By LIWAY M. YPARRAGUIRRE

“BE like the ants, save for the rainy days,” “Mag-impok sa banko.”

Still familiar with these phrases?

Monday this week (July 16), the Police Regional Office 1 (PRO-1) together with the Kiwanis Club of Dagupeña, Metro Dagupan launches PRO-1’s advocacy on the culture of saving. Piggy banks were distributed to some school children to drumbeat the campaign.

We could only give so much number of piggy banks, but the main objective is to inculcate in the young minds of the children (adults included) the importance of saving. If we’ve forgotten this practice, then it’s time to start again.

Venue of the launching and distribution of piggy banks to school children is (Dagupan City’s) West Central Elementary School seminar/training room.

The launching coincides with the holding of PRO-1’s Talakayan Sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP). Panelists are Gen. Leopoldo Bataoil (PRO-1 director), Pangasinan Police Provincial Director Isagani Nerez, and Dagupan City Police Chief Edgar Basbas. Anchors are Joseph Bacani and Violy Ferrer.
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I became very interested for Kiwanis Club of Dagupeña to be part of this very noble campaign the first time I heard Gen. Bataoil mention in his speech this advocacy on the culture of saving.

And it suits Kiwanis well as the organization’s thrust is ‘Serving the Children of the World,” ‘one child, one community at a time.’

Gen. Bataoil is passionate about this campaign.

Why teach the children to save? Start them young, so they say. This is one way of educating them about the value of money; for them to have something to use in case their parents don’t have immediate cash for their project; to keep them away from gambling (tatsing, text card, cara y cruz and the like); to keep them away from drugs and others.

We hope to influence a lot of people, young and adult, through this simple but noble project.
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Binmaley Mayor Sammy Rosario said his campaign against fish pens and cages at the town’s rivers is a continuing program to keep their rivers clean.

“Ang dapat makinabang sa mga ilog natin ay ang mga mahihirap, hindi ang mga mayayaman,” he remarked.

With no fish pens and cages occupying (and polluting) tbe rivers, Mayor Rosario said the small or marginal fishermen are benefiting most because they now catch more and different kinds of fishes that they can sell to earn more for their families.

Rosario said he will arrange a meeting with Dagupan City Mayor Al Fernandez and Lingayen Mayor Jonas Castañeda for them to discuss ways to protect the rivers to prevent occurrence of fish kill.

On his second term, these are the projects he expect to complete at the town proper: completion of the Binmaley Astrodome, the municipal building annex, the Rizal park, the commercial building along Plaza Rizal, the common parking area in front of the Binmaley Astrodome, conversion of the town’s infirmary into a lying-in clinic, completion of stalls along Burgos Street, construction of motorpool with warehouse building at the back of the municipal building, and widening of road along Plaza Rizal infrong of the infirmary.