By Farah G. Decano WHEN former Mayor Al Fernandez, Jr. proudly presented to the public his administration’s annual savings, the astute political observer Atty. Gonzalo Duque offered a sharp counter: savings often resulted from unimplemented or poorly planned projects. Following this logic, we cannot help but question the recent narrative that the swiftness of passing the…
By Eva C. Visperas IN a time when noise often drowns out truth, it becomes necessary to see things with our own eyes. And that is exactly what we did —a quiet, unannounced inspection of the Edades-Bernal Museum site in Dagupan City on October 7, 2025. What we found…
By Rex Catubig THE Franklin prevailed despite the predicaments that plagued its reincarnation. Despite its travails of survival, yet another daybreak came, and a silver lining appeared when the visionary Belen T Fernandez was elected Mayor. She had envisioned the Franklin as part of the grandiose plan to develop…
By Gonzalo Duque THE findings that there were 421 ghost projects related to flood control nationwide exposed the weaknesses of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as an institution mandated to accomplish its task of providing and addressing the infrastructure needs of our country. Other than addressing…
By Leonardo Micua THE habagat season has just ended and the amihan season has begun blowing in. Yet strangely, the floodwaters in some parts of Calasiao town and Dagupan City have not eased a bit. The sight of submerged streets and stranded residents has become disheartening — a routine which…
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo RECENTLY, so many “pa-cute” reels of politicians pass through my feeds, on Facebook, Thread, Instagram, and X. Some of them pose like harmless, beautiful, desirable faces, love teams, others post tender moments with their families, others lace the reels with humor, even rehashed curses, the…
By Farah G. Decano MY conversation with a Commission On Audit (COA) Supervisor quickly transitioned from a routine client query to a deep dive into the controversial Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects. What she revealed highlighted a significant disconnect between national infrastructure goals and local governance….
By Eva C. Visperas EVERY year, Villasis celebrates more than beauty — it celebrates promise. The Miss Villasis pageant unites the town’s most confident and purpose-driven young women. This year, 14 candidates proudly carry not only their barangays’ names but also the heart and hopes of the Villasinian community….
By Rex Catubig THE groundbreaking and construction of the new bridge that will span across the Calmay River, linking the city to its island barrios and becoming the modern gateway to the Western towns, has suddenly drawn flak and been subjected to defamatory innuendos. Yet, this project that no…
By Gonzalo Duque A lot of events vis-a-vs disasters, e.g. typhoons, earthquakes, flooding, and volcanic eruptions, have been frequently visiting our country. These are all natural calamities. But the worst disaster that we have is the rampant graft and corruption in almost all levels of our government. The present…
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