LINGAYEN – Hawai’i Gov. Linda Lingle will visit Pangasinan on Jan. 9 as part of 2006 Hawai’i- Philippine Centennial Mission that will also take her and her delegation to the Ilocos provinces.

Gov. Victor Agbayani will lead Pangasinan officials in welcoming Lingle and other Hawaiian officials at the Pangasinan provincial capitol.

The 2006 Hawai’i- Philippine Centennial Mission, which runs from Jan. 3-10, 2006, consists of 178 delegates representing all six Hawaiian Islands.

Agbayani expressed optimism that the visit of the Hawaiian governor and party would open new development opportunities and areas of cooperation between Pangasinan and the State of Hawaii in the United States.

Maria Luisa Elduayan, provincial tourism officer, said Lingle and other guests will be treated to a dinner reception dubbed as “Fiesta Pangasinense” at the Urduja House Garden here.

In visiting Pangasinan, Lingle will tag along Filipino-American pop singer Jasmine Trias, a finalist in the U.S. television program “Search for American Idol”.

Miss Trias will perform with the University of Luzon Theatre and Dance Troupe and the famous Heart and Soul String Quartet.

Agbayani expressed elation about the goodwill visit of the highest Hawaiian official and her party. He revealed that Hawaii and Pangasinan share many similarities in terms of natural wealth and tourist attractions, culture and tradition as well as trade and commerce.

Highlighting the visit is the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Agbayani and that would launch a nursing exchange program between Kapi`olani Community College and Virgen Milagrosa University to advance cooperative Hawai`i – Philippines nursing education initiatives.

Agbayani said that Gov. Lingle’s goodwill visit to the province is an offshoot of previous trips to Pangasinan of several Hawaiian officials, notably Rep. Dennis Arakaki.

BAUANG, La Union — Nine persons, all of them from San Carlos City, were killed when a speeding trailer truck slammed into the much smaller Isuzu elf truck they were riding on the national highway in barangay Urayong here at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Three others were seriously injured and were rushed to the Ilocos Regional Training Hospital and Medical Center in San Fernando City.

The fatalities were identified as Alvin Prado, 13; his brothers Wilbert, 23; and Isagani, 25; and their mother Nida, 44; Michael James Prado, 7;  Lester Joy Prado, 13; Dexter Lopez, Lito Espiritu, 43, all of barangay Tandoc, San Carlos City, Pangasinan ; and Danilo Bandong, driver of the Isuzu elf, of Bolingit, San Carlos City.

All died on the spot.

Those injured were Joey Prado, 16; and Noemi Prado, also occupants of the ill-fated Isuzu elf; and Roberto Lazo, driver of the trailer truck, of barangay Balbalungao, Lupao, Nueva Ecija.

PO2 Jun Nisperos of the Bauang Police Station said the trailer truck driver lost control of the wheels when one of his front tires burst, sending his truck swerving to the left and slamming into the oncoming Isuzu elf truck.

The impact sent the Isuzu elf to crash into a tamarind tree while the trailer truck also crashed into a residential house near the roadside owned by one Ruben Ubando.

Fortunately, no one else was hurt. Both vehicles and the house were in complete wreck.