THE remnants of the old Franklin Bridge, destroyed by the big flood of 1935, will be preserved as a reminder of the past for present and future Dagupeños.

This was assured during a dialogue called by the city’s Heritage Commission, headed by Carmen Prieto, with officials of the city engineering office and Toyo Construction, the Japanese contractor building the P903 million new Pantal bridge.

Toyo Construction assured that only two bays of the old Franklin Bridge will be affected but said it will restore whatever portion of the old structure that would be destroyed.

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez said the people of Dagupan have a special attachment to the old Franklin Bridge since this was the only bridge that linked Dagupan to Lingayen before the war.
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LINGAYEN - After slamming the door on Small Town Lottery, Gov. Victor Agbayani renewed his call on the police provincial office to intensify its campaign against illegal gambling, particularly “jueteng”.

The governor directed Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima to stop jueteng operations in the province after receiving reports that the illegal numbers game has been revived in some towns.

“I’m told that there are areas that are backsliding, so we have to re-double our efforts in order to preserve the gains that we had achieved so far (against jueteng”), Agbayani said.

For several weeks, jueteng has grounded to a halt in the province where the country’s number one anti-jueteng crusader. Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese is based.
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BAYAMBANG - The planned sanitary project in this town has not been given a green and go status.

According to Mayor Leocadio de Vera on Thursday, he is still awaiting the provincial board’s decision endorsing the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan of Bayambang granting a private firm the authority to build and operate a multi-million peso sanitary landfill.

He said the fate of the project is now in the hands of the provincial board, saying that as far as he is concerned, he is in no hurry.

But he told newsmen that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has already written many local government units threatening to impose fines at P50,000 per month for maintaining open dumpsites.

Under the Solid Waste Management Act or Republic Act No. 9003, LGUs were given by the DENR up to three years within which to switch from open dumpsites to sanitary landfill.
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Even before the controversy over the planned construction of the tourist-oriented complex could be resolved, more “mysterious” developments have surfaced. 

Steel bars and trusses of still undetermined amount from the burned Bugnay Market just fronting the city hall, are not only missing but the clearing of the premises owned by the city government was conducted by a private contractor, not by the city engineering office.

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez had written to City Engineer Virginia Rosario on December 5 to determine the whereabouts and value of these materials after these were found missing at the site during the clearing operations to give way to the construction of the planned two-storey complex.

Fernandez said he knew that as soon as the Bugnay Market was burned down, the city government had taken over the property although the lease of the property by Bugnay Development Corporation will not expire next year.
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After eights months of waiting, Dagupan City employees are told they will finally receive their additional P1,000 monthly compensation allowance, now totaling P9,000 to cover nine months starting April this year.

 This became certain after the city council on Monday passed a P16.7 million supplemental budget under Ordinance No. 1881-2006, providing for P4.5 million to cover the employees’ adcom from April to December.

Mayor Benjamin Lim had directed that part of the P16.7 million increased Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of the city this year be used to pay for the unpaid adcom of employees.

Earlier, City Budget Officer Ildefonso Calimlim said the payment of adcom of employees would depend on whether Mayor Lim would agree to use part of the city’s increased IRA share for such purpose.
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Congestion in the country’s jails has worsened over the years and will continue unless vacancies in lower level courts are filled.

This was the finding of Dagupan City-based lawyer Feliciano Bautista Jr, presently IBP national executive vice president and governor for Central Luzon, who expressed the urgency for more municipal trial court judges to be appointed.

He said that thousands of pending cases will be unclogged and justice will be served if only President Arroyo would appoint the judges to the vacant courts.

He revealed that there are many vacancies that need to be filled in Pangasinan lower courts if speedy dispensation of justice is to be achieved.

Bautista expressed wonder why the vacancies are not filled up despite the yearly appropriation for these courts based on the annual budget submitted to Congress.
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VILLASIS - In observance of its 200th foundation day on January 19 next year, overseas Villasinians have gifted the town, the “Vegetable Bowl of Pangasinan”, with an impressive and imposing municipal hall.

Mayor Nonato Abrenica led local officials last December 4 in acknowledging the gift during the soft opening of the building, considered as home to the 55,000 local townsfolk and   about 160 employees.

President Gloria Arroyo has been invited as guest of honor for the celebration of the 200th year foundation day of this town.

Observers believe the funding of the town hall’s construction can serve as a model for other local government units to emulate instead of resorting to loans or waiting in vain for politicians’ promises for fund assistance.
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The Catholic Church will definitely not stand idly by while the government is actively seeking to establish Small Town Lottery (STL) in all towns.

The Church’s determination to fight off STL could be gleaned from the letter appeal from no less than the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) read in the pulpit in Catholic churches and issued to Catholic schools in Pangasinan by priests during their Saturday and Sunday Masses an appeal.

The appeal dated November 30 and written by CBCP President Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo was read in all churches and chapels during the Eucharistic Celebrations while school directors were given the discretion when and how to make the statement known to their respective school administration, faculty and student body.

Titled “Plea and Appeal: Stop STL Please”, it is “an urgent and ardent plea addressed to our government officials from the local to the national level” and a direct appeal to individuals and corporate entities involved in the operation and promotion of STL.
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LINGAYEN - All heavy equipment owned by the provincial government can be tapped by all local government units in the province for their infrastructure projects.

This was reiterated by Provincial Administrator Virgilio Solis who said this policy has long been in effect to support of projects being undertaken by all towns and cities.

But Solis reminded town executives that there are processes to be followed

before any heavy equipment is released to any LGU adding that schedules must be observed.

He made the clarification in reaction to the complaint of Anda Mayor Nestor Pulido that it took a long time for the provincial government to decide whether his request to borrow heavy equipment could be granted.
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SAN CARLOS CITY - Some 2,000 unemployed youth were screened by a Japanese firm for jobs at the Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) in Cavite.

The company, Wu Kong Singapore Private Ltd., expressed hope that it could recruit most of the 600 skill workers that it needs from Pangasinan.

Wu Kong is engaged in manufacture of pre-fabricated structural parts of Japanese houses for export to Japan.

Judith Dewilan, human resources officer of the company, said her firm is now engaged in mass hiring of workers to fill up positions for production, office staff, and supervisory positions.

The company just conducted job fairs in Bayambang and San Carlos City on the invitation of retired deputy director general Reynaldo Velasco and local officials.
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