DAGUPAN CITY - The city government of Dagupan has trimmed down its bloated bureaucracy as a prelude to the reorganization program and to generate savings of at least P1 million a month.

In his talk to media, City Administrator Raffy Baraan explained why Mayor Benjamin S. Lim ordered the termination of technical consultants and emergency workers effective at the close of office hours of August 31, 2006.

Baraan said that the reorganization plan is now on its final stage prior to its implementation even as he pointed out that the termination of emergency workers forms part of the whole reorganization process. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Preparations are underway for the upcoming 17th National Statistics Month Celebration this coming October, according to Board Member Dionisio ‘Saffe’ A. Villar, Jr.

BM Villar, this year’s NSM acting chairman, presided over the first meeting of the steering committee last Tuesday at the Lingayen Gulf Resort Hotel with various line agencies to come up with different activities to be undertaken for the month-long celebration.

To ensure the success of this year’s celebration, Gov. Victor E. Agbayani has thrown-out his all-out support to the different activities being lined up, Villar said. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Gov. Victor E. Agbayani is pushing for the inclusion of another flood control project covering the Sinocalan and Cayanga River Systems in the implementation of the North Luzon Agri-business Super Region.

In his letter to Presidential Management Staff Director General Arthur Yap, Gov. Agbayani pointed out that the absence of said flood control project is the primary cause of flooding in central and northern Pangasinan traversed by the two river systems.

“Non-inclusion of said flood control will negate gain made in agriculture,” he said. Read more

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan - Urdaneta in Pangasinan is now the leading city in the Ilocos region not only in net income but also in total income, total assets and total equity based on the financial report released by the Commission on Audit for 2005.

The COA financial report showed Urdaneta had a net income of P132,107,000 from a total income of P382,699.000 million less its expenses of P250,582,000, which is the third highest among eight cities in the region so far.

Urdaneta and Dagupan City are the only second class cities in the Ilocos Region today. But Urdaneta’s rise to second class from nowhere since it earned its city hood nine years ago was almost phenomenal. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has continued the appointment of Ms. Norma Landingin Untalan as provincial planning and development officer vice Tom Teja who retired last December.

Untalan has been serving as assistant provincial planning officer since 1998.

As a young student, she graduated as class valedictorian at General Generoso Del Pilar Elementary School in Bonuan, Dagupan City. She also graduated as class valedictorian in Bonuan High School.

She finished her Bachelor of Science in Education degree as cum laude at the University of Pangasinan where she also earned her Master of Arts in Education. Read more

by RHEE Fer HORTALEZA

ROSALES, Pangasinan - Pangasinenses hard-hit by calamities are at least assured of sufficient rice due to the approval of a resolution authored by sixth district Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members Robert ‘Eskimo’ M. Estrella, Jr. and Marilyn Primicias Agabas recently.

The Estrella-Agabas-authored resolution authorizes Governor Victor E. Agbayani to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Food Authority’s various branches in Pangasinan for the prompt release of rice in the event that unexpected calamities hit the province.

The calamities, according to Estrella, include floods and other natural calamities or emergencies that affect the populace, especially poverty-stricken folk. Read more

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan - Thousands of member-consumers of the Pangasinan Electric Cooperative (Panelco III), which has more than 80,000 consumers from the fifth and sixth congressional districts and some parts of the third district, are opting for the registration of the cooperative with the Cooperative Development Authority.

Their reason: Such a set-up will exempt Panelco III from paying various taxes - such as real property and business taxes - to the government. Read more

DAGUPAN CITY - A 17-man delegation from Shandong, province in China were in Dagupan recently as part of their tour of the country to explore areas where they can pour their investments, such as in fisheries, industries and mass housing.

They were in Dagupan City upon the invitation of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. who visited Shandong province as well as Cuandong, Beijing and nine other cities  in China last month, along with National Fisheries Director Malcolm Sarmiento.

Shandong is the largest province of China in terms of Gross Domestic Product, three times richer than the Philippines, and is larger than the Philippines in terms of population.

Speaker de Venecia said the Chinese delegation will see the possibility of investing in feed mills, inland and sea farming with the use of fish cages, as well as the manufacturing of boats, espeically those for deep sea operations in eastern Luzon and the Pacific, as well as in building mass houses. Read more

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - Some P12.4 million worth of crops were destroyed by floods spawned by typhoon ‘Henry’ in Pangasinan last week.

A report of Provincial Agriculturist Jose Almendares showed that the bulk of the damages, costing P9.8 million, was on palay in their seedling, newly transplanted, tillering and vegetative stages.

All these were planted in 4,173.7 hectares of land that were under water for days. Read more

DAGUPAN CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the groundbreaking ceremony on August 9 for the construction of Pantal Bridge, the only long-span bridge among the bridges to be built under urgent bridges construction project, Package III.

“The construction of the Pantal Bridger will further boost the status of Dagupan as center of commercial, trade, investment and education,” the president declared.

The Pantal Bridge, which will connect the almost 5-kilometer Dawel-Pantal-Lucao diversion road, measures 380 meter long. Read more