Province honors 11 outstanding Pangasinenses

LINGAYEN – Provincial Government has given honor and recognition to 11 Pangasinenses for carving a name at their respective fields.

The honor was given during the province's historical celebration called Agew na Pangasinan (Pangasinan Day) last April 5.

“I value this more than the other awards because it comes from my own province,” said National Artist for Literature Francisco Sionil Jose, a native of Rosales town.

“It is really an unexpected honor. I am very happy for my mother who hails from Alaminos that someone from her family was able to gain this recognition. I'm humbled like the other awardees,” said Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist/writer Rina Jimenez-David.

“This will serve as an inspiration to other Pangasinenses (wherever they are working or studying at) to think back home and extend a helping hand to their fellow Pangasinenses,” Police Supterintendent Eric Noble of Sta. Barbara town stated.

The three are one of the 11 awardees.

Former President Fidel Ramos of and Jose were conferred the Balitok Award. Both in the Ilocano and Pangasinan dialects, balitok means gold or treasure.

The Asna awardees are former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (government service/public health); COA Commissioner Reynaldo Villar (government service/accounting and auditing); Santiago Villafania (arts and culture); Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR-National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center (NIFTDC) chief (aquaculture); lawyer Menardo Jimenez of the GMA Television Network (business and entrepreneurship); and Rodolfo Tan-Cardozo, the fist international master for Pangasinan (sports).

Jimenez-David was given recognition in the field of mass communication, and Noble for community service.

The awardees also took pride of being part of the Asna Awards and Grand Ball, the first event held at the newly restored and renovated decades-old Sison Auditorium, the Cultural Center of Pangasinan.

“This (Asna Awards and Grand Ball) is the maiden and inaugural event for this newly renovated Sison Auditorium, intricately and meticulously designed to live up to its distinct role as the embodiment of the culture and the historic past of this great province,” Governor Amado Espino Jr. remarked.

“The ASNA Awards is the highest recognition given to outstanding Pangasinenses who have excelled over a lifetime in their respective fields of endeavor, who have established a reputation that cuts them above the others, and for this reason have brought pride and honor to our province,” he stated.

ASNA is the old form of the Pangasinan word asin (salt), from which the name of the province Panag-asinan is derived.

“ASNA usually stands for a man's good character or good demeanor, as in maasnan impan-ugali (meaning affable or good character). The Asna awardees, therefore, are outstanding Pangasinenses who are truly worth their salt,” Espino said.

He added that because of the very short time to prepare for the celebration, there are many more equally deserving Pangasinenses who have been left out, “but who will be recognized in a similar occasion next year.”

Asna Awards committee was chaired by Pangasinan historian Arabella Arcinue

Espino commended former vice governor Gonzalo Duque, president of the Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU), for a job well-done both as chairman of the Pangasinan Foundation Day Research and Study Committee and the Agew na Pangasinan celebration.

That night, Espino appointed Duque to head the committee to write the history of Pangasinan in the province's native tongue.

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