REGIONAL SUMMER SPECTACLE

THE Dagupan Bangus Festival 2008 on April 16 to May 4 promises to be the biggest, grandest and merriest in the history of the city, dedicated to the wholesome entertainment of the family, from kids to adults.

This was the prediction of Councilor Michael Fernandez, newly elected national chairman of the Philippine Councilors League and himself chair of the Bangus Festival 2006. “This will be a very different festival compared to past Bangus Festivals held in the city since the event was introduced in 2002,” he said. The opening day on April 16 featuring street dancers from the city’s 31 barangays, garbed in costumes using bangus as motif.

Another colorful event that promises to be a big hit will be the ‘Festival.
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THE city government finally obtained clean titles for the lots occupied by the former MC Adore Hotel following a decision by the Regional Trial Court that became final and executory on March 17 this year.

RTC Judge Robert Rudio on February 6, 2007 ordered the Register of Deeds to cause the cancellation of the adverse claim over the properties occupied by MC Adore covered by Transfer of Certificates of Titles Nos. 85543, 85544, 85545 and 85546, upon payment of the prescribed fees.

The petition for the cancellation on adverse claim was filed on November 17, 2007 by the City Government of Dagupan, represented by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr.
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Business tycoon Lucio Tan, head of 18 of the country’s biggest corporations under the Lucio C. Tan Group of Companies, will be conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities in Business Entrepreneurship by the Lyceum-Northwestern University during the Institution’s graduation exercises on April 16 at the CSI Stadia. Tan, chairman of the board and the biggest single shareholder of the Philippine National Bank, Philippine Air Lines, Air Philippines, Asia Brewery, Tanduay Distillery Inc., among others, will be conferred the honorary degree by LNU’s Board of Trustees headed by Dr. Gonzalo Duque.

Dr. Duque, former vice governor of Pangasinan, describes Tan as humble but a “superlatively successful man”.
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LINGAYEN–Even as commercial rice prices continue to increase, the National Food Authority branch in Western Pangasinan said it has 45 existing Bigasang Bayan outlets that sell cheap government rice at P18.25 per kilo.

Edilberto Libatique, NFA branch manager here, said the Bigasang Bayan outlets are spread in 22 municipalities and three

cities, with each one distributing their weekly allotted 30 bags of 50 kilos each .

Dagupan City has four Bigasang Bayan outlets located in its two markets, Libatique said.
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IT’S up to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to decide when to inaugurate and open the new Dawel-Pantal-Lucao Road, including its bridge component in the middle.

Fourth District Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., patron of the new highway, made this statement even as he stressed that it is now only a matter of time before the project is finally opened to vehicular trafic.

Arriving in Dagupan on Wednesday, De Venecia said he was informed that the project is now 99.9% complete with the contractors doing only the finishing touches.
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THE 2008 Pista’y Dayat celebration promises to have the trimmings of a real summer treat that is uniquely Pangasinan as organizers of the annual sea festival finalized the series of week-long activities aimed at drawing a crowd bigger than in previous years’ celebrations.

Every presentation will be “Pangasinan’s Best,” said Ramon Morden, executive assistant to Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and chief event coordinator of the Grand Orchestra Showdown, one of the highlights of this year’s Pista’y Dayat.

The staging of the 1st Pangasinan Tourism and Trade Expo, dubbed as “Aliguas ed Turismo tan Ekonomiya”, at the GSP grounds, will serve as an economic booster as “best products” of every town and city of the province will be showcased, according to Morden.
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THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) revealed that neap tide caused the sudden decrease in the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) of the water in the Caquiputan Channel between the towns of Bolinao and Anda, and is now threatening millions of pesos worth of bangus in captivity.

Westly Rosario, chief of the BFAR’s National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center in Dagupan City, said the neap tide, brought

about by the changing face of the moon and marked by slow or non-tidal flow of the water,  was detected since Tuesday  prompting him to alert fish cage and pen owners  in the area.
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miSmatch in equipment noted

THE city council commended the Dagupan Fire Station and various volunteer fire fighting brigades for their timely response to the fire that broke out on the night of April 7 on Rivera Street.

That was the good part. The bad news is that the firefighters found out for themselves too late that the specifications of their acquired hoses do not match those of the installed fire hydrants.

So while the city fire station led by Fire Chief Inspector Romualdo Mina, city fire marshal, and the fire fighting brigades of Panda, USATV and Star Plaza, were quick to respond to the fire, they were not able to refill their tanks from nearby fire hydrants quickly, resulting in the delay in putting out the fire.
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