By Gonzalo Duque A lot of things have been happening in Dagupan City lately. The determination of Mayor Belen Fernandez to bring the contractors of the former Lim administration to court is a case in point. It is good that today, the Sangguniang Panlungsod is composed of the allies…
By Leonardo Micua THERE’S a whale of a difference between the present and the past Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan City. Firstly, there is no more dividing line that separates the majority and minority councilors, a first in the city, with an 11-1 composition. In contrast, the past SP was…
A sense of urgency at the new SP
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo LAST night, I waited for the rain. I knew it was coming our direction because the clouds blanketed the southern horizon, moving slowly towards the north, slowly deleting the sight of taller buildings. I miss the rain splashing on my face, my whole body, and…
Things we don’t see
By Farah G. Decano ATTY. Lorna Kapunan, awardee of Ten Outstanding Women of the Nation, is defending Atong Ang, a suspected mastermind in the disappearance of several sabungeros, allegedly buried at Taal Lake. This raises questions about why an abogada de campanilla would take on a case that could overshadow…
Konsehal Dada’s choice: A lone Wolf or a loser
By Eva C. Visperas DAGUPAN City has seen better days— and worse ones too. But as we witness a fresh dawn under the renewed leadership of Mayor Belen Fernandez, one cannot help but draw inspiration from her journey. If there’s a story to be told here, it’s that of…
Dagupan’s rainbow after the political storm

By Rex Catubig DURING the enrollment of incoming first year at the Dagupan City High School in 1960, the school officials headed by the erudite but stern Principal, Mr. Eduardo Q. Edralin from Lingayen, conceived the idea of grouping together all the honor graduates from the various public elementary…
Going full circle
By Ermin Garcia Jr I don’t blame the new majority at the Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice Mayor Bryan Kua and Majority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez, for gloating over the “powerless” position that Councilor Dada Reyna, the only survivor of the 2025 massacre of the epaLiFe in the…
Political Statesmanship
By Leonardo Micua WATCHING the inaugural session of the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday – together with media colleagues Eva, Violy and Lina – I cannot imagine from my seat how Councilor Dada Reyna, as the lone opposition in the city council dominated by the allies of Mayor Belen…
A voiceless lone wolf
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IT may happen unnoticed in other countries without a term for it, but in Japan, it has a name. That’s because more than any other country, Japan has nearly one hundred thousand of them yearly, individuals choosing to vanish, leaving behind their identities, their loved…
Johatsu
By Farah G. Decano THE Dagupan City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has begun its term with remarkable promise. New members quickly immersed themselves in committee hearings, an early sign of diligence. Given each councilor’s monthly income of at least P107,208.00 plus allowances, Dagupeños rightfully expect substantial results for every vote…