The High Court called a spade a spade By Ermin Garcia Jr. The recent rejection of the People’s Initiative by the Supreme Court meant different things to many people depending on where their sympathies lie. In my case, a couple of things stood out from the majority decision and the…

The new game in town By Ermin Garcia Jr. People have already grown tired and weary of the game “I have two disks” invented by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, and made popular by ex-Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. There’s a new game in town, again, made popular by Malacañang Palace. It’s…

Thar she blows, again! By Ermin Garcia Jr. If Moby Dick were a Filipino nurse, you would probably hear him ranting over radio waves, “thar she blows again!”  And when he does, everyone will know that he’s not talking about a blue whale but President Gloria Arroyo. At presstime, Mrs….

Salute that marine! By Ermin Garcia Jr. Next time you meet a Philippine marine, take a moment to look into the eyes of the marine who has dedicated his or her life to protect yours. Chances are you will find the inspiration to do more and be prouder to be…

Believe it or not, ‘may pera sa basura’ By Ermin Garcia Jr. The best news we’ve heard this month so far is the decision of  the Bayambang municipal government to establish and construct a sanitary landfill in their town to serve not only the waste disposal requirements of their town,…

President GMA vs. the Catholic bishops By Ermin Garcia Jr. This week, the country will likely witness how the Arroyo government will strike down the institution of the Catholic Church with the planned arrests of Bishops Labayen, Yniguez and Tobias with a prayer that it can get away with it. …

Racketeering in public schools By Ermin Garcia Jr. Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim finally broke his silence on the published dismal financial performance of the city by the Commission on audit two weeks ago. In the spirit of fair play, I will not comment on his statements in this issue…

Another round of bad news (for Dagupeños) By Ermin Garcia Jr. First the bad news (for Dagupeños): The Dagupan City government finally terminated the services of its 142 emergency workers or casuals and some of its technical consultants. The city can no longer afford to pay their salaries. A number…

Dagupan officials should hide in shame! By Ermin Garcia Jr. We are not a bit surprised by the recent 2005 report of the Commission on Audit listing Dagupan City as being kulelat in standing among the cities in terms of net income not only in Pangasinan but in Ilocos Region!…

Decorp customers, the ultimate victims By Ermin Garcia Jr. There is definitely more to the brouhaha over the insistence of the Lim government to compel Dagupan Electric Corporation to pay real property tax for the hundreds of electric poles erected around the city. The real issue here is not really…