The tragedy is about us By Ermin Garcia Jr.   HOW most reacted to the Christine Dacera “rape-slay” case is certainly a case for behavioral science study. I say this because within minutes of the news in media, netizens (and, yes, the police) branded her death as a sordid case…

DCWD-Pamana JVA, a case for FOI By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IN the eyes of the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC), the joint venture agreement (JVA) between the Dagupan City Water District (DCWD) and Pamana Water is valid and legal, but it still doesn’t remove the fact that the DCWD…

Watch out when vaccines arrive By Ermin Garcia Jr.   AFTER almost a year of restrictions on our usual lifestyle, there’s nothing that feels better than to believe that a new life is dawning: hopefully less restrictions, people having more control of their lives, a robust economy that will restore…

Time to be with Jesus Christ By Ermin Garcia Jr.     BELIEVE it or not, Christmas is in the air. It’s here. But perhaps you are wondering why most people still don’t greet others “Merry Christmas”! Didn’t it occur to you that perhaps it’s because you probably don’t greet…

Our responsibilities to our relatives, friends By Ermin Garcia Jr.   BE forewarned and be forearmed. Given the drastic actions already taken by countries where confirmed COVID-19 cases surged overnight because of lax implementation of health and physical protocols. i.e., enforcement of wearing of facial masks and shields and social…

Good news is bad news By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IS the good news about status of COVID-19 contagion in Pangasinan, being on the decline, actually bad news?? That appears to be so when we look around and observe the behavior of people in the barangays. Residents are starting to…

Official ‘protection’ network in Dagupan By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IN case you have been fully distracted by efforts of the local governments to restart the economy, and the Christmassy lights on the two main bridges, there are two crises (human and nature) that are waiting to happen in Dagupan…

Town/city as COVID-19 epicenter By Ermin Garcia Jr.   THE reaction of Sison’s local government to our last week’s headline: “Sison is new epicenter of COVID-19 cases” brought to light important lessons in effectively managing the pandemic in communities. (Due to space constraints, we can only post the full text…

Refuse to be killed easily By Ermin Garcia Jr.   THE killing of another newsman in Vir Maganes sent another shockwave in our midst. And so did the killing of RTC Judge Maria Teresa Abadilla. While the slaying of the two happened under very different circumstances, the message is crystal…

Wanted: Urgent help for new distance learners By Ermin Garcia Jr.     OUR education sector is in dire need of help to be able to cope and deliver the quality education that our children deserve under these most difficult conditions, a pandemic period. A report in media has indicated…