ROSALES—Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has tagged Pangasinan as one big sleeping giant in agriculture.

Yap, speaking during the opening of an eight-day Agricultural Exposition 2008 in barangay Carmen East, Rosales, said although Pangasinan is the biggest province in Region 1, it lags far behind in the production of rice, corn and vegetables over the years.

Pangasinan is not only the biggest province in the Ilocos Region but is also the biggest in the entire country and yet it is not producing much in rice, corn and vegetables unlike other provinces, Yap noted. Read more

IN late August last year, Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr., then still House Speaker, for the firs time ever in his long political career asked the provincial force of the Philippine National Police to put a stop to jueteng, that illegal numbers game that has plagued Philippine society even longer than the congressman’s term in public service

At the inauguration of the new police station in San Jacinto, among the audience of De Venecia were top police officials: Chief Supt. Francisco Llamas representing then PNP Chief Director General Oscar Calderon, Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil, then Police Regional Director; and Senior Supt. Isagani Nerez then and still is serving as police provincial director. Read more

By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Arthur Yap has just hurled a challenge in the direction of Governor Amado T. Espino and the rest of our provincial officials and employees: Do your part in helping the Philippines stave off a looming world food crisis.

Yap, who traces some roots or affinity to Dagupan City (and sounds proud of it each time he mixes with local folks), said the food crisis in the world stage is real. And he ticks off figures showing that grains production in the country has been steadily declining even as consumption is growing.

Of course, Yap said, this is largely due to several inter-related factors bearing down on the farmers’ capacity to produce as much as they used to: increasing prices of oil, fertilizer and transportation, all serving to make life and production difficult for the farmer.
Read more

BY DANNY O. SAGUN

PANGASINAN - a sleeping giant?

Gov. Amado T. Espino must be hurting when agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap during his visit last week in Rosales referred to the province in such a negative light as far as agricultural production is concerned.

If we recall, political enemies of former Gov. Victor E. Agbayani were lambasting him and his father, the late Aguedo, for their alleged failure to turn this big populous province into a giant (minus the modifier “sleeping” of course) economically and politically. Read more

CONGRESSMAN Jose de Venecia Jr., of the fourth district of Pangasinan, has defended the Joint Seismic Marine Undertaking (JSMU) on the Spratlys among the Philippines, China and Vietnam signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the Philippines.

“The agreement was very good and I could praise President Arroyo for that, ”De Venecia said in a talk to newsmen shortly after groundbreaking rites on the proposed Capilla San Juan de Evangelista here.
Read more