VOLUME 4NUMBER 91MON - TUEJANUARY 3 - 4, 2011

P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.P 8.0000000000

NEW CHAIR. Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan (center), newly-elected chairman of theMetro Clark Advisory Council, presides over a recently-held caucus at the Clark DevelopmentCorporation Corporate Headquarters. The influential MCAC is set to convene this month todiscuss agenda set for the New Year. Also in photo are (clockwise) Pampanga 3rd DistrictMCAC Coordinator Jun Sula, Technical Working Group Chair Jeannie Del Rosario-Ng, CDC DirectorFrankie Villanueva, Porac Mayor Condralito Dela Cruz, Mabalacat Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales,Bamban Mayor Leonardo “Ding” Anunciacion, and CDC Public Relations Department ManagerAngelo “Sonny” Lopez, Jr. PHOTO COURTESY OF CDC-PRD

DONATIONS. Dr. Dizon (4th from left), hospital director of ONA receivesthe check donations worth P .7-million from the London-based AgumanKapampangan and Tigtigan Terakan keng Dalan 2010 Committee. Thesaid donations will be used in funding the construction of a city dialysiscenter. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGELES CIO

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GUIGUINTO, Bulacan – Bagongtaon, bagong toll fee.

PAGE 6 PLEASE

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Dagdag toll fee sa NLEX,SCTEX, SFEX ipinatupad

BY DING CERVANTES

CITY OF SAN FERNAN-DO – Banned firecrackershave been identified asmajor culprits in boostingby 80 percent the casesof revelry injuries in thelast Christmas season inCentral Luzon.

This, even as the po-lice also got reports that

Banned firecrackersboost injuries in CL

Stray bullets hit 2 on New Year’s eveLeonardo Reyes, 54, ofSitio Bangag, barangayGeneral Lim in Orion,Bataan, and Imelda Cay-anan, 75, of barangaySta. Monica in Masantol,Pampanga, were hit bystray bullets on the evenof New Year. They werebrought to hospitals fortreatment even as no sus-

Ito ang pagbabagongsumalubong sa libo-libongmotorista na tumahak satatlong expressways nahalos may habang 200-ki-lometro sa mga lalawigansa hilaga ng KalakhangMaynila simula madaling

araw ng Enero 1.Kabilang dito ay ang

85-kilometrong North Lu-zon Expressway (NLEX),94.5 kilometrong Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway(SCTEX), at 8.5 kilomet-

BY ARMAND GALANG

TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija– The chief of police ofthis first class municipal-ity was reportedly shot todeath by his drunken dep-uty right in front of the po- PAGE 6 PLEASE

ANGELES CITY – Hospi-tal administrators of theRafael Lazatin MemorialMedical Center (formerlyOspital Ning Angeles) re-cently received a total ofP700,000 check donationfrom a London-based Ka-pampangan group and the

Ecija top cop killed by deputylice station in the vicinityof the town hall at about8:55 p.m. on Saturday.

Senior Supt. RobertoAliggayu, director of theNueva Ecija police provin-cial office (NEPPO), iden-tified the victim as Supt.

Ricardo Dayag, Jr., 47,while the suspect was In-spector Bernardo Castro,deputy police chief here.

Investigation showedthat Dayag, who was onhis New Year’s off having

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ONA receives P .7-M donationTigtigan Terakan kengDalan (TTKD) 2010 com-mittee.

The Aguman Kapam-pangan UK represented bySally Montemayor handedthe P400,000 check dona-tion to Dr. Antonio Dizon,director of the RLMMC.

The said organizationraised the funds during acharitable dinner anddance party held at theLondon Ibis Hotel last No-vember 27 where MayorEdgardo Pamintuan wastheir guest of honor and

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BY ARMAND M. GALANG

CABANATUAN CITY – ABrit ish national wasfound dead with two bul-let wounds in his bodyhours before he reported-ly went to a videoke barbefore dawn on Friday.

Supt. Eliseo Cruz,city police chief, said a

British robbed, killedin Cabanatuan City

manhunt operation is on-going against the killer ofGraham Paul Bayley, 58,British national, with Fil-ipina wife and resident ofDe Guzman Subd.,barangay Bantug Nortethis city.

Investigation dis-closed that the victimwent to Shiro KTV Bar

along Nueva Ecija-Auro-ra Road on the eve ofDec. 30.

But witnesses said heleft the bar at about 3:30a.m. of Dec. 31.

Cruz said initial inves-tigation shows robbery asthe motive behind the kill-ing. He noted that the vic-tim’s wallet was missing.

Scene of the crimeoperatives recovered twoempty shells from cal. 45pistol from the crimescene.

Cruz said operativesare now running after aresident of San NicolasSubd., also of BantugNorte. He was tagged asthe possible culprit.

SPANNING over four and a half decades, Blend 45continues to provide Filipinos the smooth, rich cof-fee taste that’s created especially for the Pinoy pal-ate.

The Blend 45 success story began with thedream of a visionary, JG Summit Holdings Chair-man Emeritus and entrepreneur extraordinaire, JohnGokongwei Jr.

Gokongwei himself started the Blend 45 busi-ness, which became instrumental in the growth ofJG Summit’s Universal Robina Corporation (URC),currently one of the largest Filipino food and bever-age manufacturers.

One of the most admired minds in Philippinebusiness, he recalls how the first locally manufac-tured coffee brand grew into what it is today.

The first brewThe year was 1961 and it was a challenge for the

young Gokongwei to grow a brand and a business…but he was one brand manager who had full confi-dence in his first “major” product, Blend 45.

“Coffee is and always will be a mass market prod-uct,” he declares. “I felt that the time was right thento launch Blend 45. More Filipinos were really start-ing to appreciate good coffee and it was time to offerthe market affordable, quality coffee that perfectlysuited the Filipino taste.”

Immediately after it was launched, Blend 45proved to be a resounding success, quickly edgingout top competitors at the time and giving Consoli-dated Food Corporation—the precursor to URC—the leading headway in the industry. Gokongweicould not be more pleased.

“It was a roaring success,” he shares. “It wasevidence that we had a good product and price mix—even up to 40 percent more affordable than our maincompetitors then. We were able to take over themarket within two short years.”

Hot cup of successDespite a strong introduction, the brand did not

sit on its laurels. In the following years, Blend 45followed up its successful entrance by coming upwith more coffee innovations for Filipinos from allwalks of life. As a result, the brand successfullyestablished its reputation as “the Pinoy coffee” foreveryone across the country.

“By 1976, URC had built significant businessesin food products anchored by a branded coffee calledBlend 45,” Gokongwei says.

Throughout the years, Blend 45, under Gokong-wei’s expert guidance, maintained its position in thehearts of Filipinos with its consistently Pinoy im-age. The product-price mix that boosted the brand’sinitial success stayed, and until today, Blend 45 issold at a price every Filipino can afford. It even offersa single-serve instant coffee pack and a 3-in-1 sa-chet at the unbeatable prices of P1.50 and P4.00,respectively, in sari-sari stores. Of course, the prod-uct continues to be first-rate, offering that uniquetaste that Pinoys love.

Gokongwei adds: “I want to see Blend 45 on thebreakfast table of every Filipino.”

The Blend 45 story continues to endure withGokongwei at the helm. Never failing to innovate,Blend 45 will remain committed to serving Filipinosaffordable and delicious coffee to generations of Fil-ipinos.

John Gokongwei Jr.’ssuccessful brew

MAKE AN effort to shedthose extra pounds fromall the holiday binge eat-ing. Opt to get fit with re-freshing beverage choic-es at SM City Baliwag.

SUPER FRESHShakes & DessertsThe newly opened

cart offers a wide selec-tion of delicious powerdr inks for on-the-gohealth buffs. Take a sipfrom their Super

Healthy thirst-quenchersat SM City Baliwag

S h a k e , S u p e rBlendSmoothie or SuperFit Juice drinks and feedyour body with essentialvitamins and nutrients. Achoice of SuperVeg drink in cucumber,celery or carrot pairedwith low-fat milk or coco-nut milk is also perfectfor a high-fiber diet.

For dessert-lovers,get an order of yummysweetness f romtheir Super Dessert-

menu to cap off a heartymeal. Enjoy every bite ofthe Super Jumble, a mixof shake, pearls and fruittoppings or the SuperMango Pudding minusthe guilt.

DR. PEARL COOLERFor foodies who wish

to reduce their calorie in-take but still crave fortheir usual whip creamon top, Dr. Pearl Coolerdrinks offer a pearl-fect

choice for a nutritiousdrink.

Enjoy a glass of yourfavorite fruit shake andyour own choice of fla-vored jellies with an or-der of Chantilly BlendedShake. Likewise, a ‘dairydose’ of theirYogurtShakes in blueberry,green tea, grape, mangoand strawberry flavorswill surely boost yourprotein and calc iumneeds.

ASSISTANCE. Mayor Oscar Rodriguez together with Vice Mayor Edwin Santiago lead theawarding of P2,000 check to some 13 residents of Northville San Fernando as part of the Self-Employment Assistance Kaunlaran (SEA-K). The beneficiaries were also graduates of thelivelihood training in rag making hosted by the city government. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAMPU

LUNGSOD NG OLON-GAPO – Naging mat-agumpay ang taunangMusic Festival na tinawagna “Kalampa Jam” na gi-nanap nitong Miyerkules,29 ng Disyembre sa RizalTriangle Covered Courtdito.

Sa atas ni MayorJames “Bong” Gordon,Jr., pinangasiwaan niRyan Mabeza, head ngCity Sports and Youth De-velopment Office at De-partment of Education(DepEd) ang makabulu-hang okasyon na bahagirin ng anti-firecrackers

Kalampa Jam 2010 tagumpaydrive ng lungsod.

Sa Kalampa Jam,mga “indigenous o recy-cled materials lang ang pi-napayagang gamitin ngmga kalahok upangmakalikha ng tunog omusika.”

“Naisip natin ang gan-itong klase ng pa-contestupang mapa-alalahananang lahat sa kasalukuy-ang total ban sa paputokdito sa Olongapo. Hindinatin kailangan ng fire-crackers, nakakapinsalalang at nakakadumi ngating environment, na-kakasunog ng mga bahay

at dapat ang pera aygamitin natin sa masmabuti at mas makabulu-hang bagay,” ani Gordon.

“I’d like to thank May-or Bong Gordon and FLAnne Gordon for the sup-port they have given tomake this event a suc-cess,” ani naman ni Ma-beza.

Maliban sa pagiging“fire hazards”, ang mgapaputok, ayon sa na-kasaad sa City OrdinanceNo. 63 series of 2008, aymaaaring maging sanhi ngpanganib o pinsala at ka-matayan. Based on stud-

ies, firecrackers wereproven to also cause thefollowing:

1.) Increase in toxicfumes and gases like car-bon dioxide, sulfur diox-ide and nitrogen dioxideas well as suspendedparticulate matter in theair; 2.) increase in noisepollution above 125 deci-bel (dB) which is above thetolerable limits, and cancause deafness; 3.) in-crease in incidents of res-piratory diseases such asacute bouts of asthmaand bronchitis and mayalso trigger heart attacks.

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HAGONOY, Bulacan – Tumaasang benta ng paputok sa Bula-can sa kauna-unahangpagkakataon mula noong taong1999, ang tinatayang pinakam-abentang taon para sa mga pap-utok.

Ngunit ilang manggagawa ngpaputok ang nagsabing mayposibilidad na malugi pa rin siladahil hindi sila nakaubos ngprodukto dahil sa naagawan silasa benta ng mga ilegal at ipinus-lit na paputok papasok sa ban-sa.

Kaugnay nito, tiniyak ng Phil-ippine Pyrotechnics Manufactur-ers and Dealers AssociationInc., (PPMDAI) na kanilang ip-agpapatuloy ang kampanya sapagtuturo sa tamang paggawaat paggamit ng paputok bilangbahagi ng kanilang patuloy napagbibigay proteksyon sa indus-triya at mga mamimili at guma-gamit nito.

“It’s positive, mas malaki angbenta at kinita sa paputok sapagsalubong sa 2011,” ani Cel-so Cruz, ang chairman emeritusng PPMDAI ng makapanayamsa telepono noong Linggo, En-ero 2.

Sinabi niya na ang benta ngpaputok sa pagsalubong sa ta-ong ito ay pinakamalakas saloob ng 10 taon.

Binanggit niya na ang pi-nakamabentang taon para saindustriya ng paputok ay noong1999 kung kailan ay sinalubongng Bulacan at ng buong mundoang bagong milenyo.

Ngunit bukod sa excitementsa pagsalubong sa bagongmilenyo, sinabi ni Cruz na isasa mga dahilan ng malakas na

Benta ng paputok tumaas matapos ang 10 taonbenta ng paputok noong 1999 ayang epektibong pagpapatupadng batas kung saan ang mga il-egal na paputok ay kinumpiskang mga pulisya.

Dahil sa kalagayang ito, il-ang araw pa bago salubunginang bagong milenyo noong 1999ay nagkaubusan na ng panin-dang paputok sa Bocaue.

Hinggil naman sa malakasna benta sa pagsalubong sa2011, sinabi ni Cruz na namay-ani pa rin ang pagsunod ng mgatao sa taunang tradisyon.

Ito ay sa kabila ng kampan-ya ng ibat-ibang sector kabilangang ilang ahensiya ng gobyernolaban sa paggamit ng paputok.

“It’s a tradition and it is nowvery clear that they cannot killthe tradition,” ani Cruz at iginiitna ilang oras bago salubunginang 2011 ay kabi-kabila na angnagpapaputok ay nagsisindi ngibat-ibang klase ng pailaw.

Gayunpaman, kung ang pag-babatayan ay dami ng binilingpaputok ng bawat pamilya, sin-abi niya sa Mabuhay na masmaraming binili ang mga suki nilasa pagsalubong sa 2010.

“Family economics is one ofthe factors in the sales and thereare those who purchased lesspyrotechnics products, but thenumber of buyers has increasedwhich resulted to positive sales,”paliwanag ni Cruz.

Kaugnay nito, sinabi ni Vim-mie Erese, isang opisyal ngPPMDAI, na ilan sa kanilangkasapi ang bumaba ang benta.

“May mga di kumita at dinakaubos, meron pa ngang nag-sasauli sa akin ng produkto,” aniErese.

Binigyang diin niya na angmababang benta ng paputok ay

dahil na rin sa mga ilegal at nag-lalakihang paputok, bukod pa samga smuggled fireworks o mgaproduktong ipinuslit papasok sabansa.

Ayon kay Erese, mayroon nalamang 60 lisensyadong mang-gagawa ng paputok sa bansa atkaramihan sa mga ito, tuladniya ay kailangang harapin angmga di nabentang paputok mata-pos ang pagsalubong saBagong Taon.

Inayunan ito ni Cruz at sin-abing halos 500 pabrika anggumawa ng illegal na paputok sabansa at ang mga produkto nitoay nakalaban ng kanilangprodukto sa bentahan, bukod paang smuggled fireworks.

“Kung yung lahat ng naben-tang paputok ay doon binili salicensed manufacturers, tiyak nasuper yaman na sila ngayondahil sa taas ng benta,” ani Cruz.

Kinumpirma din ito ng ibapang kasapi ng PPMDAI nanagsabing tubong lugaw angmga gumagawa ng ilegal na pap-

utok.Ito ay dahil sa maliban sa

mga materyales ay wala na ha-los ginagastusan ang mga ito,samantalang ang mga kasapi ngPPMDAI ay gumagastos pa sapagdalo sa mga pagsasanay omga seminar workshop paramatutunan ang mga bagongteknolohiya sa ligtas na pagga-wa, paghawak at packaging ngmga paputok.

“Kung walang illegal manu-facturers o kung hinuli sila ngpulis, tiyak na mas magandaang kita namin ngayon,” ani ngisang kasapi ng PPMDAI sabayan ng Baliuag.

Gayunpaman, sinabi rin ngilang pang kasapi PPMDAI nasa pagdaan ng mga taon ay du-marami din ang kanilang mgasuking mamimili dahil sa patu-loy na nagtitiwala ang mga itosa kalidad ng kanilang produk-to.

Para kay Cruz, ang pagtiti-walang ito ay isa sa epekto ngkanilang education campaign na

patuloy na nagpapataas sakakayahan ng mga manggaga-wa ng paputok sa bansa.

Sinabi niya na ipagpapatuloynila ito at hindi sila titigil sa pag-tuturo sa paggamit ng kahonpara sa mga paputok tulad ngkwitis upang maging mas ligtasito sa pagbibiyahe at paggamit.

“Kailangang nakalagay sakahon ang kwitis, dahil in casena may magsiklab, hindi madad-amay yung nasa kahon dahilprotected yung mga mitsa,” aniCruz.

Iginiit pa niya na patuloy dinsila sa pakikipag-ugnayan saDepartment of Science andTechnology (DOST) at sa Tech-nical Education and Skills De-velopment Authority (TESDA)para sa binuong kurso sa pag-tuturo ng paggawa ng paputoko pyrotechnician course.

Sa kasalukuyan, buo na angnasabing kurso, at ang kulangna lamang ay ang gusali at lab-oratoryo para sa nasabing kur-so.

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Zona LibreBong Z. Lacson

E d i t o r i a l O p i n i oO p i n i o

acaesar.blogspot.com

Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando

Tel. No. (45) 636•6327 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416e-mail address: puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com

pdf file at http://www.punto.com.phPunto! Central Luzon is a proud member ofThe Philippine Press Institute

General ManagerEditor

Editorial ConsultantMarketing Manager

Administrative StaffLayout

Circulation

Atty. Gener C. EndonaJoey R. AguilarCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoMa. Teresa U. VillanuevaDondie B. VenturaGilbert Mendoza

LLL Trimedia CoordinatorsPublisher

EDGAR V. MOVIDOFounder

“ASSALAMU ALLAIKUM.” It was a multi-talented artist – poet,songwriter, parul craftsman – that whispered from behind me at theescalator of SM City Pampanga, December 30.

“Iyabe me keng laban tamu ini (Include this in our fight),” hesaid, handing me a crisp P1,000 bill. “It is not only the free pressthat is at stake here but moreso, the integrity of the MOKA and allthe awardees.”

The man is a most outstanding Kapampangan awardee in thefield of arts and culture.

So opened another perspective in the P20-million libel caseRene Romero, “President of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerceand Industry, Chairman of the Advocacy for the Development ofCentral Luzon and Private Sector Representative for Business ofthe Regional Development Council Region III,” as well as MOKAloser, filed against Punto! Central Luzon.

Libel, forthe fun(d) of it

Earlier, at the La Nilad coffeeshop also at SMCity Pampanga, one reporter gave me a P500bill, part of his shopping money for his family’smedia noche, as his contribution to the “libeldefense fund” launched on December 23 at theHeroes Hall of the City of San Fernando by theNational Union of Journalists-Pampanga headedby Ashley Manabat.

Since then, as reported in this paper, there’sbeen a snowballing support to the fund asdonations came from just about every segmentof Kapampangan society.

From those in government: Mabalacat MayorBoking Morales, P5,000; Angeles City Mayor EdPamintuan, P5,000; even – in effect – City of SanFernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, with hisenveloped aginaldo to me and Ashley directlygoing to the fund.

At least three other municipal mayors havesounded us of their “incoming” contributions.

A House representative has notified us,through a staff, of his “substantial donation” tocome first week of 2011.

The head of a regional government agencyhanded in P500 as his “initial” donation to thefund.

From business: A Clark Freeport executive,P3,000; at least five locators and another sevenAngeles City businessmen, pledgedundetermined amount.

An Angeles City industrialist offered me thefree services of his battery of lawyers and pledgedto foot the bill in whatever expenses I shall incurfrom the preparation of my counter-affidavit to theconclusion of the suit.

A small businessman from the City of SanFernando sent P500 in an envelope deliveredto my house. One “known businessman” inthe same city, himself a member of thePamCham, expressed his “willingness todonate P10,000.”

The environmentalist Louie Reyes, head of theGreen Youth Brigade, handed in P2,000 to Ashleyand Joey Aguilar, this paper’s editor.

Romero’s libel suit against Punto! has sobecome a rallying cause that even the “lowly”would not be deprived of their participation to it.

Four “ordinary” government casuals pooled inP75 each to be a part of what they called“pakikibaka para sa kalayaan sa pamahayagan(the struggle for press freedom).

Last week, at the Punto! office, I found a 40-something man in plain T-shirt and slippers waitingfor me. Soon as I got out of the car, he handedme P50, apologizing: “Pasensiya na po, ito langang aking nakayanan para sa inyong laban (Sorry,this is all I can afford to support your fight).”

He did not want to be known, “Maliit lang poakong tao (I am a lowly man)”, he told me. “Isangtrabahador na biktima ng kontraktwalisasyon (Aworker victimized by contractualization).”

It was enough to melt my heart, but hardenmy resolve. A resolve strengthened by the largenumber of lawyers who are offering their services,gratis et amore. A resolve solidified with a numberof the Pampanga clergy, as well as pastors andministers expressing oneness with Punto! in thiscause.

Yeah, even at this juncture, we can alreadysee who’s the loser here.

Oca’s giftA GIFT of the Magi, in keeping with the spiritof the times.

That is the determination of the Leagueof Cities of the Philippines (LCP), under theable leadership of City of San FernandoMayor Oscar S. Rodriguez, to push for thetransformation small cities as “engines ofgrowth” to spark the development of theirrespective regions.

This transformational agenda, Rodriguezsaid, is the core of the discussion in theLCP’s general assembly slated in the Cityof San Fernando from January 6-8, 2011.

The transformation of any city from in-name-only to developed urban reality isneither idle dream nor illusory ideal. It canbe done. It has been done.

Rodriguez himself has proven this in theCity of San Fernando.

All it takes is the dedication, commitmentand industry of the leader, his willingness topower-share, with all sectors of society, andengender active citizen participation.

Yes, those very traits in Rodriguezcombining with the essentials in theFernandino translated in the highlysuccessful performance governancesystem (PGS).

The PGS, the greatest gift Rodriguez canever give the cities of the Philippines.

Now, if only as much balance scorecardsetting pursuant to the PGS wereundertaken by the city government onenvironmental issues – the chainsawmassacre of trees along MacArthurHighway, the smoking chimneys of thePampanga Sugar Development Co., theblack pools of filth of piggery-poultry farmsin Barangay Lara and the stinking opendumpsite at the foot of the east lateralportion of the FVR Megadike in that samebarangay, then the PGS would have been atruly perfected system of governance.

TODAY IN HISTORY

ON JANUARY 3, 1959, Presi-dent Eisenhower signs a specialproclamation admitting the ter-ritory of Alaska into the Unionas the 49th and largest state.

The European discovery ofAlaska came in 1741, when aRussian expedition led by Dan-ish navigator Vitus Bering sight-ed the Alaskan mainland. Rus-sian hunters were soon makingincursions into Alaska, and thenative Aleut population sufferedgreatly after being exposed toforeign diseases. In 1784, Grigo-ry Shelikhov established the firstpermanent Russian colony inAlaska on Kodiak Island. In theearly 19th century, Russian set-

tlements spread down the westcoast of North America, with thesouthernmost fort located nearBodega Bay in California.

Russian activity in the NewWorld declined in the 1820s, andthe British and Americans weregranted trading rights in Alaskaafter a few minor diplomatic con-flicts. In the 1860s, a nearlybankrupt Russia decided to of-fer Alaska for sale to the UnitedStates, which earlier had ex-pressed interest in such a pur-chase. On March 30, 1867, Sec-retary of State William H. Sewardsigned a treaty with Russia forthe purchase of Alaska for $7.2million. Despite the bargain price

of roughly two cents an acre, theAlaskan purchase was ridiculedin Congress and in the press as"Seward's folly," "Seward's ice-box," and President AndrewJohnson's "polar bear garden."Nevertheless, the Senate ratifiedpurchase of the tremendouslandmass, one-fifth the size ofthe rest of the United States.

Despite a slow start in set-tlement by Americans from thecontinental United States, thediscovery of gold in 1898 broughta rapid influx of people to theterritory. Alaska, rich in naturalresources, has been contribut-ing to American prosperity eversince.

Alaska admitted into Union

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o no n Napag-uusapanlangNi Felix M. Garcia

‘Libel suit’ labankay Lacson, saanna hahantong?

KUNG SI ‘yours truly’ ang inyong tatanunginHinggil sa isyu ng naging ugat mandinNitong salpukan ng mga matitindingAkusasyon at mga kontra pasaring

Ng dalawang bantog na personalidad,Sa ‘business sector’ at pamamamahayag,Na sina Romero (negosyanteng tanyag)At Caesar ‘Bong’ Lacson (isang manunulat)

Ay simpleng bagay na di dapat humantongSa situasyong gaya ng ‘status’ ngayon,Kung saan itong ‘head’ ng ‘business sector,’Ay nag-‘file’ ng ‘libel case’ laban kay Lacson.

Bunsod nitong naging pahayag umanoNi Bong Lacson laban key Rene Romero,(Na aywan kung ang nasabing artikuloAy ‘libelous’ nga sa pagkasulat nito)

Pagkat sa ‘ting sariling pag-analisaAy wala rin naman tayong malinaw naMababasang may ‘moral defamation’ siyaLaban kay Romero, sa isinulat niya.

Kung ang kataga’t salitang ‘ululating,’Ang siyang tila ninanais bigyang diinUpang kaipala’y kanyang palitawinNa ya’y ‘defamation’ na maituturing,

Malayong mangyaring kasuhan si LacsonNg libelo at/o ‘moral defamation,’Sa dahilang wala namang masama r’onAyon sa sarili nating obserbasyon.

Kasi nga po, ang katagang ‘ululatingAy di pagmumura kung pakasuriin;Kundi hinagpis lang o kaya hinaingKung di man ‘pagtangis’ ang ibig sabihin.

Sa di pagkapili bilang ‘Most Outstanding,’At/o ika nga ay ating maituturingNa isa sa ating mga natatangingKapampangan ngayon sa probinsya natin.

Kung anila’y bakit wala ni isa manSa mga ‘nominees’ ng ‘business sector’ dyan,Ang napiling ‘Most Outstanding Kapampangan,’Tanging ‘Board of Judges’ ang nakaka-alam;

At di lang si Lacson ang dapat tanunginKung bakit ni isa ay walang napilingMaging ‘Awardee’ sa ‘business sector’ na rinGayong lima yata ang nag-‘aspire’ mandin?

Sa puntong naturan o pangyayaring yan,Na nakarating pa sa ating HukumanAng isyung di dapat humantong sa ganyan,Ano sa tantya n’yo ang kahinatnan niyan?

Natural lamang na abalang malakiSa panig nina Bong at ni Mr. Rene;Tiyak gagasta ng malaki ang huli,Para ipanalo ang kasong nasabi;

At kahit ni singkong duling wala si BongAy di basta na lang nito mapa-urong,Pagkat lubusan ang paniwala nitongHindi ‘libelous’ ang kanyang pagkatukoy;

Pagkat tunay namang ‘awardee’ ang hanapNg MOKA, at hindi sila itong dapatKusang dumulog sa natatanging hapagPara sa naturang ‘Kapampangan Award’

Kaya kahit pa man ya’y nabanggit patiO naisulat ni Bong laban kay Rene,Ya’y di ‘libelous’ din namang masasabi,Laban sa sinumang talunang ‘nominee’!

RegardingHenry

Henrylito D. Tacio

“THE MERRY YEAR is born like the bright berry from the nakedthorn,” penned Hartley Coleridge. Anne De Lencios contributes,“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything isanimated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion,everything invites me to cherish it.”

Yes, it’s the time of the year to welcome a new one. As CharlesDickens puts it: “A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy NewYear to all the world!” Edith Lovejoy Pierce was right when shesaid, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going toput words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity andits first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

Of course, everyone has fond memories of the past year; someof them were good, and others were bad. But that is a fact: welearned from our mistakes and we savored our successes. Butpast is past. Let’s appreciate the birth of a new year. EdwardPayson Powell urges, “The Old Year has gone. Let the dead pastbury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of theclock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the comingtwelve months!”

Starting anothernew year

Henry Ward Beecher has also reminded,“Every man should be born again on the first dayof January. Start with a fresh page. Take up onehole more in the buckle if necessary, or let downone, according to circumstances; but on the firstof January let every man gird himself once more,with his face to the front, and take no interest inthe things that were and are past.”

The coming of the New Year means resolutionsto some people. When I was still in high school,every year, when we were back to school, ourEnglish and Pilipino teachers usually requiredsomething on our New Year’s resolutions. “Hewho breaks a resolution is a weakling,” notes F.M.Knowles. “He who makes one is a fool.”

Helen Fielding, in her book, Bridget Jones’sDiary, quipped, “I do think New Year’s resolutionscan’t technically be expected to begin on NewYear’s Day, don’t you? Since, because it’s anextension of New Year’s Eve, smokers are alreadyon a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stopabruptly on the stroke of midnight with so muchnicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year’sDay isn’t a good idea as you can’t eat rationallybut really need to be free to consume whatever isnecessary, moment by moment, in order to easeyour hangover. I think it would be much moresensible if resolutions began generally on Januarythe second.”

Perhaps one of the best resolutions I have readwas the one written by William Ellery Channing.It goes this way: “I will seek elegance rather thanluxury, refinement rather than fashion. I will seekto be worthy more than respectable, wealthy andnot rich. I will study hard, think quietly, talk gently,and act frankly. I will listen to stars and birds,babes and sages, with an open heart. I will bearall things cheerfully, do all things bravely awaitoccasions and hurry never. In a word I will let thespiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow upthrough the common.”

Here’s another one from Ann Landers: “Let thiscoming year be better than all the others. Vow todo some of the things you’ve always wanted todo but couldn’t find the time. Call up a forgottenfriend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it withsome pleasant memories. Vow not to make apromise you don’t think you can keep. Walk tall,and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger.Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you.’ Say it again.They are the sweetest words in the world.”

Ellen Goodman once said, “We spend January1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawingup a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought towalk through the rooms of our lives – not lookingfor flaws, but for potential.”

Goodman’s statement reminds me of thisstory. A holy man was having a conversation withthe Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like toknow what heaven and hell are like.”

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. Heopened one of the doors and the holy man lookedin. In the middle of the room was a large roundtable. In the middle of the table was a large potof stew which smelled delicious and made theholy man’s mouth water. The people sittingaround the table were thin and sickly. Theyappeared to be famished. They were holdingspoons with very long handles that were strappedto their arms and each found it possible to reachinto the pot of stew and take a spoonful, butbecause the handle was longer than their arms,they could not get the spoons back into theirmouths. The holy man shuddered at the sightof their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “Youhave seen hell.”

“They went to the next room and opened thedoor. It was exactly the same as the first one.There was the large round table with the large potof stew which made the holy man’s mouth water.The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were wellnourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The Lord said, “This is heaven.” The holy manwas surprised, “I don’t understand.” The Lordanswered, “It is simple, it requires but one skill.You see, they have learned to feed each other,while the greedy think only of themselves.”

An unknown author once wrote a recipe for ahappy New Year. If you want to know his recipe,here it is: “Take twelve fine, full-grown months;see that these are thoroughly free from oldmemories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleansethem completely from every clinging spite; pickoff all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short,see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first camefrom the great storehouse of Time. Cut thesemonths into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Donot attempt to make up the whole batch at onetime (so many persons spoil the entire lot thisway) but prepare one day at a time.

The unknown author continues: “Into each dayput equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work(some people omit this ingredient and so spoilthe flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality,kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving theoil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer,meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Putin about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dashof fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and aheaping cupful of good humor.”

Happy New Year!!!

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESSUPREME COURT

REGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGIONCity of San Fernando (P)

OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT& EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF

BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC.,Mortgagee,

EJF No. 241-10-versus- REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE UNDER ACT

3135 AS AMENDED BY ACT 4118

SPS. RAMON M. GARINOand AILYN D. GARINO

Mortgagors,x—————————————————————————x

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended filed

by BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC., mortgagee, with its officeaddress at 24th Floor, BPI Buendia Center, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue,Makati City, against SPS. RAMON M. GARINO and AILYN D. GARINO,mortgagors, with known addresses at: 1.) Sindalan, City of San Fernando(P); 2.) Lot 1, Peace Street, St. Anthony Subd. II, Bo. Sto Rosario, Cityof San Fernando (P), to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as ofNOVEMBER 27, 2009 amounts to FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY SIXTHOUSAND THREE HUNDRED and 00/100 PESOS (Php 456,300.00)excluding of other interest, penalties and charges, the undersigned Ex-Officio Sheriff and/or her duly authorized Sheriff IV, FORTUNATO S.GAJES will sell at public auction on JANUARY 11, 2011 from 9:01A.M. to 12:00 N.N and from 1:00 P.M to 3:59 P.M. at the mainentrance of the Regional Trial Court Building, City of San Fernando (P),to the highest bidder for CASH or MANAGER’S CHECK and in PhilippineCurrency, the following property with all the improvements thereon, towit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 318119-R“ A parcel of land ( Lot 1 of the consolidated and subdivision

plan Pcs-03-03362, being a portion of consolidated lots 12 and14, Blk. 6, Pcs-03-000632 L.R.C. Rec No. ), situated in theBo. of Sto Rosario, Mun. of San Fernando., Prov. of Pampanga.x x x Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED SIXTY (160)Square Meters. x x x “

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the abovestated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the saiddate, it shall be held on January 18, 2011, without further notice.

Prospective buyers may investigate for themselves the title hereinabove described and encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

City of San Fernando, Pampanga, November 23, 2010.

ATTY. JOSELEA YRAOLA FLORIA FORTUNATO S. GAJES Clerk of Court VI Sheriff IV & Ex-Officio Sheriff

CC:1. BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC. 2. SPS. RAMON & AILYN GARINO

*24th Floor, BPI Buendia CenterSen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City

3. ATTY. EDDIE C. BALAOY 4. PUNTO CENTRAL LUZON*c/o BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC

PUNTO! Central Luzon: December 20, 27, 2010 & January 03, 2011

rong Subic Freeport Ex-pressway (SFEX).

Ito ay dahil sa pagpa-patupad ng Manila NorthTollways Corporation(MNTC) ng bagong tollrates, ang kanilang unangpagtataas simula noongPebrero 2005 kung kailannapasakamay ng MNTCang pamamahala saNLEX.

Ngunit ayon sa mgaopisyal ng MNTC at kaka-mbal nitong kumpanya naTraffic Management Cor-poration (TMC), angbagong toll rate ay di

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Dagdag toll fee sa NLEX, SCTEX, SFEX ipinatupadmasasabing tumaas.

“Mababa lang yungnadagdag na toll fee. Infact, mas mababa yungbagong toll rate naminngayon kumpara doon saopening rate namin sixyears ago,” ani MarleneOchoa, ang vice presidentfor Corporate Communica-tions ng MNTC.

Inayunan din ito ni Be-nigno Valles, ang seniormanager for corporatecommunications ng TMC,na katulad ng MNTC aybahagi ng Metro PacificTollways Corporation(MPTC).

Batay sa ta la ng

MNTC at TMC, ang tollfee na kanilang siningilsa motor ista ay P41simula 12:01 ng madal-ing araw noong Enero 1para sa mga class 1 ve-hicles sa kanilang opensystem.

Ang open system ngNLEX ay mula Balintawakhanggang Bocaue Inter-change.

Ito ay mas mababa pang piso sa P42 na ka-nilang siningil sa mga kat-ulad na sasakyan sa ka-nilang open system ngmapasakamay ng MNTCang pamamahala saNLEX noong Pebrero 10,

2005.Ayon kina Ochoa at

Valles, mas mababa rinang P2.38 na kanilangsingil ngayon sa bawat ki-lometro paglampas ngBocaue Interchange,kumpara sa P2.48 noong2005.

Gayunpaman, angbagong toll rate ay angkauna-unahang pagtataasng singil sa toll fee saNLEX simula noong 2005.

Ito ay dahil sa noong2007 at 2008 ay bumabaang singil sa toll fee ngNLEX.

Ayon kay Valles, tolladjustment ang tawag nila

sa pagbabago ng toll feenoong 2007 at 2008 dahilsa halip na tumaas angkanilang singil ay buma-ba pa.

Batay sa tala ngMNTC at TMC, ang tollfee sa NLEX ay bumabang P2.20 bawat kilometronoong 2007, at higit pangbumaba noong Hulyo2008 ng ipatupad ang ba-was singil sa toll fee naP2.13.

Kaugnay nito, ipinali-wanag nina Ochoa at Vall-es na ang dagdag singilsa toll fee na kanilangmakukulekta ay magag-amit sa dagdag na pag-

papaunlad sa serbisyo ngNLEX.

Ipinagmalaki nila namula ng mapasakamayng MNTC ang NLEX aymaraming pagbabagongpangkaunlaran ang nais-agawa sa 85 kilometrongkahabaan nito.

Kabilang dito ay angmalinis na kalsada okawalan ng mga bako-ba-kong potholes, at pag-tatayo ng 60 closed cir-cuit television camera sakahabaan ng expresswayna nagbigay kakayahansa TMC na mabantayanang daloy ng trapiko saloob ng 24 na oras.

pect has yet been arrest-ed.

The police identifiedwatusi sparklers and pic-colo, pla-pla, five-star,goodbye Philippines and,five star firecrackers as

FROM PAGE 1

Banned firecrackers boost injuries in CLthe cause of most of theinjuries. These productsare banned by law.

Reports received yes-terday by Camp Olivashere noted over 80 percentmore cases of firecrackerinjuries in the last Christ-mas season, compared to

the previous Yuletide hol-idays.

“No less than 225 cas-es of injuries since lastDecember up to last NewYear’s Day were reportedfrom the various provinc-es in Central Luzon,” thereport said.

Pampanga topped withat least 75 injuries, fol-lowed by Bulacan with 53cases, Tarlac with 34,Nueva Ecija with 30, An-geles City with 15, Bataanwith 13, Zambales withfour and Olongapo Citywith three.

served during Christmasday, fetched his familyfrom their hometown inTuguegarao, Cagayan fora trip to Pampanga. Theydropped by the police sta-tion at passed 8:00 p.m.

Castro who was theassigned officer of the daywas not around that time.Investigation also showedthat two gunshots wereheard near the station,prompting Dayag to go outand check.

While on his way out,he saw Castro and asked:“Sinong nagpaputok?”

He saw Castro carry-ing his gun and asked thelatter to surrender his ser-vice pistol. “Akina yang

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Ecija top cop killed by deputybaril mo, ibigay mo saakin ang baril mo,” the re-port quoted Dayag assaying.

However, Castro alleg-edly fired his gun insteadthat initially hit Dayag’sfoot. He then fired succes-sively until the magazineof his .9mm pistol wasempty.

Aliggayu said Dayagwas unarmed when theincident happened. “It wasonly Castro who firedshots. The other police-men have scampered,”Aliggayu said.

Castro then hid on arow of vehicles, includinghis own car and an am-bulance parked againstthe wall of the municipalhall for at least half an

hour until Aliggayu arrivedand negotiated for his sur-render.

Castro yielded atabout 9:30 p.m. whichgave way for the respond-ing policemen from theprovincial peace and se-curity forces and the pro-vincial headquarters tosearch for the murderweapon.

The gun was recov-ered under the ambulanceabout 30 minutes afterCastro was held by au-thorities inside the sta-tion.

“He (Castro) wasdrunk,” said Aliggayu butcould not say other pos-sible motive of the sus-pect in killing Dayag.

He said Castro re-

fused to talk about whathappened. “He knows hisright not to talk.”

The suspect wasbrought to the Police Spe-cial Reaction Team cus-todial cell in CabanatuanCity as administrative andcriminal charges are be-ing prepared against him.

Lilia Dayag, 46, thevictim’s wife, said she onlyhas to accept what hap-pened.

“That’s all I can say,and we have to accept it,”she said.

Lilia added that herhusband was in high spiritfor the short leave whichhe can spend with hisfamily. The victim has fivechildren, and the eldest isa first year law student.

speaker.Dr. Mario Munoz and

Mrs. Herminia Pamintuanof the TTKD committeepresented another checkamounting to P300,000 toRLMMC. The said dona-tion came from the pro-ceeds of the TTKD 2010.

Dizon along with ViceMayor Vicky Vega Cabig-ting received the dona-tions.

According to Dr. Di-zon, the said donations willhelp fund the constructionof a dialysis center withinthe RLMMC and the reno-vation of the existing emer-gency room, out-patientdepartment and intensivecare unit of the hospital.

“This is just keeping toMayor Pamintuan’s pro-

FROM PAGE 1

ONA receives P .7-M donationgram of providing betterhealth and medical servic-es to Angelenos,” Dizonsaid.

Last month, an interna-tional medical assistanceorganization has alreadyturned over the documentsof the first shipment ofmedical equipment to thecity government.

George Samson, chiefexecutive director of theWorld Medical Relief, Inc.(WMRI), personally hand-ed to Pamintuan the list ofmedical equipment due toarrive at the Manila SouthHarbor on January 5.

The first batch of med-ical equipment worth P14million include nine dialy-sis machines, an X-raymachine, a cardiac moni-toring machine and ultra-sound machine.

The shipment also in-cludes dialysis chairs,hospital beds, walkers,crutches and medical sup-plies such as gauzesponges and under padsamong others.

“Angeles is the first cityto have 15 dialysis ma-chines and it is also thefirst city to have a dialysiscenter,” Samson said.

Samson, a Kapampan-gan, said a second ship-ment of medical equip-ment is due to arrive inFebruary or March 2011.

Included in Pamintu-an’s eight point agenda isthe upgrading of RLMMC’shospital equipments.

“Later on, we will put upa new hospital to house allof these equipments.Right now we are focusingon building a dialysis cen-

ter located at the back ofthe city hospital,” Pamin-tuan said.

He said that the com-pletion of the dialysiscenter will help poor andeven well-off Angeleñoswho are suffering fromkidney or renal failure ontheir dialysis treatmentexpenses.

He said a patient un-dergoing a dialysis treat-ment spends aroundP5,000 to P7,500 perweek and another P2,800for the dialysis filter.

“We’re studying howwe can better help patientsby cutting the prices of di-alysis treatment. If thepatient will be even certi-fied as an indigent, we’llwork on giving the treat-ment for free,” Pamintuansaid. –Angeles CIO THINK

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TheGossip-millerby Cesar Pambid

NEW YEAR na new year ay napakasama ng balitang nakarating sa amin. Natagpuang patay ang isa sa mga miyembro ng BaywalkBodies na si Rejoice Rivera sa NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) noong Dec. 31.

Brutal na pinatay si Rejoice dahil may isang tama ng baril sa sentido ang dalaga.Ang manager ng Baywalk Bodies na si Lito de Guzman ay lumung-lumo sa nangyari. Ayon sa text messages na ipinadala nito sa

mga kaibigan, apat na araw nang nawawala ang alaga.“Kawawang-kawawa ang pagkalunos na pagkamatay ng alaga ko. Napakabuti niya. Sobrang walang kaluluwa ang gumawa nito,

walang puso, sobrang demonyo ang gumagawa ng ganitong klaseng murder,” ang text ni Lito sa kanyang mga kaibigan.Napag-alaman na noong Dec. 28 pa umalis ng bahay si Rejoice at magbuhat nu’n ay hindi na nakabalik. Nagpaalam daw ito na

makikipagkita sa isang kaibigan at kasalukuyan nang iniimbestigahan kung sino ito.Na-depress kami nang makita namin sa Facebook ang naka-upload na picture na kuha mula sa morgue kung saan ay nakamarka

pa ang tama ng bala sa kanyang ulo.Humihingi ng hustisya ang pamilya, manager at mga kaibigan ni Rejoice sa hindi makataong ginawa sa kanya.Sa kasalukuyan ay wala pang lead kung sino ang pumaslang kay Rejoice at kasalukuyan pang iniimbestigahan ang mga pangyayari.Si Rejoice ay isa sa original members ng Bay-walk Bodies, marami na ang nadagdag at napalitan sa miyembro pero nanatili siya sa

grupo. She died at the age of 26.Nakaburol ang labi ni Rejoice sa Blue Cross Memorial Chapel sa Blas Ople Road, Malolos, Bulacan.Nakikiramay kami sa mga kaibigan at kaanak ni Rejoice at nakikiisa kami sa paghingi ng hustisya para sa kanya.

Rejoice Rivera unang showbiz casualty sa 2011

OUT NA SA 2011Nakisakay lang kay Willie Revillame

POKWANG- -Actually, mid of the past year, out na talaga si Pokwang. Kita na kung paano major major nasumemplang yung concert niya. Aba, milyones ang nalugi ng produ who we heard vowed not to touch Pokwangagain with a ten- feet pole.

O yes, nang mawala na si Willie sa Dos, kasabay din niyang nawala si Pokwang. Alone or with other artists,Pokwang can not maintain popularity, dahil at that time, it is obvious na nakasakay lang siya sa Wowowee.Without Willie’s program, zero lang pala siya.

Kaya nga kahit nanatili siya sa noontime program ng Dos, ayan laglag pa rin siya.Sayang, kung hindi sana niya inaway si Willie Revillame, baka na tuktok pa rin siya.This 2011, wala na si Pokwang. Kung magtutuloy ang malas niya, baka permanente na siyang mawawala sa

showbiz.So, asan na ngayon yung sinasabing siya’ng papalit kay Ai Ai Delas Alas.Matuto kasi siyang magpakumbaba, ano!Look at Ai Ai, sa gitna ng kanyang matinding popularidad, hindi siya nagyayabang, with her stature, nagpagusto

pa rin siya at higit sa lahat, hindi nakalilimutang sumuporta sa lahat ng media concerns.

Di naman talaga malaking artistaJENNYLYN MERCADO- -Dahil lang di hit ang Rosario, ‘yung movie na sinasabing kesyo ganyan at ganito, walana raw si Jennylyn Mercado. Tanong nga ng isang mataray na kapitbahay, kailan daw ba nagging ‘in’ si Jennylynpara sabihing out na siya?

Hahaha!True nga naman, Jennylyn, from day one of her career is just a second class citizen, meaning, tumaas lang

ng kaunti sa starlet status kaya kahit na hindi pa kumita’ng kanyang Rosario, negligible na yun.Yes, hindi pa siya out pero noon pa nga hindi naman talaga siya ganun ka-in. Meaning, Jennylyn is wanting

of better breaks, better luck. Who knows, ‘pag may kumatok na malaking oportunidad, baka naman magingmalaking artista na siya.

O baka naman puwede munang hinay-hinay ang babaing ito sa usaping puson at puso. Hindi talaga nakaigesa kanyang image na nabuntisan na nga siya sa pagkadalaga, heto na naman siya kay Dennis Trillo. Puwedeba, maging mapaagtago naman siya sa kanyang affair para naman di siya magkaroon ng image na babaingkaladkarin?

Baka kung sakali, maging malaking bitnin na siya minus her scandalous love affairs.Rendahan mo yan, Mrs. Lydia something!

Kung walang Lolit SolisMARK HERRAS—Out na siya this 2011. Wala na kasi siyang manager na aasikaso sa kanya. With her fallingout kay Lolit Solis, walang magic na mangyayari. Alone, Mark is not an entity kaya asahan ang pagbagsak niya.

O baka naman, magkaroon na siya ng ibang career kung wala na siya sa showbiz.A politician kaya, kasi lahi ng mga pulitiko ang dyowa niya.

Matagal nang outARA MINA- - ayyyy, matagal na siyang out, tried to be ‘in’ these past years, pero wala naman talagang nangyari.

Di naman naging in kahit minsanALLEN DIZON- - Another! Kailan ba siya naging in. Dahil lang nanalo siya ng mga acting awards and nomintations,puwede bang sabihing in na siya? Alam naman niya at ng kanyang manager kung bakit nabibigyan siya ngtropeo. Need I say more?

Siya nga pala, dami kong naririnig na ek ek tungkol sa mga naka-deal nila sa movie production. At sabentahan ng kotse. But my lips are sealed!

Starlet na asal-starletBELA PADILLA- - True ba, imbiyerna na sa kanya ang manager niyang si Claire Dela Fuente?

Well, sa rami ng mga blind items na nababasa tungkol sa babaing ito at sa kanyang ina, she might neverreally be in in showbiz.

Asal-starlet daw kasi si Bela at mega-pakialamera’ng kanyan madir kaya ayan, iniiwasan na sa showbiz.Pati yung mga reporter na dating nakatutok sa kanya, galit na raw ngayon, kaya kabi-kabila na ang banat sakanya.

Hindi ba, Joey Sarmiento?We just hope na mag-change way ang babaing ito. Sayang naman yung pinuhunan mong kasinungalingan

against Marian Rivera kung magiging starlet ka lang sa habampanahon!

Making up for lost timeRONNIE LIANG- - He should make up for lost time yung panahong nawala siya kay Roca. But now that they’reback in each other arms, who knows, baka naman maibalik ang glorya ni Ronnie Liang. Nawala talaga siya thispast year, ewan nga lang kung makahahabol pa siya.

Sana naman!

Overrated gayVICE GANDA- - If we have to faithfully believe in his achievement, talaga namang sabihing nag-number one angbaklitang ito. Pero siyempre maramig ek at butas yung sinasabi nila. Exaggerated kumbaga. Anyway, personally,I wish Vice Ganda to be on top, but let us expect na pa-down na siya sa trend. Meaning, mababawasan na siyang popularidad, dahil nga aga niyang nag-stay on top. Kaso ito ng kung gaano kataas ang tiklap, siyang lakas nglagapak.

Yan ang tinatawag na impact.

Maging wife ka na lang!KRISTINE HEMOSA- - Now that she is already Mrs. Oyo Boy S, saan pa lulugar sa showbiz si Kristine? Shehad her glory days at siguro, pinaka na itong sa wakas, pinakasalan na siya ni Oyo Boy. Ultimate na ito at walana sigurong itataas pa ito.

Kaya ecpeted na ang pagbaba ng popularidad ni Kristine Hermosa, now that at last, puwede na siyangtawaging tunay na misis.

Noong time kasi nila ni Diether Ocampo, parang practice lang yun.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINESSUPREME COURT

REGIONAL TRIAL COURTTHIRD JUDICIAL REGIONCity of San Fernando (P)

OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT& EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF

BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC.,Mortgagee,

EJF No. 250-10-versus- REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE UNDER ACT 3135

AS AMENDED BY ACT 4118

SPS. SILVESTRE V. LANSANG, JR.and ZENAIDA B. LANSANG

Mortgagors,x—————————————————————————x

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALEUpon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended filed

by BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC., mortgagee, with its officeaddress at 24th Floor, BPI Buendia Center, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue,Makati City, against SPS. SILVESTRE V. LANSANG, JR. and ZENAIDAB. LANSANG, mortgagors, with known addresses at: 1.) #3855 R.D.Reyes St., L.N.W. Angeles City; 2.) Lot 10-A, Blk. 8, Road Lot 10,Davsan Subd. I< Bo. Sindalan, City of San Fernando (P), to satisfy themortgage indebtedness which as of December 02, 2009 amounts toTHREE HUNDRED FIFTY NINE THOUSAND and 00/100 PESOS(Php 359,000.00) excluding of other interest, penalties and charges, theundersigned Ex- Officio Sheriff and/or her duly authorized SheriffIV,JULIO M. CUNANAN, will sell at public auction on JANUARY 11,2011 from 9:01 A.M. to 12:00 N.N and from 1:00 P.M to 3:59 P.M. atthe main entrance of the Regional Trial Court Building, City of SanFernando (P), to the highest bidder for CASH or MANAGER’S CHECKand in Phil ippine Currency, the following property with all theimprovements thereon, to wit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 325976-R“ A parcel of land ( Lot 10-A of the subd., plan, being a

portion of lot 10, blk. 8, (LRC) Psd-29510, L.R.C. Rec No. )situated in the Bo. of Sindalan, Mun. of San Fernando, Prov. OfPampanga. x x x Containing an area of ONE HUNDED FIFTY(150) Square Meters. x x x“

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the abovestated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the saiddate, it shall be held on January 18, 2011, without further notice.

Prospective buyers may investigate for themselves the title hereinabove described and encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

City of San Fernando, Pampanga, November 23, 2010.

ATTY. JOSELEA YRAOLA FLORIA FORTUNATO S. GAJES Clerk of Court VI Sheriff IV & Ex-Officio Sheriff

CC:1. BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC. 2. SPS. ZENAIDA & SILVESTRE LANSANG, JR.

*24th Floor, BPI Buendia CenterSen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City

3. ATTY. EDDIE C. BALAOY 4. PUNTO CENTRAL LUZON*c/o BALIKATAN HOUSING FINANCE, INC

PUNTO! Central Luzon: December 20, 27, 2010 & January 03, 2011

I would rather have a mind openedby wonder than one closed by belief.

Gerry SpenceVictory belongs to the mostpersevering.Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)

When you travel, remember that aforeign country is not designed tomake you comfortable. It is designedto make its own people comfortable.

Clifton Fadiman (1904 - 1999)

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BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE

BALANGA CITY, Bataan– Mayor Jose EnriqueGarcia III on Thursday an-nounced that this city’sincome has reachedP467-million from P103-million in 2001.

In his State of the CityAddress, Garcia said thatin a span of nine years,a P364-million increasein revenue was recorded.

He predicted that theincome will balloon toP923-million in 2020, histarget of achieving a full“University Town” pro-gram for the city. Balan-ga turned into a compo-nent city on December30, 2000.

Garcia cited increasein income, tourist arrivals,health, peace and order,investments, educationand infrastructures duringthe 10th anniversary ofthe cityhood of Balanga.

Landmark projectslike the new public mar-ket, wetland and naturepark and the Plaza May-or de Balanga have luredin 21,560 tourists for thepast year. Garcia, morepopularly known as May-or Joet, also said thattourist arrivals in the citywill reach 100,000 everyyear beginning 2011.

The nature and wet-land park in barangayTortugas considered asthe first in the country isone of three birdwatchingsites in the Philippines.

The landmark projectscontributed an additional

of P41-million income forthe city with P29-millioncoming from the new pub-l ic market (150% in-crease compared to2009) and P12-million(100% vs. 2009) fromlease payment of theformer arcade undergoingfull construction.

Under the city’s healthprogram, the mayor alsocited the accomplish-ments of his father – Gov.Enrique Garcia – notingthe construction of threebuildings with three floorseach for the modernBataan General Hospital.

He said that the Gal-ing Card healthcare pro-gram has continued tohelp 8,756 indigent fami-lies. The city funds atleast P3.8 million for 608patients in 2010.

OTHER PROJECTSThe city government

also implemented its“healthy lifestyle” pro-gram like the “No Smok-ing” regulations, properdisposal of garbage, LPGconversion program fortricycles and the “hatawsa umaga exercise pro-gram” right in the city pla-za.

Under its peace andorder program, the city in-stalled 36 wireless sur-veillance cameras in ma-jor sites. At least 25barangays through themayor’s initiative formedbarangay brigades toguard exit and entrypoints of the city againstlawless elements.

Garcia announced thefull confidence of inves-tors with P764-millionnew investments for2010. This is a 60 percentincrease compared to2009 with P477-millionthat came in.

The mayor consideredthe entry of the New SanJose Builders in trans-forming the former 4,500-square meter arcade intothe Galeria Victoria withan investment of P250million. A bidding is on-going for the lease rentalof the 784-square meterproperty where a Jollibeeoutlet stands.

The lease agreementwith the food chain ex-pired last December 17.The bidding and awardscommittee has set a rent-al of not less than P134-million for 25 years. In-vestment for the newbuilding was set at P60-million.

To attract more inves-tors, the SangguniangPanglungsod chaired byVice Mayor Noel Valde-canas passed the Invest-ment Incentive Code thatextends additional assis-tance and the immediateprocessing of business li-cense and permits.

The city has set up aBusiness Center and In-vestment PromotionsDesk that give incentivesto new businesses in-volved in tourism, infor-mation technology busi-ness outsourcing andstudent residences, ho-tels and others.

Balanga’s income reaches P467-MFROM P103-M IN 2001

NI DINO BALABO

LUNGSOD NG MALO-LOS—Tumaas ang bilangng nasaktan sa Bulacandahil sa paputok kaugnayng pagsalubong sa 2011kumpara sa pagsalubongnoong 2010.

Batay sa ulat ng Bula-can Provincial Police Office(BPPO), umabot sa 51katao ang ginamot sa Bu-lacan Medical Center(BMC) at iba pang ospitalsa lalawigan sanhi ng mgasugat na tinamo dulot ngpaputok.

Ang nasabing bilang ayhigit na mataas sanaitalang 48 biktima ngpaputok kaugnay ng pag-salubong sa taong 2010.

Sa pagsalubong na-man sa taong 2009, um-abot sa 69 Bulakenyo angnaitalang nasugatan.

Ayon kay Senior Supt.Fernando Villanueva, direk-tor ng pulisya sa Bulacan,karaniwan sa mga nasug-atan ay sanhi ng mga ipi-nagbabawal na paputok.

Kabilang dito ang mganaglalakihang “GoodbyePhilippines”, “Super Lolo”,at “Atomic Bomb.”

Ngunit may nasaktandin sanhi ng paggamit namas maliit ngunit ipinagba-bawal ding uri ng paputoktulad ng “five star”at “Pic-colo.”

Ayon kay Villanueva,bago pa pumasok ang ka-paskuhan ay nagbabala na

Bilang ng nasaktan sa paputok sa Bulacan tumaassila sa paggamit ng mgaipinagbabawal na paputok.

Gayunpaman, namay-ani pa rin ang hilig ng mgabiktima sa mas malalaki atmalalakas na paputok nanaging sanhi ng pagkasug-at.

Kaugnay nito, sinabi ngilang tauhan ng BulacanMedical Center na maramisa mga biktimang kanilangginamot ay nakainom ngalak o kaya ay lasing.

“Amoy na amoy sa hin-inga yung alak,” ani ngisang tauhan sa emergen-cy room ng BMC.

Samantala, iniulat ngProvincial Disaster Man-agement Office (PDMC) naumabot na sa 85 angnaitalang biktima ng papu-tok sa Bulacan mula noongDisyembre 23.

Ayon kay Liz Mungcal,action officer ng PDMO,kabilang sa mga biktima aymga bata, at mga seniorcitizen.

Sinabi rin niya na bukodsa 44-anyos na babae saMalolos na kumain ng pul-bura ng piccolo na inihalosa fruit cocktail noongbisperas ng Pasko ay walapang naitalang namatay sapaputok sa lalawigan.

Sinabi ni Mungcal naang babaing namatay sapagkain ng fruit cocktail namay pulbura ng piccolo ayang kauna-unahang bikti-ma sa Bulacan na nama-tay sa panahon ng ka-paskuhan.