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The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) led by Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG. Lambino during its regular session on June 19, commended three Pangasinenses for their feats in the field of education and sports.

Authored by SP Member Nicholi Jan Louie Sison, a resolution commending Hazel Ronlee G. Salazar of  Urdaneta City,  was passed for successfully landing on the 8th spot during the May 2023 Nursing Licensure Examination.

Bagging 90% rating, Salazar was a former STEM student and alumnus of Urdaneta City National High School and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the Urdaneta City University. She is the daughter of Mr. Ronnie Salazar and Mrs. Lorlee Salazar.

Along with Salazar, another successful examinee of the nursing licensure examination who bagged the 9th place with a rating of 89.80%, was lauded through an approved resolution authored by SP Members Marinor de Guzman and Jerry Agerico B. Rosario.

Sheena del Rosario Rocacorba who hails from San Fabian town, was an honor student and finished her degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-College of Community Health and Allied Medical Sciences in Agoo, La Union, as Cum Laude.

Meanwhile, a Pangasinense athlete with special needs in the person of Jerome Doria Fernandez was also cited for his achievement in sports.

Fernandez notched three bronze medals in men’s 100-meter T46, 400-meter T46 and 200-meter T46 track and field events in the 12th ASEAN Para Games held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last June 3 to 9, 2023.

ASEAN Para Games is a biennial multi-sport event held after every Southeast Asian Games involving athletes with disabilities from the current 11 Southeast Asia countries under the regulation of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) with the supervision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Asian Paralympic Committee.

A native of Binmaley town, Fernandez was commended through an approved resolution authored by SP Member Philip Theodore E. Cruz. (Pangasinan PIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—To further strengthen the integrated efforts in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the nutrition program for the province, the Provincial Nutrition Council (PNC) recently conducted  its second regular consultative meeting under the present administration.

The meeting served as a venue in providing updates and strategies as well as feedbacking of nutrition program concerns from each member agency.

During the meeting, Dra. Cielo E. Almoite,  MPH Provincial Health Officer, who represented Dra. Ana Maria Teresa S. De Guzman, Provincial Health Officer II  said the activity is focused on the past and upcoming activities for the remaining six (6) months of the year primarily the nutrition evaluation on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation Protocol (MELLPI Pro) for the selected municipalities, the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) and  other issues and concerns.

MELLPI Pro  is the updated monitoring and evaluation framework and system for assessment of initiatives including policy and legislation for the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition at the local level.

It can be recalled that Governor Ramon V. Guico III has set his sights in giving priority to the health and wellness of the people by providing quality health services to include proper nutrition especially of the children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Almoite stressed the vital role of the council in achieving the goals of the provincial government as she further stated that PNC plays pivotal role in registering a win for the 2022 evaluation.

“Napakalaki ang role na ginampanan ng mga members ng ating PNC noong tayo ay ene-valuate ng RNET. Naniniwala naman ako na since very functional naman po yong ating PNC ay naniniwala naman po kami na muli po natin makukuha yong panalo for 2022 na performance po natin,”she said.

In addition, Dr. Almoite said  that one of the major activities this July is the Nutrition Month celebration which is anchored on the theme: “HEALTHY DIET gawing affordable FOR ALL.”

Other reports presented by Nutrition Program Manager Analiza S. Miranda include the vision of the nutrition program :“Pangasinan-Home of well-nourished and healthiest Pangasinense” and its mission “To guarantee an effective, accessible, affordable and adequate quality nutrition and health care to all levels of the society particularly the marginalized through an effective partnership with local government and other stakeholders.”  (PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—A satellite field office of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Regional Welfare Office 1 (OWWA-RWO 1) will be established within the Capitol Complex, here.

This was formalized by an approved resolution on June 19 authored by Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Member Marinor B. de Guzman.

Earlier, OWWA which is under the supervision of the Department of Migrant Workers requested the provincial government for a possible vacant office or unit  where the western Pangasinan satellite office be housed.

Upon the approval of Governor Ramon V. Guico III, an office was identified which was formerly utilized by the Office of Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) as its satellite.

In some of the talks of Gov. Guico, he said that the provincial government acknowledges the vital role of the local government unit in providing extension and on-site research services and facilities to include those that provide social and welfare programs and services to OFWs, social assistance, education and training, cultural services, financial management, reintegration, and entrepreneurial development services in the province.

Hence, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be signed by Gov. Guico, on behalf of the province, and OWWA OIC- Regional Director Gerardo C. Rimorin to formalize the undertaking.

“It is to the best interest of the Province of Pangasinan, in coordination with the OWWA, to find ways to protect the rights and promote the welfare of OFWs in Pangasinan in recognition of their valuable contribution in the continued stability of the Philippine economy,” the resolution stated.

(Pangasinan PIO)

Gov. Ramon Guico III on Wednesday inducted into office the newly-elected officers of the Lady Local Legislators’ League (Four-L) – Pangasinan Chapter Officers lead by its President and 1st District Board Member Apolonia Bacay at the Urduja House Ceremonial Hall in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

In his message, the governor expressed his support to the organization, saying there should be a representative of the Four-L Pangasinan Chapter in the regional and in the national levels.

“I hope makatulong tayo sa inyo, at magtulungan tayo, kasi marami pong mga pwedeng i-promote, maraming mga talents sa atin, maraming artistically inclined. Not that hanggang bagoong, asin tayo. I think there is more, and, tingin ko mga kababaihan yong makakatulong diyan. There is something that we can do to actually promote some products,” Governor Guico said.

Governor Guico also urged Four-L officers to push for livelihood programs for women as well as the production of better products that can be sold internationally.

The organization proposed establishment of Center for Women in provincial government hospitals.

Along with BM Bacay, other inducted officers were San Nicolas Councilor Maricon Vindy Operana, vice president, Board Member Marinor De Guzman, secretary, Alaminos City Councilor Carolyn Sison, treasurer, Alaminos City Councilor Dahlia De Leon, deputy treasurer, Umingan Vice Mayor Chris Evert Leynes, auditor, and San Fabian Councilor Kimberly Bandarlipe, public relations officer.

The Board of Directors are Alaminos City Councilor Apple Joy Tolentino and Sual Councilor Apple Joy Mendoza (District 1), Board Member Haidee Pacheco and Mangatarem Councilor Andrea Cruz (District 2), Board Member Shiela Marie Baniqued and Alaminos City CouncilorVerna Rabago (District 3), San Fabian CouncilorMarieta Cuaresma and Mangaldan Councilor Lovely Lian Maramba (District 4), Board Member Rosary Gracia Tababa and Asingan Councilor Athena Ira Chua (District 5), and Tayug Councilor Magdalena Mangelen and Asingan Councilor Marivic Robeniol (District 6).

Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG Lambino and 3rd District Board Member Vici Ventanilla also graced the occasion.

(PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd has asked the officers of the Provincial Government Employees’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Pangasinan (PGEMPCOP) to consider offering a housing loan in its loan packages to enable its members to have their own houses.

“I think you should study offering this loan package because we will soon have a housing program for our employees. I think many of you want to have their own houses,” said Governor Guico after he swore into office the new set of PGEMPCOP officers at the Urduja House last Monday.

Janette Asis, provincial human resource management and development officer and PGEMPCOP general manager, said that at present, the cooperative only offers salary and other short-term loans.

Asis said that the cooperative’s grew from a measly P400,000 to P26 million in the last eight years, and from more 300 members, the cooperative now has 1,400 members consisting of regular employees, casuals, consultants, and job order workers of the provincial government.

“I encountered some of our job order workers, who have been here for 15 years, 20 years. I asked where they lived and they said they were informal settlers somewhere. So, that is I think what we need to provide,” said Governor Guico.

At present, he said, the province needs 17,000 thousand houses a year.

This is one of the reasons, Governor Guico said, why he had asked the conversion of the Provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Center into a housing authority that will map out and build more houses for Pangasinenses.

“Anyway, what I’m only asking is for you to have a commitment to your work. I’m very considerate but when it comes to work, we have to be serious,” Governor Guico said.

“I have never worked so hard as I am doing right now,” he added.

Governor Guico said that the cooperative should also focus on gaining more members to increase its present membership.

“We have 6,000 employees (in the provincial government). So, I think that you should have a more active campaign to entice them to join this cooperative,” Governor Guico said.

“So that should be your objective: To gain more members. Show them the benefits. But I hope you will attach this cooperative to housing eventually. I think you have enough funds for those who seriously want to acquire a house of their own,” he added.

(PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — Gov. Ramon “Mon-mon” Guico III may be the only Pangasinan governor who has visited twice the mountain village of Malico in San Nicolas town in a span of nine months.

Governor Guico first traveled to Malico as governor on October 19, 2022 to dialog with village residents there after he spoke at the Ilocos Region Indigenous People’s Summit.

Last March 20, Governor Guico returned to the village to inaugurate its Barangay Disaster Operations Center. The inauguration coincided with the first out-of-town session then of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Gov. Mark Ronald DG. Lambino.
“The governor’s visits were clear affirmation that Malico is part of Pangasinan,” said provincial administrator Ely Patague.

Malico, which sits on top of the Caraballo Mountain, is a one-hour drive via Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road or Villa Verde Trail from San Nicolas, is being claimed by Nueva Vizcaya as part of its Santa Fe town.

It is called “Little Baguio” because its cold climate is similar to Baguio City’s, although it has higher elevation than the country’s summer capital.

The Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road, which crosses the Caraballo mountains, is the newest direct link of the Ilocos Region to the Cagayan Valley. The other one is the Maharlika Highway, which connects Pagudpud town in Ilocos Norte province and Santa Praxedes town in Cagayan province.

But despite Nueva Vizcaya’s territorial claim, the mountain village contiunues to benefit from the services rendered by the Pangasinan provincial government.

In addition to the Barangay Disaster Operations Center, Patague said the provincial government will also establish a tourism office and a barracks for the Philippine National Police.

To prepare village officials to effectively respond to a disaster, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) conducted a Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation –Disaster Risk Reduction and Basic Life Support Training in the village last December.

At least 40 barangay officials and health workers in the village participated in the training.

After the training session, the PDRRMO distributed 300 family food packs and 50 health kits and vitamins. The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also gave special gifts to the village’s elders.

For the longest time, the Malico National High School and Malico Elementary School belonged to the Pangasinan II division of the Department of Education, a proof that Malico is a part of Pangasinan.

During a meeting at the Governor’s Office here last year, Malico barangay captain Jaime Segundo said that Pangasinan was the only province to which his village belonged.

Segundo, 61, says that it was in that mountain village of Pangasinan where he was born and where he grew up, and he has always been proud of San Nicolas as the town of his birth.

(PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — The provincial government of Pangasinan is holding its first ever Pangasinan IT Challenge for Youth With Disabilities on June 21 at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center I here.

Hosted by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and Persons With Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), the competition is open to youth with disabilities aged 13 to 24 years old, who are recently enrolled in either public or private schools.

“In line with Gov. Ramon Guico III’s vision of making Pangasinan a premier province of great opportunities, the PSWDO through its PDAO ventured into ICT competition to bridge the gap in the digital divide and enhance the information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities of young individuals with disabilities,” PSWDO Annabel Terrado Roque said.

According to Jennifer V. Garcia, head of PDAO, the event will encourage the youth to explore ICT tools and skills, fostering inclusivity for persons with disabilities.

The competition will be divided into three categories: eTools (Excel and PPT), eLifeMap, and eContents. Participants will showcase their proficiency in these areas, highlighting their technological skills and creativity.

Prizes at stake are: first place, P5,000; second place, P3,000; and third place, P1,500.

Garcia said winners in the provincial level will compete in the national competition in the last week of June in Metro Manila and will have a chance to represent the country in the Global IT Challenge to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October 2023.

To prepare the participants for the challenge, an orientation of the contest package will be conducted on June 13 through an online platform. Subsequently, participants will undergo practice and training from June 14 to 20, to hone their skills and familiarizing themselves with the competition requirements.

Interested participants can register through
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1yRYRDPVr4lKVuBTN563NC_vsWF86BzVgWIKSCz03BixwUg/viewform?usp=sharing on or before June 10, 2023.

“We are advocating inclusivity for persons with disabilities, and this event will serve as a platform for them to engage with their peers, learn from experts, and gain valuable experiences that can contribute to their personal and professional growth,” Garcia said.

The PSWDO-PDAO has partnered with the National Council on Disability Affairs, DICT Pangasinan, Local Government Units, DepEd and the Local Youth Development Office to make this event possible.

(PSWDO-PDAO/PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — The town of Dasol in the western part of Pangasinan, is still the province’s top salt producer.

In 2021, Dasol produced 24,000 metric tons (MT) of salt from its more than 10,000 banigan (salt beds) located in 13 of its 18 villages, according to the data gathered by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) here.

A banigan measuring 5.5 meters (18 feet) by 6 meters (20 feet) produces about 30 sacks of salt, each sack weighing 60 kilograms.

Dasol’s production that year was 37.4 percent of the province’s total production of 64,156.36 MT.

Dasol’s salt farms are located along the Maasin River, one of the rivers cutting through the town that flows to the Dasol Bay and to the West Philippine Sea.

Salt-making has been one of the town’s major sources of livelihood here in the last eight decades.

Next to Dasol is the town of Bolinao, which produced 12,240 MT of salt from its salt beds in the villages of Victory, Pilar, and Zaragoza.

But 98 percent (12,000 MT) of the town’s salt production that year came from a 473-hectare salt farm operated by Pacific Farms Inc. in Barangay Zaragoza.

The salt farm, which was the country’s largest salt producer, has stopped production after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shut it down in 2021 because its foreshore lease contract had long expired.

Nestor Batalla, assistant provincial agriculturist, said that by October this year, the farm will start producing salt again after the provincial government took over its operations.

Last December, Gov. Ramon Guico III signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR for the “interim management” of the area for salt production and other related activities, such as bangus production.

Salt production usually takes place during the dry months from November to May. It is during this period when salt farmers take advantage of the sun’s heat to produce salt.

Through the heat, the salty water allowed to flood the salt beds in the morning, evaporate and leave behind salt crystals, which are harvested and stored in warehouses for processing.

Other salt producers in western Pangasinan are Alaminos City (5,208 MT), Bani (4,617 MT), and Anda (3,750 MT).

The town of Infanta produced about 9,622.8 MT of salt in 2021, but not from salt beds. The salt was produced by boiling leached brine, a salt production method that is also practiced in the towns of Anda, San Fabian, and Mangaldan.

At present, Batalla said, Pangasinan salt farms’ total area is 1,432.4 hectares, and about 1,034 individuals are engaged in salt production.

(PangasinanPIO)

SP allows Governor Guico to sign MOA with DOH for the implementation of aid to indigent patients program in five provincial government hospitals

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Monday authorized Gov. Ramon Guico III to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Health Center for Health Development 1 (DOH CHD 1) for the implementation of the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) program in five provincial government hospital .

In her resolution, SP Member Shiela Marie F. Baniqued said the MAIP program will be initially implemented at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City, Lingayen District Hospital in Lingayean, Bayambang District Hospital in Bayambang, Urdaneta District Hospital in Urdaneta City, and Pozorrubio Community Hospital in Pozorrubio.

The MAIP program is a DOH program intended to provide support to indigent and poor patients seeking medical examination, consultation, treatment and rehabilitation, and patients confined in government hospitals.

Board Member Baniqued said that for this year, the DOH CHD-1 allocated P21,658,000 for Pangasinan.

The breakdown of the fund for the five hospitals is as follows: Pangasinan Provincial Hospital, P11,564,000; Lingayen District Hospital, P490,000; Bayambang District Hospital, P1,470,000; Urdaneta District Hospital, P7,154,000; and Pozorrubio Community Hospital, P980,000.

Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG. Lambino said that the MAIP program will eventually cover all 14 provincial government-run hospitals in the province.

He also said that Senator Bong Go has committed P28 million to the province to be given to all 14 government hospitals as soon as funds will be downloaded to the regional health office.

(PangasinanPIO)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN — After more than two years, the 473-hectare salt farm in Barangay Zaragoza in Bolinao town will finally start producing salt again.

But this time, the provincial government will be operating it, not the Pacific Farms Inc., whose foreshore lease contract had expired in 2002 and was not renewed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The salt farm, which was shut down in February 2021, used to be the country’s largest salt producer, contributing up to 25,000 metric tons (MT) a year to the country’s total salt production.

“By July this year, we will start our preliminary activities in the farm so that by October, we will already start harvesting salt,” said Nestor Batalla, assistant provincial agriculturist.

Last December, Gov. Ramon Guico III signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR for the “interim management” of the area for salt production and other related activities, such as bangus production.

“We have a crisis in salt, and with this development, we are able to respond to the call of the President (Marcos) to contribute to national food security,” said Governor Guico.

Last year, industry experts said the country imports 93 percent of its salt requirements of 600,000 MT per year.

Pangasinan, whose name is derived from the local term for salt (“asin”), is the country’s largest salt producer.

In 2021, the province produced 64,156 MT from its 1,432.4-hectare salt farms located in seven towns and Alaminos City, according to the data collected by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.

Governor Guico’s special assistant and former Board Member Von Mark Mendoza said that the provincial government will be introducing innovations to increase the volume of  salt produced at the Zaragoza farm.

For instance, plastic-roofed tunnels will be built over the salt beds to enable them to continue producing salt even when it is raining.

Mendoza learned of this salt production technology during a recent benchmarking visit to Indonesia, where the tunnel system in salt farms is widely used. He said that the tunnel system increased salt production by up to about 30 percent.

He also said that instead of installing tiles on the salt beds, high-density polyethelene will be used for higher yield and to produce better quality salt.

“One thing unique in Indonesia is that they have a salt production area that is state-owned. But through the initiative of the Governor, the provincial government itself is now venturing into salt production,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza was with Batalla, Board Member Philip Theodore Cruz, Engr. Amadeo Veras of the Provincial Engineer’s Office, and Sydney Soriano of the Provincial Information Office during the five-day visit to Indonesia.

“With Divine intervention and our salt production will succeed, we can become trailblazer, we will be the leading LGU in the field of salt production,” Mendoza said. (PangasinanPIO)