ANA LOUISE J. VELASCO,  RN

I ONCE met a young couple who incidentally joined a mass wedding initiated by the City Population Office of Dagupan.

Mina, not her real name, met a young man from Villasis through text messaging. After a week of exchanging messages through SMS, the couple decided to meet here in Dagupan to go on a date.

Another rendezvous followed and soon Mina found herself already heavy with a child. Mina’s parents were aghast. They wanted the couple to be married at once. And so, young as they may be, Mina and her husband went through the wedding rituals and tied the knot. Read the rest of this entry »

“WE were only asking.”

Provincial Administrator Raffy Baraan stressed this point when asked if the release of a video footage of fishponds at Hundred Islands was a demolition job against Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza.

Indeed, no one from the provincial government –provincial  info officer Butch Velasco and Task Force Kalikasan deputy chief Tommy Cabigas – directly accused Braganza when the footage was shown during the KBP Forum last Thursday. But the fact that the famous tourist destination is being operated by the city government, it is but natural that the blame would likely fall on the entity in charge in case irregularities arise. Read the rest of this entry »

THE report issued by the provincial government to the media last Thursday over the alleged illegal fishpond structures built in the outermost part of the Hundred Islands has been described as “irresponsible” and “exaggerated” by Alaminos Mayor Hernani Braganza.

Braganza said officials of the provincial government behind the supposed “expose”, “if they were diligent in their work, should have learned that the fishpond structures were built some 20 years ago, and that it had already been the subject of controversy then, and that, now, it is still being resolved by the Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board (DARAB).

He said Governor Espino must be familiar with the issue as well because he was the provincial commander of the police around the time the issue of the titling was first raised. Read the rest of this entry »

Mayor Braganza explains city’s hands

tied by legal issue behind  awarding

By ORLY GUIRAO

ALAMINOS CITY – The world renowned Hundred Islands National Park, centerpiece of Pangasinan’s tourism industry, is now fast turning into a vast sanctuary for fishpond production.

Several clusters of islands on the national park’s southeastern portion have been closed for tourism after earthdikes and coral stones were constructed to interconnect the islands, thus forming big lagoons in-between and made as fishponds by big-time businessmen and influential entrepreneurs. Read the rest of this entry »

THE city budget office has proposed the allocation of P568 million as Dagupan’s budget for 2011 to guarantee good and responsive governance particularly in the delivery of basic services as mandated by the Local Government Code.

City Treasurer Romelita B. Alcantara said the estimated total resources for the budget year will reach P568 million. Some P283,131,901 or 50% of this will be derived from Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).”

“From a high  revenue share of around 70% to 75% a few years ago, we have broken almost the 50% barrier, a result of our firm resolve to gradually break free from our heavy dependence on the IRA share for our budget,” Alcantara said. Read the rest of this entry »

THE Philippine Atmospheric Geo-physical Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) admitted its difficulty in translating into layman’s terms some of the technical jargons in weather forecasting but is doing something to make these terms easily understood by the end-users.

Venus Valdemoro, officer-in-charge of PAGASA’s Public Information Unit, said their agency has tapped the help of the National Language Commission to translate some of the terminologies into terms that are easily understood by the public. Read the rest of this entry »

“MORE fishpen owners are now voluntarily dismantling their structures along our river system compared to the first month when we started our campaign against all illegal structures in the rivers.”

These were the words of City Agriculturist Emma Molina on the on-going demolition of all illegal structures in the rivers after a week’s lull of operation because of typhoon “Juan.”

“Generally, nakita natin na kahit meron tayong mga losses sa nakaraang bagyo, hindi na ganun kalaki yung pinsala sa ating mga fishpen operators kasi marami na yung mga nagtanggal at nag-demolish sa mas malaking ilog natin, yung Pantal river,” Molina reported. “ Read the rest of this entry »

LINGAYEN- A top police official in Pangasinan has reminded local chiefs of police that the one-strike policy on jueteng is still in effect and warned them of the bad consequence should they be found to have relaxed their guard over the menace.

The reminder came from Superintendent Harris Fama, deputy police provincial director for operations, due to reports that guerrilla style of jueteng has surfaced in several areas, like Asingan and San Carlos City.

Fama said there is a standing order from Senior Superintendent Rosueto Ricaforte, police provincial director, that guerrilla or not, jueteng must be stopped, otherwise the chief of police will suffer from the one-strike policy. Read the rest of this entry »

LINGAYEN  - Governor Amado Espino Jr. wants a budget of P1.8 billion for the province of Pangasinan for calendar year 2011.

This was gleaned in the budget proposal submitted by the Office of the Governor to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Friday.

Board Member Von Mark Mendoza estimated that the budget proposal for next year increased by roughly six to eight per cent from this year’s.

Mendoza said that of the amount, P519 million will go to the development fund, P91 million for the calamity fund; P928 million to fund current operating expenditures; and P928 million for non-office obligation. Read the rest of this entry »

THE City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) in its   post-disaster assessment of typhoon Juan’s impact, underlined more needs and priorities for immediate emergency measures to save and sustain lives, beefing up of the resources and the possibilities for facilitating  longer-term recovery and development.

Presided by City Administrator Vladimir Mata, the meeting was attended by the technical working staff of the former City Disaster Coordinating Council, the different line agencies which include the Dagupan Electric Corporation, the City Engineering Office, Public Order and Safety Office, Dagupan City Social Welfare and Development Office, City Health Office, Read the rest of this entry »