Dagupan unveils new seal

DAGUPAN CITY -- April 25 was a historical day for Dagupan as its new seal was unveiled in a simple ceremony held in front of the City Museum. The new seal was blessed by Father Raffy Cruz.

The occasion was led by Mayor Benjie Lim, the 12 councilors (including the two sectoral representatives), and the members of the Ad Hoc Committee led by City Council Secretary Jorge Estrada and Metro Dagupan Culture and Arts Council President Honorata Siapno.

Mango, Bangus festival, beauty contest to be held in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY – A mango, bamboo, and bangus (milkfish) festival and two beauty contests will open on Monday in Pangasinan province.

A Mango-Bamboo Festival will be formally opened with Vice President Jejomar Binay as guest of honor and speaker in San Carlos City.

Catholics urged to visit patients, prisoners on Good Friday

DAGUPAN CITY – Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Thursday told parishioners of the St. John the Evangelist Metropolitan Cathedral to visit patients and prisoners aside from churches on Good Friday.

Villegas said that members of the Roman Catholic community usually visit seven churches to commemorate the traditional seven Stations of the Cross.

Only religious activities on Dagupan's Bangus festival

DAGUPAN CITY -- In observance of the Holy Week, no event was scheduled by the Bangus Festival committee from Holy Monday to Black Saturday other than two religious activities.

These are the traditional Pabasa of the Roman Catholic community and the Golgotha play.

Eating meat during Holy Week 'not forbidden'

DAGUPAN CITY -- A church official clarified that eating meat during Holy Week, which started Sunday, is not forbidden contrary to common beliefs.

"Walang masama doon sa pagkain ng karne kasi walang galing sa labas na nagpaparumi sa atin. Ang pinagmumulan ng karumihan ay yong nanggagaling sa ating puso. So hindi masama ang kumain ng karne," said Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.

AJ Perez's death shocks fans

DAGUPAN CITY -- The fans here of 18-year-old AJ Perez were shocked when they learned about the teen actor's death Sunday morning.

Perez, whose real name is Anthonello Joseph Perez, died in a vehicular accident several hours after his show at the city plaza here Saturday evening.

Police file raps vs ambush suspects

THE Binmaley town police filed double frustrated murder charge against two suspects for the ambush try against the former vice mayor of Lingayen and his barangay captain-wife last March.

Pista’y Dayat events bared

THE Provincial Capitol finally released the list of activities lined-up for the province’s celebration of Pista’y Dayat (Sea Festival).

Pista’y Dayat, which is considered as “mother of all festivals in Pangasinan, is an annual thanksgiving festival for the bountiful fish harvest from the Lingayen Gulf.

Free trips for 2 weeks

DAGUPAN City Mayor Benjie Lim said for the next two weeks, everybody will have a chance for a free cruise ride after launching the city’s River Cruise recently.

Lim assured a magnificent and exciting ride as the especially made boats cruise the inner rivers of Dawel and Watak.

Pangasinan markets to sell iron-fortified rice

DAGUPAN CITY - The iron-fortified rice (I-Rice) will be available at the public markets in Pangasinan next week, said National Food Authority (NFA) provincial manager Engineer Ramon B. Cuaresma.

50 students start summer jobs in Dagupan City

DAGUPAN CITY -- Fifty students coming from poor families began their summer jobs last Monday, making them part of the very first batch of a summer job program participated in by the City Government.

But before they were assigned to different agencies, they were given guidance by officials from the City Government and from Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) during the simple program held at the Dagupan City Museum.

Aquino visits Pangasinan to inaugurate 2 new projects

DAGUPAN CITY -- President Benigno Aquino III will visit Pangasinan on province Friday to inaugurate two new projects. It will be his second visit to the province after his election last year.

Aquino will inaugurate the first engineered sanitary landfill in Pangasinan and the second such facility in the entire Ilocos Region.

Children of executed Pinay may be given scholarships

LINGAYEN -- The father and brother of one of three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) executed in China visited Governor Amado Espino Jr. last Monday.

Pangasinan Day activities start Monday

LINGAYEN -- Celebration for the Agew na Pangasinan (Pangasinan Day) will commence Monday with a civic parade called Parada na Dayew.

The 431st Pangasinan Founding Anniversary is actually April 5, a special non-working holiday as declared by Malacañang by virtue of Proclamation No. 103 signed by President Benigno Aquino III through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

Guv to question police official's relief

DAGUPAN CITY – Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. is set to question the unceremonious relief of Superintendent Joseph Wilson Lopez from the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO).

Lopez was the chief of PPPO’s Intelligence branch and concurrent chief of the Special Operations Group (SOG).

Angelus aired over Pangasinan radio starting Holy Week

DAGUPAN CITY – Starting Holy Week, the Angelus, a Catholic prayer in devotion of Jesus Christ's incarnation, will be aired simultaneously over the local radio stations every six in the evening.

Leading the prayer will be Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and City Mayor Benjamin Lim, who will record the prayer and distribute it to different stations in the city.

Ex-lawmaker explains silence on nuclear power

LINGAYEN -- Former lawmaker Mark Cojuanco appeared before the Provincial Board (PB) on Friday, several days after he announced a self-imposed moratorium on the promotion of nuclear power plant as the cheapest source of energy in the Philippines.

Suspected swindlers arrested in Pangasinan

ALAMINOS CITY – Police have arrested six swindling suspects victimizing foreigners in Manila after their vehicle was identified by a civilian informant as the same car involved in a similar incident three years ago.

Police identified the suspects as Rica Reyes, 38, of Tondo, Manila; Efren Mercado, 42 of Pier 2, North Harbor, Manila; Babylyn Sena, 72, of San Jose, Del Monte, Bulacan; Charito Agustin, 41, resident of Dama de Noche, Caloocan City; Nida Cortez, 23, of Kagitingan, Moriones, Tondo, Manila; and Lainy Mercado, 43 of Tramo, Pasay City.

Bangus Festival to kick off in Rosales, Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY – Bangus Festival 2011 will kick-off Thursday afternoon at SM City Rosales.

Mall visitors and the people of Eastern Pangasinan will have preview of what is going to happen in Dagupan City starting Friday next week, Beep Beep Tan, Bangus Festival co-chairman, said.

Pangasinan launches massive campaign vs tuberculosis

LINGAYEN – Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. has declared an all-out against tuberculosis (TB), as the province joins the worldwide celebration of World TB Day on Tuesday.

Through the president of the Pangasinan Mayors' League and the Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay, Espino directed the conduct of man-to-man counting of people with TB and those who had been cured.

Moro group prexy charged for drug possession

SAN FERNANDO CITY – The president of a Moro community his wife, and several others who were arrested Sunday were charged before the prosecutor’s office for violation of the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-National Capital Region (NCR) Information Officer Bismarck Bengwayan said charged were Salonga Naga alias Allan, his wife Bulawan Radia, Glenn Gutlay, Jerry del Rosario, Rolly Luna, Hasnar Bocua and Connie Quinto.

Pangasinan library gets 34 computers

ABOUT 34 computer units were turned over by the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) on March 22 to the Provincial Library and to various local government unit (LGU) libraries in Pangasinan province.

Present during the turnover ceremony at the Provincial Library was Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr. who represented Governor Amado Espino Jr.

Agents raid Dagupan safehouse, arrest drug dealer

DAGUPAN CITY -- Before the sun rose Sunday morning, elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Region 1 led by Regional Director Roberto Opena stormed Sitio Silungan at barangay Bonuan Binloc and served search warrants.

The group was able to arrest its main target, Bulawan Radja/Salonga Naga alias Allan, Opena said.

April 5, a special non-working holiday in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN -- The Office of the President announced this early that April 5 will be a special non-working holiday in Pangasinan province.

The office of Governor Amado Espino Jr. reportedly received the proclamation order signed by President Benigno Aquino III through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. this week.

6 school officials suspended for 'cheating'

PANGASINAN -- The Department of Education (DepEd) has suspended six school officials here for taking part in alleged cheating during the recently held National Achievement Test (NAT), while several others are being investigated.

Dagupan to begin anti-measles immunization a day earlier

DAGUPAN CITY -- The City Health Office will start on Thursday its massive door-to-door immunization activity, ahead of the nationwide campaign of the Department of Health (DOH).

The nationwide DOH Measles-Rubella Special Supplemental Immunization activity dubbed as "Iligtas sa Tigdas ang 'Pinas" will start on April 4, City Health Officer Leonard Carbonnel said.

Pangasinan breaks Ilocos Norte's record

LINGAYEN -- Students from Pangasinan schools defeated those from Ilocos Norte, breaking the latter's 11th consecutive winning streak in Region 1's Athletic Association (R1-AA) meet.

Dagupan City approves lower 2011 budget

DAGUPAN CITY -- Almost three months after it finally touched the proposed P568-million budget as proposed by Mayor Benjamin Lim, the council finally enacted the city's 2011 budget Tuesday afternoon in a special session.

But to the great dismay of the council's four minority members, the approved budget was slashed down to P487,116,296.73.

Photocopy of booklet with leaked questions found in school

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan -- A photocopy of a test booklet that was purportedly used to leak questions in a national exam was reportedly recovered at a school here.

Dagupan City prepares for tsunami

DAGUPAN CITY – City Administrator Vladimir Mata convened Friday disaster officials in the city following a tsunami alert issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Mata also designated the City Tourism Office at the ground floor of the City Museum as the command center. The command center is operational until such time that the NDRRMC has declared all the provinces included in the watch list to be out of danger.