Burial this morning of Jose Baldos Reconsal, an engineer, at the Santiago City Memorial Cemetery, who died after 10 days confinement at the Callang Medical Center. He had only one functioning kidney and died of multiple diseases. He could not have lasted long but pills and other expensive medicines kept death at bay for many years. He was 75. 
    The blogger, his wife, son Raul, niece Ligaya Severino and a Vinoya widow and his daughter, from Oscariz, attended his burial mass at the St. James Catholic church. Ligaya is supposed to have cancer but she looks great with her long black hair.

The Greatest Crime/Robbers in an Air-conditioned Innova

TI KADAKSAN A KRIMEN KET ISU TI PANAGULIMEK--CARLOS FUENTES

    They came in the wee hours, parking their air-conditioned Innova in front of their target store--Magat Hydy Trading & Agricultural Supply. Did they use a bolt-cutter in the locks? Or keys to open the store? Anyway, the store was opened by them, took away expensive fertilizers and cash amounting to P100,000 representing sales of the past several days, according to the cashier. They rolled down the "roll up" that made a lot of noise. Then they left towards Ramon town. 

     The store is along the highway, a stone throw away from the barangay police outpost. One  can see the store from the police outpost down the road to Sinamar Sur. Where were the tanods and the police from two to three in the morning? The robbers spent at least 30 minutes in hauling the bags of fertilizers that cost an estimated P200,000.

WEAK FILIPINOS COWERING IN FEAR

Note after reading a news item in the Philippines' most read newspaper:

Ilokano fishers pulling in the early afternoon catch with daklis (fishing net) in Currimao beach which is nearer to China

A reflection of the decision-making process of the Palace by the polluted river. The weak always cowers in fear before the strong, the bully that is China, who covets a slice of the Philippine archipelago--the Scarborough Shoal. And the so-called icon of democracy must be quaking in her grave.

PEACE AGREEMENT WITH MUSLIMS PRECURSOR TO A BIGGER MINDANAO WAR?

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SAD STORY OF A DRUG POLICE ASSET

     Marlon Aquino, in his late 20s, was just in the area when the cops raided the house of an alleged drug pusher in the wee hours. He was a butcher and was on his way to work at Laoag' slaughter house. They handcuffed him and built or invented a case against him and was thrown in jail. Not a single powder of the drug was found on his person. During the the trial, the cops testified that Marlon flicked the sachet away when they arrested him. How far? said the judge. They estimated the distance, measuring it for all to see in court. He could not have flicked it away that far, said the judge. And Marlon was free--after spending a year at the Laoag City Jail.
    Worst were the cases of two brothers--the cops allegedly "planted" evidence against them-- who were sentenced to life imprisonment (at least 18 years?). They were poor and one of them had only P20 in his wallet when they arrested him, "converting' his twenty pesos into P500 marked money. And the judge--heartless, the wife told me-- sentenced them to Bilibid. They have been languishing in jail for eight years. These cops and this judge wrecked the families of the brothers.

     It's past 9:00 PM. Vice-Mayor Eddie "Sapatos" Domingo, who died of heart attack in his home last September 29, is lying in state at the Laoag City amphitheater at Laoag City Hall. Fireworks and the ringing of the Laoag Cathedral centuries-old Bell Tower.  He will be buried tomorrow, Saturday, October 13. He was the best mayor Laoag City never had.
     Money politics and the attendant forces of evil have made a mockery of democracy in this country, keeping at bay good men and poor but deserving individuals from serving the people.

POSITION PAPER: MONKEY OFF THE BLOGGER'S BACK

Part of Laoag Padsan River

(The following actually reflects part of the blogger's letter sent to Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Nicanor Bartolome regarding a buy-bust operation conducted by  Laoag City cops last March. The case will  be decided by the PNP officialdom in Camp Crame led by the good general.)

What is disturbing is the trauma caused by the incident. It put the children into serious psychological anguish, distrust in the government systems, phobia to government agents and it created an impression that complainant's house is a house of drug personalities. What if worse happened during the incident?

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH: A SEA OF EMPTY SEATS

Jogging, a morning ritual, to the Gilbert Bridge over the polluted Padsan River, the blogger dropped by the imposing centuries-old Laoag Roman Catholic Church. The 6:00 AM mass was in Iluko or Ilokano and the priest, his voice struggling over a defective microphone,  was talking to a few parishioners and a sea of empty seats. As empty as the great cathedrals in Europe on Sundays.

TMI BLOGGERS IN GMA'S BALITANG ILOKANO

     There was not much the blogger said about the Cyber Crime Prevention Law of 2012. It was suffice that a major network interviewed him--the first time he saw himself on TV, his eyes blinking in the glare of the lights of the TV crew. Was introduced as adviser of the Timpuyog dagiti Mannurat iti Iluko iti Filipinas, the league of Iluko writers in the Philippines. Was uneasy as the young lady interviewer-- she is the typical dusky Ilokana from Tuguegarao, Cagayan--fielded her questions. She used to be a staffer of another major TVnetwork in Cagayan and was writing for the Valley Times. Small world, I told her. My family resides in Isabela.

     The live interview took place on a high hill overlooking the Padsan River and the City of Laoag. You look like Juan Ponce Enrile, said one of my nephews who saw the afternoon broadcast. We had a good laugh. Herdy La. Yumul, one of the country's top bloggers and author of the best-selling book, The He(a)rd Mentality, had a recorded interview earlier but was broadcast in the same time slot.

THE 4th LAWMAN A PDEA AGENT?

     When the blogger wrote Philippine National Police Chief General Nicanor Bartolome about the illegal search made by Laoag City cops in his son Eugene's home, he claimed four lawmen in civilian clothes did the job. But only three men signed their joint affidavit on the arrest of their supposed quarry, Victor Padayao, an alleged drug pusher in the next village of Barangay 7. The lawmen did not coordinate with Barangay 6 officials in this so-called buy-bust operation.

Gilbert bridge over the Laoag Padsan River on a rainy morning

     Nellie Montano, 48. brother of the alleged drug pusher they arrested swore there were four men who entered the house. This fourth men is now making surveillance on the blogger's son's house and has been identified by friends as a PDEA agent from Pinili, Ilocos Norte.

     Are the cops now delivering a message? The pre-conference presided by Atty. Benilda Indasen, summary hearing office, at the PNP regional office in San Fernando City has been terminated and the parties are now required to submit their respective position papers for the resolution of the case.  

THE CYBER CRIME LAW OF 2012--ASSAULT ON FREE EXPRESSION

     It is interesting to note that the Cyber Crime Prevention Law of 2012 came out when Sen. Tito Sotto was accused of lifting a part of his speech on the RH Bill from an internet blog. He would not admit he plagiarized the controversial portion of his argument against the said  bill. Vindictive Sotto has taken the country to the Dark Ages when men were punished for utterances and innocent remarks and statements against the reigning powers at that time.

     A kind of digital martial law akin to the practice of editors of an Iluko weekly magazine, who for the past years, have kept the "warnakan" only for articles authored by them and their barkada--to the exclusion of other Ilokano writers like those of Timpuyog Journal.They probably took the cue from the headman's fellow provinciano who ruled the country with an iron hand and arrested and incarcerated his critics.

Blogger and Article on Iluko Literary Awards Winners in Inquirer

In newspaper parlance (reporting), we call it "angling" or focusing with respect to the lead paragraph in a news article. In the original copy the blogger emailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was the first prize winner in the short story and poetry categories who was in the first paragraph. In the PDI version, it was Peter La. Julian, correspondent of the country's most prestigious newspaper for more than 10 years, who was focused in the lead. No need for explanation. The blogger thanks former colleague, Gobleth Moulic, for using the Tugade story in the October 2, 2012 issue of PDI.