WINNING ARTISTS–Councilor Farah Decano (extreme left), chair of the Visual Arts Festival for the 2008 Bangus Festival, with winners in the canvass, base and T-shirt category painting competitions held at the Atrium of the CSI The City Mall in Lucao. (Punchphotoby Willy Lomibao)

NEW DEBUTANTE -Charisse Lim Maravilla (3rd from left), younger of two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Giles and Estrella Lim Maravilla, was honored at a dinner dance on the occasion of her 18th birthday on April 19. She is a granddaughter of the late Amparo Lim of Herrero St. Flanking her are her parents and her sister Christine, currently Ms. Dagupan City of the Dagupan City Association of Southern California. (Contributed by Ricardo Catubig)

A group of Pangasinan visual artists are set to present an art exhibit cum prose-poetry reading in Urdaneta City on April 28.

The event, “Spirit of Urduja”, is aimed at promoting the Pangasinan culture and dialect and will be sponsored by the Urduja Culture and Arts Society.  This will be held at the Lisland Rainforest Resort & Resto in Urdaneta.

The prose and poetry reading by the Artista Sining bIswal ng pangasinaN (ASIN) will be done during dinner.

BEST STREET DANCERS– Barangay Mangin’s street dancers do their interpretation of “Gilon-Gilon” which won for them the top prize of P80,000 and a special prize of P20,000 for “best in choreography”. The Mangin dancers will represent Dagupan in the ‘Festivals of the North’ street dancing competition on April 26, pitting all street dancing champions in Northern Luzon. (Punchphoto by Willie Lomibao)

BANGUS FESTIVAL’S PRETTIEST—Ruth Marie Suarez of Lasip Chico (middle) is queen of the Dagupan Bangus Festival 2008. She is flanked by (from left) Pogo Grande’s Ayra Marisse Chua, 4th runner-up; Pogo Chico’s Allanah Cuison, 2nd runner-up; Lucao’s Lyka Mae Banaag, lst runner-up; and Tapuac’s Ma.Angela Carretera, 3rd runner-up. (Photo by W.Lomibao)

PANGASINAN BEAUTIES AND BRAINS—The 20 semi-finalists for the Limgas na Pangasinan give their best pose and smiles to photographers when they were presented to the media last week at the Hotel Consuelo in Lingayen. Physical beauty and intellect will get equal weight during the judging on coronation night on May 1, the celebration of the Pista’y Dayat. (Punchphoto by Cesar S. Ramirez)

DAGUPAN’S KAPAMILYA—ABS-CBN Channel 32 and Kapamilya stars Jayson Abalos and Erich Gonzales, TV Patrol News Anchor Criz Zuñiga, MOR Dagupan deejays Guk and Mag, hosts of ‘TV Natin ‘to’ join the Gilon-Gilon Street Dance and Parade during the opening of the Bangus Festival 2008 opening.

FOR the first time, a Pangasinense will lead the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), the organization of councilors nationwide with more than 16,000 members.

Dagupan City Councilor Michael Fernandez, elected during the PCL’s recent 7th National Congress in Manila, is also the youngest to hold the position.

NEW PCL CHAIR—Dagupan City Councilor Michael Fernandez,
newly-elected national chairman of the Philippine Councilors
League (PCL), chats with local media last Tuesday sharing
his elation over his recent election. He is the first Pangasinense
to head the prestigious national organization.
(Punchphoto by Cesar S. Ramirez)

Fernandez, nephew of Dagupan City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr., said he is elated by the trust given him by his fellow councilors and vowed to introduce programs and projects that will improve their capabilities as public servants.
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JCI Dagupan Inc. recently hailed two Dagupan City councilors “for distinguishing themselves with their unprecedented elections” as heads of their respective national legislators’ leagues.

Businessman Alvin Coquia, past president of JCI Dagupan Inc., said the twin feats of Councilors Michael Fernandez and Farah Marie Decano, national chairman of the Philippine Councilors League and national president of Lady Local Legislators League (4L), respectively, are solid proofs of the unique qualities possessed by the young leaders.

Fernandez and Decano earned the highest number of votes in separate elections by local legislators all over the country.
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