SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – The family of the late Mayor Julian Resuello was extremely disappointed over the still unresolved slaying of the Resuello patriarch almost 11 months ago.

Julier Resuello, who succeeded his father as mayor of San Carlos City, said the gunman, identified as Cesar de Guzman, alias “Cabesa”, including the mastermind, are still at large despite the efforts of the Philippine National Police.

The elder Resuello was gunned down inside a jampacked auditorium on April 28 last year and died two days later at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Manila.

Police Provincial Director Isagani Nerez confirmed that operatives tasked to track down de Guzman in various parts of the country returned home empty handed.

So far, P2 million was already made available to any person who can furnish the police any information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect.

Only Angelito Soriano, a native of Malasiqui, had so far been arrested and is now being tried for double murder and multiple frustrated murder before the Regional Trial Court.

But Cabesa is the more important one because he holds the key that could unlock the mastermind.

Nerez said the manhunt against de Guzman by elements of the Task Force Resuello is still continuing. (PNA)  

DAGUPAN CITY – Congressman Jose de Venecia, Jr. of the fourth district of Pangasinan, has defended the Joint Seismic Marine Undertaking (JSMU) on the Spratlys among the Philippines, China and Vietnam signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the Philippines.

“The agreement was very good and I could praise President Arroyo for that,” De Venecia said in a talk to newsmen shortly after the groundbreaking rites on the proposed Capilla San Juan de Evangelista here.

But he added that Arroyo and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo must reveal all the signed documents regarding the Spratlys before the people.

“All these documents should be revealed to the Filipino people,” De Venecia told newsmen.

He said that he is in favor of this agreement because it is now about time to convert the Spratlys in the South China Sea into a zone of peace and development, instead of a zone for war.

He said this will avoid war over the Spratlys between China and the Philippines and between China and Vietnam. Read more

Ms. Gina de Venecia, wife of former Speaker Jose De Venecia, Jr.,  was one of the speakers at a program staged at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday during a rally to commemorate the International Women’s Day. She told the crowd of the time when as a friend she tried advising President Gloria Arroyo about ongoing corruption in her government, but only to be told, “Gina, I’m the president; you’re just a housewife.” (PDN  PHOTO  BY  ERIC  ISAAC)

Leaders of the anti-administration group Youth Revolt prepare to release three white doves during a rally on the foot of Mendiola bridge in Manila on Monday, in celebration of the anniversary of Edsa People Power 1.  They also handed out red roses with a message to relive the spirit of EDSA 1. (PDN PHOTO BY ERIC ISAAC)

“It’s a downer” was how opposition senator Chiz Escudero described the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippine’s (CBCP) position on the on-going political crisis brought about by the ZTE scandal.

Escudero expressed this disappointment after the CBCP issued a statement but for the resignation of the embattled President Arroyo.

The senator said he finds it ironic that the CBCP issued a bland statement about the on-going scandals in the government when during the EDSA 1 and EDSA 2 revolts which had massive election cheating and corruption issues at hand respectively, it strongly condemned the government then.

“It is with deep regret that after a hastily called closed door meeting, this is only what the CBCP had to say. The issues hounding the administration today are the same issues of the past two governments which the Church had helped fought against. With massive poll cheating and high-level corruption in the Arroyo administration being hung out dry in the open, I don’t know anymore how far it would take for the CBCP to take a stronger and clearer stand against all these” Escudero said. Read more

RHODORA M. PALINAR

Time and Tide, People’s Digest Newsweekly February 19-25, 2008

STREET protesters may rally down the streets of Makati and Metro Manila; Jun Lozada may be grilled at the Senate on a daily basis before the whole country on national television; former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos may be singing his tune “off key” as he pathetically struggles to get off the hook from the national broadband network scandal – and yet, here in the province of Pangasinan and in most other provinces – life goes on.

I can tell, I can feel. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is going to finish her term in 2010. The current issue that implicates her husband is not enough to sustain a nationwide uprising. Not that she is involved in corruption of lesser degree from that of former President Joseph Estrada. In fact, in Arroyo’s case, the bribe money involved is more staggering than that of Erap’s. And what hurts more is that – with Arroyo, the money involved directly comes from the people’s money – their bloodied taxes.

But why the seeming “indifference” of still a majority of Filipinos on this controversy? And if and when the allegations of Jun Lozada are proved and should consequently merit impeachment proceedings against the president, will the Filipino once more show collective force to bring her down from power? I so doubt it. Read more

Photo above - Joey de Venecia III takes a moment for this PDN snapshot before walking up the stage to address some 10,000 protesters who marched to Makati’s financial district on February 15. The crowd voiced out their outrage over the alleged overpricing and briberies in the now defunct ZTE national broadband network contract.

Photo below -  This poster showing a photo of Jun Lozada — wiping his tears during his testimony at the Senate in which he exposed the anomalous transactions of the Arroyo government involving the NBN issue — was bannerd by rallyists who expressed belief on Lozada’s truthfulness. (PDN photos by Eric Isaac)

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Rep. Rachel Arenas of the third district of Pangasinan admitted it pained her so much when she registered a “yes” vote on a House resolution seeking the ouster of Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr.

She said in an interview last Friday that, being treated like a daughter by De Venecia and his wife Gina, she could have voted the other way around.

But Arenas revealed she could not do otherwise because she followed the dictate of their party.

The other Pangasinan congressmen who voted for the resolution were Reps. Arthur Celeste of the first district, Conrado Estrella III of the sixth district and the latter’s brother, partylist congressman Robert Estrella, Jr. of Abono. Read more

While members of various militant groups rallied outside the gate to support the appearance of Rodolfo Noel I. Lozada Jr before three Senate Committees yesterday at the Senate to give his testimonies on the controversies behind the ZTE National Broadband Network deal,  government officials led by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza disputed the claims of Lozada that he was kidnapped on Feb. 5 by government agents to prevent him from testifying on the alleged overpriced and corrupt-laden  contract. The protest rally and the re-emergence of Jun Lozada reportedly partly stemmed up from the ouster of Joe De Venecia as speaker of the house. (PDN photo by Eric Isaac)

Former House Speaker Jose De Venecia, Jr. pours his heart out as he delivers his emotional privilege speech on February 4, following his ouster as Speaker after majority of solons, including his supposed allies, voted in favor of a change of leadership in Congress. The ouster of Congressman De Venecia was sparked by the allegedly overpriced ZTE national broadband network contract, in which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband, First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo, was implicated. (PDN photo by Mitz Cresencio, CIO Dagupan)