Playing with Fire
Two worthy senate bets
By Gonzalo Duque
CONGRATULATIONS to Atty. Manuel F. Manuel for his election to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Pangasinan chapter.
Inonaan to tayo nen Jun Velasco ya nanawns na eleksyon nen kaiban Manny.
Our new IBP czar deserves more than just the announcement of this ascent to the helm of Pangasinan lawyers.
Manny, a trusted legal luminary here, typifies the silent but “mapanganib” lawyer. Incisive, analytic yet pragmatic, knowledgeable and profound, he is much unlike the run-of-the-mill variety who looks at the client’s pocket rather than anything else. Kumon sirin mangigapoy aralem ya reporma ed legal practice diad probinsya awa?
His election is significant because he will succeed an equally reforms-oriented predecessor, Farah Decano, a former Dagupan City councilor.
As a young student of law at UPANG, Manny was a confidant of the late rabble-rouser and journalist Manny Cornel. When he passed the bar, he joined the provincial government under Gov. Aguedo Agbayani. Much of his training in seeing through the heap of details of legalese and pragmatic analysis he learned from the scholarly Guvernor, former law professor and book author.
He, too, is legal counsel of the Liberal Party in Pangasinan and LNU’s chief legal counsel; and our most trusted counsel. It’s boost to the law profession in these parts that Atty. Manuel is at their helm.
Btw, Atty. Manuel is married to the former Magdalena F. Bernal, sister of National Artist Salvador Bernal and our cumadre Angie B. Samson. With children Michael Augustine (lawyer), Joyce Magdalene (physical therapist), Geraldine Abigail (Master in Special Education).
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Last Friday, we were at the Bahay ng UP Alumni.
A day earlier we were with publisher Ermin and re-electionist senator Alan Cayetano in Dagupan.
We were privileged to have a deeper look at the advocacies of two senatoriables, Cayetano and newcomer Sonny Angara, both sons of illustrious fathers, the late Rene Cayetano and outgoing Sen. Ed Angara.
There’s likelihood they will surpass the achievements of their tatays.
Angara laments the brain drain phenomenon and desires that by legislation he would be able to boost Pres. Aquino’s economic feat, now a buzz word worldwide. The education curriculum, he says, should be redesigned to prevent brain drain and radically upgrade economic potential.
In Sen. Cayetano’s case, you have heard about his PiTiK (Presyo, Trabaho, Kita) movement.
Alan is brilliant, yet down to earth. He deserves our vote. Ikakampanya tayod eskwelaan, not because he is a friend of Ermin, but because he is a great hope of the country.
Gifted with a sharp eye on how government money is used, he has been doing a lot of consultations with the masa – farmers, fisherfolk, construction workers and market vendors who have told him that the vaunted economic bonanza has yet to filter down to the masses.
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It’s premature for Benjie Lim’s rahrah boys to boast that he won his case on the stinking Awai deal.
Administrative labat ni man agagui. The criminal aspect is not yet resolved
More on this and the questionable overpriced purchase of Dagupan’s street lights next issue. Talaranan yo.
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