STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan – The Department of Tourism commended the people of Sto. Tomas for their utmost display of unity and cooperation so that their beloved town would be placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The commendation was extended by DOT Regional Director Martin Valera when he graced Sto. Tomas’ Corn Festival on Sunday, top feature of which was the holding of a close to five-kilometer Corn Barbecue intended to break the existing two-kilometer record won by Hermocillo, Mexico last year.

Valera said the Corn Festival was a very good occasion for the people of Sto. Tomas to show their stride and expertise in agriculture, particularly in growing corn, incidentally the top product of the town after rice.

Congratulating the people of Sto. Tomas led by Mayor Vivien Villar for their outstanding feat, Valera said DOT is encouraging such festival to show the people of the world what really the Philippines is, especially Sto. Tomas.

He hailed the organizers of the Corn Festival for highlighting corn as number one product of the town, which is also a big promotional activity for the whole town of Sto. Tomas.

“Although this was only the first one, I hope this can be continued in the succeeding years so it can be established as an event to watch,” Valera said.

He told newsmen there are lots of towns in Pangasinan and in the region are holding festivals just to promote their native products, examples of which are Dagupan which has its Bangus Festival; Villasis is Talong Festival; Alaminos City, its Festival of the Hundred Islands; Anda its Binongey Festival; and Calasiao, its Puto Festival.

He admitted that all these festivals are putting the towns, cities and province in the map. (PNA)

STO. TOMAS, Pangasinan – The Department of Tourism commended the people of Sto. Tomas for their utmost display of unity and cooperation so that their beloved town would be placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The commendation was extended by DOT Regional Director Martin Valera when he graced Sto. Tomas’ Corn Festival on Sunday, top feature of which was the holding of a close to five-kilometer Corn Barbecue intended to break the existing two-kilometer record won by Hermocillo, Mexico last year.

Valera said the Corn Festival was a very good occasion for the people of Sto. Tomas to show their stride and expertise in agriculture, particularly in growing corn, incidentally the top product of the town after rice. Read more

DAGUPAN CITY – A grander and more exciting Bangus Festival awaits Bangus Festival visitors all over the world as traditional events blend with stirring new activities.

This was said by Bangus Festival executive chairman Brian Lim during the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association (Patrima), Inc. Kapihan on March 15 at Masarap Grill, Magic Club.

Since Bangus Festival is the trademark festivity of Dagupan and is awaited by many people worldwide, Lim said that Dagupeños and visitors alike deserve no less than a grand celebration even as he shelved speculations that the celebration will be tainted with political color.

Lim said that a Pigar-Pigar Festival and Street Party will be introduced as an additional attraction to the celebration and at the same time further promote the Pigar-Pigar industry in the city.

“We saw that Pigar-Pigar along Galvan is a robust business and we would like our visitors to also experience this Dagupeño delicacy,” Lim said. Read more

ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan – The 2007 Hundred Islands Global Homecoming’s “Araw ng Sining at Kultura” began at the Children’s Park with the opening of the Art Gallery featuring Pangasinense artists.

Col. Manuel A. Credo, 2007 City Fiesta Chairman welcomed artists and art patrons alike while Atty. Dolores Amor presented the masters who painted the posted art pieces in the Park.

City Mayor Hernani A. Braganza graced the occasion and delievered a brief message. And City Tourism Officer Miguel Sison gave the closing remarks signaling the start of Art Gallery Viewing.

Featured Pangasinense artists include the following: D.L.L. Amor, Laddie Sotelo-Andaya, Eddie D. Angeles, Herwin Buccat,Edmundo Calimlim Jr.,Mel Casipit,Corlito Cruz,Evalyn Doris Cruz, Ernest V. Elduayan, Lysander Ferrales, Cezca Fernandez, Patrick Fernandez, Bonifacio de Guzman Jr., Brian S. Herrero, Jimrey S. Herrero, Corlito Ignacio Jr., Abelardo Pol, Joeffrey Reyes, Julio Rioferio, Rodolfo del Rosario, Claro Sison, Robert Sison, Jojit Solano and Jeffrey Somera. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Preparations for the month-long celebration here of Pistay Dayat are now in full blast.

Governor Victor E. Agbayani has organized the Pistay Dayat Executive Committee and technical working group tasked to undertake preparations for this year’s celebration of Pangasinan’s grandest sea festival.

The weeklong celebration has for its theme: “Say Dayat Bilay” (The Sea as a Source of Life) stressing anew Gov. Agbayani’s thrust to save Lingayen Gulf from further degradation.

Provincial Administrator Virgilio Q. Solis, Jr., over all festival coordinator, said the executive committee has lined up colourful and meaningful activities for almost month long festivities which starts from April 9 with the opening of the Panangidayew Trade, Tourism, Food and Garden Fair or the “Baratillo sa Capitolyo” to culminate on May 1.

Solis said the sea festival’s usual  highlight, the pageant and coronation night for the Limgas na Dayat 2007 (Muse of the Sea), will be held on April 30 starting at 8:00 p.m. at the Capitol grounds.

Also, one of the major activities is the presentation of awards to the winners of the Search for the Cleanest Coastal Muncipality which has been on-going for several years now.

Pistay Dayat, aside from being occasion for thanksgiving for the bounties derived by the people from the sea, is also Pangasinan’s top crowd drawer during the summer months, enticing guests and visitors from all over the country and even some parts of the world.

The other major features include a tourism exhibit, beach sports tournaments, sand sculpting competition, kite-flying competition, coastal law enforcement forum, and Bali-Balin Pangasinan which is a cultural presentation of Pangasinan songs and dances. (Donna F. Domagas/PIO)  

MAPANDAN, Pangasinan - The town of Mapandan in central Pangasinan is seeking a place in the world map with the help of a tiny plant called ‘pandan’.

For four years now, under the administration of Mayor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, son of retired General Jose Calimlim, the town is holding the ‘Pandan Festival’, now one of the biggest crowd drawers in the province of Pangasinan.

Just last April 6, the people of Mapandan paid tribute to ‘pandan’  once more when they held ‘Hapag Pandan’ which featured many food preparations using the plant’s aromatic leaves for flavoring. Read more

By Restituto C. Basa 

COME May 1, the Pangasinan towns along the Lingayen Gulf will celebrate Pista’y Dayat, rather than Labor Day.  Pista’y Dayat started a simple fishermen’s thanksgiving mass along the beach in Barangay Pangapisan in Lingayen. The fisherfolk of Pangasinan held it every May 1, since ancient times. It is older than Labor Day.   In 1964, the governor of Pangasinan was Dr. Francisco Quimson Duque, Jr. The tourist trade was in its infancy. Governor Duque conceived the idea of making the Lingayen Gulf a tourist attraction.   He conceived the Pista’y Dayat. He based it on an ancient tradition of the fishermen of Pangapisan, Lingayen who held a thanksgiving mass at the beach every first day of May. 

I was a member of Governor Duque’s staff at the time. By that time, I had already several years experience as a newspaperman, although I held the position of Assistant Chief of Administration Division in the Office of the Governor. 

  Three months before the festival, we sent invitations to natives of Lingayen, who were residing in Metro Manila, Baguio and other parts of the country to visit their hometown on May 1 to join the first Pista’y Dayat. We publicized it in both the national and local media. 

  The response was very encouraging. They visited their old hometown by the families.   On May 1, 1964, the Lingayen beach was crowded with people. Every family brought its own food and had a picnic at the beach. The mood was festive. 

  There was a simple program which opened with a thanksgiving mass officiated by the parish priest of Lingayen. The town mayor delivered a welcome speech and the governor expressed joy for seeing old friends come to join the festival.   Mayor Liberato Ll Reyna of Dagupan City noticed the huge success of the Lingayen Pista’y Dayat. The following year, Dagupan also held its own version at the Bonuan beach. In the course of time, the other towns along the Lingayen Gulf joined the festival. 

  People from the landlocked provinces like Tarlac and Nueva Ecija now come by chartered buses to take a dip in the gulf.   What makes the sea so attractive to tourists is the belief that the salty water of the sea is medicinal. 

  Pista’y Dayat has become an established tradition.   Duque was governor from 1964 up to 1967. Before that, he was secretary of health for two years in the Diosdado Macapagal cabinet. He conceived of the Medicare to provide medical care to indigents. His son, Dr. Francisco Tiongson Duque III was appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as head of the Philippine Health Care Commission, formerly Medicare, and he is now holding the position of the Secretary of Health. 

   In Dagupan City, under Mayor Benjamin Saplan Lim, the Pista’y Dayat has become bangus festival. It promotes the native bangus industry, which is the backbone of the local economy.