By Gonzalo Duque

 

THE typhoon season has become more calamitous.

The most recent, Typhoon Kristine, has shown its devastating effect all over the country.

Other typhoons are coming. Watch out, Typhoon Leon is going to roar in the coming few days.

But what worries me more though is the report that Typhoon Kristine will be coming back from the West Philippine Sea where it already exited.

I remember the time when Typhoon Gading and Typhoon Peping brought their devastating effect to our province, uprooting a lot of trees, including those that were centuries old, and blew out roofings of a number of houses in Pangasinan and Dagupan City.

With this, we should all prepare!

I understand that Mayor Belen will ask the Sangguniang Panlungsod to declare Dagupan under a state of calamity. The province should do the same.

Here in Dagupan, I doubt if the Sanggunian will approve the call of Belen for a state of calamity, knowing the attitude of the members of the SP majority towards her.

In so far as the province is concerned, the declaration will surely be done as fast as possible without any question asked.

Let’s wait for Typhoon Celia or Typhoon Redford to come.

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I am disturbed by the law and rule that the campaign period for all national candidates is 90 days and 45 for local candidates. 

The purpose of this rule is to somehow level the playing fields and limit all candidates from engaging in partisan propaganda activities for too long a period, just like the prescription on the common area where campaign paraphernalia should be exhibited and regulating the size of said materials.

What is funny though is that since the time of the last day of filing of certificates of candidacy or even before that, many candidates have already started advertising themselves and spending, yes spending. 

With all these circuses, the campaign period could very well be considered to have started. Imagine, from October 8, 2024 to May 2025, they have more or less six months to overspend and campaign, skirting the rule on prohibited acts of campaigning.

Omigosh, only in the Philippines!

Just imagine, given that long period, there will be a lot of occasions where voters could be treated to the lavish spending of candidates.

We have All Saints and All Souls Days, Christmas season, barangay and town/city fiestas, and even birthdays of kapitans and, kagawads and even their respective spouses, etc.

Do we ever wonder why corruption in public office has become a tradition in our political system?

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The election in Urdaneta is becoming more interesting with the emergence of Mrs. Maan Guico as a candidate for the mayoralty post against incumbent Mayor Julio Patayno III.

The battlecry of the group of Mayor Parayno is that all their candidates are natives of Urdaneta.

On the other hand, the group of Maan Guico contends that there is nothing wrong if she runs as mayor because she has complied with all the requirements such as the one-year residency before the election as prescribed by law.

Being the first lady of Pangasinan and the daughter-in-law of Congressman Ramon Guico Jr., she can always lay claim to being an adopted daughter of Urdaneta City.

This will be an interesting fight to watch!

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