Dagupan and Urdaneta Cities, and Pangasinan Province - Compiled Threads

[allan_dude]

Feature: San Carlos revolutionary hero's statue unveiled

San Carlos City, Pangasinan -- As part of the Independence Day celebration in this city, the statue of local revolutionary hero Andres Malong was unveiled at the Central I school last June 12.

Last year, the statue of hero Juan dela Cruz was unveiled, also at Central I.

The two heroes whose lives have been cited in Philippine history books on Philippine revolution, are from Binalatongan, the old name of San Carlos City.

At the unveiling of the Malong statue, Mayor Julier Resuello said the city government has always coordinated with the DepEd in promoting not only high quality of education for students but also introducing them to their local history and culture.

The mayor also thanked the Marcelo Casillan Foundation for spearheading projects that showcase and seek to preserve Pangasinan culture.

The foundation is headed by Engr. Marcelo Casillan, Jr., who also heads the Binalatongan Historical and Cultural Foundation.

Siblings of Engr. Casillan were present during the Independence Day program. They were Commodore Julito Casillan, and Fe Garcia a book author on San Carlos City history who is married to Engr. Ben Garcia the former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Engineering in Diliman, Quezon City.

DepEd Superintendent Rowena Banzon during the program that followed the Malong statue unveiling, gave a glimpse on the life of Don Andres Malong as an affluent and landed person, and maestro del campo during the Spanish regime in the 17th century. He thus initially cooperated with the Spanish government.

When the Spanish authorities however commanded him to quash a rebellion in Pampanga, Malong instead sided with his disgruntled countrymen, because he believed that they were not to be pitted against one another by foreign invaders.

Malong thus became the first Pangasinense revolutionary. His first cry of battle was sounded at Lingayen in 1660 and his revolutionary forces defeated many Spanish soldiers.But when he extended his revolt to Pampanga, Zambales, and the Ilocos, his troops splintered. He was executed in Binalatongan.

Banzon explained that it was during the Malong revolt that San Carlos earned the monicker amputi layag (white ears).

A peasant's daughter was brutally mutilated, raped, and killed by Spaniards. To avenge her death, Malong and his men killed the criminals, slashed their ears, and displayed these "white ears" of the Caucasians in public.

With the story told and retold, Carleñans were soon depicted as brave, ferocious even, thru the amputi layag phrase - a tag many Carlenans want to stress as one to symbolize bravery and not their being violence-prone. (PIA/CIO)

[allan_dude]

Finally, there is light in Cabalitian Island, Sual

SUAL-Let there be light.

And then there was light in Cabalitian Island where a community had thrived without power throughout the decades.

The island, located about a kilometer away from Pangasinan’s mainland or a 10-minute boat ride away from the mainland, is within sight of the Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant.

The power was delivered via a submarine cable made possible by a joint undertaking of the Tokyo Electric Power Company or Tepco and Marubeni Corp. (TeaM Energy), operator of the Sual power plant, Department of Energy (DoE), local government unit of Sual, and the Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Cenpelco).

“People are excited and they are now buying home appliances like refrigerators, television sets, among others,” said Jesusa Cera-Calaunan, TeaM Energy’s public relations officer.

The coming of electricity into the island is seen to spur economic activity as construction of a resort is now underway fronting one of the island’s white sand beach.

TeaM Energy initially provided a big generator to provide households with temporary energy supply for three hours nightly while the energization project was still under construction.

The cost of the P20 million project was shared by TeaM Energy picking up the P15 million cost of the submarine cable while the local government unit spent P3 million to supplement construction costs.

Cenpelco conceptualized and is implementing an “all-for-one, one-for-all” scheme for the island residents wherein all residents understand that each household must pay regularly lest they lose the power supply delivered to the island.

The project, originally submitted to DoE, could not be undertaken by the provincial government since the maximum allocation for any barangay island electrification is P4 million.

The Sual coal-fired power plant in Barangay Pangascasan, the largest coal power plant in the Philippines, has a generating capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

TeaM Energy has also initiated several other community and livelihood projects on the island.

Filed under News, Inside News by Sunday Punch.

---
Cabalitian Island


From Flicker by bingbing


From Flicker by bingbing


From Flicker by bingbing

[allan_dude]

Wanted: licensed tourist guides

LINGAYEN- Believe it or not, there has always been and still only one government-licensed tourist guide serving the province’s tourism industry.

Reynaldo Livara, 26, is the only known holder of a professional tourism guide license that lends to his credentials in his work in his hometown, Alaminos City, site of the world-famous Hundred Islands National Park.

Livera, park manager of the Hundred Islands, said there is an urgent need for more professional guides in the province given the growing number of tourists’ arrivals in the province.

“Tourists are assured of correct information when assisted by licensed tour guides who have studied and been trained for the job,” he said.

Tourist arrival at the Hundred Islands has been steadily increasing, from 100,000 in 2004 to more than 150,000 in 2007. This year, according to Livera, the number of arrivals has been surpassing the month-on-month numbers from last year.

Livera said aside from the Hundred Islands, the province has many promising tourist attractions such as the historic Lingayen; the pristine beaches in Bolinao and Dasol; the forest park Manleluag Spring National Park in Mangatarem; shrines of the miraculous Our Lady of Manaoag and Senor Divino Tesoro in Calasiao town; Umbrella Rocks in Agno; beautiful beaches with colorful marine life from San Fabian to Infanta, the caves in Mabini town, among others.

He encouraged college graduates of any degree who are waiting to land permanent jobs to train and work initially as licensed tour guides because it is “enjoyable, educational and challenging.”

TRAINING COURSE

Meanwhile, to address the dearth of professional tourist guides, the provincial government through the Tourism Operations Division and Department of Tourism Region I will conduct a 10-day Professional Tour Guiding seminar and one day practicum for trainees starting on July 23 at the mezzanine room of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in Lingayen.

Registration for the seminar will be on a first come-first served basis targeting 40 participants, particularly local government unit tourism officers/representatives, Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) and Tourism students /graduates, community leaders, and out-of-school youth.

Luisa Elduayan, chief tourism operations officer of the province, said the training program seeks to establish a pool of about 43 licensed tour guides to provide tour guiding and escorting assistance.

For inquiries and reservation on this seminar, applicants may get in touch with Maika Labaupa or Leo Jun Jugo at (075) 542-6853 or email at tourism-pangasinan@yahoo.com.

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archiv...des/#more-9819

[dark_knight_detectve]

P’sinan town bags Guinness record for longest barbecue

By Eva Visperas


Sunday, June 29, 2008
STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan – This quiet town in this province clinched a world title in the Guinness World Records when it successfully staged its longest barbecue measuring 3,803.96 meters using its own product, the white glutinous corn and dethroned Montevideo, Uruguay.

In an e-mail sent Friday night (Philippine time) by Kaoru Ishikawa, records manager of the Guinness World Records based in London to Dea Que, team leader of the documentation team of the longest barbecue event here, it said,” We are pleased to confirm that you have set the new Guinness World Record for longest barbecue and details of your achievement have been entered into our records as follows:

“The longest barbecue measured 3,803.96 meters and was created by the municipality of Santo Tomas (Philippines) in Santo Tomas, Pangasinan, Philippines on Feb. 11 2008.”

Ishikawa said they sent the Guinness certificate for this title by courier also on the same day.

Upon learning of the good news, Mayor Vivien Villar, jumping and shouting in joy, told The STAR that the people of Sto. Tomas rejoiced for this prestigious crown wrestled by her town.

“Now it can be said, and I’m proud to say that we may be the smallest town in the province of Pangasinan but we can make great things happen simply through our united efforts and strong faith in God”, she said.

“I’m still at a loss. It’s like a dream,” she added.

Villar said the much-coveted crown which they wrestled was a product of a year-long sacrifice and several sleepless nights, series of dry-runs just to perfect their grilling.

“In the midst of the series of bad news happening in our country today, this is one good news that uplifts our spirits,” she said.

She said she is lucky for the all-out support given by her husband, Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group, especially when resources were not readily available during the staging of the event. The undersecretary was also the mayor here for more than 20 years.

She said she is dedicating this honor to the united people of Sto. Tomas, their generous sponsors and supporters, the dedicated local and barangay leaders, the efficient documentation team, the balikbayans who came home to be part of this historic activity, and to everyone who helped them even in just small ways.

“All efforts pooled together made us achieve this feat. God is really good to us,” she said.

Vice Mayor Timoteo “Dick” Villar Jr., who served as the overall chairman of the centennial celebration of the town and the event chairman of the longest barbecue, said all the efforts and sacrifices of their townmates paid off.

“Many thought it was impossible for us to achieve it, especially so, that we belong to one small community but we proved them wrong,” he said.

He recalled that they encountered several challenges, some enough to put them down.

“But we prevailed because we remained focused and determined to achieve our goal,” he added.

The longest barbecue bid of this agricultural town was made on Feb. 10 where the grills were set up along the 10 barangays here from the boundary of Rosales up to Alcala towns as the highlight of their 10-day celebration of the town’s centennial celebration. In their offical bid submitted to Guinness, there were 1,559 meters interconnected fabricated grills made of bamboo, chicken wires and galvanized iron sheets, where 93,540 pieces of corn ears were grilled by 3,500 cooks.

Prior to its creation as a municipality in year 1898, the town was only a barrio of Alcala.

The town is bounded on the northern part by Villasis town, on the eastern part by Carmen, Rosales, western part by Alcala and southern part by San Manuel, Tarlac.

[allan_dude]

Alaminos residents rally versus global warming

ALAMINOS CITY—Every citizen must help address global warming.

Thus said Mayor Hernani Braganza during the celebration of the Philippine Arbor Day here last Monday where he called on all residents to face and deal with the grim reality of global warming.

“Anywhere in the world, global warming is now a reality,” he told more than 500 city government employees, barangay officials, heads of various government agencies and students.

Braganza cited no less than former U.S. Vice President Al Gore for leading the worldwide effort to fight global warming.

Like Gore, the mayor firmly believes that there’s still hope in saving Mother Earth.

“It’s high time that, together, citizens of the world must act now before it’s too late,” said Braganza.

Echoing Gore’s mantra, he said “We live in just one planet. We all breathe the same air and drink the same water. Whatever we do here in Alaminos could also affect other places in the world. In our city, we started planting trees and protected our environment and natural resources.

And we must keep on planting more (trees) to caution the impact of climate change that we have already seen and experienced such as the extreme weather conditions like many strong typhoons, longer dry spells and inundations,” he added.

The Mayor earlier led the distribution of an initial of 6,000 mahogany seedlings to the city’s 39 barangays. Rakes and shovels were also given to the leaders of the city’s ten coastal communities.

City Agriculturist Ernesto De Leon said the seedlings will replace the trees that were uprooted or destroyed by recent Typhoon Cosme.

The city now has a plant nursery at the Adopt-A-Mountain Project site, a 16-hectare city government-managed and protected Tree Park.

De Leon said the city has a program involving the communities in planting of more fruit bearing and forest trees. —LM

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/2008/06/30/alaminos-residents-rally-versus-global-warming/

[allan_dude]

Pangasinan officials defy Palace directive on IRA use

NEW FERTILIZER SUBSIDY SCHEME

LINGAYEN-After the 2005 fertilizer scam was blown sky-high, mayors do not seem inclined to support another fertilizer subsidy scheme being touted by the Arroyo government.

“It’s not negotiable” was the quick retort from the governor and the mayors.

Governor Amado Espino Jr. and the mayors said as much during the meeting with officials of the Department of Agriculture to discuss the mechanics of Executive Order No. 753.

They were in agreement with the sentiment that the national government should not teach the LGUs where to spend their funds.

Specifically, local officials expressed opposition to the recent Malacañang executive order directing all local government units to use part of their deferred Internal Revenue Allotment share from 2001 to 2004 as fertilizer subsidy to farmers.

The officials manifested their objection during a meeting on Tuesday with officials of the Department of Agriculture who bared the plan for a P500 subsidy for two bags of fertilizer at P250 each, but requiring a counterpart from the LGUs to provide subsidy to four additional bags of fertilizer at P2,000.

The scheme will invariably prevent mayors from utilizing their deferred IRA for other projects.

The six-bag formula was arrived at by DA after it determined that a one hectare of riceland needs six bags of fertilizer that now costs farmers P1,800 per bag. The new subsidy formula should help the farmer cover other essential inputs.

Espino belittled the new fertilizer subsidy program, finding DA’s own P500 subsidy to farmers too small.

The governor and the other local officials were in agreement that unreleased IRA be used instead for irrigation purposes as farmers need water for their farms during the dry months.

It was Mayor Reynaldo Velasco, vice president of the Pangasinan Mayor’s League, who was unequivocal about the use for the deferred IRA share of LGUs as non-negotiable since towns, cities and the province have other uses for their IRA.

Besides, he said, it is the local legislative body that programs the IRA share of LGUs, and therefore the mayors cannot commit what is not under their authority.

Executive Order No.753 mandates LGUs to use part of their deferred IRA shares from 2001 to 2004 as fertilizer subsidy to farmers so that they can increase their rice production and help bring about 98 percent rice sufficiency by year 2010.

Espino was earlier given the authority by the provincial board to negotiate with LandBank for a loan, using their deferred P79 million IRA share for 2001 to 2004 as collateral for which purpose was not specified yet.

Sunday Punch

[allan_dude]

Prov’l board gives Guv ok to negotiate P79.2M loan

LINGAYEN—The provincial board has approved a resolution authorizing Gov. Amado Espino Jr. to enter into a seven-year term loan with the LandBank of the Philippines even if the projects for which the amount will be allocated have yet to be identified.

The loan will be using as collateral the P79.2 million share of Pangasinan in the unreleased 2001 and 2004 Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).

Under the program called Monetization of IRA Collectibles for Local Empowerment Program (MIRACLE 2 Program), LandBank has presented three schemes upon which the province may opt to collect its more unreleased IRA share.

The seven-year term loan has been identified as the most beneficial option following studies made by the local government’s finance experts.

Sixth district Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. said the board has its full confidence in the governor to ably negotiate with the bank as members draw up a supplemental budget on how the money will be spent.

The President of the Philippines issued Executive Order no. 723 (2008) authorizing the release of the IRA Differential on installment basis for a period of seven years commencing in fiscal year 2009 up to fiscal year2015 or avail in advance of their respective shares in the IRA Differential through a monetization program.

The Development Bank of the Philippines and LandBank, both government-owned banks, jointly established in 2006 the MIRACLE Program to implement the benefits intended under the EO.

Sunday Punch

[tracymack]

NCO Career Fair Urdaneta City



July 3-4, 2008
Donal Bldg., San Vicente East
Urdaneta City
9AM to 5PM

[allan_dude]

^ Hey! I used to work for NCO-Rmh QC.

[allan_dude]

Spanish city mayor cited for Urdaneta visit

Fa Sizon Almazan

URDANETA CITY -- Residents of this Pangasinan City lauded yesterday the second visit of Mayor Jose Miguel Santa Maria Eziza of Ordizia City, Spain to this city last June 27.

Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo R. Perez Jr. said Mayor Eziza came to this city for the first time in November 2007 for the signing of a sisterhood agreement between Ordizia and Urdaneta.

His second visit last week was in connection with a plan to honor Father Andres de Urdaneta, after whom this city was named, with a monument to be built in a mini park here.

Mayor Perez said Father Urdaneta had been named as a hero of Ordizia City, Spain.

Perez said that Father Urdaneta, a native of Ordizia, is celebrating his fifth centennial this year.

The city’s chief executive said that Urdaneta City is the only city in Asia given the honor of being a sister city of Ordizia, a highly industrialized city in Spain.

Mayor Perez said the city government of Ordizia has pledged to donate scholarship grants to children of poor families in this city.

Perez said that the scholarship fund will amount to some 150,000 euros which will fund four-year college courses.

He said that the grant will be coursed through a non-government organizations (NGOs) which will later release the amount to the city government of Urdaneta.

He said that a committee will be formed to determine the criteria for the selection of the students who will be beneficiaries of the scholarship grants to be donated by city government of Ordizia.

He also said that Mayor Eziza has expressed support for efforts to strengthen the sisterhood ties of the two cities by undertaking activities stipulated in the agreement.

"We thank Mayor Eziza and the people of Ordizia for the great opportunity given to Urdaneta City, and we will try our very best to keep the good, warm relationship between the two cities," Mayor Perez said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080701128713.html

[allan_dude]

Pangasinan Capitol building inaugurated

By Eva Visperas
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Philstar.com

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Exactly one year after he assumed his post, the provincial Capitol building was inaugurated with new and elegant looks, similar to the interior design of Malacañang Palace.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. led the soft opening and inauguration yesterday of the neo-classical Capitol Building, which is said to be one of the most, if not the most elegant Capitol buildings in the country.

“I hope this will serve as a lasting legacy for future generations and make every Pangasinense proud of his province,” Espino said.

The building stands majestically in front of the historic Lingayen Gulf.

Espino Jr. said for the first time, all the elected provincial officials, from him and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members led by the vice governor, will now be housed in the same building.

“That gives us an ambience of belonging and working together as one family,” he said.

“I thought I was in Malacañang,” said Police Superintendent Harris Fama who was present during the inauguration.

The province has already spent P35 million which also includes the rehabilitation of other buildings within the Capitol complex.

Espino also broke tradition when he now holds office at the Provincial Capitol Building, instead of the adjacent Urduja House where past governors held office. He said the Urduja House is the official residence of the governor and it’s right and fitting that he holds office daily at the refurbished Capitol building.

The Capitol building was erected in 1918 by the provincial board led by Gov. Daniel Maramba, Segundo Estaris and Victor Tomelden as members, J.W. Crow as treasurer, Chas Dandors as district engineer and Ralph Harrington Doane as consulting architect.

It was reconstructed in 1949 by the provincial board led by Gov. Enrique Braganza, Vicente Soliven and Miguel de Vera as members. A.F. Buenaventura as provincial treasurer and V.B. Oledan as district engineer.

Espino’s predecessor, then governor Victor Agbayani, also had it rehabilitated but Espino decided to refurbish it in a way befitting its grandeur and its great heritage value.

Also, Espino said there were some structural defects like leaking roofs.

“We wanted it to be like little Malacañang or the old Congress. Its craftsmanship is excellent,” he said.

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Guv set to hold office at 'new' Capitol

By Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Sun.Star

LINGAYEN -- Governor Amado Espino Jr. will start holding office on Tuesday at the newly renovated Provincial Capitol building here.

The governor's office used to be at the Urduja House.

"The Urduja House is defined as the official residence of the governor. Although the office is at the ground floor, I think it's not appropriate," Espino remarked.

Aside from the governor's office, the Office of the Vice Governor, the Provincial Board (PB) session hall and secretariat, the new Capitol building also houses the offices of the 12 board members, three sectoral representatives, and provincial administrator.

The Provincial Capitol now also has a conference room as envisioned by Espino.

But among others, the session hall was a butt of joke among the media practitioners as its color and window Venetian blinds looked similarly to that of a daycare center.

Renovation started August last year with Cris David as project manager.

Espino said the Provincial Government has so far spent P35 million for the renovation of the different buildings that include Finance, Malong, and Kalantiao and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.

The new Provincial Capitol building was designed by Ralph Harrington Doane, who also designed the Provincial Capitol of Leyte Province.

"The architect interpreted what we want the building to look like," said Espino who was satisfied with the new face of the Capitol building.

[allan_dude]

Lingayen Capitol Grounds
Pictures taken before the onslaught of Typhoon Cosme


MAIN ENTRANCE (CAPITOL)
Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson


Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson


CAPITOL
Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson


SISON AUDITORIUM (Areal View)
Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson


VETERANS PARK
Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson


GOVERNOR STATUE
Courtesy of Flickr by tom_lois_windson

[tracymack]

Originally Posted by tracymack

NCO Career Fair Urdaneta City



July 3-4, 2008
Donal Bldg., San Vicente East
Urdaneta City
9AM to 5PM

NCO Career Fair Successful
http://urdanetacity.blogspot.com/200...uccessful.html

2 days
100 aspirants
8 for contract signing

They had only less than a week to actively promote the Call Center Job Fair thru flyers, banners and even online.But the hiring team of NCO and the GSI staff can now say that the two day event is a resounding success.

Compared to other venues in Northern Luzon where the passing rate was sometimes 0% out of 170 applicants, this recent event held at the GlobalSkills Institute in Urdaneta City has produced 8 applicants invited by NCO for contract signing at the Clark office. The NCO team also reported that at least two dozen more applicant only missed a few points in the hiring process and would be glad to refer them for training with the Global Skills Institute - Urdaneta City to hone and polish thier English Skills, especially on Accent training.

Because of the good turnout of applicants, both NCO and GlobalSkills Institute have agreed to make the career Fair a regular thing. Possibly once a month or once every two months.

The Philippines is closely trailing India in the IT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. Unfortunately, while the Philippines has been tagged as the third largest English speaking country in the world, the level of proficiency among Filipinos has been on a steep decline in the last 10 years. Call center recruiting has been meeting increasing challenges in finding qualified applicants as days go by. The good news is that the government as well as private entities have been exerting effort to reverse the downward trend.

It has been reported that the Call center industry is stated to boom into a 10-billion dollar industry in the Philippines by year 2010.

This is an original publication of Urdaneta.Multiservers.Com

[tracymack]

Arroyo: Exports, BPO can recoup losses from oil price hikes
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin...il-price-hikes

MANILA, Philippines--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Monday that losses from the high prices of imported oil and rice could be recouped from exports and the business process outsourcing industry that continue to expand amid the economic crisis.

"The best response by the Philippines to the rising global commodity price today is, if on the liability side of the national balance sheet, we sustained a loss from rising prices of commodities that we import, that is oil and rice, then we should endeavor to generate compensating gains on the asset side to the commodities we can export," Arroyo said in her speech at the 8th ASEAN [Association of Science and Technology] Science and Technology Week and this year's National Science and Technology Week.

"This asset side consists of hard commodities such as primary products supplemented by soft commodities such as outsource business processing under the leadership of our chairman ICT [Information Communication Technology] Ray Chua," she added in the speech which was broadcast on national television.

Arroyo reiterated her program to create a "cyber-corridor," which is a group of locations nationwide where investments in information and communications technology are to be concentrated.

The government and the private sector have been working on so-called "next wave cities" to attract business process outsourcing companies to locations outside of Metro Manila.

Next-wave cities are locations in the country identified as friendly areas for outsourcing companies. These cities are identified by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology.

From eight provinces, Arroyo said the cyber corridor has been configured by the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines to now include 24 "next wave centers" -- Tuguegarao, Baguio, Dagupan, Urdaneta, Cabanatuan, Clark, San Fernando in Pampanga, Subic, Cainta, Bacoor, Sta. Rosa, Lipa, Batangas City, Camarines Sur, Legaspi, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Cebu, Leyte, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and General Santos City.

She said the new international broadband links of PLDT in La Union and Globe in Cagayan would be operational in 2009.

"So no tsunami, no earthquake, nothing will interrupt gateway services to the Philippines," Arroyo said.

A Taiwan earthquake affected Internet links of the country after major fiber optic lines were damaged in 2006.

Arroyo said that the government has allotted P3 billion from 2007 to 2010 for research and technology. For this year, the DoST received 51 percent increase in their funds from the national budget.

"We look for science and technology to do many other things, to put food on the table, to save lives and prevent calamities, to harness renewable and indigenous energy, to cure and prevent illnesses and to create more high quality jobs. And I know that all the ASEAN has the same aspirations," she said.

[allan_dude]

FVR sees countless opportunities for Philippines in China connection

Rene Q. Bas

FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos is the most active mover and shaker for greater Philippine-China trade, investment and human development relations.

He is the chairman of the board of the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), in southern China’s Hainan island-province. The former president never tires of stressing the important role China has been playing to advance the process of achieving economic integration in Asia, which has begun, albeit slowly, in Asean.

The Boao Forum for Asia is fast gaining the prestige of being our part of the world’s equivalent of the Davos (Switzerland) World Economic Forum. BFA is the largest Asia-based nongovernment, nonprofit intellectual resource center. It is of course heavily supported by China.

We talked about logistics and freeport development in China in which field Filipinos can have jobs and business partnerships.

Earlier this month, he gave the keynote address at the international conference on “Modern Logistics and Freeport Development” in Ningbo City, Zhejiang province, China. Zhejiang used to be spelled Chekiang in English-language newspapers, including The Times.

“Ningbo is a major port, tourism center, and economic hub located at the south end of the Yangtze River Delta,” he explained. It has among the most highly developed economies in China, with 93,000 domestic and foreign enterprises, a GDP of 343 billion RMB ($43 billion) in 2007 (or 1/3 of the entire GDP of the Philippines at $117 billion), and an export-import volume of $56.5 billion. The port of Ningbo, ranked fourth busiest in the world, is the largest transshipment hub in China for crude oil, petroleum products, and chemical materials.”

“In May, 2008, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge which connects Ningbo to Shanghai was opened. It is 36 kilometers long, the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, and was built within four years—that is a record. It is considered an engineering marvel,” he said.

He explained that Zhejiang province, with a population of 51 million, is one of the best developed in China. Its GDP of 1,863 billion RMB ($233 billion) in 2007 is twice the 2007 GDP of the Philippines. Zhejiang’s per capita GDP of $4,600 is roughly five times China’s national average, he said.

The Boao Forum organized the logistics conference, together with the UN Development Program (UNDP), the Zhejiang provincial government, and the Ningbo city government.

There were 500 participants. These were senior officials, logistics experts, and port administrators from Asia and Europe, as well as top executives of transport giants, notably Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK-Japan), Moller-Maersk (Scandinavia), China Overseas Shipping Co. (COSCO), UPS (US) and DHL (US). While the conference was going while the 10th Zhejiang Investment and Trade Symposium and the seventh China International Consumer Goods Fair was being held nearby.

FVR gave a definition of logistics as “the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from point of origin to point of consumption in conformity with customer requirements. This includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movements, and return of waste/used materials for environmental purposes.” It apparently comes from the military’s need and experience, according to Wikipedia, of being supplied with arms, ammunition, and rations from their base to a forward position.

He said that among the major subjects discussed at Ningbo were new approaches in free-port operations, government-private sector cooperation, and models of competitive international ports. The participants gave high priority to “capability-building in ‘emergency logistics’ for timely and effective responses during natural calamities and other disasters in the wake of the massive earthquake in Sichuan province last May 12, which China’s Central Government—with the support of the UN and donor-countries—has handled with admirable efficiency and, for the first time, with unprecedented transparency.”

Linking the Philippines and China

In his keynote address, he highlighted Philippine efforts to link with the major markets in the Asia-Pacific region in order to benefit from our favorable geostrategic position at the center of East Asia. He emphasized the fact that “The Philippines is investing a great deal of capital and human talent to link our vast archipelago with regional markets and industrial powerhouses. Only through these investments in logistics systems can the Philippines take advantage of its strategic location at the heart of East Asia—with easy access to China, Japan, South Korea and other huge markets.”

He sees the great and countless opportunities in China’s logistics sector for the Philippines.

FVR calls attention to President Hu Jintao’s message to President Arroyo and the Filipinos congratulating us on our 110th Independence Day last June 12 (see Page A8 for full text). The Chinese president made a commitment “to further open the three-decade-old bilateral ties between our two countries, which have entered a new phase of all-around development.” This, he said, is a reason why Filipinos must desire and work to maintain favorable relations with China—as other Asian countries are doing.

“It is in logistics facilities and operations where new opportunities lie for the expansion of RP-China trade, investment, tourism and other forms of economic cooperation. In relation to China’s fast-developing Xiamen-Ningbo-Shanghai axis, choice Philippine locations are those along the South China Sea corridor, principally Port Irene-San Vicente, Cagayan; Poro Point, La Union-San Fabian, Dagupan, Sual, Pangasinan; Iba, Masinloc, Zambales-Agno, Alaminos, Bolinao, Pangasinan; Subic-Clark; Bataan Manila Bay-Sangley Point, Cavite; Batangas-Mindoro Occidental; and Palawan.”

He told me that the authorities in Ningbo and Zhejiang made it clear to the Filipino delegates at the conference that they wanted to pursue trade, investment and joint venture opportunities here in the Philippines. They could see what great new positive effects could result from such a partnership.

FVR also said that a delegation led by Guo Zhengwei, president of the Ningbo People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Ningbo’s Deputy Chief of the Communist Party were coming to Manila to begin surveying opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/june/29/yehey/top_stories/20080629top3.html

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Pangasinan registers 2.65-M population in 2007

By Venus May H. Sarmiento

Dagupan City (2 July) -- Pangasinan population continues to grow as it registered a 2.65 population based on the results of the 2007 Census of Population conducted by the National Statistics Office.

From 2.17 million population in 1995 and 2.46million in 2000, the province now has 2,645,395 persons as of April 16, 2008.

Provincial Statistics Officer Dante L. Pescador said more than 25% of the population is in three cities and two municipalities.

The city of San Carlos has the largest population with 161,844 (6.18%) followed by the city of Dagupan with 149,554 (5.71%) and Malasiqui with 122,785 (4.69%). Completing the top five are the City of Urdaneta with 120,785 (4.61%) and Bayambang with 103,145 (3.94%)

Among barangays, Pescador said Bonuan Gueset of Dagupan City has the largest population with 20,335. Pantal, also in the city of Dagupan is the second highest with 16,835. Barangay Poblacion of Lingayen, ranked third with a population of 12,612. Other barangays that reached the 10,000 mark in Pangasinan are Poblacion in Alaminos (10,095) and Bonuan Boquig of Dagupan City (10,852)

The population counts were based on census questionnaires from the different barangays which were processed in Regional Data Processing Centers adopting a technology which involved digital imaging and intelligent character recognition. The census was conducted pursuant to Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Commonwealth Act 591, added Pescador.

Pescador said the provincial figures were included national POPCEN result that was made official with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's signing of Proclamation No. 1489 on April 16,2008. (PIA-Pangasinan)

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=...0702.htm&no=32

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Fixing of Pangasinan hospital to start soon

Sun.Star Pangasinan

SAN CARLOS CITY -- Heavy equipment from the Provincial Engineering Division and policemen in fatigue duty uniform arrived at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) in Barangay Bolingit here last Wednesday.

Caught by surprise were the administrative officers of PPH and the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

Governor Amado Espino Jr. instructed Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) executive officer Paterno Orduña last Tuesday to form the team for the cleaning and clearing operation at the 4.2 hectare PPH compound.

Espino said the 14 hospitals, including the provincial hospital being run by the Provincial Government, were in bad shape when he assumed office last year.

After assessing the conditions of these hospitals and regularly meeting the chiefs-of-hospital, he said they mapped out plans to improve the health services being provided by the government hospitals in the province.

"What we wanted to do is, what the private hospitals in Dagupan City could offer, the provincial hospital must be able to offer also," he remarked.

Rehabilitation works started long before Typhoon Cosme hit the province last month.

There are eight buildings at PPH, but these are poorly located; and the facilities are not really good and way below the standard of the governor.

Meanwhile, PPH officer-in-charge Policarpio de Guzman said they were surprised when the team headed by Orduña arrived. Nonetheless, they are very happy, as they have not experienced such attention from the Provincial Government before.

The governor said only the administrative and main buildings will remain when they start fixing the provincial hospital.

Prioritized to be constructed are the "birthing" or pediatric building and the dialysis building.

"We will build a modern birthing area, and all mothers (regardless of their social status) and their newborns will be treated equally," said Espino.

The dialysis building will house 10 dialysis units. The buildings will cost around P40 million including the facilities. These will be started this year and will be completed next year.

The hospital will also have a conference room (which is currently lacking), a nurses' headquarters, and a supply building, among others.

Espino said they are working with at least a P35-million budget, P11 million of which came from the Department of Health for the repair of the damages caused by Typhoon Cosme.

He said the bulk of the province's capital outlay next year would be for the hospitals.

De Guzman said there are 299 employees at the provincial hospital including the casuals and contractual.

The provincial hospital used to be a district hospital known as Bolingit Hospital. It was transformed as provincial hospital when the old provincial hospital located in Dagupan City was converted into Region 1 Medical Center.

Meanwhile, district and community hospitals undergoing rehabilitation are those in Dasol, Bolinao, Alaminos City, Bayambang, Lingayen, Mapandan, Manaoag, Asingay, Umingan and Tayug. (LCMY/Sunnex)

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Pangasinan mayors score delayed rehab funds

Philippine Daily Inquirer


LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—Mayors of Pangasinan towns severely damaged by Tropical Storm “Cosme” in May have complained that money meant for rehabilitation had not been released by government agencies, delaying the repair of school buildings and houses in their areas.

During a meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) here on Friday, Sison Mayor Kimi Cojuangco told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that the reconstruction of schools and houses had yet to start two months after her town was battered by the storm.

“The funny part is Education Secretary Jesli Lapus already (released) the money to the provincial [schools] superintendent’s office. But DepEd has not repaired a single school in my town and I think that is true in most towns in Pangasinan,” Cojuangco said.

DepEd, she said, built in her town makeshift classrooms made of plywood and GI (galvanized iron) sheets, but these “look like pigpens.”

She said the Department of Public Works and Highways had also not released a single centavo to her town.

“The children are suffering. They are boiling in the heat and when it rains, classes are suspended,” Cojuangco said.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to reach Armando Aquino, schools superintendent of Pangasinan Division II, for updates on the rehabilitation of school buildings on Saturday, but his mobile phone was off.

It was learned, however, that Aquino could not start construction because Pangasinan Rep. Marcos Cojuangco, the mayor’s husband, had specified construction materials that should be used in the school buildings.

But Mayor Cojuangco said “it was for the safety of the children why the congressman [had] specified better materials.”

In Binmaley town, Mayor Simplicio Rosario said he stopped the construction of two school buildings by DepEd contractors because they were using substandard materials.

Cojuangco also said the DPWH had not delivered the allocated GI sheets as promised by Ms Arroyo during her visit a week after Cosme struck.

“People are living in tents. I could no longer pacify the people, I told them the government cares but [these agencies] are not showing that the government [indeed] cares,” she said.

Fidel Ginez, DPWH Ilocos director, said the delivery of GI sheets to the province was delayed because the vessel carrying the materials from Thailand was stranded due to Typhoon “Frank” (international code name: Fengshen).

“But the raw materials are here and have been manufactured. On Sunday, we will deliver 5,885 GI sheets to Sison and next week, 118,000 GI sheets will be delivered to the province,” Ginez told the Inquirer in a phone interview. Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes, Inquirer Northern Luzon

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080707-146872/Pangasinan-mayors-score-delayed-rehab-funds

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GMA flares up over GI sheets

UNDELIVERED ASSISTANCE TO PANGASINAN

LINGAYEN-The boss lady was mad.

Mayors who were in the meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall at the capitol, which was off-limits to the media, saw for themselves a sample of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s noted temper after she learned that only a few of Typhoon Cosme’s victims received the assistance she promised and worse, got these only in trickles.

The President visited the province Friday afternoon to personally verify if the assistance she promised was really received by the people.

Pangasinan officials who attended the meeting were Governor Amado Espino Jr., Rep. Victor Agbayani (2nd District), Rep. Mark Cojuangco (5th District), Acting Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, and several town mayors.

The regional directors of national agencies, who are members of RDCC, were in the meeting as well.

Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen, RDCC chairman, reportedly told the President that only 6,000 G.I. sheets had been received so far, out of the P500 million worth she promised for Pangasinan, La Union and Zambales,

Media reporters were asked to leave the meeting after the formalities were extended.

Of the 24 towns and cities in Pangasinan badly hit by the typhoon, Dagupan City, Bugallon and Infanta initially received galvanized iron sheets from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Mayor Ruperto Martinez of Infanta said he received only 358 G.I. sheets of the 16,000 pieces he initially requested and these were distributed equally to the barangays, each one getting only 29 pieces of G.I. sheets.

“How can my barangay captains divide 29 G.I. sheets among their constituents.” he asked.

It was learned that Dagupan was the first to submit a list of typhoon victims validated by DSWD and was given 2,000 G.I. sheets although it had asked for 6,000.

No figure was given for Bugallon.

Sison Mayor Kimi Cojuangco, wife of Rep. Cojuangco, complained that the Department of Education already released rehab funds to the Pangasinan II division under Schools Superintendent Armando Aquino but not a single cent was allocated for the repair of damaged schools in her town.

She said she appealed to DPWH Regional Director Fidel Ginez to release the G.I. sheets needed by her people but not a single piece of roofing material was released to them yet.

She later admitted that she had complained earlier to the President that the promised help to Pangasinan has not reached the typhoon victims.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario of Binmaley confirmed that the President went ballistics when she learned about the slow pace in the delivery of the G.I sheets she promised for Pangasinan, pointing out that his town has not received not a single G.I sheet from the DPWH.

Arroyo had instructed DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane while in barangay Portic, Bugallon last month that there should be weekly deliveries of G.I. sheets at P50,000 worth each week for 10 weeks till all the G.I. sheets are delivered.

It appears that only one delivery to the Second High District Engineers Office was made.

Ebdane was not with the President during Friday’s visit. —LM

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archiv...ets/#more-9910

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Massive production of hybrid seeds to start this season

CALASIAO—To boost rice production in Pangasinan, the government, with the help of partylist Abono, has launched a massive production of hybrid rice seeds, initially targeting 100,000 hectares of land.

The farmlands in 22 municipalities will be tapped for the massive utilization and production of hybrid rice seeds under the new A x R Seed Production Project, according to the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit (DA-RFU).

The project, which seeks to ensure seed requirement for planting and ultimately increase rice production, was launched jointly by Rep. Robert Estrella of the partylist Abono, the DA-RFU, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Agricultural Training Institute and the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Quality Control Standard. (PBI-NSQCS).

Estrella pledged P2,000 financial assistance per hectare of the programmed areas from his congressional fund to answer input subsidy worth while PhilRice will provide for free parental lines or seeds costing P4,000 per hectare.

ATI and BPI-NSQCS will provide season-long training on hybrid rice seed production for seed growers, especially those venturing on this project for the first time.

Technical assistance and supervision of the project will be under the care of DA-RFU I.

The project has been timed to start this wet cropping season in the 22 identified municipalities of Pangasinan.

A x R Seed Production Project requires seed growers committed to the activity to plant parental lines, (male and female parents) that will later produce seeds that will be used as planting materials for rice farmers in the ensuing cropping season.

“A” line is the mother or female parent while “R” line is the father or male parent. Both lines are grown in a seed production project on hybrid.

Compared with inbred varieties seed production, A x R Seed Production is more profitable but entails more time and care.

Massive production of A x R seeds is being strongly pursued and recommended as supply and source of F1 seeds for rice production of farmers has become a problem every planting season.

More seed producers have been adopting hybrid rice production due to its proven productivity and profitability.—LM

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/2008/07/06/massive-production-of-hybrid-seeds-to-start-this-season/#more-9894