The bigger tragedy construction materials suddenly skyrocketed following the devastation wrought by Typhoon Cosme. With thousands of homes either totally wrecked or partially damaged, the construction market was obviously ripe and bursting with demand. The numbers are staggering: 38,000 houses in Pangasinan and the neighboring province of La Union were…

Corruption in rehabilitation of Pangasinan There is no surprise in hearing about the use of substandard construction materials with substandard work and substandard finishing in public infrastructure projects. Such scenarios have been so commonplace that when a project is actually done according to the correct standards, we hear bragging about…

Political will for truly cheaper medicines THE Cheaper Medicines Act, which took Congress more than three years to finalize and ratify, was finally signed into law by the President on Friday. Republic Act 9502, entitled “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008”, lays down the groundwork for, among…

The best and the worst The worst of times has a way of bringing out the best in people. Natural calamities – especially one as devastating as ‘Cosme’ was – particularly compel humankind into extending their utmost generosity. And we see exactly that in the influx of donations, both financial…

If we care enough The death toll reported in the recent earthquake that hit China and the flooding that swallowed thousands of Myanmar citizens area grim reminder of how puny and vulnerable man is when faced with the wrath of nature. Close to home, the fury of Typhoon Cosme has…

YOUR PROVINCIAL NEWSPAPERMAN By Ermin Erfe Garcia, May 19, 1962 In his Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, PROFILES IN COURAGE, written while he was a member of the United States Senate, John F. Kennedy said, “In no other occupation but politics is it expected that a man will sacrifice honors, prestige, and…

Rice, please! It could not have happened at a worse time. The reported withdrawal of funding support by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) from the proposed P2.5 billion irrigation component of the San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam project comes as a major blow in light of the pressing and…

Worth celebrating It was a festive week for the province with the celebration of the annual Pista’y Dayatand the holding of the major events for the month-long Bangus Festival in Dagupan, Pangasinan’s main business center. People flocked to the streets and beaches for the  parties, many participated in sporting events…

The rice battle The rice crisis at the local level — here in Pangasinan which is one of the major rice producing provinces in the country — has now come to a face-off. On one side of the battlefield is the government, represented by the National Bureau of Investigation and…

One Pangasinan HUWAG maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan. This is an old local adage that in a nutshell captures what Governor Amado Espino Jr. is sending out to Pangasinenses when he made the call for locals to travel and discover their own province. Given that times are hard at the…