Something is fishy By Leonardo Micua   WHAT’S gotten into the heads of our public servants in, of all places, Dagupan? Suddenly, in this late stage of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, they want to impose a number coding scheme for private vehicles traveling on all major thoroughfares in the city….

Politics in SAP distribution in Dagupan By Leonardo Micua   THE distribution of the SAP fund in Dagupan City was marred with accusations of biases by Barangay Health Workers who (not the barangay kapitans) were put in charge of identifying the deserving beneficiaries, but instead picked the recipients based on…

Political bias affecting SAP aid By Leonardo Micua   BEFORE our deadline, we spotted on TV Patrol on Thursday night a poor family  in Quezon City, the wife and husband blind on both eyes, and could only rely on their small children run errands for them in this period of…

Mayor Brian’s rapid test kits By Leonardo Micua   WE read an article published online by a Manila daily that said the government has allotted P3.2 billion to buy rapid test kits, quoting the presidential adviser for entrepreneur Jose Maria Concepcion III, as saying this was done despite warning from the Department of Health…

Astrodome, the wrong place By Leonardo Micua   DID the city of Dagupan commit the mistake of making the Dagupan City People’s Astrodome as an additional isolation area for Patients Under Investigation (PUI) in the event the COVID-19 contagion in the city worsens? Methinks that even if the Astrodome, as the site for 30 PUIs with mild symptoms in modular tents donated…

City hall acted belatedly By Leonardo Micua   AS of 7 p.m. on April 2, the city of Dagupan appears to be leading in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pangasinan with four, (confirmed by the colored map of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) that showed the locations of…

Life in COVID-19 era By Leonardo Micua   FOR the past two weeks of observance of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in our little corner in Bonuan, we didn’t dare to go out in faithful compliance with the order, except on Fridays when we had to put the final copy of The PUNCH for the week to bed, so to speak. Like many others, I’ve been on a work-from-home arrangement but…

How will they survive? By Leonardo Micua A MAN in his 40s, in shabby polo shirt and looked as if he has not shaven for months, knocked on our gate and begged for food or money. He motioned to me as if he knew me when I approached him.  I recognized him as one of those who owns a tri-bike I used to ride whenever I left the house in the morning. He was accompanied by…

Brian-Red in US amid COVID-19 crisis By Leonardo Micua   AS we are writing this column Friday morning we have yet to read a post in the social media from the Dagupan City Hall if it is proceeding with the Dagupan Bangus Festival slated this April amid the order of President Duterte for…

Don’t shoot the messenger By Leonardo Micua   THE manager of radio station Aksyon Radyo Dagupan, Violy Valdez, is in rage over the alleged bad-mouthing of one of her staff, Dante Cera, by the town mayor of Mangaldan, Marilyn Lambino. Dante got the goat of her honor when he read…