
believe that changing your form of government would change, for the
better, everything there is that ills the country? In this new form of
government you are espousing, I am willing to bet my last penny that it
would be made up of those same politicians/personalities that could not
and would not deliver anything good for poor Juan de la Cruz now.
P.S.
I will be forwarding an article sent my way, to you.
I am sure it will interest you as it is about changes in systems that
would eventually uplift the common tao.
Jun Tucay
CA
BlueDragon3450@aol.com
19 Aug 2005
Response to SOLO's posting of 17 August:
Hey Solo, in the first place, I do not have any say in
your government, GMA, your parliamentary and/or federalism movements. I
lost that when I renounced my Filipino citizenship some 30 years ago.
Having said that, let me assure you that I am one of the many who bleeds
and weeps for the sorry state of my once dear old Philippines. I was,
still and will never be a fan of GMA (the maldita na walang isang salita).
I never believed that FPJ was Ronald Reagan reincarnate. Always thought
that once a thug, always a thug (Lacson). If only I could vote during
your last presidential election, I would have voted for the late Raul
Roco. The rest of your presidential wannabes, well, just leave them be
as wannabes. Now, let me ask you a question, do you think changing your
form of government would change, for the better, everything there is
that ills the country? In this new form of government that you are
espousing, I'm willing to bet my last penny that it will be compos ed
of those same old politicians that could not and will not deliver
anything good for Juan de la Cruz now.
P.S. I will be forwarding an article sent my way, to you. I am sure it
will interest you as it is about uplifting the common Pinoy.
TO WOULD BE CONTRIBUTORS TO PUNCH FORUM
Please be reminded of Punch Online's standing policy requiring
contributors to state their verifiable email addresses. Without these,
your comments will not be posted here. Thank you.
Ermin Garcia Jr., publisher.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
18 Aug 2005
Mr. Solo: I give you credit in a very deliberate and
exquisite move. You are cool I tell you that.
However, I can only speak for myself and nobody else. I
am not thinking or have the urge to get on board or book a passage in
this creaking, leaking, dilapidated, rusting and bursting at the seam
kind of ship and most of all not with an absolutely obtuse Arroyo at the
helm.
Checking your crew of de Venecia, Ramos, de Castro and
all the rats imaginable, are the pirates themselves; of the likes of
Morgan, Teach and Blood - pillagers of everything including those nailed
down.
Mr. Solo, you should be aware by now the sign in bold
letters on the starboard bow which proudly say: ABANDON SHIP!
solopalisocdevenecia
pogogrande,dagcity
soldev51@yahoo.com
17 Aug 2005
IBALIKBAYAN COUPMMENTS :
the SHIP of STATE captained by gloria macapagal
arroyo with oriel, carrera, dimagiba, farias, mercado, de la cruz,
patague, pontaoe, ner, de guzman, castanaga, delfin, casilang, cabrera,
diaz, heidi, castro, tucay & palisocdevenecia as passengers is being hit
& taking in water by hurricane cory, drilon, hyatt 10 & makati business
club and waiting around the bend & ready to pounce & deliver the coup de
grace, are pirates, susan, lacson, pimentel, binay, escudero, erap, loi,
jinggoy, jv & benjie lim .
standby crew de castro, fvr, jdv, cbcp, pnp, afp &
lgu's is sent to the rescue and work with gma to effect genuine socio,
political & economic reforms, enforce the rule of law & build a sturdier
SHIP of STATE called PARLIAMENTARY/FEDERAL GOV'T .
mga kababayan, SAKAY at SAYAW na !
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudyarce@eurorscg.com
17 Aug 2005
Mr. Oriel: You strongly believed that religion and politics don¹t
mix. Indeed it is, but like coffee and cream, it¹s not complete without
the other.
Since Christianity showed itself in the stage of humanity, the
Church used the crucifix and the sword as the extension of its political
policy. In 1096, Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade to expel the
Turks from the Holy Land. With fire and sword, the cross became the
standard of call to arms, the righteousness of the murder and mayhem in
the name of Christ.
Julius II, the warrior Pope, waged wars against the enemies of the
church while commissioning Michelangelo to paint the Sistine chapel and
at the same time got time to establish the Swiss Guard as his personal
bodyguards. In 1540, Paul III issued a papal bull recognizing the
establishment of the Society of Jesus as a religious order. The Jesuits
became the shock troops of the church, the religious army, the
Praetorian Guard who in its existence was used to counter-balance the
Reformation, to wrecked havoc, to regain the lands that seceded with
Martin Luther.
The crucifix and the sword so far, by far, was the symbol of
domination and conquest from the Old World to the New World.
Let us put the time machine on warp speed to the present.
Article II of the Philippine Constitution of 1987 states as
follows:
Section 6 The separation of the Church and State shall be
inviolable.
Why this law is not being followed or enforced? Seeing Bishop Cruz
sitting besides Cuze testifying before Congress was an affront to what
the Constitution is all about. Is it because the words are not worth the
paper it is written on? Or, are the people resigned to the role of the
church in the political process believing that it is the only legitimate
representation in their own interest?
If the Church can create enthusiasm and a frenzied mob in a moments
notice, to topple governments, is it time to amend the Constitution?
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
16 Aug 2005
Anybody in their right mind should know better than to rock their
boat too much because it might capsize bringing down everybody who is in
the same boat regardless if they like it or not.
I do not know about you but I cannot reconcile myself to believe,
agree and respect members of religious establishment, most especially
religious leaders, who are acting as if they have split personality of a
traditional disciple and a traditional politician. I strongly believe
that devout members of the Disciples of Christ must not have a crucifix
in one hand and a drawn sword in the other. How on earth can they follow
the foot steps of Apostle Peter or any of the original Apostles, except
maybe Judas Iscariot, if at the same time they are trying to follow that
of Julius Caesar¹s?
Julius Caesar is a sacrificial lion sacrificed by the
use of knives and treachery while Apostle Peter is a sacrificial lamb
sacrificed through the Cross in Jesus name. Shepherds do not live in
palatial houses and they do not lead their sheep to a cliff. If one
falls down, the rest might follow blindly.
Edwin Mercado
US
pangasinan60@yahoo.com
16 Aug 2005
Hear yea! Good news about a Pinay working for
the US first family. Something to crow about. Monday » August 15 » 2005
New White House head chef named; Cristeta Comerford first woman to hold
post
Nedra Pickler
Canadian Press
Sunday, August 14, 2005
WACO, Texas (AP) - After a six-month search, Laura Bush announced Sunday
that the new head chef at the White House will be Cristeta Comerford –
the first woman to take the top spot in the executive kitchen.
Comerford has been an assistant chef at the White House
for 10 years, working under former executive chef Walter Scheib, who
resigned in February.
The first lady has been trying out applicants for the
job in recent months, asking them to prepare test meals at special
functions and private meals at the residence.
"I am delighted that Cris Comerford has accepted the
position of White House executive chef," Bush said in a statement. "Her
passion for cooking can be tasted in every bite of her delicious
creations."
While being executive chef at the White House has its
share of prestige, the job also can be gruelling. As many as 2,000
guests a month are fed there, and the Bush has signalled she intends to
do more entertaining than in the first term, when the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks curtailed festivities.
The head chef is responsible for designing and
executing menus for state dinners, social events, holiday functions,
receptions and official luncheons hosted by the president and first
lady.
Hillary Clinton hired Scheib, a California native and
graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, in April 1994
because she wanted to feature American cuisine after years of French
cooking ushered in by Jacqueline Kennedy.
A naturalized U.S. citizen from the Philippines,
Comerford has a bachelor's degree in Food Technology from the University
of the Philippines. She has worked at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria, and at
restaurants in two Washington hotels - the Westin and the ANA.
Bush's statement said Comerford has been trained in
French classical techniques and specializes in ethnic and American
cuisine and has experience working with chefs in San Francisco and the
California wine country.
© The Canadian Press 2005
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
16 Aug 2005
Mr. Michael dela Cruz: The Philippines as a nation is a given. Nothing
will come out of it. In its present form is a sorry spectacle, a
complete disaster. A place where lawlessness prevails and blatant
corruption happened in high places.
To answer your inquiry why Garcillano is in hiding, let
us cut and dice the facts. Garci worked in the Arroyo government. With
this; "yung dagdag… yung dagdag" scenario, he was privy to what
happened that day when Arroyo made that fateful call. He is the star
witness for the prosecution if they can find him.
In the annals of criminal justice, no witness no case.
Looking at all angles of the impeachment proceedings, all indictments of
criminal wrongdoing on Arroyo is centered on what Garcillano knew.
Now, he disappeared swallowed by the four winds; just
like that. He cannot be here in America because of immigration records,
he can be traced and with the Freedom of Information Act he could not
hide. Well, ask Arroyo, Bunye or the NBI, they knew where he is if he is
not with the fishes, yet.
Mr. dela Cruz, find Garcillano you found the SMOKING
GUN.
Jeremias A. Carrera
Guam
jac007@ite.net
15 Aug 2005
The PCE's advice to the participants at the recent regional campus
journalism workshop to cultivate the art with zeal and passion because
the PUEDE NA RIN MENTALITY HAS NO ROOM IN JOURNALISM is very commendable
and is the least that a PCE must impart to the young ones in journalism.
I do not believe however, that half-baked learning will unmasked
mediocrity but instead will lead to and foster mediocrity just like one
journalist I know.
Annaliza Broquel- Patague
Mangaldan/ Toronto Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
15 Aug 2005
The Philippines will continue to be in the
bottom list of economically- sufficient nations. She will, however, be
on top of the list of the poor and corrupt nations of the world
Filipinos in general cannot get decent-paying jobs, much less jobs in
their own country, which necessitates seeking jobs in other countries,
although there are a lot of uncertainties at stake. I salute the
Filipinos that don’t give up on their families and, because of their
decisions to sustain their families, had to go abroad to work. They are
instant heroes in modern times. By sacrificing their own comfort, they
are also able to help our country financially. NEVER will I salute the
Philippine Government for its efforts to bring home Filipino OCW's like
Angelo and Robert from Iraq. If there were good job opportunities here
in our country, these Filipinos would not have been there in
the war-front, serving other nations, just so their families here could
have a better life.
Annaliza Broquel- Patague
Mangaldan/ Toronto Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
15 Aug 2005
The beginning is still far. If you expect a
drastic change after a leadership turnover, then you are dreaming. How
many times have we dreamt and wished that a change in leadership will
change the life of the Filipinos? Weren't we frustrated and didn't we
feel deprived by those very same people we entrusted to govern our
nation? We can see that problem lies in the system. It is a system that
is not for Filipinos, a system that doesn't fit our culture, and is not
applicable to the geographical setting of the Philippines. The beginning
of a new Filipinas is still far-fetched, my fellow countrymen.
Regardless of who we put in Malacanang to lead us, the beginning of the
new Filipinas will still be far from reality.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
12 Aug 2005
When Filipinos says: we are poor, does it mean literally or
self-serving? It is more so on the former that one can conclude it is an
admission of guilt of being poor. Destitute. Impecunious. Needy.
Impoverish. Poverty-stricken. Penniless. All of the above describes the
Filipino as a whole the debilitating problems that pinned them in the
morass of unrelenting social ills.
The unrestricted assault of poverty, the non-existence of available
jobs makes people wonders to believe in themselves of being proud, of
the capability of saying; we are of what we are. How much of life is
worth living? How much of life is worth thinking? It is worthy to allot
time to address such without the knowledge of getting satisfaction? I
don¹t think so.
Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a
great enemy of human happiness (Samuel Johnson). Will this one apply to
the present circumstance?
How about this one: I think, therefore, I am (Descarte).
Edwin T. Farias
Union City, CA
felys@pngusa.net
11 Aug 2005
Like the U.S. the Philippines suffer from the
same foul odor that permeates from the loosing political party. The
loosing party in the U.S. is backed by corrupt politicians and movie
stars. The worst of the bunch are the movie stars. These "stars"
promise the needy the world yet they are the first to chase the poor
away. The average person gives more to the needy than these spoiled
multi-millionaires. When was the last time Barbara Streisand or Susan
Roces invited a poor family to eat with them when it was not politically
expedious for them to do so?
For the Philippines to right itself the voters must
vote intelligently, not vote for their favorite movie, T.V.
personalities or the relative of a former elected official. The
Philippine political system is rife with former entertainers or
political relatives and it has accomplished absolutely nothing. What
these people did on the silver screen or what their kins did before them
does not necessarily make them qualified.
Vote intelligently and the Philippines can once again
be "The Pearl of the Orient". Going to the streets or again
overthrowing the elected officials does nothing but chase investors away
from a country that is in dire need of outside capital.
Michael Dela Cruz
Dagupan
mikedelacruz_123
11 Aug 2005
I have lots of questions filled with possible
answers but still changes are not there! It's been years that the
Philippines is still the same old Philippines. A messy country. Sa mga
ninuno ko, ano ba ginawa ninyo noon? Why is Commissioner Garcillano in
hiding? Is he or is he not in hiding? As a good citizen, why won't he
come out and tell what he knows about the "Hello Garci tapes" so
everything in it will be clarified? Is he protecting any information?
Why is he protecting any information? For what purpose? For whom he is
protecting the information for? Where is he now? Why the AFP or NBI
can't locate him? If he is already in U.S., can we ask the help of the
U.S. FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to locate him? There are
really many questions in my mind. Bakit hindi umaasenso ang Pilipinas?
Matatalino at masisipag naman tayo. Dahil kaya sa matatalino tayong
lahat at walang magpatalo? Dahil kaya most Filipinos ay napakaseloso?
Any opinion?
Annaliza Broquel-Patague
Toronto
Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
10 Aug 2005
Why the Pilipinos are poor? First, it is a
status of being POOR that Filipinos confer upon themselves. This means
that everything that they say to another confirms it. "Kasi mahirap lang
kami". Don’t say it! Believe in yourself, in your capacity. Stop seeing
yourself as a poor person. You will never get out of get and you cannot
expect others to think, see, and believe otherwise. You do not have to
pretend- just stop saying, that you are poor. Think of something better
to value yourself. Be positive.
There is a connotation of total surrender to the
circumstances that they are not doing something to work on, finding
something to live on, finding pride in being able to do the
extraordinary, the unusual, and the unthinkable just to make money. God
put our brains inside a hard shell to protect your thinking that others
do not tamper with any of it and pluck it out of your brains. Remember
how people say it sometimes? You have been nicked! Because you have been
stupid- that was your thinking. Your brains are located inside a hard
shell; it is above the rest of your structure so you use your brains
first before you use the other parts. Do you use your brains first,
anyway?
Ramon Dimagiba
Burr Ridge, IL
rudy.arce@eurorscg.com
10 Aug 2005
What I am going to throw at you, gentlemen, is a
political bugger. With all these arguments about Charter change and
Constituent assembly there is not a single mention of what happened in
1973.
With the failure of the present form of government
everybody are demanding for a change, to a parliamentary form, which to
anybody's guess is the solution to the social and political problems
that befalls the Filipino.
If the memory of the past serves the Filipino right,
the Marcosian Constitution of 1973 which was forced down the throats of
the cowering public was a Parliamentary form. Upon the ascendancy of
Aquino, it was amended to a bicameral form to eliminate any vistage of
the Marcos regime.
Was it political expediency why it was done? Is it
possible that the clamor for a change by the flunkies of Arroyo (de
Venecia and Ramos)is a ploy to save her unworthy skin? Will it be as
temporary as envisioned by these two crafty beavers of the wheel and
deal?
Comments are most welcome!
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
9 Aug 2005
Nasaan ang mga matatalino at magagaling na liderato ng bansa? Bakit
nawawala ang kadakilaan ng kanilang layunin, pagmamalasakit at matayog
na pangarap para sa kanilang bansa at kapuwa mamamayan? Can we not for
once unite to solve problems and fight common enemies instead of
destroying each other?
The preamble of the constitution said it all that need to be done.
It is a binding national contract signed, ordained and promulgated by
the sovereign Filipino people. “We, the sovereign Filipino people,
imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane
society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and
aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our
patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of
independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate
this Constitution.”
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
9 Aug 2005
There are those who are shortsighted who claimed that Mayor Benjie
Lim is your typical politician. Gonzalo Duque falls into this category.
Mayor Lim is your atypical politician. He is beyond that. Political
leadership is a very special quality that only shows itself in a trying
time. It is a gift Mayor Lim was born with.
Gonzalo Duque cannot comprehend what this is all about. He is way
out of his league to give a conclusive verdict to trash Mayor Lim in
what he did on Arroyo is deplorable. Mayor Lim did what is to be the
sign of things to come. Watch him because his gift of leadership is like
a butterfly exiting that cocoon. It will be a beauty.
So what else is new, Gonzalo? Frankly, there is nothing new about
Mayor Lim.
It is there flat-out for all to see. With JDV, FVR and even Arroyo and
those would-be leaders to compare, Mayor Lim is a man among boys and a
girl.
Are you playing with fire, Gonzalo? It could be hazardous. I
beseech you don¹t do it, you will get burned.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
7 Aug 2005
It is becoming clear that Mayor Lim is to be
reckoned with. The true colors of a politician and a leader is how he
stands to the challenges of the times. His courage in adversity, the
clarity of vision to see what¹s beyond the turmoil of the moment and to
declare without qualm what he knew is right. The lone voice in the
wilderness and when the smoke clears he will be the only man standing
tall.
The making of a national leader is coming to the
surface. Let it be known, Mayor Lim is the real thing.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
7 Aug 2005
Aabutin ng siyam-siyam ang bansa kung hihintayin na magbago ang mga
tao lalo na ang mga politiko. Isang dapat isipin ay ang
³computerization² ng eleksiyon para mawala ang pandaraya. Napakalaking
gastos pa naman ito. Doble gastos kung dalawang beses babaguhin ito.
Dapat baguhin ang sistema ng gobiyerno para magamit sa pagbabago ng mga
tao at pamahalaan, para matanggal ang mga hindi kanais-nais.
Filipinos must join hands in unmasking those who are trying to
destroy the country or who are trying to block its progress. Cheating is
all about breaking the rules like corruptions, wiretapping, illegal
gambling, illegal drugs, tax evasion, promoting hatred, polygamy, etc.
Cheating is about forgetting moral, spiritual and social
responsibilities to others.
Wrongdoings and any form of cheating must have lasting
negative repercussions to political careers or any role in society
especially becoming government officials or law enforcers. They must be
punished not tolerated. Nobody must be above the law. The country must
not practice any form of double standard such as one standard to remove
those who are in power and one standard for others to regain power.
Having better provisions and organizations to take care government
crisis and problems, other countries using more efficient and productive
parliamentary system can develop faster. In a parliamentary system, a
political party elects their leader during their national party
convention and establishes their governing policies based on their
vision for the country. Candidates for party leadership will have a
debate so people will know where they stand on governing policies. Only
those who believe in their political platform will be asked by the
political party to run as their candidates for membership in the
Parliament. Electorate will vote candidates who wanted to become Member
of the Parliament based on his/her political party¹s vision and
platform. The party with the most members who are elected to the
Parliament will be asked to form the government and the leader of the
party will subsequently become the Prime Minister. People can gauge the
efficiency and productivity o f the government that a particular party
or coalition had formed. If they do not deliver, they will surely not be
trusted to form future governments.
Technically, the people will be the one to choose who
will become the Prime Minister. Ideally, he/she will come from the party
who can present to the people the best governing policies and the best
candidates to implement such policies in the parliament that will shape
the future of the country. Those who can deliver satisfactory
performance will be in power longer.
Since all Members of the Parliament including the Prime Minister
and cabinet members will be working together in the same Parliament
building, we can compare their performances. No more congressional
inquiries in aid of legislations or mudslinging. They all have the same
privileges and immunity to debate issues and accusations that affect the
nation and its people. We can pinpoint with accuracy anybody who is
sleeping on the job, protecting vested interest, making mistakes and
doing unlawful activities. Any Member of the Parliament most especially
cabinet members who cannot meet the expectations of his/her
constituencies will surely feel the repercussion not only on their own
political career but also on the future of their political party come
Election Day. Parliamentary system can be use to filter out the
undesirables.
Since candidates will not campaign nationally, they do not need to
be super rich in order to win the election. Election of a candidate is
confined to a smaller area and simpler. Recount of election returns to
prove if cheating exists will be easier. Cheating will be minimized
because candidates will most likely do not want to jeopardize his
political future and that of his political party. Gaining the trust of
the constituency will play a major role in the election because the
winner is going to represent them in the national assembly for all
matters that will affect the future of their community.
Hindi puwede sa Parliamento iyong palagi na lang absent ang mga
miyembro. Lalong hindi puwede iyong sabay-sabay na aalis halimbawa
palabas ng bansa patungo sa Las Vegas para manood ng laban ni Manny
Pacquiao sa boksing. Pag kailangan na magbotohan sa parliamento at
nagkataon na wala sila para bumoto ay may posibilidad na matalo at
babagsak ang gobiernong itinayo nila. Pag nangyari ito ay magkakaroon ng
panibagong eleksiyon para palitan ang mga miyembro ng parliamento at ang
namumuno sa pamahalaan na Prime Minister. Hindi na kailangan pa ang
People¹s Power sa EDSA.
JEREMIAS A. CARRERA
Guam
jac007@ite.net
6 Aug 2005
It seems that only Mr.
Ermin Garcia's column exposes the real issues that are important for the
upliftment of the lives of our fellow Pangasinenses and the Filipinos
while the others are only acting like they are greasing the politicians
and those in power for some considerations. I hope my compadre Nap
Donato is not one of those who just provide good news for someone who
can provide financial gains to him.
Eduardo Pontaoe
Chicago, IL
datdo1946@netzero.com
4 Aug 2005
In the delicate boundary of religion and
science, a sensitive question comes to the fore. What does it mean to
respect human life?
This question is at the heart of the current debate
swirling around research into human embryonic stem cells. The answer to
this question of the time is as delicate like the rose petals in bloom.
Conservatives of the religious right believes that each
and every embryo is too precious to sacrifice for any cause.
For many advocates of stem cell research, respect for
life includes a profound belief that these embryos have the potential to
unlock the deep chasm of illness and health, and of life itself. On this
view, embryos represents an opportunity to treat and even cure
intractable ailments, the most of which the incurables. For supporters
of this research, leaving such opportunity on hold represents an
ultimate sacrifice of something so important and a life-giving necessity
and failure to respect life and to extent lives of peoples suffering
from such dreadful diseases.
Here in America, this debate is raging. The standing
policy forbids funding what was already in place and that leaves the
400,000 embryos from in-vitro fertilization services with which 11,000
were already released for research.
What is medically/politically correct to address such
importance, which involves the human race for its survival? Eventually,
I firmly believed science would prevail. Whom you can convince to
believe in Galileo¹s time that the earth revolves around the sun so much
more 50 years before 1967 that man could land on the moon?
Annaliza Broquel- Patague
Toronto Canada
broquel1@hotmail.com
4 Aug 2005
Apart from cheating, lying and stealing, the widespread killings of 411
church people, lawyers, human rights advocates, political activists,
workers and peasants all over the country are also one of the grounds
for President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo's impeachment.
Narciso Limsiaco Ner
Los Angeles, California
boyner007@yahoo.com
2 Aug 2005
Why would a prestigious magazine like Forbes recognize Gloria Arroyo as
one of the Most Powerful Women in the world when in the very first
paragraph of the article, " Arroyo, 58, is now fighting to hold on to
her job.....over a series of scandals and her attempts to fix Manila's
weak finances are falling apart....." belie this? So was the last
portion where it quoted Hong Kong based Political and Economic Risk
Consultancy in its description of the Philippines under Gloria Arroyo
as, “the second most corrupt country in Asia."
Although I looked at the article as a rebuke rather
than a praise, the nincompoops in the government being as what they are,
brain dead, gloated over this recognition on their master, the virago.
Allow me also to correct some false information Forbes’
reporter might have gathered from pro Arroyo sources. I can't give
accurate figures to contradict what was written but this I know. The
Wall Street Journal exposed the rigging or as some termed it "doctoring"
of Philippine economic data by this illegitimate government under
Gloria Arroyo who brags of her doctoral degree in economics. This is the
economics professor who has to be taught that you cannot borrow beyond
your capacity to pay. The Filipinos are suffering because the income
being generated by the government is just going to the interests from
the loans incurred under Gloria Arroyo resulting in the failure to
deliver the basic services to the people.
Narciso Limsiaco Ner
Los Angeles, California
boyner007@yahoo.com
1 Aug 2005
Why would a prestigious magazine like Forbes recognize Gloria Arroyo as
one of the Most Powerful Women in the world when in the very first
paragraph of the article, " Arroyo, 58, is now fighting to hold on to
her job.....over a series of scandals and her attempts to fix Manila's
weak finances are falling apart....." belie this? So was the last
portion where it quoted Hong Kong based Political and Economic Risk
Consultancy in its description of the Philippines under Gloria Arroyo
as, " the second most corrupt country in Asia."
Although I looked at the article as a rebuke rather
than a praise, the nincompoops in the government being as what they are,
brain dead, gloated over this recognition on their master, the virago.
Allow me also to correct some false information Forbes’
reporter might have gathered from pro Arroyo sources. I can't give
accurate figures to contradict what was written but this I know. The
Wall Street Journal exposed the rigging or as some termed it "doctoring"
of Philippine economic data by this illegitimate government under
Gloria Arroyo who brags of her doctoral degree in economics. This is the
economics professor who has to be taught that you cannot borrow beyond
your capacity to pay. The Filipinos are suffering because the income
being generated by the government is just going to the interests from
the loans incurred under Gloria Arroyo resulting in the failure to
deliver the basic services to the people.
Rafael L. Oriel, Jr.
Winnipeg, MB
oriel@shaw.ca
1 Aug 2005
Believe it or not, there are some people who are
happy every time Manila is flooded. These people think there is nothing
wrong with the perennial flooding of Manila. Ang mga taong ito ay
kumikita tuwing binabaha ang siyudad. Naglalagay sila ng tulay na kahoy
na madadaanan ng mga taong ayaw mabasa ng tubig. Kanilang sinisingil ang
bawat taong gagamit sa kanilang tulay. Sila ay siguradong magagalit sa
sino mang makakalutas sa pagkakabaha ng Manila taon-taon. Walang masama
sa kanilang ginagawa bagkos sila ay nakakatulong sa mga tao at nagkaroon
pa sila ng hanapbuhay. Ang masaklap ay hindi nawawala ang mabigat na
problema ng siyudad ng Maynila.
Ganiyan din ang nangyayari sa buong bansa. Marami ang
natutuwa sa kasalukuyang sistema ng gobierno at okey lang sa kanila
dahil kumikita sila.
Pero papaano ang mga ibang taong naghihirap dahil sa
mga problemang idinudulot ng kasalukuyang sistema. Kung hindi tayo
gagawa ng tamang lunas ay hindi mawawala ang problema. Pabalik balik. We
are going in circles.
At any moment Philippines can start as being a better
country but when will that moment be? Why not start now, at this very
moment? How many more EDSA People¹s Power is needed to convince people
that there is something wrong with the system of government and it needs
a drastic reform? It is one of the major problems of our country above
and beyond the people who have nothing but ulterior motives disguised as
beneficial to the community. The government systems of other countries
are more economical, organized, efficient and productive compared to our
current system that is why their country develops faster than the
Philippines.
God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we
cannot change, courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to
know the difference. God, grant me the serenity to accept the person I
cannot change, the courage to change the person I can and the wisdom to
know the only person I can change is me.
- Authors Unknown
We can change the system of the government but not the
attitudes of the people unless we have a magic wand to do it. Bribery,
graft and corruptions and other forms of dishonesty and criminal acts
are symptoms of inefficient and unproductive system of government. Worst
of all, those who break or disregard the law can go unpunished with
their ill-gotten gains then they are free to regain political power and
pretend as if they are with indisputable and highly unquestionable
integrity and ability to become leaders of our society.
The sole source of information for the majority of
people is the news media.
No news is good news anymore. News messengers usually
bring depressing and debilitating experiences by telling us about all
the terrible things that are happening in our world. Most of what we are
told is tainted and biased readily accepted as if the truth by those who
are easily deceived. There are many hidden agendas. They sap our energy
and make us seem powerless to change the country for the better.
There are those who are watching events unfold
including foxes in sheep¹s clothing, criminals and terrorists waiting
for the right opportunity to do what they needed to do to make things
happen to their own advantage and benefits. Something must be done to
thwart their evil intentions. The silence of the silent majority is
deafening. They must speak out to advocate what is good for the country.
Those who are noisy are getting what they wanted but they are doing more
harm than good.
Even the Philippine National Police wants to change for
the better. Their official website says it all, “Ikaw at ako sa tunay na
pagbabago ng Philippine National Police (PNP).” Thanks to all of our law
enforcers who remain true to their words “to serve and to protect”.
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