(A Tribute to Sir Ermin Garcia Jr.) By Eva C Visperas   SOMETIME in 1991, a young woman walked into the doors of The Sunday PUNCH — unsure, unpolished, and quite frankly, terrified. That woman was me. But Sir Ermin opened the door wide — not just literally, but also figuratively….

By Eva C. Visperas   DAGUPAN City is in distress. For several days now, relentless rains, habagat, high tide, have caused widespread flooding that submerged homes, destroyed livelihoods, and displaced families. The people are wet, weary, and waiting for help. It is in these critical times when leadership should be…

By Eva C. Visperas   EMPLOYEES of the Dagupan City government came together once more at the city plaza – not just to pray but to remember on July 16. With heads bowed and hearts full, they marked the 35th anniversary of the powerful 1990 earthquake that changed the city forever….

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…

By Eva C. Visperas   I have almost forgotten how it felt to attend a Sangguniang Panlungsod session of Dagupan and leave with a light heart. For the past three years, I stayed away from covering the city council. Not because I had lost interest in the goings-on of local…

By Eva C. Visperas   I have witnessed two inaugurations in Calasiao that, while separated by time, were united by legacy and love — one by a mother, the other by her son. I was present in 2022 when the late Mayor Mamilyn “Maya” Caramat took her oath before a…

By Eva C. Visperas   DURING the Regional Development Council event in Lingayen on June 19, as media men, Second District Rep. Mark Cojuangco once again found time to speak on a subject close to his heart: nuclear energy. I’ve seen him in many forums over the years, and the passion with which…

By Eva C. Visperas   WHILE many of us marked the 127th Independence Day on June 12 with flags, parades, wreath-laying and online tributes, a group of humble fishermen in Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur celebrated the spirit of Filipino heroism in its purest form: through action, sacrifice, and moral courage. Between…

By Eva C. Visperas   A shift is underway in the Philippine National Police (PNP), one that might redefine public service and community security in the years to come. It began with a bold challenge from the newly installed PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III and echoed through the hallways…

By Eva C. Visperas   AFTER over three decades of covering the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan, I must say I have seen it all — the ceremonial resolutions, the recurring motions authorizing the governor to enter into this or that agreement, the perfunctory roll calls, and, yes, the painfully…