By LIWAY M. YPARRAGUIRRE

VICTORIANO Bugarin is 65 years old; Aida Mislang, 51. Both are from barangay Coayan Quiling, San Carlos City.

Aida, widowed six year ago, has one child. Victoriano is a bachelor.

The story I heard was that the two were former sweethearts and Victoriano started courting Aida again after her husband died.

Finally, they became husband and wife last Thursday *March . Together with 540 couples who had been living together under one roof, they were married in a mass wedding officiated by City Mayor Julian Resuello. The event was held at the city gym.

Standing as godfather to the couples was Vice Mayor Julier “Ayoy” Resuello while Rachel “Baby” Arenas was the common “ninang”.

Mayor Resuello said they expected only around 300 plus couples joining the mass wedding, but the number swelled to 540. “Pasensya na po sa mga hindi makakuha ng packed lunch,” the mayor said.

We saw happy faces, young and old. Everything was orderly, from the distribution of the packed lunch (exclusively for the couples, they silently ate at their respective chairs), to the picture taking with Ayoy and Rachel together with some of the local officials.

Not everyone participated in the picture-taking, but many of them patiently waited for their turn with City Information Officer Guido Tiong “manning the traffic” so to speak.

Kudos to our fellow kiwanian Ma. Luisa Novilla, San Carlos City population officer whose office was in-charge of the special event.

Minutes after the ceremony, three more couples got married at city hall. Better late than, well, never.
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Here’s the latest on the Pangasinan PNP personnel movements: Supt. John Colinio succeeded Supt. Policarpio Cayabyab Jr. as Calasiao police chief. Supt. Jimili Macaraeg assumed as Urdaneta Police chief last March 2 (Friday), taking over the rein from Supt. Paquito Navarette.

Chief Inspector Edwin Balles succeeded Supt. Rudolph Dimas at the Binmaley Police Station. Dimas is the new Special Operations Group (SOG) boss. On the otherhand, Supt. Roger Danoli is the new police chief of Alaminos City after Supt. Tito Dacpano was designated Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) Police Community Relations and Information officer.
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QUOTABLE QUOTES. Philanthropist and socialite Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas, mother of third district congressional aspirant Rachel Arenas of Malasiqui: “My role here is Pinoy Big Mother because Rachel is the Pinoy Big Sister. I don’t want to fight anybody, we are peacemakers. I am the guardian angel of people in trouble in Pangasinan”
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Urdaneta City Vice Mayor Charizzma Chu Carancho on his father’s being linked to the killing of the son of Councilor Parayno: “Kung hindi puwede ang salita, ang galaw na ang makakapagsabi na hindi talaga si papa ang gumawa noon, I pray to God na bulungan niya yong pamilya na hindi si papa ang gumawa nong ibinibintang nila. God is very powerful at siya ang makakapagsabi sa kanila that we are innocent