Dagupan and Urdaneta Cities, and Pangasinan Province

[allan_dude]

Yes nakakabitin. Anyway anchor store ang Robinson's Supermarket and RDS sa NEPO Mall dagupan.

Ang tagal naman bago magkaroon ng "real" mall dito samin considering the size and economy of our province. Problem kasi politicians and influential families nagmamay-ari ng mga community malls and Hypermarkets. Way back in the 90's hinarang na nila pagpasok ng SM, Ever-Gotesco and Uniwide.

[Sinjin P.]

^ Oo nga, ako rin ay nashock when we took a stopover at Pangasinan. Wala man lang SM or Robinsons. I expected at least one because Pangasinan really has a huge population, huge enough to be one of the most populated provinces in the country

[allan_dude]

^ Where in Pangasinan kayo nag stopover?

[Sinjin P.]

^ I forgot. That was sooo 3 years ago

[allan_dude]

Maybe nag drive lang kayo sa Eastern Pangainan along the Tarlac-La Union route passing by Urdaneta and baka dumaan pa kayo sa Manaoag?

Although center of commerce ng Eastern Pangasinan ang Urdaneta, Commercial hub talaga ng province ang Metro Dagupan Area. Andun ang mga malls like CSI. Andun din mga masasarap na restaurants and 4 star hotels.

[Sinjin P.]

^ Wait, I think we passed by the main route going to Baguio City

[allan_dude]

TONDALIGAN MASTERPLAN—Councilor Farah Decano (second from left) gives pointers to the Tondaligan Park Redevelopment/Rehabilitation Master Plan presented to the Sangguniang Panlungsod by City Planning and Development Coordinator Romeo Rosario while Vice Mayor and SP presiding officer Belen Fernandez gives the plan an attentive look. (Punchphoto by Cesar Ramirez)

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Modern alternate road in Dagupan to open next year

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has assured that Dagupan will have a new modern alternate road by June next year.

DPWH Regional Director Fidel Ginez revealed that the more than four-kilometer Dawel-Pantal-Lucao road is with a more than 600-lineal meter bridge in the middle spanning across the Pantal River.

The bridge alone costs almost one billion pesos that came from a loan of the government from Japan while the road is financed from the yearly allocation of the Priority Development Fund of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

Ginez told Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez that the cementing of half of the road stretch is now completed in the Dawel to Pantal side.

The cementing of the Lucao side is still ongoing. However, Ginez admitted that the Lucao side of the new highway is still short by P15 million for it to be completed.

On the other hand, the concrete bridge in the middle of the road stretch is set for completion by June next year.

Ginez said the contractor of the bridge project, the Toyo Construction of Japan, has already completed laying all the bridge's concrete post which is the more difficult part in the construction work.

He added that the next activity for the bridge project is the putting up of girdle as well as the slabs so that cementing of the bridge floor can commence.

At the same time, Ginez informed Vice Mayor Fernandez that the Tapuac-Lucao highway, a separate thoroughfare, that becomes flooded with just little rain will soon be elevated by one meter.

Ginez said at least 800 meters of the Tapuac-Lucao road will be raised to become out of reach by floodwater.

He noted that at least P20 million is available for the project that was sought by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. at the start of his administration. (PNA)

[tyronne]

Originally Posted by allan_dude

[SIZE=-1]

Tulad ba nito yung mga foot bridge sa Dagupan?

I'm not sure. Pero concrete yung dalawang supporting posts pero parang steel frame yung bridge mismo. Di ba sa Dagupan steel lahat, at least yung nakita kong ginagawa sa harap ng CSI Square.

Re: sa new police station namin, almost done na siya siguro lapit na nila occupy yun.

Re: sa new Robinson's mall, sana sa Carmen na lang para pag natuloy yung SM don, eh di harapan uli ang competition hehe!

[allan_dude]

^ Sa Dagupan nakikita ko palang mga foot bridge sa Tapuac infront of City High pati yung sa tapat ng Colegio de Dagupan/ NEPO. Gusto ko yung pagkagawa ng mga "steel" foot bridge. Clean lines and hindi bulky yung dating unlike sa mga concrete foot bridge na tinatayo sa ibang lugar.

^ Napansin mo na ba na parepareho yung design ng mga police stations satin?

^ Parang mas gusto ko ata yung Robinson's Itayo nalang sa Villasis!

[allan_dude]

Pangasinan Memorial College, Inc.

Soaring up high in Central Pangasinan

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

The Pangasinan Memorial College, Inc. (PMCI) was founded and established on February 23, 1949 by the late Dr. Baldomero L. Pulido, a well-known researcher and historian during his time, together with his wife and children.

Strategically located adjacent to the beautiful and sandy beaches of Lingayen Gulf at the corner of Artacho and Alvar Streets right in the heart of Pangasinan's capital and education center, this institution is very accessible by all modes of transportation from all entry points in Pangasinan.

From its modest beginnings, PMCI gained prominence and province-wide fame as it continuously render relentless and persistent efforts and dedicated commitment in improving crafts as well as maintaining quality education.

Yearly, the college welcomes an influx of enrollees from the vicinity and neighboring municipalities of the capital town of Lingayen, especially from the western parts of Pangasinan which includes the towns of Dasol, Burgos, Mabini, Bani, Anda, and Bolinao. The students come from as far as Zambales, an evidence of PMCI’s popularity due to its academic distinction and superiority. Its golden era of prominence was very eminent before the establishment of a state university in Lingayen. Even with the presence of government institutions and other big private schools, the operational growth of PMCI was never intimidated and continued to flourish and prosper until 1975 when Dr. Pulido passed away after being bedridden for almost 10 years.

With Dr. Pulido's inability to participate actively in the management of the affairs of the college due to his ailment almost all the incorporators backed-out one after the other, leaving the college financially broke, destitute with manpower shortfall. The eventual withdrawal of the key officials caused a terrible setback on the management of the PMCI. It came to a point when there was no other choice but for Dr. Pulido's wife to take over and continue its operation with only a handful of employees assisting her. To console their mother’s suffering from the college downfall, the Pulido children took over the stewardship of PMCI in 1976. From then on, the enrolment kept on picking up until it eventually regained its lost glory and grandeur.

Today, the population is growing steadily despite the challenges that confront the PMCI like the existence and proximity of various educational institutions competing with the college.

Undaunted by competition, the Pangasinan Memorial College, Inc. continues to soar up high as it promotes academic excellence and continues its efforts to maintain the institution’s fame and prestige.

PRESENT TIMES

Pangasinan Memorial College, Inc. (PMCI) has a vision for a learning community which evaluates the contributions of all students, staff, faculty and administrators in order to provide them with an unparalleled educational experiences. It supports an on-going process of improvement in the continued assessment of its own vision, values, practices and mission.

As a learning community, it develops the best educational environment, one that promotes learning, collaboration and shared responsibility. Using proven technological advances and a variety of instructional methods, PMCI enhances the learning process and maintains high academic standards among the students.

The PMCI’s mission is to provide high quality, relevant and varied educational growth to all members of the community. The college values its role as an educational leader, embracing change and responding to the intricate needs of those it serves.

Realizing the needs to educate the citizens to meet the multifarious and diversified demands of a complex society, PMCI provide essential programs for the students to choose from and grant them the flexibility of movement to shift from one curriculum to another. This will assist the students towards self-discovery and personal self-realization. High academic standards are preserved and perpetuated so that the students will be prepared for immediate employment in the future. Magnanimity and humility are personal trademarks of every PMCian.

The primary emphasis of every faculty is quality instruction. Faculty members are selected and employed not only due to their academic qualifications and experiences but also their commitment and dedication to their official duties and love of children. To paraphrase one philosopher: "If you dislike children, teaching is not your trade."

For this reason, PMCI formulated its objectives directed towards carrying out its vision and mission, namely: 1.) To educate young people equipped with skills, habits and convictions that are required in the rapidly changing culture and global workplace. 2.) To empower the young children to function effectively in their future; future marked increasingly with change and information growth evolving in technologies; and 3.) To equip the students with knowledge, competence and skills that represent essential, realistic, and attainable goals for lifelong learning and productive citizenry.

Over the years, the Pangasinan Memorial College, Inc. has introduced beneficial innovations and reforms which cater to students’ instructional needs and requirements. Where before, there were limited number of computer units and printers, today, PMCI is equipped with state-of-the-art computer units which exceeded more than the number of students in one class, more than the ratio of one computer per student. There are two separate computer learning centers in PMCI which includes one for the elementary and high school students and the other purely for the college students. It is with great pride for the PMCI to make known to the public that kindergarten children are already adept in the operation of computer where older children in other schools do not even know the abc’s of computer manipulation. The instructors in the computer learning centers are Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) accredited.

The parents are very proud, of the achievements of their children in PMCI. As young as four years old, apart from their proficiency in manipulating a computer, can already read and write two to three words in English and can add/subtract two-digit numbers without using a calculator.

Like the computer learning centers, PMCI has two separate libraries, one for the elementary and high school students located at the ground floor of the college building, and the other for the college students housed at the third floor of the same building. Both libraries are loaded with educational materials such as softwares, reference textbooks, volumes of encyclopedia, dictionaries, periodicals, magazines and other vital printed materials.

To ensure quality instruction and superior products, PMCI limits its enrolment and/or admission requirement to maximum of 15 students per class in the pre-elementary, elementary and secondary. However, enrolment is open to a maximum of 40 students per class in the college. This policy is conceived to boost quality teaching, and give each child the necessary attention he is entitled to in all educational ladders.

The Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) and Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) are the institution’s flagship courses. From them, PMCI produces academically competitive and highly employable graduates. The percentage of the board passers in the Licensure Examinations for Teachers in the teacher education courses is something to be proud of as it falls within the passing range of the LET board passers of other teacher-training institutions in the area.
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Rehab center in Dagupan eyed

By Macon Ramos Araneta

House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III are now finalizing the establishment of a Regional Drug Rehabilitation Center in Dagupan City.

“We have to act now and face up to the problems of drug abuse in the country,” De Venecia said.

The lawmaker said the rehabilitation center will rise on a 7-hectare lot donated to the national government by the Teodoro Manaois family.

According to Dr. Roland Mejia, officer in charge of the Region I Medical Center, an initial funding of P15 million has been released by the health department for the project.

“This will also help decongest the rehabilitation centers in Metro Manila,” Mejia added.

The proposed center is expected to accommodate from 100 to 200 patients at a time.

Mejia said health officials are holding a series of meetings and consultations with the barangay officials and Sanggunian members to ensure the cooperation of the residents living near the project site.

“We have held meetings with them to make sure they understand the wisdom behind the project and the benefits the community will get when the center is operational,” the health official said.

Once operational, Mejia said the funds needed for its maintenance would be included in the annual appropriations for the health department.

Mejia also revealed a plan to create a separate agency under the department to handle all drug rehabilitation centers in the country.
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Urbiztondo councilor wins national league presidency

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Councilor Raul P. Sison of Urbiztondo won as president of the Philippine Councilors League Pangasinan Chapter in the PCL election at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center last Tuesday.

Sison, who garnered 243 votes, edged out Pozorrubio Councilor Dennis Uy by 41 votes. The third PCL candidate, Councilor Orlando de Guzman of Basista, got three votes.

Sison, a nephew of former third district Congressman Fabian "Paping" Sison, will sit as ex-officio member of the sangguniang panlalawigan.

He replaced former PCL president Danilo Uy who earlier won a regular seat as board member of the fifth district.

After his proclamation by the PCL election committee, Sison urged his opponents and their followers to "forget the bitterness of the PCL fight and instead unite in the collective effort to support the programs of development of the Provincial Government for the good of all Pangasinenses."

Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr., in congratulating Sison and his team, pledged all-out support for PCL undertakings, emphasizing that they are needed in helping him bring to fruition the goals and objectives of the provincial government.

The other elected PCL officers were Councilors Maria Isabel Villacorta (Manaoag), vice president; Cheryl Bascos (Villasis), secretary; Rose M. Marcella (San Fabian), treasurer; Manuel V. Resuello (San Carlos), P.R.O.; Jose Z. Carrera, Jr. (Binmaley), business manager; and Cirilo Radoc (Alaminos), auditor.

The board directors are Councilors Jocelyn Visaya (Tayug), Dante de Castro (Anda), Mildred Marcella (San Fabian), Cecille C. Celeste (Anda), Alexander T. Parayno (Sta. Barbara), Dyna P. de Guzman (Urbiztondo), Noel Bautista (Binalonan) and Reynaldo Dotimas (San Nicolas). (DOS/PIA)

[allan_dude]

Bangladesh delegation here to observe project PROMISE

A 20-man delegation from Chittagong province in Bangladesh will be in Dagupan City on September 6 to 7 to observe the implementation of the Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE).

The two-day visit will give the visitors an insight into how the city is implementing project PRO-MISE, being only one of four pilot areas in Asia.

The visiting officials from Bangladesh are mostly city mayors and other officials.

Project PROMISE is a program on disaster mitigation funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The visitors will be welcomed by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, along with city councilors, City Administrator Alvin Fernandez and department heads.

“We are very honored because these officials from Bangladesh are willing to take time out from a thousand miles just to come over here and learn from our experiences,” Mayor Fernandez said.

While here, the delegation will visit the eight pilot barangays of Project PROMISE, namely: Tebeng, Salisay, Mangin, Bacayao Norte, Bacayao Sur, Lasip Chico, Lasip Grande and Pogo Grande.

Dagupan City is the only Philippine city chosen to implement the Project PROMISE.

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Traders to introduce bangus brand labeling

TO PROTECT DAGUPAN BANGUS INDUSTRY

“Aliens” watch out!

Fish traders in Dagupan City, known as the Bangus Capital of the World, will soon be putting a label on the city’s produce to protect the industry from so-called “alien” bangus that come from other provinces.

Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. told local newsmen that the move was initiated by various consignaciones, a group of fish traders, who claim that they have been receiving numerous complaints from their suki (valued clients) about the imported variety.

Fernandez said the city government, through the fisheries management section of the city agriculture office, will formulate and implement a labeling system.

City agriculturist Emma Molina said her office plans to finalize the template by the end of September.

The “alien” bangus coming from Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna de Bay, among others, reportedly smell and taste like “mud” whereas the authentic Dagupan bangus is known for its fresh, milky taste.

Fernandez said the groups of traders respect free trade but stressed the need for more transparency in the identification of goods.

“They, too, have to police their own ranks,” he said.

Fernandez said the labeling will protect the city’s bangus industry.

The authenticity involves bulk suppliers who unload their produce at the Dawel Bridge and load them in bancas direct to the Magsaysay Fish Market to make it appear they came from the Bonuan, the biggest bangus-producing barangay in the city.

Dagupan bangus, given its superior quality, is priced at about P30-P35 higher than the “alien” kind.

Fernandez met last week with officers and members of the city agriculture and fishery council, city fisheries and aquatic resources management council and the Near Shore Fisherfolk Cooperative, Inc. to assess the situation and the fishery and agricultural needs of the barangays.

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City council OKs MOA for Bangus Processing Plant

The city council has given Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. the green light to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KICA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for the construction of the proposed Bangus Processing Plant in Dagupan City.

KICA is giving a $2 million grant for the project initiated during the previous administration of former Mayor Benjamin Lim.

Councilor Alfie Fernandez, chair of the council’s committee on trade and industry, who proposed the resolution granting the mayor the authority to sign the MOA, said the Bangus Processing Plant will be a big boon for the city, particularly for the development of its export sector.

The plant is envisioned to process the bangus (milkfish), the city’s primary and most popular produce, as well as other aquaculture products from Pangasinan.

The grant from KICA was negotiated by House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. last year with the Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament and Foreign Minister of Korea, but which the Lim administration reportedly did not actively pursue.

Councilor Fernandez said aside from earning much needed foreign exchange for the country, the processing plant will also provide employment to about 100 residents and help stimulate allied industries.

Bangus, tilapia, siganid and p. vannamei white shrimp are raised here in brackish water (a combination of fresh water coming from the upland and salty water from the Lingayen Gulf).

The Korean grant does not require a counterpart fund from the local government, but the contract requires officials to make sure that the project will be viable.—LM

[allan_dude]

Hike in quarry fees noted

A total of P1.1 million has been realized by the provincial government from quarry fees during the month of July, or 64% higher than the P670,000 collection of the previous provincial administration during the same period last year.

The increase is a result of the set of reforms introduced during the first month in office of Governor Amado Espino Jr., among them the transfer of the supervision of quarry operations under a new body called the Natural Resources Regulatory Group (NRRG).

The NRRG is under the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) and is led by Nestor Batalla as officer-in-charge.

Quarrying operations used to be supervised by the Inter-Agency Mineral products and Aggregates Conservation Team (IMPACT).

Batalla said Espino has directed the eradication of illegal quarrying and illegal mining operations in Pangasinan to improve revenue collections and attain environmental stability.

The NRRG includes municipal mayors and barangay chairmen as members of the quarry task force.

Aside from its anti-illegal quarrying and mining function, the NRRG is also tasked to cooperate with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the enforcement of provincial mining and tax laws.

The provincial government is also proposing certain revisions in the 1998 Revenue Tax Code (RTC) to further add teeth to the reform measures adopted by the provincial government.

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Rural bank extends loan for call center training

THE Dagupan-based FarmOut Central Intouch and Training Center has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Rural Bank of Mangaldan Inc. providing loans to students wanting to enroll in call center training.

The first of its kind in the country, the MOA is a ‘study now, pay later plan’ for student applicants who do not qualify in the government’s PGMA TESDA Scholarships, said Jane Chua, acting president of FarmOut.

The training is patterned after the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-designed curriculum.

Under the MOA, Rural Bank of Mangaldan will cover the enrolment fees for the students who will have an option to pay back in 120 days or after they shall have been employed as call center agents.

“It is a loan to be given to students just in case they cannot afford the tuition fees initially,” said Connie Jimenez, director of Rural Bank of Mangaldan.

Wilson Chua, president of Bitstop Computers, the mother company of FarmOut, said the signing of the MOA highlights a milestone where the company is now reaching out to other industries to help them in the thrust to develop more call center agents.

Pointing to financing as one of the key concerns of students, Chua said FarmOut tied up with the Rural Bank of Mangaldan to close the gap and allow more people to avail of the education.

HEALTH BENEFIT

The Chuas also signed a MOA with Villaflor Dcotors’ Hospital, for the hospital-medical benefit of FarmOut employees. Vincent Villaflor said the partnership between their hospital and FarmOut is proof of the big future of the call center industry in the city.

FarmOut Training Center, as a call center training center, is a division of the FarmOut Central call center based in Bonuan, Dagupan City, requires students to undergo practicum training after their class studies.

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Fish pens banned in Pangasinan town

By Gabriel Cardinoza
Northern Luzon Bureau

BINMALEY, Pangasinan -- The municipal government here would no longer allow the return of fish pens to its rivers after a moratorium on the construction of these structures was imposed two years ago following a massive fish kill that hit this coastal town.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario said allowing fish pens to thrive again would result in the pollution of the town’s rivers and “consequently, the death of our bangus (milkfish) fish ponds.”

At least 70 percent of the town’s area is devoted to fishponds, which are scattered in its 33 villages.

“Besides, it was my election campaign promise and I’d like to think that the people reelected me because of that,” Rosario, now on his second term, said.

At least P15 million worth of bangus went belly up in 2005 in various fish pens and ponds here due to low dissolved oxygen level.

Rosario said the town’s agriculture officer said overfeeding in the fish pens brought about that condition. This polluted the river because feeds that were not consumed by the fish settled in the water and rotted, he said.

Fishponds relied on the rivers here to refresh its water during the changing of the tides in the Lingayen Gulf.

Rosario said without the fish pens, local fishermen could now fish in the rivers freely for their food.

He said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has set up satellite stations in the rivers to monitor water quality “in preparation for an oyster farm that we are going to establish.”

“We are now also conducting a hydrological survey to establish our rivers’ navigational lanes and to determine where our small fishermen could build pasabing (fish traps) to catch shrimps,” Rosario said.

But he said the local government is still having a problem on the rivers’ water quality because fish pens still exist in neighboring Lingayen town and Dagupan City.

The river flowing into this town is an extension of the Calmay River in Dagupan City. This town and Lingayen are also separated in the south by a tributary of the Agno River.

“I’m very happy because many of the fishes that have disappeared from our rivers are now coming back,” Rosario said.

Rosario said by next year, he hopes to build a fish center here, which was a major revenue source for this town in the 1990s.

“Most of the bangus consignacion (wholesalers) in Dagupan City are from this town. So we might as well build our own,” he said.

He said he is now looking for funds for the construction of the fish center.

[allan_dude]

Bayambang landfill meets its dead end

BAYAMBANG–The controversial P250-million sanitary landfill project here will be shelved for good if the new town mayor will have his way.

Mayor Ricardo Camacho told local newsmen that he intends to keep his campaign promise to the townsfolk to block the implementation of the project, which had already been approved by the previous administration.

“If it’s exclusively for Bayambang, there is no problem with me. But if it will be used also by other municipalities, I am against it,” he said.

Camacho said he has already referred the implications of his stance with legal experts and asked the Sangguniang Bayan to review and draft possible amendments to the approved ordinance authorizing the project.

The sanitary landfill, to be located in a 33-hectare lot in Barangay Dusoc, will be undertaken and managed by Waste Integrated Network Systems, Inc. (WINS).

Under the terms of the approved contract, 12 towns in Pangasinan and in neighboring Tarlac will be allowed to unload their trash here with corresponding fees.

WINS has complied with the requirements for the construction of the project, including the conduct of public hearings which became controversial due to the strong opposition from Bayambang residents.

Meanwhile, Camacho said he will soon implement measures called for by provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act under Republic Act 9003.

The law mandates local government units to convert open dumpsites to controlled dumpsite by 2004 and eventually establishing a sanitary landfill, supposedly by February 16, 2006.

Local government officials who fail to comply with and enforce the rules and regulations of the law may be charged administratively.

Camacho said he is planning to construct a material recovery facility as an alternative to the proposal of WINS.

He warned that the town’s anti-littering ordinance will also be strictly implemented beginning September, particularly in the public market area.

Waste segregation and overall cleanliness maintenance will also be put into effect.

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Construction of Pangasinan U in Alaminos tackled

LINGAYEN -- The Pangasinan State University's (PSU) plan to expand to Alaminos City is now being discussed.

PSU president Victoriano Elira said there had been initials talks with Alaminos Mayor Hernani Braganza and other city officials about the plan. The Alaminos City Government is willing to donate a lot for the school campus.

Online memorial for Cebu's Nenita "Inday Nita" Daluz. Post testimonials here.

Elira said construction would start early next year if and when the needed resolution for the lot's deed of donation is passed by the City Council.

Elira assumed recently as PSU president. He said part of his administration's program is to put up a campus in Alaminos "to bring quality education and make tuition more affordable to the people in Pangasinan's first district."

The first district, where Alaminos City is situated, is very wide yet there is no big college school or university to cater to the educational needs of the people especially the poor.

He said their goal is to increase the population of PSU by 50 percent by June 2008 and branching out to Alaminos is one the strategies being adopted. There will be no tuition fee increase as this would put education beyond the reach of poor students, he said.

"The intelligent ones and those who would really like to improve their lives by gaining knowledge will not be given the opportunity to study," he said.

Elira said the more than 10,000 student population of PSU (from all the eight campuses) is low considering the number of people in Pangasinan.

Of the eight campuses, the Lingayen campus has the biggest student population with more than 4,000 students followed by Bayambang and Urdaneta City campuses. (LCMY/Sunnex)

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Canto allays fear about proposed rehab center

Don’t worry, be happy.

Councilor Jesus Canto gave this assurance to residents opposing the planned construction of the Regional Drug Rehabilitation Center in Bonuan Binloc, which is intended to serve not just Pangasinan but the entire Northern Luzon.

The P35-million facility will be built on a three-hectare lot previously occupied by the Dona Teodora Manaois Extension Hospital.

Canto, a doctor, said the fear of Bonuan Binloc residents that wards of the drug rehab center might get out and disturb their community is unfounded because the Department of Health which will manage it, will fully secured the area.

“The people of Bonuan Binloc, especially owners of businesses in the area, should be open-minded and instead feel proud instead that the drug rehab center will be located in their area,” Canto said.

The councilor also said that their fear that Bonuan Binloc will become less attractive to tourists and investors once the drug rehab center is up is unfounded.

On the contrary, he said, the price of real estate in Bonuan Binloc will escalate because the drug rehab center that will be operated as a first class facility.

Canto, formerly the head of the Region 1 Medical Center, said the region is the only one in the country without a drug rehab center of its own.

The center will operate as a dormitory where the wards are charged nominal fees for board and lodging until they are rehabilitated.

The funding for the center has already been included in the proposed 2008 National Budget, according to House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. –LM

[allan_dude]

Lingayen poised to become Pangasinan’s fifth city

The town of Lingayen, the seat of the provincial government in Pangasinan, may now qualify to be elevated into a city, hopefully to become the fifth in the province.

Lingayen Mayor Ernesto Castañeda confirmed this but added they are not in a hurry to make a bid for their town to become the next city in Pangasinan, after Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta and Alaminos cities.

“We know we are now qualified to bid for cityhood but we are not pushing this yet in order to prepare and complete the much-needed infrastructures and other projects required of a new city,” he noted.

Lingayen is a first class town of Pangasinan, the same classification attained earlier by the bigger towns of Bayambang, Malasiqui and Mangaldan, and lately Sta. Barbara, other possible candidates for cityhood.

But Lingayen has the best chance to be elevated into a city, being the seat of the Pangasinan provincial government and the landing place of the Allied Liberation Forces on Jan. 9, 1945 on the way to liberate Luzon from the Japanese.

One of the town’s greatest assets is the Lingayen beach, now the beehive of domestic and foreign tourists all-year round.

Among the landmarks in Lingayen are the provincial capitol, the Sison auditorium and the War Memorial Center; Maramba Boulevard, the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, venue of most regional and national conventions; the Ramos Museum that houses the memorabilia of the family of former President Fidel V. Ramos and the Limahong Channel.

With the aid of the private sector, the municipal government has transformed Lingayen into another big commercial and trading center of Pangasinan that could rival Dagupan.

Castañeda revealed that the town now has an annual income of P80 million which is set to increase because of its tremendous economic and agricultural potentials.

He noted the standing population of Lingayen at present is over 100,000, although it is 130,000 during the day.

With 32 barangays, Lingayen is a lot bigger than Dagupan, the first town in Pangasinan to attain cityhood in 1947.

Lingayen produces the tasty and sweet-smelling "bagoong" (fish paste), wood furniture and "bangus" (milkfish).

Castañeda said Lingayen is strategically located in Pangasinan and is connected to Manila via the Romulo and MacArthur Highways.

Tourists from the north and east going to the Hundred Islands off Alaminos City, and Zambales, always pass through Lingayen.

(PNA)

[allan_dude]

Pangasinan center benefits hundreds of OFWs

Hundreds of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), their dependents and prospective job hunters were benefited by the Pangasinan Overseas Filipino Workers' Center (POFWC)for the past one and a half year.

Alex Ferrer, Public Employment Service Officer (PESO),said the POFWC based at the Capitol Grounds in Lingayen, can do the processing of documents of returning and outbound OFWs, including members oftheir respective families.

Set up more smetime in 2005, the POFWC opened every Wednesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., starting last September 5 to serve OFWs and their kin, Ferrer said.

A non-stop-shop facility under the PESO, the center provides services such as the processing of Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC) of returning OFWs, and membership and renewal of PhilHealth cards, and other employment papers required by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the OFW Association.

Ferrer said that for the past one a half year, hundreds of OFWs and their dependents are getting the requirements from the center, saving them time and money in going to Manila or San Fernando City, La Union.

He added that these services are line with the new labor and livelihood program thrust of Gov. Amado T.Espino, Jr. so that there would be more jobs and income opportunities for the Pangasinan people.

The PESO already held several job fairs, job placements, Special Program for Employment of Students(SPES), Work Appreciation Program (WAP), a program called TULAY, which is devoted to the amelioration of persons with disabilities, skills training and anti-illegal recruitment drives. (PNA)
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Bolinao declares 60-hectare sea-grass protected area

BOLINAO–A portion of the municipal waters of this town has been declared as a sea-grass reserve area to allow marine life, specifically fish and shellfish, to spawn and thrive.

The declaration is contained in a municipal ordinance authored by Councilor Simon del Fierro.

The protected zone, located in Barangays Binabalian and Goyoden, more popularly known as Benew, has a total area of 60 hectares with 40 hectares designated as buffer zone.

Limited activities will be allowed in the buffer zone, including traditional and sustainable fishing methods.

The 20-hectare core area will be totally off-limits to the public to maintain the good quality sea-grass and reef habitat.

The management and monitoring of the sanctuary will be undertaken by the Bolinao Sea-Grass Management Board composed of the local community, barangay officials, members of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council and public organizations in coordination with the partner agencies like the municipal agriculturist for assistance.

Sea grass beds are highly diverse and productive ecosystems which serve as spawning grounds for marine life.
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UPang has most nursing passers

The University of Pangasinan (UPang) has sustained its record as the top producer of nurses in northern Luzon with 299 passers in the latest Licensure Board Examinations for Nurses.

A jubilant Dr. Catalino Rivera Jr., UPANG president, said “it is on record that UPang produces the biggest number of nurses every year” as he thanked the public’s continued patronage and faith in the university.

Rivera said the school, now on the vanguard of siring employable graduates thru its call center program, has stressed quality graduates.

[pi_malejana]

meron po ba tayong PANGASINAN sa transport and infrastracture thread..?

[allan_dude]

^ Angapo ni

[suri_maw2020]

Photos from Flickr courstesy of diamonds_in_the_sole s_of_her_shoes'

Relics of WW2 at Lingayen (Behind the Pangasinan Capitol Bldg.)

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[suri_maw2020]

From Flickr courtesy of diamonds_in_the_sole s_of_her_shoes'


image hosted on flickr

Lingayen Church

image hosted on flickr

The road (Boulevard) going to Pangasinan Capitol.

[suri_maw2020]

Hurray!!!!..