By Gonzalo Duque

 

I cannot understand why the new owner of The Sunday Punch has ordered me to write my column only two times a month, instead of weekly.

It’s the same with my fellow columnists Leonardo Micua, Farah Decano, Eva Visperas, Rex Catubig, and Virginia Pasalo. (Did I miss one?).

Maybe they (new management) are doing it to economize.

I should have been granted the exception because we made an arrangement with The Punch that we would not be increasing the rental of the office space occupied by The PUNCH in our building for more than 30 years now.

As a friend—I had a very close and sentimental relationship with the late Ermin Garcia  Jr.

Just to remind the new owner, The Sunday Punch was originally situated in the same area it now occupies until it was gutted by a fire in the late 1960s.

We bought the property and erected a building where some tenants, including The Punch, are now occupying.

Maybe it’s now time to increase the rental. Or, we can have a quid pro quo—that we (columnists) all resume our columns every week.

How’s that with a quid pro quo arrangement?

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I notice that my friend, Mon Tulfo used one of my column pieces in his regular blog on social media.

I do not know if he can remember me, having been introduced to him by my late friend, Jun Velasco and Lito Catapusan, then columnist of the Bulletin Today (Mania Bulletin now).

That was the time when Mon batted for the appointment of Ms.  Angie Wong for Director IV of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). He wrote in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Ms. Wong was more experienced than me.

I had no problem with his strong position on Ms. Wong. 

During our meeting, which happened in one of the Mania nightclubs, I corrected him because he described me in his column as the former Governor of Pangasinan.

I thanked him for promoting me because I was only a former Vice Governor.

The rest is history.

*          *          *          *

Now, let me go back to Mon’s latest tirade against Bongbong Marcos.

He described BBM as a lazy president. He even narrated a story that when a certain typhoon hit Metro Manila, Marcos was in his home province, Ilocos Norte, not mindful of the disaster that hit Manila. Parang walang paki!

We should not be wondering now why PBBM is getting all the flak. It is because of his performance.

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I was informed that the Mother and Child Hospital, originally conceived and sponsored by Mayor Belen Fernandez and Congresswoman Gina de Venecia (or is it Toff?) will finally be constructed in the original area as proposed by Mayor Belen.

The General  Appropriation  Act of 2026 provides that instead of the original P150 million, the amount of P200 million is now allocated in the said budget.

So, let’s hurry up. Malapit na naman ang election. Bilisan na ninyo! Our mothers in Dagupan are now anxiously waiting.

*          *          *          *

An ordinance is being proposed to strengthen the scholarship program of Dagupan  City for indigent students whose parents are voting in Dagupan City and are bona fide residents of the city.

Methinks that the definition of an indigent must be seriously addressed so that the money of the city government will not go to waste.

Corollary to that, we should ensure that the scholars are well provided. And those schools to be selected or considered by the scholars must be private schools paying their taxes in Dagupan City.

This is a fair way of treating private schools paying their  taxes to the city government,

I can not really understand why my good friend, Dada Manaois

Reyna is asking for the list of scholars under the present city administration.

How about her asking for the list of scholars during the administration of her idol, Brian Lim?

How bout that?