HOME FOR THEIR WEDDING

Christoffer, the youngest of his eight brothers, and his bride Christine June "Tintin" Baui arrived this month from Singapore and Canada, respectively, for their wedding on Dec. 28 in Tuguegarao. Christoffer turned 31 last Dec. 8. At his age, he is oldest of the Julian siblings to be married.

The couple will tie the knot at the Ermita de Piedra de San Jacinto church along Mabini street in Tuguegarao starting at two in the afternoon and reception will be held at the Las Palmas de San Jose at the San Jose Village.

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

By what they say and do, it appears that Chief Justice Renato Corona and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo lack the honesty and integrity of the truly public servants. They have rode in tandem and killed the public trust.

She made a mess of herself, she made a mess of her presidency, she made a mess of the Filipino people. She created the murderers Ampatuans, the unreconstructed liars--Romulo Neri and Benjamin Abalos.

Photo captions: in front of a dress shop in Temecula and houses across the street from our former house in Winchester.

CAMPAIGN SIGNATURE

Continuing the campaign to obtain signatures of Ramon members of Isabela Electric Cooperative for Iselco's conversion into a CDA-registered cooperative. So far, I have obtained 54 signatures out of 300. The deadline is December 12.

Once registered with CDA, expect consumers to pay lower electric bills because the value added tax of 12 percent and other charges will be scrapped.

Despite Iselco's loses in millions--they could not collect the alleged million-peso electric bills respectively of the city governments of Cauayan and Santiago, Isabela- Iselco board members reward themselves fat bonuses.

This is a project of a Multi-Sectoral Committee on Electric Cooperative Conversion. Deadline of submission: this Friday

IMPUNITY, PHILIPPINE STYLE

Impunity is an ugly word. It is as ugly and terrible and murderous like Philippine politicians associated with it. Prominent among them are the Ampatuans of the infamous Maguindanao massacre, and their creator, Gloria, who headed the the most corrupt administration in the country's history.

But what exactly is the meaning of the word that has evoked so much contempt?

Webster's dictionary defines impunity as "exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm." A synonym is immunity which is exemption from criminal prosecution or exemption from obligation imposed on others. Or a grant as witness in exchange for self-incrimination testimony. This is how people in a criminal act come under the witness protection program.

Yes, it is applied to politicians and their ilk including followers and kin who show no respect for the law and do whatever they wish to do in violation of the law, knowing they can get away with it. Even if they are hailed before the courts, the means for them to escape punishment is always there--money to pay off judges, lawyers and witnesses.

SUDDENLY, IT IS EVENING

Suddenly, It Is Evening*

the room is widethis morning as wide
as your pain somewhere
in a corner
of remembered remembering
where were you when the seawas bereft of broken beer bottlesand crumpled tin cans?
last night the rainbow jukebox blared your song while the smoke-filled bar echoed with drunken laughter and your epilogue of wasted years

it should have been this way-- no, no, no-- it could have been that waythe sun lingering on the glass panes has now climbed the rooftops: remembering is a perfect blade as sharp as the edge of morning.

time for you is a dry leaf on a hot windless day yet ricebirds must cry as the pulse of life beats in the shuffle of many feet on the stage where the drama was played.you remember the innocence of youth in the old hometown and, suddenly, it is evening.

*Nairaman iti expanded version nga antolohia dagiti dandaniw nga Ilokano ken Ingles, "Umayka Manen, Ganggannaet/Come Again, Stranger."


photo captions: clockwise, singapore, las vegas, singapore, singapore

Conjugal Subterfuge

It appears that the conjugal liars are making all kinds of scenarios: fake ambush, fake death, fake health certificate.

Somebody up North, who was his fellow Rotarian, has claimed that the husband is really corrupt.

I sympathize with the Little Woman only because she has a drop of Ilocano blood--her forbears came from somewhere in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte. I heard her once speaking in Ilocano during a campaign rally in San Fernando City, La Union. She worked her speech/oratory.

During the Magdalo siege at Oakwood, I was rooting for her.

DepEd issues guidelines for mother tongue teaching

DepEd issues guidelines for mother tongue teaching

The use of the mother tongue has been found effective in the grades in Kalinga in Amianan. The language policy on teaching medium which favors Tagalog in all levels in the entire country should now be a thing of the past.





Photo caption: School children of the Oscariz Elementary School in Oscariz, Ramon, Isabela do their oath during the morning flag-raising ceremony.