Barangay kapitan’s dilemma By Ermin Garcia Jr. THE news about a barangay kapitan in Aguilar town being charged for violation of election rules, particularly for electioneering, is now like a Damocles sword hanging over heads of kapitans actively promoting favored candidates in their towns/cities. While Atty. Romulo Macalintal insists kapitans…

Let the debate begin By Ermin Garcia Jr. IT’S amusing to see and hear how some candidates needing to earn points against incumbents are predisposed to challenge the latter to a debate. Don’t get me wrong.  A debate is, indeed, one great opportunity to know more about candidates, to compare…

Personality-based elections By Ermin Garcia Jr. IN case you haven’t noticed our political culture has fully shifted from party system to personality politics. In the national level, there is only one political party slate for the senate, the PDP Laban. The Hugpong Ng Pagbabago is a political aggrupation of candidates…

The archbishop’s fake news By Ermin Garcia Jr. I do try to give the good Archbishop Soc Villegas the benefit of the doubt that his constant direct and indirect criticisms of President Duterte and his government are not politically motivated but sharing moral guidance from God. But hard as I…

The bishops and the 10 Commandments By Ermin Garcia Jr. LAST week, Olp Parish Binmaley posted a meme on Facebook that showed Archbishop Soc Villegas’ responses to the various criticisms hurled against the outspoken members of the clergy critical of the Duterte administration.  Below are the phrases in that meme….

Death threat? By Ermin Garcia Jr. DID Archbishop Soc Villegas, our Mr. Archbishop, also receive a death threat? Unlike Caloocan Bishop Pablo David, and recently, Fathers Robert Reyes, Flavie Villanueva, and Albert Alejo who made public their claim that they received death threats through their mobile phones, Fr. Soc never went…

Mr. Archbishop By Ermin Garcia Jr. LINGAYEN-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas did it again. He just couldn’t help dipping his fingers in politics, not as a politician or as member of a party list, but as a bishop of the Catholic Church.  It grates one’s nerves seeing his messages and language…

People Power “2019” went pffft By Ermin Garcia Jr. LAST week, I found it hard to believe that someone would actually threaten Caloocan Bishop Pablo David. Worse, I found it very suspicious mainly because of the timing and the characters made to play out a contrived plot. Note: There was…

A closer look at Raffy Alunan By Ermin Garcia Jr. GUESS who blew into town –  a good friend and hopefully a senator soon – Raffy Alunan! Accompanied by former PNP chief Art Lomibao (nominee of One Philippines party-list), both attended the farewell party of Art’s PMA mistah, Cong Pol…

Pia Cayetano’s campaigns for kids By Ermin Garcia Jr. WE have reason to be alarmed by the sudden and unexpected measles outbreak in some parts of the country because there is no way our government can control its spread to Pangasinan except to accelerate the vaccination campaign particularly among our…