We’re not ready for K-12 By Johanne R. Macob   DURING our internship days, my three classmates and I took turns in writing for this column. I remember one of the column articles I wrote was about the K to 12 (K-12) program. I have always been irresolute about the…

The Duterte effect By Gonzalo Duque   WE heard Mayor Belen and Vice Mayor Brian Lim are back in their old habit – fight mode. Their peeve was BTF’s pet project, passage of the proposed CLUP or Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Brian is insinuating vested interest in Belen’s obsession to…

Of drug lords, China, Church By Ulysses R. Butuyan   Bigger bounty for drug lords. Can’t our law enforcers find and arrest them without having to be paid extra for doing their duty? How come only the alleged small-time drug pushers and the pathetic drug users are being pursued? Do…

Bishops are out of touch? By Bebot Villar      

Of OJTs and Irregularities By Johanne R. Macob   FIVE years ago, I had my internship in The PUNCH. The internship program that I and my classmates experienced had been satisfactory, with no irregularity issues raised. Thanks to the guidelines observed by both our higher education institution (HEI) and the…

Another look at Fourth Estate abuses By Gonzalo Duque   IT’S with a bruised heart that we wrote this. As a columnist of this paper and former president of the local press club, we felt the sting of President-elect Rody Duterte’s much publicized criticism of media. But before things get…

Peace pact, smoking ban and death penalty By Ulysses R. Butuyan   Duterte told: Peace pact first before appointing Reds. Hasn’t there been peace between him and them all along? NUJP hits Panelo appointment as spokesperson for Duterte. Atty. Salvador Panelo finished law in the U.P. where, as a student,…

Gonz, the loyal Duterte-man By Bebot Villar      

Happy birthday, Papa! By Johanne R. Macob   BY the time this issue comes out, we are celebrating my Papa’s birthday. I just realized now, I haven’t really talked much about my father in this column or even in casual conversations with friends. Not that there’s not much to say…

Why Belen almost lost? By Gonzalo T. Duque   TV and print news accounts are lately showing that some policemen are showing their “gilas” (expertise) by raiding drug centers and getting away with millions of hush money. We all have seen on TV a cop displaying a huge pile of…