BUGALLON, Pangasinan, Philippines—This town, about seven kilometers away from the capital town of Lingayen, is eyeing to get national attention when it stages its Deremen Festival during its annual town fiesta celebration in November.

Mayor Rodrigo Orduña told this writer that they are now coordinating with various sectors in the town as they intend to cook the biggest inlubi, a delicacy made of deremen, also known as pinipig (glutinous rice colored black cooked with coconut milk) at the town plaza.

Deremen is a favorite Pangasinan glutinous rice delicacy available during the months of September to December. It is especially planted with the locally known macaroyo variety, harvested at a tender age, smoked and pounded with a rhythm at night using a farmer’s equipment known as lasong or taltalan.

This coming November 30, Bugallon will celebrate its annual fiesta
celebration and this year’s fest promises to be a unique and exciting one,
with the planned “ Deremen Festival”, Orduña said.

He added that they will also show different ways to cook deremen.

He said they would like to go back to history when deremen or different ways of cooking it like inlubi was the main food on the table of Pangasinenses during All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2 respectively for their guests to enjoy.

“Maybe we’ll just try with a small event,” the mayor said.

He said deremen is called “a labor of love” because the long process is tedious before one could have and enjoy it.

DAGUPAN CITY— Pope Benedict XVI would be the last person on earth that could speak ill of the Muslim religion, said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, as he added that the alleged attack, insult or offense made by the Pope against the Muslim religion “is not only a gross falsity but also a bad joke”

In a statement yesterday, Cruz, former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said, ”If anything at all, the allegation is instead a shameless attack, insult or offense to the Pope”

Cruz said the relationship between faith and reason was the focus of the lecture of Pope Benedict XVI on 12 September 2006 at the University of Regensburg.

He added that the Holy Father has always loved the academe, considering that he is himself an eminent scholar.

“His kindness and humility are only matched by his knowledge and wisdom. Learning and prudence—these can be said as the human attributes that best describe the person of Pope Benedict XVI,” Cruz added.

He said the substance of his (Pope’s) lecture is a threefold truth: First, faith and reason are compatible. Second, faith illumines reason functions. Third, reason affirms faith acts. In other words, just as God has the disposition to make himself known to man, man on the other hand has the capacity to know God.

Cruz said the Holy Father cited the Surah 2,256 that reads: “There is no compulsion in religion.” In plain words, the Pope himself subscribes to the truth brought forward by Mohammed that mere force cannot make man have faith. Man should not only see the rationality of the faith but also freely accept it. Otherwise, man would not have genuine faith. Violence or force has no place in the interaction between God and Man. In the same way, force or violence cannot make man really believe in God”.

He said that sometime in 1391, there was the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus who in his dialogue with a Persian scholar said: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword, the faith he preached.”

Cruz clarified that it was definitely not Benedict XVI who said this. The truth is that the Pope countered this errant pronouncement by the said Emperor by citing precisely that according to Mohammad himself “There is no compulsion in religion.” (Surah 2,256), he said.

”Where is the attack, insult or offense?,” Cruz asked.

But most Muslims across the globe saw it in a different way and were in uproar over the Pope’s comments allegedly linking Islam with violence.

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines—Two young siblings, aged five and three,died after they drowned when their father left them in their house the other day in sitio Lico, barangay Camantiles this city.

Supt. Paquito Navarrete, the city police chief, identified the fatalities as Eric Delos Reyes, five and his three-year old sister, Jopay Delos Reyes.

Navarette told this writer that based on investigation, the two were left by their father, Gabby Delos Reyes, 22, carpenter, around 6:00 a.m. Thursday.

But when he returned home, he was informed that his children died due to
drowning as their house was very near the Tulong River.

Police said Eric was trying to save Jopay who was then drowning. Their cadavers were found within the area.

(This article I wrote was also published in The Sunday Punch)

BASISTA, Pangasinan— In this quiet small town, music is its heart and soul. And soon, it will create noise when it stages its “Orchestra Festival”.

Consider this: The town, with only 13 barangays, has about nine orchestras, seven of which are found in just one barangay, providing music and entertainment during barangay and town fiesta celebrations across the province.

In fact, before one enters the town, a marker that reads” Welcome to Basista: Hometown of Famous Orchestras” greets visitors. Also below the greeting are words “Where Fine Music Begins”.

The town with a land area of 1,560 hectares only, which celebrated its 45th foundation anniversary last Sept. 5, actually has only about 26,000 population.

With its popular orchestras being tapped to provide music and entertainment in as far as Metro Manila and in other neighboring provinces of Pangasinan, Mayor Raul de Guzman and the town officials are planning to stage next year the “ Orchestra Festival”. This will pit the nine orchestras against each other in a showdown that will truly delight the townsfolk and their guests.

De Guzman said they have actually planned to hold the said festival last year but lack of time prevented them from pushing the project.

In next year’s town fiesta celebration (held annually every second week of March), de Guzman said they are set to hold the festival that aims to further propel the popularity of the town’s orchestras not only province-wide but nationwide as well.

De Guzman, whose family is also into the orchestra industry with their famous Don Podring de Guzman Orchestra, said in a small barangay of Dumpay alone, seven orchestras are found there.

The mayor said all of them in the family composed of seven siblings are into this business. Some family members are singers, orchestra conductor while others play different musical instruments. They assist altogether during fiestas.

Although the business is seasonal with its peak months from November to May, de Guzman said it is a good source of livelihood to those involved in it, majority are from this town.

De Guzman said getting into the orchestra business has become a “family affair” as he noted that it is a special talent and skill passed on by their forefathers to the next generations. Most of the singers have other family members also involved in the orchestra either singing too or playing other musical instruments.

One orchestra that assists in fiestas has about 40 men involved.

Bayambang Mayor Leocadio de Vera Jr whose town is adjacent to this municipality, said that during the traditional one week town fiesta celebration in every city or municipality in the province, with nightly programs like Sangguniang Kabataan, Professionals, Liga ng mga Barangay, Senior Citizens, Balikbayans, People’s and Coronation, it is a common request that there should be an orchestra assisting.

“”Siyempre, pag masaya ang mga tao, masaya na rin kaming mga mayors kaya hanap naman kami ng mga willing sponsors para talagang lively and colorful ang aming fiesta (Of course, if our townmates are happy, we, the mayors are also happy so we try to find willing sponsors in order to make our fiesta lively and colorful)”, de Vera said.

Villasis Mayor Nonato Abrenica said orchestras are certified crowd drawers during fiestas.

“Iba ang dating. Siyempre live music yan at minsan sa isang taon lang nangyayayari (It’s a different thing. Of course that’s live music and it happens only once a year,” Abrenica said.

He added that although it is quite costly, with price ranging from P60,000 to P80,000 for local orchestras and higher if Manila-based every one night until wee hours performance, local government units still try to find means to have one or two during the main event in town fiesta celebrations because it has become a tradition where people from all walks of life enjoy a different kind of entertainment.

With its music reverberating around the province, this town’s orchestras which started sometime in 1970s, promise to give better entertainment each year, de Guzman said.

And as one exits the town, another marker reads,” Where Fine Music Ends”.

BINMALEY, Pangasinan— Special Action Force (SAF) men are especially trained
to fight terrorists and insurgents and should not be doing a lighter job as
security of VIPs (Very Important Persons).

Thus, as directed by Philippine National Police (PNP Chief Director General
Oscar Calderon, about 1,600 especially-trained policemen for SAF detailed as
security of VIPs or doing lighter job of securing establishments like
Congress, Senate and other Cabinet buildings are now being recalled.

Calderon, who was here last week for the inauguration of the town’s new
police station, told local newsmen that these SAF men are “not being removed”
but are “recalled” where they are detailed.

“We are recalling these especially-trained forces to concentrate on counter
insurgency”, Calderon said.

Those recalled as security of VIPs are being replaced with other policemen
who are trained on VIP security, he added.

Asked if there are VIPs complaining regarding this move, Calderon said,” We
cannot satisfy everybody. There will always be complaints but if you could
show the real intention of the recall, I believe they would agree with us”.

He said SAF men are trained to fight terrorists as well as insurgents.

Calderon said they are now training auxiliary forces from the ranks of
retired policemen, security guards and civilian sectors to secure VIPs and
businessmen and they will be employed as security of these VIPs and
businessmen.

Meanwhile, Calderon said they are now doing “target hardening” as well as
conduct of checkpoints along the streets in Metro Manila and suburbs in
preparation for the 9/11 terrorists’ attack.

Although the 9/11 attack happened in the US on Sept. 11, 2001 where 19 men
affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners
which crashed resulting in the death of almost 3,000 people, he said there is
a Filipino mentality wherein we recall incidents during its anniversary.

He said they have already alerted their regional commands to take
precautionary measures on establishments that could be soft targets of
terrorism.

He added that they have been strict in the conduct of implementations of
checkpoints like in the airports, bus stations, light railway transits as
well as in malls.

There are also policemen in uniform and in civilian clothes who are armed and
ready to engage against people with criminal activities in these places, he
said.

He said the police have also advised owners of big establishments to hire
more security personnel to better secure their establishments.

DAGUPAN CITY– One Oscar, a man in uniform, promised to stop jueteng in Luzon
by the end of this month.Another Oscar, a man of cloth, doubts it could be
done without the blessings of the "big boss".

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz gave cheers to the recent
pronouncement of Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Calderon
in his resolve to stop jueteng this month. But, he said that "the good
Director better be convinced that unless he has the approval and blessing of
the national leadership, he cannot “totally stop” jueteng in the country".

The Senate Inquiry on Jueteng amply demonstrated this preferred status of
jueteng in the country, he said.

Cruz, chairman of Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng (Crusade Against
Jueteng), said that there are certain signal truths that Calderon is
respectfully invited to look into to verify this reality-or otherwise.

The good director should know by now that jueteng has long been the big curse
of the poor bettors and the big blessing of its influential operators, the
senior prelate said. He should also by now aware that most of those corporate
entities running the STL (small town lottery) are the jueteng capitalists
themselves using the jueteng structure to collect STL bets, he added.

Cruz said the good Director should likewise be now cognizant of the fact that
STL is conveniently used by its collectors as a cover-up precisely to gather
jeuteng bets as well. Furthermore, without deliberate manipulation, STL will
not bring money to its financiers, on account of which jueteng cannot but be
played with it, he added.

He said the good Director should be convinced that just as STL is approved by
a Province, City or Municipality by introductory payolas to certain local
authorities, jueteng on the other hand also thrives only on account of
payolas to those specifically enjoined to stop it, he said. He added that
Calderon should realize that just as drug money runs the elections in certain
American countries, jueteng money runs much of the elections in this country.

Cruz said the good Director should remember a key reality in the stop-and-go
signals of jueteng before a scheduled election. For the 2004 National
Elections, jueteng was totally stopped for two months or so, the priest said.

"Immediately thereafter, jueteng came back with a vengeance, the reason for
the stoppage was simply for those concerned to arrange and agree upon how
much payolas go to whom and when-in anticipation of the projected election
campaign expenses," he said.

He added," The good Director better be convinced that unless he has the
approval and blessing of the national leadership, he cannot “totally stop”
jueteng in the country".

Cruz, whose fight against jueteng has reached the halls of Senate, said the
Senate Inquiry on Jueteng amply demonstrated this preferred status of jueteng
in the country.

"The Krusadang Bayan Laban sa Jueteng can only send its well wishes to the
good director for his success in freeing the country of the greed and avarice
of jueteng syndicates-permanently!," Cruz said.

BINMALEY, Pangasinan—With more candidates signifying interest to join the gubernatorial race in 2007 , the fight becomes more exciting.

As the incumbent governor is due to finish his three successive terms, second district Rep. Amado Espino Jr said he has been preparing for the 2007 gubernatorial elections in Pangasinan making it possibly a six-cornered fight.

Espino, now on his second term, said it’s his option to run for governor in this vote-rich province, possibly wrestling it out with Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino, Governor Victor Agbayani’s wife Jamie Eloise, retired Philippine National Police Chief Arturo Lomibao, sixth district Rep. Conrado Estrella III and Undersecretary for Local Governance Antonio Villar Jr.

However, Villar, despite being pushed by influential officials and rich people to support him in case he runs, is still quiet about the fight.

Next year’s gubernatorial fight is seen as the most exciting with the exit of Agbayani as this will be a “free-for-all” electoral race.

But Espino, former regional director of the Philippine National Police in region 1, said he believes that Lomibao, his classmate in the Philippine Military Academy, whom he described as his partner ever since and kumpadre, will not clash against him.

“One has to give way and we will be supporting each other,” Espino, KAMPI’s regional and provincial chairman, said.

He added that Estrella talked to him few days ago , saying that he is no longer interested to run for governor and will instead support him. Estrella is only in his second term as congressman in his district.