Mercado: Wedding without Marriage
IN 2003 Judiel Navea, a former acolyte at the Agoo (La Union) cathedral predicted the appearance of an apparition of the Virgin Mary at a hilltop site in that town.
The nation waited in fevered excitement and apocalyptic anticipation of the failed mystic event. Catholic authorities...
Mercado: CJ Corona, Man of Trust
CHIEF Justice Renato Corona has vehemently denied holding an estimated $10 million in bank deposit(s).
He must be saying the truth, but not the whole truth.
Mercado: A SPED center for every town – Dong
WITH the implementation of the K+12 school program next month, Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales expressed his support to the radical DepEd agenda.
Gonzales also urged public school teachers who are at the forefront of the K+12 curricula to have more patience, exercise sustained diligence, and...
Mercado: Blood Line
AMONG all past governors of Pampanga, it was only Gov. Manuel “Lito” Lapid who had a son-successor in Gov. Mark.
It is a one-of-a-kind record in local history. In this aspect, the former movie action star-turned-politician is said to be the most successful of all the Pampanga governors....
Mercado: More Fun in the Philippines? Not at Clark Int’l Airport
PRESIDENTIAL sisters Pinky, Balsy, and Viel were the special guests of business leader and public advocacy champion Ruperto Cruz last May 2nd.
The power triumvirate, the genuine advisers and closest confidantes of President Aquino paid Cruz a surprise visit. Their late mother, the well-...
Mercado: Unforgiven
TV STATIONS last week showed distraught bank depositors shamelessly shedding tears as cameras caught them in their grief at the premises of the failed Export Import Bank.
The pitiful drama replicated similar scenes of angry depositors of the former Rural Bank of Sta. Rita (Pamp.) followed...
Mercado: April
SHAKESPEARE compares a woman’s love to a summer day’s weather -- it’s fickle.
Today is the last day of April and its bounty of excitement, surprises, failed love and wild dreams.
The searing climate, its nearly unbearable high of 36° Celsius by day, reflected the rise and fall of...
Mercado: Tarzan to Dreamland AUF beats HAU in CFL
THE contest for the 1st Congressional District promises to be the most exciting election in all Pampanga.
Voters in the district are convinced that it will be a three-cornered fight among Representative Tarzan, Vice Governor Yeng Guiao, and former city mayor and ex-congressman Blueboy...
Mercado: Gen. Oban, VP Panlilio - A winning combination
CLARK Development Corporation has a new chairman of the board who is also officer in charge of the state firm that raised export revenues equivalent to about 8.1% of the total Philippine exports of P48.5 billion in 2011.
Sworn at the helm of CDC last week was former AFP chief of staff...
Mercado: Pambansang Balimbing; The LNW Extravaganza
IT appears that our “Pambansang Kamao” is fast turning into “pambansang balimbing.”
Boxing icon and Representative Manny Pacquiao was a rabid follower of the Lakas-Kampi in the glory days of the Arroyo administration. Then he switched loyalty by taking an oath of membership with...
Mercado: Bong Alvaro & Fiona’s Farm
THE Lenten gloom has given way to the rejoicing of Easter. Among the blessings in this season of grace is the renewal of friendship and shared amity.
It was in this spirit of joy and affection that Dr. Irineo “Bong” Alvaro Jr. Ph.D. has entertained several media friends in a modest “salu-...
Mercado: Abe-abe, Saup-saup
THE AirAsia inaugural flights last March 28 topped all government and private activities in Pampanga.
Conspicuously absent during the historic launching event at the Diosdado Macapagal Terminal was City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan. Participants and special guests of AirAsia wondered why the...
Mercado: Bataan Day, April 9
VERY few readers of this column know or had seen Camp O’Donnel in Capas, Tarlac. I had visited the place with the same sense of awe and piety that you feel when inside a cathedral.
Mercado: Super Sara
HANDICAPPED by bum knees developed after decades of leg work as journalist – and for some unhealthy exercises -- going on tour is the least of my priorities.
I have passed the opportunity of free travel as in media junkets where my younger colleagues eagerly joined and vigorously...
Mercado: Davao City hails Luciano; Art Punzalan on the Spot
DAVAO City officials and members of its local chamber of commerce and industry, the largest business group in Central Mindanao, lauded the initiative of Clark International Airport Corporation president Victor Jose Luciano for establishing and promoting regular air travel between Clark Ecozone...
Mercado: The Archbishop’s Move - Save a priest, help the governor
GOVERNOR Lilia Pineda is a regular recipient of accolade and admiration from various public authorities and organizations.
Never has any disparaging word been uttered against her person and administration.
The worthiest of all these expressions of support and commendation came from...
Mercado: March
SUDDENLY it is summer.
People still have the residual hangover of Valentine’s Day. We even remember the joyful night of a New Year’s Eve and the sad strains of auld lang syne.
It is the time of the year when school graduations take center stage. Auditoriums and college premises...
Mercado: Mamac: Our Man in Angeles
LIBERAL party (LP) leaders from Central Luzon Region will convene at the LP national headquarters March 28 to conduct a “Facilitators Training and Seminar on Liberal Democracy”; it was learned from Balibago chairman Tony Mamac who also heads the LP Angeles City Chapter.
Mercado: Woman’s world
WHETHER by inadvertence or by choice some female VIPs are hot items in the media. They are now interesting role players in the celebration of International Women’s Month.
Heading the list in a mixed cast of celebrities is Senator Miriam whose intimidating presence in the Senate has earned...
Mercado: Under the Saya
THE nation celebrates Women’s Month this March. What a fitting way to observe the event at the Senate as Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago demonstrates woman’s superiority over man in many ways by unleashing verbal firepower on male lawyers of the Impeachment Prosecution panel.
No assault of...
Mercado: INC, Game Changer
CHIEF Justice Corona’s choice of chief legal counsel in the person of retired Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas was a wise move to win an acquittal in his impeachment.
There are other smarter lawyers of renown than Cuevas. But one thing works in his favor and consequently for his...
Mercado: Lovers' quarrel
QUARRELS between husband and wife are a regular occurrence in family life. But the recent tiff between my cousin Adiong and his wife takes the cake.
Both law students of the Harvardian Colleges in San Fernando, Adiong and Asiang got married before finishing their course.
The...
Mercado: February
THE cold winds of the Yuletide season had segued on to shivering January with its monsoon breezes ushering the balmy days of February.
We still wake up on cold lazy morning curious as to President Noy's future with Ms. Grace Lee and little confused about our own destiny according to...
Mercado: Lundagin mo baby
THE majority of our countrymen (ang masang Filipino) are excited about, if not crazy, over tales of love and romance.
Mercado: Aring Sinukwan
TWO tourist destinations are now in the active list of foreign and domestic visitors.
