TRIPLE BUILDING INAUGURATION. Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. (left photo), with provincial government office heads and employees, spearheads the ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly renovated NRSCC Restaurant (upper right photo) at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, the final of the three-fold blessing and dedication of three additional buildings in the Capitol Compound – including the newly constructed building of Provincial Records and Archives Center (middle right photo) and the Provincial Legal Office (lower right photo) situated at the back of the PESO building – in Lingayen last June 14. /RMCL/MVS/JDM

Lingayen- – -Two more structures specifically the Motorpool Repair Bay 2 and Materials Testing and Quality Control Building, with a combined amount of  over P7.7M, were inaugurated on June 6 by outgoing Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr.
The inauguration was highlighted with the blessing of structures by Rev. Fr. Hernan Caronongan from the Epiphany of Our Lord Parish.
Provincial Engineer Antonietta Delos Santos said that the Repair Bay 2 project, which has a length of 948.13 sqms and project cost of P6.148M, had started last September 2015 and was completed in April this year. The Quality Control building, on the other hand, has a length of 91 sqms and cost P1.6M.
Delos Santos stressed the the transformation of motorpool was given priority of the present administration. “Hindi napabayaan ang equipment including the structures of engineering office under Governor Espino’s term,” she said as she added that she feels optimistic that the same concern will be carried out by the incoming administration of the provincial chief executive’s son and Governor-elect Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III.
It can be recalled that the Motorpool Repair Bay 1 was inaugurated last year. In addition, infrastructure equipments (mini dump truck, aerial platform, road roller tandem, vibratory roller, bulldozer crawler, water truck, hydraulic machine press, wheel excavator, mini asphalt finisher and rotary drilling machine) which had a total sum of P130M were purchased in February this year.
The blessing and inauguration was attended by heads of various provincial government offices and division chiefs of the Provincial Engineer’s Office. (Ruby R. Bernardino)

Lingayen- – -The provincial government through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) will disperse a total of 135,000 pieces of tilapia fingerlings to various communal waters in Alcala town, San Carlos City and  municipality of Rosales on June 10, 21 and July 1, respectively.
Dalisay Moya, OPAg officer-in-charge, said that of the total number of tilapia fingerlings, some 65,000 pieces were dispersed to Alcala while 30,000 pieces will be dispersed to San Carlos City and 40,000  pieces to Rosales.
The activity, Moya said, is part of the continuous project launched by the Espino administration to increase fish production and fish capture of marginalized Pangasinense fishermen.
In addition, tilapia fingerlings dispersal to communal bodies of water has become a regular activity of the provincial government to intensify fish production in Pangasinan primarily intended to increase the income of Pangasinenses engage in small scale fish farming.
Aside from the fingerlings dispersal, Moya earlier disclosed that OPAG also conducts skills training seminars on tilapia farming to provide aquaculture technology know-how among marginalized fisherfolks.
It can be recalled that Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. initiated the massive river clean-up to clear the province’s river systems of all the illegal structures that have caused environmental destructions to our waters.
As such, Gov. Espino previously noted that the beauty and richness of the rivers in Pangasinan have been brought back disclosing that “the fishermen can now fish again without using permanent fishing structures which pollute the rivers.”
The tilapia fingerlings were harvested from the three agricultural stations which are operated by the provincial government namely: Lingayen Provincial Freshwater Freshwater Fish Hatchery, San Quintin Provincial Freshwater Fish Hatchery and Sta. Barbara Provincial Freshwater Fish Hatchery.
According to the OPAg fishery division, about 16 million tilapia fingerlings have been dispersed in 714 communal bodies of water throughout Pangasinan from 2007 to present. (Ruby R. Bernardino)

Lingayen – The Provincial Government of Pangasinan joins the nation in commemorating the 118th Independence Day on Sunday, June 12.

Anchored on the theme “Kalayaan 2016: Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan, Pagsulong”, this year’s celebration will be held at the Bengson-Yuson House in Poblacion area here.

A Eucharistic mass at 7 a.m. will headline this year’s event, officiated by Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission (PHCC)-member Rev. Fr. Immanuel Norbert S. Escano.

Second part is a general program at 8 a.m., where incumbent Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. will deliver a message and lead the flower offering with the PHCC commissioners and guests.

Singing of the National Anthem and the Pangasinan Hymn will be rendered by the Pangasinan Provincial Chorale.

The Bengson-Yuson House is one of the cultural edifices restored through the auspices of the Espino Administration, christened last April as the Center for Pangasinan Studies which houses the PHCC and an extension of the Provincial Tourism Office.

Lingayen – At the onset of the rainy season, the Provincial Health Office (PHO), here advises the public to take extra precautionary efforts from water-borne diseases, particularly dengue.

Thus said by Provincial Health Officer Anna Maria Teresa de Guzman in the wake of reports that there is a 30 percent increase of dengue cases in Pangasinan from January to May this year compared with the same period last year.

“The provincial government is ready to assist municipalities and city LGUs in their dengue eradication programs,” said Dr. De Guzman who advised the public to clean and clear the house surroundings especially the gutters of roofings, containers with accumulated waters and drainage canals where mosquitoes usually breed.

Dengue control mechanisms launched by PHO include massive health information drive which focuses in barangays and market areas as well as health promotion in various schools.

All hospitals owned and managed by the provincial government have also been directed to offer quick-response mechanism in attending to dengue patients, owing to the improved facilities and services offered by government physicians and hospital staff.

“We have to prepare for the prevalence of other cases this rainy season as the breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes abound,” she added.

Meanwhile, series of blood-letting activity has been conducted by PHO in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross and Region 1 Medical Center to secure available blood supply in case dengue patients need to undergo blood transfusion due to the decrease of their blood platelets.

Dengue is acquired when a person is bitten by a dengue-carrying mosquito called aedes aegypti.

Towns with high prevalence of dengue cases include: Asingan, Bayambang, San Manuel, Pozorrubio, Lingayen, Calasiao, San Carlos City and Malasiqui.

PANGASINAN BEAUTY TO COMPETE IN INT’L PAGEANT. Shary Diana Catchillar of Laoac town is crowned Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 by her predecessor during the coronation night held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila on May 28. For winning the national search, Catchillar will represent the Philippines in the forthcoming Miss Tourism World. /Photo courtesy of Missology Philippines

Lingayen- – -The 8^th Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Pangasinan on its final session last May 30, formed an adhoc committee to shed light on several concerns and issues raised by various teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Pangasinan State University (PSU).

This developed after Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. received a letter from the concerned university personnel who specifically mentioned the case of some PSU students who were supposed to have their on-the-job-training (OJT) in Laguna. The matter was referred to the provincial board for an immediate action then.

According to the letter, the students were allegedly treated as regular employees wherein one of whom got ill and is currently hospitalized due to serious health issues associated with his exposure in said laboratory working for 12 hours per day.

Purportedly, the students were endorsed to an agency named JIF Human and Referral Services which brought them to Interfil Laboratories Incorporated in Canlubang, Laguna where they were treated as “regular employees and not OJTs.”

The unsuitable environment of the workplace, unfortunately, inflicted one of the students, identified as Dahrel dela Cruz, and was hospitalized. Likewise, the filed complaint stated that he was not even allowed to go home when he started feeling ill.

His parents, Rogelio and Isidra dela Cruz were disheartened why their son had to work in a pharmaceutical laboratory which has no relevance at all to his Business Administration (Human Resource) course.

As one of its curriculum requirements, PSU requires its 4^th year students to undergo 400 hours of OJT.

Aside from this, another issue raised was the case of Dr. Mariel Cristobal Tapia, a faculty member at PSU San Carlos City campus, who reportedly received a 90-day suspension from work “without due process.”

A letter which was signed by Dr. Tapia sent to the Governor reads: “I would like to ask your most immediate help regarding the persecution I am suffering from the hands of our President, Dr. Dexter R. Buted. From the time the case I filed against Dr. Buted has been formally docketed, I have been persecuted.”

Tapia also disclosed that even her husband who works at the university was not spared as he was suddenly reassigned from Binmaley campus to Urdaneta campus despite having spine condition.

As stated in the letter, the PSU faculty member noted she did not formally receive any “formal charge” thus she could not directly respond to any complaint filed against her.

Stressing that she was unjustly treated, she said she is allegedly “being harassed” because of the cases that she and her husband earlier filed against the PSU president.

Meanwhile, Board Member Alfonso Bince, Jr. said that the provincial board will do its best to shed light on the matter.

“We will invite the president of the university, the dean of San Carlos campus, some faculty members and the students who were victims of what was reported,” Bince pointed out as he added that adhoc committee hearing is set to be held next week.

BM Raul Sison, on the other hand, said that the fact that the students were referred to an agency and were treated as employees means that there is a clear violation. “This is human trafficking,” he said.

It can be recalled that several issues were earlier raised against the administration of the current PSU president who hails from Batangas to include delayed release of paid uniforms, advance collection of payments without organized programs like seminars and shipboard training, among others. (RRB)

Lingayen- – – “Thank you for making my stay at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan memorable. I do not regret anything at this stage of my life because it was a fulfilling mission”

This was disclosed by Board Member Alfonso Bince, Jr. as he delivered his farewell speech during the last regular session of the SP on May 30 as he ends his final term this June along with two other members of the board namely Board Members Mojamito Libunao and Danilo Uy, who was elected as mayor of Sison town in the recently held elections.

The 79- year old board member from the 6^th District commended the Espino administration for giving him opportunity of serving Pangasinenses to the fullest over the last nine years. Likewise, he thanked his colleagues for the “trust and confidence” accorded to him which, according to him, made his mission more fulfilling.

Bince, branded by his peers as “eternal board member,” started his political career in 1969 at the age of 32 when he was elected as member of the provincial board until 1972.

Since then, he served as 6^th district board member in 1973 to 1977, 1992 to 1995, 1995 to 1998, and 1998 to 2001.

Topping his achievements, Bince was cited as a National Hall of Fame awardee in legislations.

Meanwhile, Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. praised all the three outgoing board members especially Bince whom he dubbed as “brilliant, articulate and knowledgeable.”

Board Member Raul Sison, one of Bince’s closest friends in the board, lauded the most senior board member for his guidance and support as he further said it was the latter who push him to run as regional chair in the Board Members League of the Philippines (BMLP). Sison is currently the league’s National Treasurer and will soon serve as the incoming National Interim President of BMLP.

Expressing thanks to the various department heads in the provincial government, Bince urged everyone to continue working hard and to fully support the incoming administration of the governor’s son, Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III, who will be inaugurated as Pangasinan chief executive on June 30.

In the absence of Vice Governor Calimlim, who will be on official leave this June, BM Bince will serve as Acting Vice Governor.

Aside from approving resolutions for the three outgoing members of the board, a resolution was also approved to commend the nine-year term of Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. dubbed “the best governor Pangasinan has ever had.” (Ruby R. Bernardino)

Lingayen – The local government unit (LGU) of Pangasinan led by Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. extends its warmest congratulations to Pangasinense beauty queen, Sharyl Diana Catchillar of Laoac town, for winning this year’s Miss Tourism Philippines (MTP) crown.

Catchillar will represent the Philippines in the forthcoming Miss Tourism World. She bested other candidates from various cities and provinces in the Philippines during the pageant and coronation night held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila on May 28.

The Pangasinan beauty queen who stands 5’7’’ grew up in Milan, Italy, but was raised in the Philippines. She is currently taking up Bachelor of Science in Biology at St. Scholastica’s College Manila.

In a letter sent to the provincial government, Catchillar considers her winning a national beauty title as a podium “to promote her native province, Pangasinan,” focusing on tourism.

Catchillar is the latest addition to the list of national beauty titlists produced by the province of Pangasinan, following Barbara “Barbie” Salvador of Pozorrubio who won Mutya ng Pilipinas in 2012.

Other candidates crowned during the MTP coronation night were: Ethel Abellanosa of Cebu City (Miss Model of the World Philippines 2016); Krizsa Nicolitte Serquina of Ibaan, Batangaas (Miss Bikini World Philippines 2016) and Jean Lacsina Tumang of Capas, Tarlac (Miss Model of the Universe Philippines).

Lingayen – The Provincial Government continues to elevate the services of day care centers (DCC) and workers (DCW) all over the province.

Emilio P. Samson, provincial social welfare and development officer, pledged as he spoke during the first day of the 5^th Convention of Day Care Workers of Pangasinan at the Sison Auditorium on May 24-25.

He said that the office is preparing a three-point agenda to bolster the welfare of the DCCs and DCWs, which comprised an increase on the workers’ honoraria, the ongoing accreditation and upgrading of DCCs and chartering a biannual general assembly for DCWs to access needed trainings to enhance the quality of teaching of the workers.

On behalf of outgoing Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr., Samson thanked the participants for their consistent service as second parents to Pangasinense children as they assist them on their critical formative years, despite meager compensations.

The two-day convention centered on the theme “Strengthening the Early Child Care and Development (ECCD) is my mission”, which sought to propagate proper handling of children with disabilities.

Two key topics to be discussed were: “Early Detection, Prevention and Management of Disabilities among Children” on the first day by Purita Pueto, Baby Janet Cruz and Elizabeth Manuel and “Strategies on How to Teach Pre-Kindergarten Children in the Day Care Centers” on the second day by Dr. Yolanda S. Quijano of the ECCD Council.

Both were followed by respective open forum to elicit active participation from the DCWs.

An awarding of certificates also took place, honoring DCCs who have been in the service for 10 years and counting, a kiddie show by the September Production, and a retro dance night socials graced by Governor-elect Amado “Pogi” I. Espino, III which capped the events on the first day.

Addressing the participants on the second day was Dr. Teresita G. Inciong, vice chairperson and executive director of the ECCD Council, who shed light on looming concerns on early child care and development.

Joining PSWDO in mounting this event is the Pangasinan Day Care Workers Federation, Incorporated, headed by its president Erdy T. Lozano.