Linggo, Agosto 11, 2013

Missing fishermen reported in Pangasinan amid typhoon Labuyo

By Venus May H. Sarmiento
PANGASINAN, Aug 12 (PIA- 12noon) – Two coastal towns reported cases of missing fishermen amid fear of the  wrath of tropical storm Labuyo.
Infanta  town police station reported that fishermen aboard two fishing boats set out to sea on August 5  and 8 with no traces of storm but  has not returned as of today.
The first boat is named Bon-Bon bearing the colors green, white and yellow and left on August 5 with nine crew members. They are boat captain Larry Evangelista and crew members Geronimo Igang, John Malicdem, Oscar Dela Cruz, Reynaldo Corpuz , a certain Pedro, Pablito Evangelista,  Arren Lauren and a certain Bong.
The second boat which set out to sea on August 8,  is named Super Boy bearing the colors yellow and blue, with engine 4D5. It had 10 crew members. They are boat captain Ramil Rosal and crewmen Ricardo Etac,  Iguan Bulig, Balong Nical, Narding Nical, Daniel Maloon, Andy Lebios, Epifanio Rosal, Dodong Rosal and Josoph Aripin.
Said boats left Brgy. Cato, Infanta on said dates but failed to return as of  today.
In Bolinao town, police operatives are on the look out  for  six fishermen who have not yet returned. They are Jose Rolly Bagor, Gerry Barrientos, Rosendo Cas, Rolly Boy Maratas and Manding Caranza.
PNP Provincial Public Relations Officer Ryan Manongdo said PNP Bolinao is conducting follow up investigation. Coordination and confirmation is also being undertaken with barangay officials, coast guards and fishermen in the area.
In eastern Pangasinan, Urdaneta City police reported that as of 10:30 am today, 50 to 60 families from Sitio Pitong Gatang in Brgy. San Vicente, Urdaneta City were evacuated at  a nearby school due to heavy rains caused by typhoon Labuyo.
Pagasa earlier raised public storm signal number 3 in Pangasinan. (VHS/PIA-1Pangasinan)

Missing fishermen reported in Pangasinan amid typhoon Labuyo

By Venus May H. Sarmiento
PANGASINAN, Aug 12 (PIA- 12noon) – Two coastal towns reported cases of missing fishermen amid fear of the  wrath of tropical storm Labuyo.
Infanta  town police station reported that fishermen aboard two fishing boats set out to sea on August 5  and 8 with no traces of storm but  has not returned as of today.
The first boat is named Bon-Bon bearing the colors green, white and yellow and left on August 5 with nine crew members. They are boat captain Larry Evangelista and crew members Geronimo Igang, John Malicdem, Oscar Dela Cruz, Reynaldo Corpuz , a certain Pedro, Pablito Evangelista,  Arren Lauren and a certain Bong.
The second boat which set out to sea on August 8,  is named Super Boy bearing the colors yellow and blue, with engine 4D5. It had 10 crew members. They are boat captain Ramil Rosal and crewmen Ricardo Etac,  Iguan Bulig, Balong Nical, Narding Nical, Daniel Maloon, Andy Lebios, Epifanio Rosal, Dodong Rosal and Josoph Aripin.
Said boats left Brgy. Cato, Infanta on said dates but failed to return as of  today.
In Bolinao town, police operatives are on the look out  for  six fishermen who have not yet returned. They are Jose Rolly Bagor, Gerry Barrientos, Rosendo Cas, Rolly Boy Maratas and Manding Caranza.
PNP Provincial Public Relations Officer Ryan Manongdo said PNP Bolinao is conducting follow up investigation. Coordination and confirmation is also being undertaken with barangay officials, coast guards and fishermen in the area.
In eastern Pangasinan, Urdaneta City police reported that as of 10:30 am today, 50 to 60 families from Sitio Pitong Gatang in Brgy. San Vicente, Urdaneta City were evacuated at  a nearby school due to heavy rains caused by typhoon Labuyo.
Pagasa earlier raised public storm signal number 3 in Pangasinan. (VHS/PIA-1Pangasinan)

Miyerkules, Agosto 7, 2013

Pangasinan Provincial Government Department Head visits Hundreds Islands


Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. (in front) and Alaminos City Mayor Arthur Celeste (right) inspect the area around Quezon Island where dismantling operations on the illegal structures built within the island was conducted last August 3 at the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City. The activity is part of the Alaminos City government's effort to restore the natural beauty of the Hundred Islands defaced by the various illegal structures where Celeste sought the help of the governor in the restoration plans. Gov. Espino said he supports Celeste's plan of restoring the beauty, cleanliness and the pristine waters of the world-famous tourist spot. With the governor and the mayor are some of the provincial government department heads composed of Tourism Operations Division chief Malou Elduayan, Provincial Information Butch M. Velasco, Executive Assistant III Modesto Operana and Special Events Coordinator Marife Acerit. (PIO Photo)


Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. answers queries from the local media during one of the dismantling operations conducted by the city government at the Quezon Island in Hundred Islands,  Alaminos City last August 3. Gov. Espino was at the Quezon Island as a show of support to Mayor Celeste (left) who has asked the governor's help in the pursuit of his plan for the restoration of the Hundred Islands. Dismantling operations on illegal structures at the island which has started two weeks ago was led by Mayor Arthur Celeste. (PIO Photo)

Gov. Espino commends two PSU Culinary Enthusiasts

Lingayen --- Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. in a courtesy call held August 5 commended two Pangasinense culinary enthusiasts who won in the Healthier Rice Challenge (brown rice and other staples recipe) conducted by the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unitin San Fernando City, La Union on July 12 as part of the nutrition month celebration and observance of the National Year of Rice.
The rice dish “Pinoy Paella” of Jayson Maniago, a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) student of Pangasinan State University (PSU) Lingayen campus,earned the nod of the judges as he was declared 1st placer. He is expected to compete in the national competition which is yet to be announced.
Charles Oliver Livara, also a BSHM student of PSU, was third best in his rice dish “curry brown rice.”
“When we were there, of course we know magagaling ang mga kalaban, but we have gained confidence after seeing that even in plating alone our entries actually stand out,” Maniago said.
          “With our exposure to various culinary cooking trainings and with the guidance of our culinary professor, we were able to make it,” Livara added.
Maniago and Livara bested the dish entries of culinary buffs and restaurant owners sent by the provincial governments of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union in the cookfest. Consequently, one entry from La Union was declared second placer.
Maniago’s Pangasinan-inspired winning rice dish which is cooked using ingredients that are readily available in the province (bangus, clams, shrimps, kangkong and squash) will soon be featured in a cookbook to be published by the Philippine Rice Research Institute based in Nueva Ecija.
The two were trained by PSUculinary arts professor Rosario Valencerina before they were sent by the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg) in the contest.
Home Management Technologist Vilma Bustamante from OPAg said the two culinary majors were personally chosen by Valencerina after OPAg has requested PSU to represent the province in the regional cookfest.
          “Actually, we should have won the second spot, considering the plating and the palatability of our curry brown rice. Nevertheless, we are proud that Pangasinenses made it,” she added.(PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)

Pangasinan soon to have DFA Regional Consular Office

LINGAYEN—  Passports and other documents for  Filipinos bound to foreign countries will soon be processed  in Pangasinan.
This was disclosed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Regional  which said that  a Consular Office will be located at the third floor of Robinson's Pangasinan in Calasiao by the end of this year.
The closest consular office of DFA is in San Fernando, La Union but most OFWs still get their passports and other travel documents.processed in Metro-Manila.
Revealed during the August 5, 2013 Provincial Board regular session, the DFA Regional Consular Office will not cost the national government any rental fee, said Board Member Ranjit Shahani.
The Board Member also remarked that the opening of a DFA office in the province will encourage people to get passports as such are not only travel documents but are means of identification.
"In fact,passports are more effective-as a notary public- than cedula (community tax certificate)," he said.
In addition, Shahani said that Governor Amado Espino Jr. together with  Ex-President Fidel Ramos, Vice President Jejomar Binay, DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario, and Senator Grace Poe are expected to lead the inauguration of the office in December. (PIO)

SP directs NIA-AARIIP to submit a report on the status of irrigation projects in the province

Lingayen --- “Prepare a report and tell this august assembly what you’ve been trying to say with finality and totality.”
This was demanded by Board Member Ranjit Shahani to Engr. Reynaldo Mencias, Project Manager of the National Irrigation Administration – Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (NIA-ARIIP), during the August 5 regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, here.
The move was necessary to determine the status of the irrigation component projects in the province and to further elucidate the funding of the Php3.8 billion re-regulating pond built at the estuary of the Agno river in San Manuel.
The NIA-ARIIP opened on July 23 the west bank gate of a 68-hectare  irrigation water reservoir below the  San Roque hydro-electric dam and started releasing irrigation waters  to more than 12,000 hectares of rice lands in central Pangasinan. The reservoir at the mouth of the Agno River was designed to hold 5.5 million cubic meters.
The news media, however, reported last week that the east gate of the pond designed to divert water from Agno to eastern Pangasinan remained closed after the NEDA put on hold the release of funds for the building of a 10-kilometer main canal from the reservoir to irrigation canals going to eight towns in Shahani’s district.
Relative to this, board member Danilo Uy asked Engr. Mencias to address problems  resulting from road widening in Urdaneta City that affected irrigation canals in the city.
“Bago kayo mag-road widening, dapat may gawin kayong alternatives sa mga daanan ng tubig papunta sa mga farmlands, hindi ‘yung tambak kayo nang tambak,” he said.
In response, Assistant Project Manager of NIA-ARIIP Ceferino Sta. Ana said the DPWH is responsible on the road widening. The NIA-ARIIP is studying plans on how to restore the affected irrigation canals and drainage systems,” he added.
Towards the end, BM Uy asked Mencias “to check on the irrigation canals in the districts under their management so that farmers may know which are functioning and not-functioning.”
          With the re-regulating pond which stores volumes of water discharged by the San Roque dam, the province is expected to at least double its rice, corn and vegetable production with irrigation water made available  yearround..
Aside from Pangasinan, San Manuel and Moncada in Tarlac and  Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija  will get irrigated if the Lower Agno River Irrigation System under the ARIIP project will be completed.
During the launching, Mencias told newsmen that in addition to the P420 million funds allotted to build the canal that sucks water from the east bank gate of the water reservoir that was suspended, the project will need another P2.2 billion more to irrigate another 12,000 hectares more in eight eastern Pangasinan towns, the towns of Bautista and Alcala in the third district and the towns in Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.
          BM Liberato Villegas also stirred the attention of Engr. Frida Nidoy, Chief of NIA in San Fabian, to check on reports that the structure of the line canals in San Fabian which were recently built but were said to be  breaking down.(PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)

GATE, MVPinkMOU for Lingayen Gulf clean up

Lingayen- - -The provincial government of Pangasinan under the stewardship of Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. has recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, Inc. (MPIF) chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan  for the implementation of coastal and underwater clean-up campaign for the Lingayen Gulf.Gov. Espino hailed the   project of the foundation dubbed, “Shore-it-Up: Rescue, Restore, Revive  campaign,” as he said that this will serve as a vital support to the Lingayen Gulf Rehabilitation program which is an existing scheme of the provincial government to help revive and regain the natural beauty of the Lingayen Gulf and other waterways in Pangasinan.It can be recalled that the present administration launched the rehabilitation program in 2009 that initially led to the clearing and cleaningof the Lingayen Gulf as well as the various river tributaries.The program has gainfully earned several awards and citations for its environmental and tourism impact.Ma. Luisa A. Elduayan, Tourism Division Chief, said that the highlight of the local government commitment will focus on the manpower requirement and coordinating support during activities and projects of the foundation.Activities for the Shore It Up- Lingayen Gulf Project include the following: Coordinating/Planning Meeting (August 9 and 10), Giant Clam Rearrangement at Hundred Islands in Alaminos City with diving and mangrove planting activities (August 24), and Lingayen Coastal Clean-ups and Environmental Seminar for Children (August 25).The City Government of Alaminos led by Mayor Arthur F. Celeste also signed a MOU, along with other towns and provinces in the country with MPIF.MPIF is a non-stock, non-profit corporation principally engaged in infrastructure projects in the country.Shore It Up campaign is now on its fifth year of implementation.Aside from coastal and underwater clean-up, the campaign likewise involves the conduct of environmental awareness sessions, tree planting activities, waste segregation, and installation of artificial reefs. (PIO/Ruby R. Bernardino)