Takes criticisms in stride; bares solid scores vs. crime

LINGAYEN – “A challenge for us to perform much better this year.”

Thus did Sr. Supt. Alan LM Purisima, provincial police director, welcome criticisms leveled against the Pangasinan police command in the past two weeks for a supposed below par performance last year.

Vice Gov. Oscar B. Lambino particularly scored the provincial police for failing to come up to expectations in the fight against criminality as he noted the rise in criminal incidents specifically robbery hold-up and cattle rustling.

He was quoted by local media as expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of the police. He might have referred generally to the police force in the province but local media commentators said he could also be directly addressing his concern to Purisima, whose earlier silence and unavailability for media interviews earned criticisms both from the governor’s office and the media.

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FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. will lead national and local officials during the launching of a roving World War II exhibit in time for the 61st Lingayen Gulf Landing commemoration in Dagupan City on January 14 this year.

Dubbed as “The War of Our Fathers…A Tribute to the Filipino Freedom Fighters,” the exhibit under the auspices of the Philippine Veterans Bank will be shown in 10 major cities of the country to coincide with the anniversaries of significant events of World War II.

The week-long exhibit will be formally opened on January 13 this year at 4 p.m. at the Edades Hall (City Museum) to be capped by a cocktail reception hosted by the PVB in partnership with the city government of Dagupan under Mayor Benjamin S. Lim and the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP).

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VIGAN CITY – Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson became the first government official in Northern Luzon to sound out his personal objection to the “no election” proposal of the Constitutional Commission.

Singson, chairman of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, is not only against the “no election” proposal but also against the shift from presidential to parliamentary form of government.

Saying the two proposals are “undemocratic”, Singson believed that both will deprive the people of their right to elect their leaders.

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LINGAYEN – The “Grand Old Man of Pangasinan,” the late Gov. Aguedo F. Agbayani, was honored by the provincial board by naming the Capitol grounds here fronting the Capitol building as Aguedo F. Agbayani Park.

The provincial board approved a provincial ordinance jointly authored by Board Members Von Mark Mendoza and Angel Baniqued after due consultation with the Philippine Historical Insitute.

Citing the late governor’s “shining aegis for his virtue as a family man and his brilliance and intelligence as a lawyer and a solon”, the resolution sponsors described the former governor as “one of the outstanding and prudent leaders the province ever had.”

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ALARMED by increasing incidents of drowning at Bonuan Blue beach here, Tondaligan Park authorities urged visitors to observe all safety measures while swimming to prevent incidents of drowning in the area

Dino Zabala, administrator of the Tondaligan park covering the beach, said most of those drowning in the beach were usually intoxicated or took a dip in the water just after eating.

He said for year 2005, 19 persons already drowned at the beach, eight of them last December alone.

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LINGAYEN – Governor Victor E. Agbayani expressed optimism that the goodwill visit to Pangasinan of Hawai’i officials led by Governor Linda Lingle on January 9 will open new development opportunities and areas of cooperation between the province and the State of Hawaii.

Agbayani said that Hawaii and Pangasinan share many similarities in terms of natural wealth and tourist attractions, culture and tradition as well as trade and commerce.

The governor is optimistic that new avenues of cooperation could be explored, particularly in the field of education, health, information technology, cultural exchanges, tourism and even investments.

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LINGAYEN – Gov. Victor E. Agbayani will deliver his report to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or the State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Thursday, January 12, at the SP session hall at 8 a.m.

Department heads and employees from various offices of the provincial government, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members led by Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino, officials and staff of various line agencies and barangay workers are also expected to flock to Urduja to take part in the traditional Thanksgiving Mass and courtesy call which will follow the SOPA at 9 a.m.

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VILLASIS – This town will hold a unique “Talong” festival on Jan. 11 to seek world recognition for the lowly eggplant, one of the main vegetables that go into the cooking pot when preparing the famous Ilocano dish “pinakbet”, incidentally the chief farm product of the town.

Mayor Nonato Abrenica said main feature of the “Talong” festival is the holding of the “Talong” grill event over more than a kilometer distance of the Mac Arthur highway that seeks to establish a record in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Villasenians hope to rival the “Bangus” grill event in Dagupan City held in May last year whose entry into the world record book is still uncertain to date.

Villasis is a town in eastern Pangasinan whose majority of people trace their roots in Ilocos Sur and Norte, and La Union, and who are Ilocanos in spirit, character, taste and are highly distinguished from the rest of Filipinos for being too “thrifty.”

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IS DAGUPAN City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim ready to reconcile with President Macapagal-Arroyo?

Many posed this query in the wake of the recent meeting between the two over lunch at the favorite seafoods restaurant of the President here some two weeks ago where she and her family dropped by on their way to Baguio City.

Administration local officials were gladdened by the development as they noted the parting of ways by the mayor and the President when the former joined the call for her to step down in the wake of the “Hello, Garci” scandal.

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SAYAN INDIO
Mario F. Karateka

TAON na Aso so 2006, onong ed kalendaryo Intsik. Agko amta no anto so talagan pakatonongan na saray agagi tayon Intsik ed satan balet ed dilin kanonotan ko say aso et mangetket, mangibangal, mangiwanet-wanet (a singa bilang no ketket toy lupot o antokaman ditan) tan mandangol.

Et no susto tan ya pakatalos kod aso, say taon Dos Mil Sais (2006) sirin et taon ya nepeg pan-alwaran. Sayamay taon ya no apasnokan o asanokan so too et nayarin ombawi, onketket. Nayarin amo-amoen so aso, tapik-tapiken ed ulo tan uto-utoen ya manokdok na pokel ya imbasibas ed arawi tan ipawil tod sikan manwasiwas, manikiwit so ikol to ed liket.

Balet, sakitan mo, sipaen mo itan ya ayep et onsingal, tan biglan onatake. Say labay kon ibabaga, walay natural ya inka-maamo na aso tan wala met so natural ya inka-burangen to – no apasakitan mo.

Kanian diad sayan taon, no mananisia kayod saray kostumbre tan pananisia daray Intsik (dakel ed sikatayo et walan-walay dalan Intsik, anggaman andeket o asireg so baog tayo aliwan singa saray Intsik ya porselana) alwaran ya agkayo makapasakit. Agkayo mamapaonong ed kapara tan lalod amin, agkayo manasaol ed siopakaman a pinalsa. Ta ompan naani, mankelaw kayo ta akin walay sugat na bik-king yo amta manaya imbangal da kayola.

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