By LIWAY M. YPARRAGUIRRE

LUCKY for us Pangasinenses many good Samaritans are coming in to provide free medical services.

Last week, Philippine American Medical Association of Georgia, USA (PAMAG) conducted a four-day medical mission at the Dagupan City Astrodome. They provided medical, dental, surgical and other services to more than 2,500 patients from Dagupan City and other towns.

The Medical Mission of Oklahoma for Mental Health composed of Fil-Am doctors came next providing free check-ups and medicines on February 6 and 7 at the Philippine Mental Health Association located on Arellano-Bani in Dagupan City.

From February 3 to 10, there was the Philippine American Group of Educators and Surgeons (PAGES) based in New Jersey, California USA, virtually hitting three birds with one stone, so to speak, on their first-ever visit and humanitarian mission here.
They conducted free medical and surgical missions. Surgeons conducted cleft lift and palate and hare lip operations to children and young adults.
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In the third district, retired police officer Gen. Reynaldo Velasco hosted in Malasiqui the ‘Victorey Medical-Dental Mission’ last Sunday (February 11), in cooperation with the Malasiqui Catholic High School (MCHS) which is celebrating its 44th founding anniversary.

The theme of the medical-dental mission was “We only dress the wounds. God does the healing.”

The 50 doctors and nurses, led by Dr. Aileen Garrido, came from the United Doctors Medical Center (UDMC) in Quezon City. They were welcomed by MCHS Director Fr. Reynaldo V. Romero who thanked Velasco and the UDMC medical-dental team for coming to Malasiqui to extend assistance to the less privileged residents.

The Victorey Medical-Dental Mission was the second outing in the third district. The first time was n Sta. Barbara town.

The mission, said Velasco in a press statement, was a pre-Valentine gift to the people of Malasiqu.
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The Mouse House Internet Café located on Burgos Street Extension, Dagupan City is celebrating its 10th year anniversary with a string of activities dubbed “10 years, 10 products, 10 artists, 10 artworks in 10 days”.

Ed Sevilleja, owner/manager said there is an ongoing visual arts exhibit, a collaboration of the Mouse House’s in-house artists, namely, Ellen Sevilleja, Marites Franciso, Myra Mamanta and Ariel Gacutan, with six artists from Dagupan Artists’ Circle (DAC) of which he is a member.

The artists are Patrick “kinigtot” Bacolor, DAC president, Anthony Tañedo, Boni de Guzman, Jojit Solano, Patrick Hernandez, Edmund Calimlim.
The exhibit was launched on Feb. 8.

Ed said they opened their business in 1997 with just four units of computer for internet service rental.

Did he foresee what his business would be? Ed said no. They simply took the risk. Realizing they will go nowhere with just an internet and gaming business, they diversified in products.

“Since I myself am a graphics designer, we tried to diversity to desktop publishing and graphics design. We would like to believe that we are the leader in such kind of business in the sense that we take pride with our equipment. We invested in machines that were unheard of before in Dagupan and in the province like colored Xerox/photocopy and laser printing. We were the first. It was a big gamble as we thought we had no market. We just bought a very expensive machine without any study.”

This internet café is also the regular venue of the exhibits of the Dagupan Artists’ Circle as they have no permanent venue or permanent home.

Congratulations! It’s really nice hearing success stories especially by entrepreneurs.