
TAKE TWO FOR MAYOR BELEN -- Reelected Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez Mayor Belen Fernandez delivers her second inaugural address after taking her oath of office before Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez at the People’s Astrodome on Saturday, June 28. (Punchphoto by Willie Lomibao)

A court in Pangasinan acquitted 102 victims of human trafficking who were wrongfully accused and imprisoned for nearly two years. According to their lawyers, the charges filed against them by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were based on false accusations. Judge Roselyn Andrada-Borja of the Regional Trial Court Branch…
Opinions
Editorial
Your SUNDAY PUNCH, moving from 69th to 70th year
ON July 5, 1956, PUNCH founder-editor Ermin Erfe Garcia, decided to publish a pocket-sized weekly community newspaper with contributions from some close friends. He believed that newspaper readers would find it more convenient to be updated with local news that could be folded to fit a man’s back pocket. (Nobody…
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Punchline
Political Statesmanship
By Ermin Garcia Jr I don’t blame the new majority at the Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice Mayor Bryan Kua and Majority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez, for gloating over the “powerless” position that Councilor Dada Reyna, the only survivor of the 2025 massacre of the epaLiFe in the…
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Out of the fire
Starting the fire
By Gonzalo Duque THE impeachment brouhaha may not result in anything as the group supporting the impeachment process, like Rep-elect Leila de Lima and all the other congressional representatives assigned to prosecute Vice President Sara Duterte are headed to nothingness. Maybe, they should instead pay attention to the myriad…
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Random Thoughts
A voiceless lone wolf
By Leonardo Micua WATCHING the inaugural session of the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday – together with media colleagues Eva, Violy and Lina – I cannot imagine from my seat how Councilor Dada Reyna, as the lone opposition in the city council dominated by the allies of Mayor Belen…
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G Spot
Johatsu
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IT may happen unnoticed in other countries without a term for it, but in Japan, it has a name. That’s because more than any other country, Japan has nearly one hundred thousand of them yearly, individuals choosing to vanish, leaving behind their identities, their loved…
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Andromeda’s Vortex
A better Sanggunian?
By Farah G. Decano THE Dagupan City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has begun its term with remarkable promise. New members quickly immersed themselves in committee hearings, an early sign of diligence. Given each councilor's monthly income of at least P107,208.00 plus allowances, Dagupeños rightfully expect substantial results for every vote…
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Newsy News
The golden age of Dagupan has begun
By Eva C. Visperas I have almost forgotten how it felt to attend a Sangguniang Panlungsod session of Dagupan and leave with a light heart. For the past three years, I stayed away from covering the city council. Not because I had lost interest in the goings-on of local…
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Entre’acte
Rest in Peace, Kuya Bing: Long Live your American Dream
By Rex Catubig MY brother was a Civil Engineer and a pioneer OFW way before the acronym was coined. He was working at the Pangasinan Public Works and Highways, building roads and bridges across the province, when the war in Vietnam escalated and there ensued a demand for construction…
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Life with my lens
A PHOTO ALBUM OF “PROMDI” LANDSCAPES
Photos and short narrative by Art G. Valenzuela I would consider myself as one lucky guy as I am both a city boy and a “promdi” who has access to both city life (as in Dagupan City and Metro Manila) and rural-provincial life. Every week – coming from either Dagupan…
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Punch Forum
Greetings Mayor Belen Fernandez – My name is Victor Reyno Junio, a resident and a registered voter of Sitio West America, Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City. I have now returned to Canada after my 5 months stay in our City. I am blessed and privileged to have 2 countries I call…
To further improve on the online security of our readers, recent changes have been made to the “x-frame-Options”; for the website https://punch.dagupan.com/ , that runs on the popular WordPress platform. (The “x-frame-options” HTTP header is used to control whether or not a browser should be allowed to render a page…

WEAKENED WAWA BRIDGE - A part of the Wawa Bridge, renamed Romulo Bridge, collapsed when two loaded dump trucks, one loaded with aggregates and the other fertilizer- crossed at the same time 3:17 p.m. last Thursday, halting vehicular traffic between Bayambang, Pangasinan and Camiling, Tarlac. (Punchphoto by Butch UKa)
Magandang araw po! Ako po si Christian Mark V. Rico, isang mag-aaral sa pampublikong paaralan sa Dagupan. Sumulat po ako upang ipaalam ang aking saloobin tungkol sa mga kaso ng COVID-19 dito sa ating bayan. Nakita ko po na mas dumadami ang gumagaling sa COVID kesa sa pagdami ng kaso.…
Dear Mr. Garcia; I visited your office Sunday Punch and got interested in your column (Punchline) about garbage of Dagupan City. There is a solution to solve this perennial problem of the city I had proposed this to the newly elected young Lim. Now, clearly my proposal will not…

UNLISERBISYO THE Rotary Club D3790 launched the Rotary Club Projects 2025–2026 on July 1 at Sabangan Elementary School, focusing on seven areas in one day for 437 beneficiaries. In partnership with the city government of Dagupan led by Mayor Belen Fernandez, the program aims to promote inclusion, compassion, and support…

PANGASINAN Brotherhood-USA President Sue Ann-Tumakay paid tribute to her fellow provincemates for their collective spirit and unwavering dedication that defined Pangasinan community. Citing her colleagues for their positive values during a gala night last week, she said the PB-USA is a testament to the enduring legacy and steadfast spirit of…

THE San Juan Knights dealt the Pangasinan Heatwaves their sixth loss in the 7th Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball (MPBL), 73-66, last June 26 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, Manila. During the opening frame, Heatwaves’ Vic Manuel waxed hot early with 14 points and sank four triples to carve a lead, 20-17. Advancing to the second period,…