Lingayen – Governor Amado I. Espino, III sought support from schools divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the province to expand further the cultural and sports programs being implemented by the provincial administration. Governor Espino said that aside from sustaining the various cultural programs initiated by his predecessor, former governor and now 5th district Representative Amado T. Espino, Jr., he wants to cultivate Pangasinan’s pool of talented youth in the performing arts and sports. “Expanding our cultural and sports programs will basically benefit our talented school children who have potential to join the province’s cultural arm or the elite circle of athletes of Team Pangasinan,”Governor Espino told DepEd – Pangasinan I executives during their courtesy call on him last August 22 at the Urduja House. While particular details for the tie-up with DepEd in cultural programs of the province is being ironed out, the provincial chief executive hinted on the possible inclusion of the best and competitive elementary and secondary students to the Dangoan Pangasinan, a cultural dance troupe composed of provincial government employees that was launched under his predecessor’s administration. To strengthen further the sports development thrust of the province, Gov. Espino has openly stated that he wants to pursue his father’s dream of building a provincial sports academy that shall accommodate the in-house training of best athletes from various towns and cities in the province. The sports academy, according to the governor, is on top of other sports activities sustained by the provincial government which benefit the young sports talents, to include the staging of the series of chess clinics and tournaments of the Pangasinan Chess Festival; Pabosking ed Gulpo, triathlon and beach volleybelle competition during Pistay Dayat, to name a few. The same message was also relayed by the governor when DepEd officials of other schools divisions in the province to include Pangasinan II which covers the elementary, secondary and integrated schools from 4th to 6th districts. Meanwhile, DepEd Pangasinan I Schools Division Superintendent Ma. Celia Fernandez said that the cultural and sports programs of Governor ‘Pogi’ would benefit the DepEd’s Special Program for the Arts (SPA) being implemented in the junior high school; and the Arts and Design and Sports track for senior high school of the K-12 curriculum. “Malaki ang magiging tulong nito sa mga mag-aaral natin para mas mahasa pa ang kani-kanilang mga kahusayan,” Dr. Fernandez said. The province under the administration of Gov. Pogi will sustain the all-out support to the athletes of all DepEd schools divisions in the province, particularly Pangasinan I and Pangasinan II, on their trainings and preparations for the Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) Meet and Palarong Pambansa, aside from hosting various sports trainings and seminars. The provincial administration has also formed ‘Team Pangasinan’ to serve as the official delegation of the province to the Batang Pinoy, a grassroots sports development program of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).