From the Saltbeds by Restituto C. Basa

THE election campaign is on; the start of the filing of candidacy is on January 15.

Among the first to announce his candidacy for senator is Health Secretary Francisco Tiongson Duque III. He will be an administration candidate.

I hope the Pangasinan electorate will cross party lines to vote for him. As presently constituted, there is not a single Pangasinense in this senate.

We need at least one kaluyagan in the Upper House. If we could have two, so much the better.

I am endorsing the candidacy of Pincoy Duque for senator, not just because he is a kaluyagan. I have a deep attachment to the Duques.

I was a member of the staff of his father, the late Health Secretary and former Governor Francisco Quimson Duque, Jr. both in the Department of Health and in the Office of the Governor.

When the late Paco Duque was Secretary of Health, it was his ambition to become senator. So he accepted every speaking engagement, all over the country.

As he was so busy attending to health problems, he did not have time to compose his thoughts. Paco asked me to write his speeches.

But Paco had a brilliant mind. He never read the speeches I wrote for him in toto. He simply went over the draft to stimulate his mind. He will pick up one or two points from the draft and develo his own speech.

He always spoke impromptu.

When Paco was elected governor, he asked two newsmen to write his inaugural address. One was the late Ermin Garcia, Sr., editor-publisher of the Sunday Punch. The other was myself.

Ermin did not know that Paco asked me to write one for him; I did not know either that he asked Ermin for the same favor.

When Paco delivered his speech, he used part of the draft written by Ermin and he also used part of the draft that I wrote.

Velasco for congressman. I was born and I grew up in barangay Ventenilla Este (now Barangay Primicias) of Sta. Barbara. From the time I started to vote, I registered as a voter in Sta. Barbara. I am still a registered voter in Sta. Barbara.

As there was no school in my barrio when I was in the grades, I studied in Banaoang from Grade I up to Grade V.

For this reason I vote for General Vicente Velasco for congressman of the third district. His auntie, Milagros Vicente, was my classmate in Grade School. For the sake of my classmate Milagros, I will vote for General Velasco.