By Leonardo Micua THE report of Rappler that all 42,001 barangays in the country completed the vote counting process just two days after the Election Day shed light on the efficiency and success of manual voting in the just concluded Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in the Philippines. And this…

By Leonardo Micua ONE election battle to keep an eye on this coming October 30 is in Barangay Bonuan Gueset. The incumbent Barangay Captain, Manuel Bumanglag, is facing a tough challenge from the returning Rico Mejia. This clash between the two political giants holds immense significance as it has the…

By Leonardo Micua   A recent move by the majority councilors in the Dagupan City council is deeply disconcerting. They tried but failed to ‘disapprove’ the minutes of the September 26 session, when the P1.3 billion annual budget of Dagupan was passed. Then they initially asked that approval of the…

By Leonardo Micua   THE unfortunate incident that transpired during the October 10 session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan City left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth due to the disrespectful behavior exhibited by members of the majority bloc. Instead of adhering to their own house rules and showing…

By Leonardo Micua   OPTING to be a spoiler of the festive atmosphere currently enveloping Dagupan, following the long-awaited approval of the annual budget, rather than aligning with the jubilant citizens, the majority in the city council has made it evident that they wish Mayor Belen Fernandez’s administration and its…

By Leonardo Micua   THE recent passage of Dagupan City’s long-delayed P1.3 billion annual budget by the heroic efforts of five minority councilors has brought relief and elation to all city government employees, including Mayor Belen Fernandez herself. Councilors Michael Fernandez, Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez, and outgoing SK…

By Leonardo Micua   IT looks like the political alliance that backed the tandem of then candidates Mon-Mon Guico and Mark Lambino, with Mark Cojuangco as one of the major allies in the province, is now on the rocks. This after Gov. Mon-Mon minced no words in criticizing the construction…

By Leonardo Micua   IT may bode well for Dagupan that the League of Cities of the Philippines took cognizance of the fact that Dagupan City is still without an annual budget, the only one in the entire archipelago operating on a measly reenacted budget, a budget never sufficient to serve…

By Leonardo Micua   FROM where I sit, I can almost feel the angst of rice retailers over Executive Order No. 39 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that mandated the price ceiling of regular-milled rice at P41 per kilogram, and well-milled rice at P45 per kilogram. Believing that the…

By Leonardo Micua   AFTER four series of public hearings, the seven-man majority in the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan, came out with a one-page resolution (No. R-6336) “earnestly requesting Her Honor Mayor Belen Fernandez to cause a stoppage of the implementation of the road elevation and construction of a drainage…