By Lino Caringal

President Eddie C. Ferrer thanked the Pangasinan government led by Governor Amado Espino for the active support to PB-USA’s ‘trade project’ that is aligned with the livelihood development thrust of the province.

Ferrer said that the Trade Task Force is silently and cautiously engaged in contacting US importers and buyers with various commodities realistically possible for our local producers to manufacture.

“We integrated our next generation professionals whose individual talents will help a lot in this trade project,“ Ferrer said as he disclosed that a special symposium will be held this year as an avenue to further introduce and expose Pangasinan-made products.

Last year, Governor Espino led strong producers of Pangasinan products in the Diversity and Trade Exposition held in Artesia, California to showcase its products.

Pangasinan-made products were displayed this business exposition that drew thousands of US buyers, including importers and wholesalers. The goal is to have top business entities as possible business partners of the Pangasinan commerce and companies.

This participation in the California Business Exposition was spearheaded by PB-USA headed by business owner Eddie C. Ferrer. It is envisioned that there will be better income opportunities await local producers of goods and products with the strong provincial government that will help local producers penetrate the global market.

By Lino Caringal

The Pangasinan Brotherhood, USA. Inc. came to pay a courtesy call to the Governor of Pangasinan, Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. on January 7, 2015. The group of 25 was led by The First Lady Rhenee Ferrer, Virginia Coquia, Neil Estrada and Executive Vice-President Lino Caringal. Caringal assured continuing support and coordination with the local producers to further introduce and expose Pangasinan products in the US.

Neil Estrada on the other hand delivered the message of the President of PB-USA Eddie C. Ferrer who said that the group has plans to showcase Pangasinan products on a US television network for advertising and marketing.

It was disclosed by the provincial government during this visit that they support local producers and cooperatives through the Livelihood Assistance Program and Credit Surety Fund by way of capital assistance for their livelihood ventures.

According to Provincial Planning and Development Officer Benita Pizarro, this trade project is in line with the thrust of the province to help producers in the grassroots level by providing them avenues for better income opportunities

LINGAYEN – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has authorized Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office 1 for the implementation of the Government Internship Program (GIP) in the Province of Pangasinan.

Resolution author, Board Member Generoso D. Tulagan, Jr., said that Provincial Resolution No. 1386-2015 is in support of the national government’s goal of helping generate more jobs for the youth and reduce poverty in the countryside.

The DOLE-GIP is a new program of the national government aimed at providing employment to the poor and indigent youth.

Tulagan said that the project would give an internship opportunity for Pangasinense applicants who are high school or tech-voc (technical-vocational) graduates and unemployed college graduates between 18 to 25 years old to obtain work experience in government agencies and offices at the local and national levels.

Provincial Employment Services Office Manager Alex Ferrer said that DOLE will be shouldering 75 percent of the of the worker’s salaries while the province pays for the remaining 25 percent.   /ADV

Lingayen – The provision of quality and affordable health care services to sick Pangasinenses admitted in 14 hospitals owned and managed by the provincial government has been the top advocacy of the incumbent provincial administration.

This was reiterated by Governor Espino during a media conference held at the Doctors’ Lounge of the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) in San Carlos City last June 20 shortly after he visited various wards in the hospital to personally check on the patients during his natal day.

Saying that hospitals of the provincial government have undergone dramatic transformation under his watch, making these as “hospitals of choice” for Pangasinenses, the governor stressed that poorest Pangasinenses who are sick and jobless deserve priority attention on health care services.

The provincial government implemented PhilHealth’s Point-of-Care (POC) system in 14 hospitals of the province since February 2014 where 12,630 indigent families are insured with a total premium paid amounting to Php30.31 million for curricular year 2014. An insurance premium of Php2,400 has been allocated for each indigent family.

The Point-of-Care (POC), Governor Espino said, entitles indigent patients who cannot afford to pay hospitalization expenses to a “no balance billing policy.”

The influx of patients at PPH from the average of 47 in-patients in 2007 to 427 in-patients at present is attributed to the effective and efficient delivery of health care services in the hospital.

Conversion of the provincial hospital into a medical center is being worked out to further upgrade its facilities, the governor said.

Dr. Policarpio Manuel, PPH chief, reported that the completion of the Emergency Room, Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit (ER-OR-ICU) building will further boost the capability of the facility to accommodate more surgical cases.

State-of-the-art hospital equipment including the CT Scan and filmless X-ray machine have also been doing well, Manuel added.       /Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca

published  on June 17, 2015

The past and the future are colliding. The legacy corner feature of the PBUSA website has been established. The legacy corner is about passing on pearls of wisdom from generation to generation via video interviews of PBUSA’s senior members. We want you to be a part of it.

Once a month we produce three video interviews of an individual or a couple who has been a part of the PBUSA organization and a seasoned veteran of “life”. We will do a video interview and ask the following three question.

•  How long have you been a member of PBUSA?
•  What would you tell your 21 year old self about starting out in the world? Wisdoms, philosophies etc.
• Who inspired you to become the person that you are? What did they say to you that resonated in your mind?
•  What is your most favorite phrase that motivates or cheers you up?

We want a candid and heartfelt advice about life. Wisdom that the youth of today can use to enrich their lives. After we complete the video interview, we will post it on the PBUSA website for future generations to continue to watch and learn from. We know that everyone has something profound to say. Please use this vehicle to share your pearls of wisdom. See you soon.

To be a part of this great activity please contact me.

Ferdinand “Bong” Soriano

(909) 851-1493

believe1156@gmail.com

The monthly meeting of PBUSA just passed. The meeting was held at the Courtyard Marriott in Cypress this past Sunday, June 14, 2015. It was full of wonderful news about upcoming events as well as a review of recent accomplishments of the organization. The agenda covered the upcoming PBUSA election, projects that are currently being carried out in the Philippines such as building houses in the Namnama village (Pangasinan, Philippines) and scholarships for qualified college students in Pangasinan, incorporation of the NextGen group, creating livelihoods thru exporting and the future of PBUSA, .The most exciting of all that was discussed was the newly improved and dynamic website of PBUSA. You can now visit the website by going to www.pbusa1.com.

 I say exciting because everything that happens in PBUSA is all in the website. The website will not only inform you of current and upcoming events but it will also educate anyone on the culture and traditions of the towns of Pangasinan. The website is dynamic because it’s full of entertaining and educational videos of what PBUSA is all about as well as the origins of the Pangasinan towns. Do you want to know the stories of each of the town of Pangasinan? It’s there. Do you want to know what PBUSA does for fun? Dancing anyone? Do you want to know how PBUSA helps the people in Pangasinan as well as being involved in the Pangasinan community in the United States? It’s there. How about colorful, thought provoking and inspiring pearls of wisdom from senior members about the journey that we all call life. Visit them on LEGACY CORNER/INTERVIEWS. Who are the NEXTGEN group and what are they all about?  I invite you to come and find out. You might find yourself getting involved. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I don’t have a thousand words and I am sure that the website will probably be more entertaining than reading a lot of text. The webmaster of the PBUSA site, we call him George aka “Mr. No Problem” has truly outdone himself. The format of the website is not like anything you have ever seen before from a community organization. Please tell your friends about the website who may or may not have any ties with the Pangasinan province. Tell them about www.PBUSA1.com.

 Stay tuned every week as I break down each of the features of the website and what you can get out of it. Next week I will writing about the ” LEGACY CORNER”.

 I would like to leave you with a phrase from a gentleman named Earl Nightingale, a well-known personal development wiseman. “Rewards equal contributions”. Most people believe that the amount of service you give determines your success in life. Remember that success is not just about money.

 Until the next time………………………………

Phil E. Peno

When I was growing up, life in the Soriano household was typical Filipino. I came to the United States when I was nine years old. My parents both worked to make sure all of the financial needs of the household were met. My mother worked during the day and my father worked at night. Each of them were very caring parents and hard working individuals. They were responsible and did their very best in trying to raise us into what they would consider good kids. Now looking back as a father of two boys…..I mean young men, I now realize what my parents went thru back in those days were not an easy undertaking. They worked truly hard. It looked like they hardly had time for themselves or for each other. Sometimes just sometimes, it felt like they barely had time for us. I am not faulting them for that situation. It’s just how it was. There were only so much time in the day and that was the best they can do at the time.

There were a lot of fond memories of my youth but there were also numerous challenging times. As a pre-teen, teenager and college student, I encountered situations that I could not figure out on my own.I would stumble in trying to solve the problems and could not figure out how to properly resolve it. I understand that that is what life is all about.It’s full of ups and downs. I think the trick is to have a life where your ups and downs are not so high and not so low. It should be a life where you accept the inevitable challenges knowing that bad things come to pass and that the good things needs to be savored and appreciated. Acknowledge both because one cannot exist without the other.Back then the issues of the day were varied. They ranged from having a girlfriend, part time jobs, financing school, going out with friends, staying on top of your studies and staying connected with family. Thru the years I have gathered wisdom that I want to share with the youth of PBUSA. I don’t want to lecture but I do want to share. I want to share financial knowledge that would deal with their finances. I want to share information on careers and jobs.  I want to share information that could help them be their very own cheerleader when life can be a challenge.

 Sometimes we all grow up and not take the time to really understand how to live. I myself am a work in progress. You never really stop learning about life and how to prepare, handle, and maintain a sense of well being. After a couple of years of being associated with PBUSA, I can see where I can possibly be of help. I think that every youth needs to have a supplement of or venue to get good information in addition to the family and the church. A source where they can learn practical information about daily  existence and have the knowledge in how to think and handle problems clearly. A place where information about preparation, service and love are talked about in a very casual and friendly environment.  

 I have always appreciated and related to the famous phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. I want to contribute to the empowering, supporting and developing the youth of Pangasinan descent. There are many organizations in existence that can do the things that I have mentioned. The one major difference is that it’s about personal development and learning the culture/traditions simultaneously and relating daily life from the perspective of a Filipino-American of Pangasinan descent.

 —

Ferdinand B. Soriano

If you’ve ever received an email from our past president Dan Nino, you will notice that below his e-mail signature line there is a quote from a famous author and well known self development expert named Napoleon Hill. He is the author of the popular and often read book “Think And Grow Rich”. The quote is “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. I firmly believe in this. All you have to do to confirm this is to go thru world history and think of all the successful people in various endeavours and walks of life. Whether they were conscious of that quote they all shared that same mindset. You can even apply this to yourself. Think of the last successful thing that you did. I am not just talking about business or making money. It can be anything you passionately believe in. I obviously dont want to leave out the fact that with GOD’s blessing, all is possible.

 Why do I mention this? Its because this is the time to really ponder where PBUSA is headed.I wanted to use this phrase because our current president, Eddie Ferrer, truly took this phrase and made it his own. Just by casually observing his activities, he is in no doubt an individual who posses a vision for PBUSA. He believes in the vision, acted on it and has had great results.  We all have been exposed to his vision and goals. Because of his vision and his belief, he has achieved great results in such endeavours as the scholarship initiative for the Pangasinan college students, community charity events in Los Angeles, humanitarian aids and helping Pangasinan manufacturers market their products in the United States for the purpose of creating livelihood for the people of Pangasinan. Each activity elevated PBUSA as an organization who has a mission and truly wanting to make a difference. Congratulations on all of your achievement, President Eddie Ferrer.

The time is coming to elect new leaders for PBUSA. We need individuals who will have a vision,believe in it and truly strive for its achievement. Great achievements have been made and we need to continue to build on that. Whomever the next leaders are, their vision has to try and incorporate what has been built. They have to move forward with the mindset that creating activities that will benefit not only its members but to truly make a difference in the local community as well as with the people of the Pangasinan province.

Where do you want PBUSA to go? Let’s all be together in finding that out. We all need to have the same vision. It may not be 100 percent uniformed but striving for that is better than starting out divided. We all lose with that latter vision. Understand what PBUSA can mean for everyone. Human minds are a powerful thing and an amazing gift. A blessing from our almighty God. Let me end this by quoting again, Napoleon Hill. Be fully aware that “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.

 From your PBUSA Youth & Hospitality officer

 Ferdinand “Bong” Soriano