By Danny O Sagun

A total of 65 aspirants yesterday trooped to the provincial election office here to file their respective certificates of candidacy for local positions, from governor down to provincial board member.

Incumbent Gov.Amado T. Espino, Jr. will seek re-election under the administration Lakas-Kampi party against second district Congressman Victor E. Agbayani, whose wife, Jamie, lost to Espino in the last elections.  Jamie is seeking to succeed her husband as representative. Read the rest of this entry »

WHILE Lakas-Kampi-CMD will slug it out with the Liberal Party in the provincial election in Pangasinan, it looks like the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) that tied up with the local party, Biskeg na Pangasinan, will steal the show in the congressional fights.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD headed by reelectionist Governor Amado Espino Jr. and his runningmate Mapandan Mayor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim has congressional candidates in all districts except in the fifth district.

The congressional candidates of Lakas-Kampi-CMD are former Bolinao Mayor Jesus Celeste in the first district, Board Member Nestor Reyes in the second district, Rep. Rachel Arenas in the third district; Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Eleazar Quinto in the fourth district; and Presidential Management Staff Secretary Hermogenes Esperon in the sixth district.
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THE government’s plans to rehabilitate areas in Luzon hit hard by the recent typhoons is focused on expediting reconstruction and aiding economic recovery.

This was according to the nation’s economic managers who met members of the local business community at Lenox Hotel in Dagupan City on Thursday, their first stop in  a nationwide roadshow.

Finance Secretary Gary B. Teves, chairman of the Special National Public Reconstruction Commission, said they are focusing on the rebuilding of physical infrastructure, enhancing access to social services, such as medical care and education, and helping SMEs (small medium enterprises), the backbone of local economies, get back on their feet. Read the rest of this entry »

SAN CARLOS CITY –A formidable alliance has been formed between the Soriano and Tulagan camps here to capture the third district congressional seat now occupied by Rep. Rachel Arenas, daughter of socialite Rosemarie ‘Baby’ Arenas, and City hall from the rulling Resuellos.

This was seen with the filing last Saturday of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for congressman by lawyer Gallant Soriano of the prominent Soriano clan and Generoso ‘Gener” Tulagan, Sr , patriarch of the Tulagan family. for city mayor of San Carlos.

The alliance is said to consolidate the voting muscle of the city for a native son and not divide it as what happened in the 2007 congressional race when both Gallant and Tulagan’s son ran for congressman. Read the rest of this entry »

EMBATTLED Undersecretary Antonio ‘Bebot” Villar  of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) found quick and unequivocal support and solace from his kabaleyans at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in his unending battle against big-time smugglers and their allies who are believed to be behind the latest strings of cases filed against  him.

The SP members rose as one anew in passing Monday a resolution defending Villar and the PASG against recent criticisms and charges before the House of Representatives and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The cases have seemingly hit home this time as the PASG had been immobilized temporarily thru a court order. Villar however vowed he and his group will resume their operations just as soon as the court order is lifted. Read the rest of this entry »

PRESIDENTIAL Management Staff chief Hermogenes Esperon hailed the first concrete step in the building of  re-regulating pond just downstream of the  San Roque dam  which is the groundbreaking for the project but issued a cautioning word that ‘it could become “just a big swimming pool”  if  government does not provide the needed annual budget for lateral canals in irrigable areas in the  next four years

Esperon said even if the re-regulating pond would be in place, it will remain just a big swimming pool if the needed lateral canals leading to the rice-producing areas would not be in place.
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THOUSANDS of Pangasinan farmers witnessed the lowering of the time capsule signaling the start of construction of the P196 million Modern Rice Processing Complex at the provincial nursery compound in barangay Tebag, Sta. Barbara   .

The ground breaking ceremony was attended by the Korean government thru the Korea International Cooperating Agency (KOICA) resident Kim In, together with Secretary Arthur Yap of the Department of Agriculture and provincial government officials led by Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. They signed the memorandum of agreement which contains the responsibilities of the signatories for the project.

The state-of-the-art post harvest facilities will serve as a one-stop shop for milling, drying and storing, thus, helping reduce post-harvest losses. It will also enhance higher production and increase the income of farmers.  Read the rest of this entry »

 
SAN MANUEL  — Finally, the long dream of farmers in Pangasinan for greater economic prosperity has come closer to being realized with the groundbreaking on Thursday of the much-anticipated multi-billion peso irrigation component of the San Roque Multi-Purpose Dam Project (SRMDP).

The project, initially costing P4.5 billion financed by a loan secured by the government from China’s Import and Expor Bank, is a giant re-regulating pond just below SRMDP, capable of impounding five million cubic meters of water at one time.

The structure will catch all the water being discharged by the high dam while in the process of generating power, estimated at 411 megawatts, instead of just flowing downstream of the Agno River before emptying into Lingayen Gulf. Read the rest of this entry »

By Leonardo V. Micua

SAN MANUEL  — The province of Pangasinan will always be under the threat of flood every rainy season unless the government provides stronger dikes downstream of the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town.

This was according to officials of the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC) and the National Power Corporation (NPC) who, on Monday, briefed officials of Dagupan City who wanted to be assured that no more big flood like what happened last October could occur again.

To recall, the government launched a few years back the three-phase multi-billion peso Agno and Allied Rivers Urgent Rehabilitation Project (AARURP) but only Phases I and II are still in place. Read the rest of this entry »

OPPOSITION Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday declared that it is not time for him to run for the presidency but vowed at the same time that he would continue his fight for good governance.

“Napagpasyahan ko, na hindi tumakbo bilang pangulo sa darating na halalan. Napagpasyahan ko na hindi man bilang kandidato, ako’y may papel na pwedeng gampanan bilang Pilipino at ordinaryong botante sa panahong ito,” the 40-year old lawmaker said in a speech at Club Filipino.

“Napagpasyahan ko na hindi lang ngayon ang panahon para matupad ang pinanghahawakan kong pangarap at layunin kong panguluhan nang hindi nakatali. Patuloy kang panghahawakan ang pangarap at pangakong iyan. Hindi man ngayon kundi sa darating na panahon,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »