From the Saltbeds by Restituto C. Basa 

THIS year, circa 2006, Lingayen bids to become a city. Rep. Amado Tutaan Espino, Jr. will sponsor the city charter in Congress. If there is any Lingayen leader who deserved to become first city mayor, it is Ernesto ‘Jonas’ Castaneda, Jr.

He and his wife, Josefina, has been ruling Lingayen from 1992 to the present (2006). Josefina was mayor from 2001-2004.

What have the husband and wife team done to deserve their continuous hold of power?

Jonas came to power as mayor in 1992. When he first assumed power as mayor, Lingayen was a fourth class municipality. By circa 2000, during his third term in office, Lingayen attained first class town status.

In circa 2005, the annual income of Lingayen rose to P165,251,758.48.

Under the Castaneda administratiion, Lingayen experienced steady growtn.

Today, Lingayen deserves to become a city. Credit for this belongs to the Castaneda husband-and-wife team.

Of course the Sangguniang Bayan, which gave wholehearted support to Mayor Castaneda, shares the credit for all this.

When Jonas came to power in 1992, Lingayen, despite its being the capital town, was sluggish. It was a sleepy town. Today, the town is highly urbanized. It truly deserves to become a city.

It has been transformed into a commercial center.

Jonas and Lingayen grew up together.

He started his political career at the bottom and gradually climbed up to the top.

He began his political career in 1972-1982 as barangay captain of Maniboc; rose to the position of municipal councilor (1982-1987), then vice mayor (1986-1992) and finally mayor from 1992 to the present.

There is a saying in our dialect: “Say unas, no masamit - masamit manlapu ed sengeg anggad ngoro.”

That, undoubtedly, is how his constituents have adjudged his rule as town mayor.

So now Lingayen is restless to become a city with Jonas as its first city mayor.

Lingayen and Jonas deserves each other.

For his success as a pubic administrator, Jonas deserves an honorary degree in public administration. Pangasinan State University should take the honor of awarding this to him.

He holds a degree in business administration from the University of the East.