Nick Ferrer, new Comelec commissioner By Gonzalo Duque THE appointment of former Justice Nick Ferrer as a new member of the Commission on Elections is well deserved. The small man (he is less than five feet tall) is known for his probity, integrity, industry and loyalty to the rule of…

When will we ever learn By +Oscar V. Cruz Lying, cheating and stealing, deception, oppression and exploitation, abduction, violence and murder—these are definitely not simply political issues but downright moral aberrations. Politics is the art of governance—not the right to promote selfish political interests over and above the dictates of…

June 12, Independence Day a la Pinoy By Gerry Garcia TOMORROW, Monday, is June 12 officially declared Philippine Independence Day by former Pres. Diosdado Macapagal many years after the nation had been celebrating the same on July 4, the day in 1946 when, following the end of WW II, the…

Little global page By Jun Velasco A NEW friend from Japan, General Director Yasuaki Niitsu of Soka Gakkai International Philippines, an international Buddhist movement, has this startling revelation: Japan has no national hero. He says Japan’s young are not happy about their country having no rallying spirit such as Jose…

Negosyo bago serbisyo? By Gonzalo Duque THE not very fraternal attitude of  some  Sangguniang Bayan members to  our parents’  complaints  on  violent  incidents  caused by   school fraternities in Dagupan City shows the quality of  their concern – or lack of  it –  for  their constituents. My informant at the Sanggunian…

Rice husks can reduce fossil fuel imports By Sosimo Ma. Pablico The voluminous amount of rice husks produced in rice milling, instead of being wasted, can be used to generate heat and energy, reduce fossil fuel importation, and help solve the worsening oil crisis. A rice mill in the Philippines…

Independence Day +Oscar V. Cruz It is good to celebrate Philippine Independence Day. This is a must particularly during these times of discontent and violence, poverty and want. The day of celebration could be at least one day off the national psyche of uncertainty and fear especially brought about by…

Frats, not city’s concern By Gerry Garcia SCHOOL fraternities are purely a business of schools. No need to stress the obvious here. And Alvin Fer, the vice mayor, was right in denying Upang’s request for a city council resolution banning a campus association. The cause for which Director Boy Rayos…

Campus violence By Jun Velasco THERE’S an eerie peace in the city’s university belt. Part of the uneasy atmosphere on the campus is the unnecessary rift (is there?) between Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez and University of Pangasinan students adviser Dominador Rayos  over the existence or activities of rival school fraternities…

Grow up, Alvin! By Gonzalo Duque RECENTLY, I asked Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo, who is one of the lawyers at  the city council (the other one being Councilor Jojo Guadiz III), to act on the clamor of residents, civic leaders, educators and parents for  the enactment  of an ordinance regulating…