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…

EVERY time the country finishes a regular or midterm elections, all local government candidates who won look forward to the day when they can speak with confidence about the new dawn that awaits all. There would generally be expectations about another three years pregnant with possibilities, innovations, and ambitions under…

NOW that an impressive defense panel for Vice President Sara Duterte has been formed, the varied voices of dissent as to how the Senate handled the scheduling of the impeachment trial is beginning to die down. There is no more doubt in anybody’s mind that the trial will proceed on…

GIANT “white and black smoke” again soared high off the coasts of Bolinao, Bani, and Agno, one after the other, as fishermen hauled off an estimated P8 billion worth of shabu off the sea. While it was not the first time for such a supply to be fished out from…

THE recent appointment of then PMaj Gen. Nicolas Torre as Chief PNP was met initially with mixed reactions from politicians, depending on their affiliations: with Marcos Jr. or the Dutertes. But it was the early endorsement of newly-elected Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former Chief PNP and a no-nonsense police official…

IS there no magnanimity, decency, or benevolence or honor between and among our local politicians after the elections? Is there nothing more that our young can learn from our elder politicians, that after all the fun distributions of ayuda, obvious exchanges of black propaganda in social media that they can…

THE decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ask for the resignation of his cabinet members came on the heels of his seemingly heartfelt wish to reconcile and unite with the Duterte family. With no positive response from the Duterte family, pundits and netizens see his decision to seek a…

OUR people have spoken. Their voices have been heard. The province decided not only to keep many of the performing incumbent officials in office but also chose to vote for more qualified candidates as their legislators to serve in the Senate and in Congress. Notably, when the country feared of…

TOMORROW, we go to the polls to vote for candidates who we believe can make a difference in our lives in the years ahead.  Such is the norm for each election – to cast our votes for individuals who we believe can shape our country and our communities for the…

AS the country prepares to go to the polls next week, mistrust of the election system continues to be felt by most. After all, the charges of cheating involving Smartmatic were never resolved and the Comelec officials who governed were never held accountable. Not a few have come forward to…