As of Monday evening, only two were reported hurt due to the New Year blasts in the entire province excluding the city. Although the figure could still rise yesterday, we could safely say that this year's statistics in Bohol is definitely lower compared to last year.

This is not an indication that Boholanos heeded the government's call through "Opaln Iwas-Paputok." Its just that we don't have enough money to spend for firecrackers and other pyro-technique wares.

In other words, we avoided the evils of firecrackers to usher the New Year out of necessity.

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Then early yesterday morning, we got wind of the untimely demise of Board Member Cariso Camacho, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Bohol.

We mourn the death of Cary, undisputedly a Bud Spencer look-alike, not only because he is a relative, but more so that he is a political heavyweight in Bohol's second congressional district, literally and figuratively speaking.

Our condolences to his surviving spouse, Mayor Tessie Camacho of Getafe, and children.

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Last night, prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) went up by an average of P1 while oil companies decided to lift the two-peso discount on diesel fuel.

While the foreign exchange indicate a stronger peso as against the dollar, the same is expected to get weaker following the hullabaloo behind the transfer of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith from the Quezon City jail to the American embassy in Manila almost midnight last Dec. 29.

This is both a legal and political issue that will open the New Year for this cute administration.

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In the local level, just before the New Year, the political pot heated up with the declaration of war by City Mayor Dan Neri Lim against our fellow city councilor, Jose Antonio S. Veloso.

It is our considered opinion that the city mayor's tirade against Veloso is not due to the latter's privilege speech during our special session last Friday. We relayed this personally to Veloso, our majority floorleader in the city council, during our chance meeting yesterday afternoon.

The ultimate reason is not only something legislative in nature, it's political.

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Much to our desire to come up with a litany of developments ushering the New Year but while we tried to beat the deadline last night, we are also fighting against a mild fever which we don't like to begin with in 2007.

As thousands of pupils and students will march back to school today, the city council willa slo tackle on third and final reading the P.35 billion budget of the city for this year.

So, let's brace for the New Year 2007 is eagerly awaited by the electorate not because of the prosperity it could bring but due to the scheduled May elections that's why it would be politics left and right from now on. Let the party begin!

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