The ides of summer REMEMBER when Pangasinan was simply known as the road to Baguio? Those days are gone. Finally, Pangasinan has arrived and is considered a major domestic tourist destination in the country. From Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, to the pristine beach of Bolinao, shrine of Our Lady…

Goodbye Pangalatok! Hello Pangasinan! By Ermin Garcia Jr.   I CANNOT but laud the Espino administration for launching the “I love Pangasinan Movement” two weeks ago. While Guv Spines’ detractors shrug off the movement as an overnight sensation that will soon fade away, still the message that Pangasineses can and…

Two shameful claims By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IN our last issue, we run as our headline a news story on what we said appears to be a sneak return of illegal fish pens in Dagupan City’s rivers. In the spirit of fairness, we chose as our headline story in…

Illegal fish pen owners are back By Ermin Garcia Jr. I HAVE good news and bad news for Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez for the nth time. First the good news. Dagupeños are clearly very happy with her management style. It’s been reaping unprecedented results. The waves and smiles she gets…

Super Juanas, the stronger sex By Ermin Garcia Jr.   THE world is celebrating Women’s Month with the theme “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives” this month, for a reason. The reason? Here’s my hypothesis – the women in this presumed man’s world have been unfairly, if not wrongly marginalized…

Grateful people By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IF there is anything palpable in the aftermath of the Fallen 44 tragedy, it is how the citizenry now views men and women in uniform. I was having an early breakfast in a fastfood outlet last week in Makati when I saw a…

Fil-Chinese or Chi-Noy? By Ermin Garcia Jr.   HERE’S a trivia. To this day, we continue to refer to a “Filipino-Chinese” community as nationals or naturalized Filipinos with Chinese ancestry, not really understanding the nuance behind it. As correctly pointed out by Teresita Ang See, a noted activist in Manila’s…

The writing on the wall By Ermin Garcia Jr.   AS more details are revealed during the senate and congressional inquiries on the Mamasapano massacre of the Fallen 44, I cannot but fear a far more serious impact and implication of the whole process, including the passage or junking of…

The BBL exposed By Ermin Garcia Jr.   IF there is one silver lining that can be found in the massacre of our 44 SAF commandos, it’s the revelation where the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will lead us to if passed. Then if there is one person I had…

Prepare for the worst By Ermin Garcia Jr.   PANGASINENSES perhaps may still feel far removed from the bloody massacre of 44 of the Special Action Forces unit in Maguindanao because it did not happen anywhere near the province. The truth is, the massacre will have an impact on the…