10 August 2005
PHOTO: Susan in Dagupan
Hand over their hearts, City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim and Ms. Susan Roces, the actress-widow of the late presidential contender Fernando Poe, Jr., with the mayor’s wife,Celia, in background, sing the national anthem during last Friday afternoon’s ’s truth rally at the city plaza. In lower photo, former Governor Oscar Orbos, woman leader Marietta Primicias-Goco, former Congressman Teddy Cruz and the late FPJ’s sister, Elizabeth, with Dagupan’s First Couple on the stage with a backdrop streamer proclaiming “Hello Glori… Leksab La! Natan La! “, a local phrase for Resign…Now! (PStar Photo by Butch F. Uka)
Susan rallies Pangasinenses to reject GMA leadership
By Gabriel L. CardinozaACTRESS Susan Roces, in a sentimental homecoming to her late husband’s province last Friday, rallied Pangasinenses to reject the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, saying it is “dubious.”
“Ayaw natin sa kanya dahil duda tayo sa pagka-panalo niya. Hindi natin matatanggap na mamumuno sa atin ay kaduda-duda,” Ms. Roces told a rally crowd of about 1,000 at the city plaza here that cheered her pronouncements.
Pangasinan is the homeprovince of Ms. Roces’ late husband, actor and presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr. Poe hails from San Carlos City, in this province. Ms Roces was guest in a student symposium at the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation this morning. She also met with the late FPJ’s relatives in that city.
She called on Pangasinenses to use their rights as citizens. “I have chosen to be silent. But I realized it’s wrong. We must speak out. Masyado na tayong inaabuso,” she said.
Roces, whose real name is Jesusa Sonora, however, clarified that while she is one with the Filipino people’s aspirations for a change in the country’s leadership, she will not involve herself in something that is illegal.
“Let’s be patient,” she said. “Let’s observe how the impeachment process will progress in Congress,” she advised.
Asked pointedly during an interview, whether she was willing to replace Arroyo if the President ever steps down or is ousted, she declined any such assumption, saying she is not interested even if the people push her to the position.
“I’m not going to accept it. We should follow the Constitution,” she said.
The veteran actress who had stayed out of the silver screen since she became wife to FPJ added that if there is doubt in the Vice President, then “there’s the Senate President, who will then have to call for a snap election.”
This is why, she quickly added, the cleansing of the Commission on Elections should begin now to make it a credible body.
“In a few days, we will have the ARMM elections. How can the Comelec be credible if the 2004 election results are doubtful?” Roces said.
FPJ won by almost 50,000 votes over Mrs. Arroyo in Pangasinan, the maternal home province of the President. Her late mother, Dona Eva Macaraeg Macapagal, is from Binalonan town.
The rally was held after a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Oscar Cruz in the nearby St. John Cathedral.
Among the prominent local political leaders in attendance were Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim, former Pangasinan Gov. Oscar Orbos, former Rep. Teodoro Cruz and former Agrarian Reform Minister Conrado Estrella. At least four municipal mayors were also seen in the crowd of greeters of the visiting actress-widow.
Lim, who ran for reelection under the administration Lakas-CMD party in 2004, introduced Roces during the rally as “the First Lady of a truly elected President.”
Lim had asked Arroyo last month to resign from the Presidency as a supreme sacrifice.
“I’m very much touched. I know that even before, Mayor Lim has supported FPJ,” Roces said in reaction to the warm welcome she got from Dagupan City during a news conference.
Malimgas soon a ‘ghost mart’
IF the city government fails to take containment measures soon, the spanking new Malimgas market could become a ‘ghost market’ in under a year.Vendors at the less than one-year old three-storey public market here claim they are losing in their business stalls, owing to the stiff rental rate and lack of customers.
A city councilor, Alex de Venecia, chairman on markets of the city council, said the vendors, especially at the second floor of the market, are seeking reduction of their stall rentals because only few people are buying goods from them, contrary to earlier expectations.
They are seeking as much as 50 percent reduction in rental fees for them to at least break even in business.
The city council however said this is impossible to grant because the city government will have difficulty sourcing out funds to be able to pay the amortization of the P300 million loan it obtained from the Land Bank of the Philippines for the construction of the project.
With sellers outnumbering buyers in the second floor of the market, it is really difficult to survive in this present economic crisis, the Malimgas vendors said.
Even the third floor of the establishment intended as a parking area is not being patronized by motorists.
A centralized air-conditioning system and a functional escalator just like those in commercial malls has failed to attract buyers. Not even lilting tunes in radio jingles produced by City Hall’s favorite media promo contractors has convinced customers to go to the public market.
The vendors told the city council in a committee hearing last Monday that at least 46 stalls there had already been closed because their owners cannot afford to continuously pay high rentals without making any sale at all.
They said that if business continues to be slow, there would be no more stalls left there by December.
De Venecia noted that vendors are blaming the unfair competition from ambulant peddlers who are supposed to be weeded out by a task force of the city government but has so far failed to do after an initial burst of action by the team.
A bigger competition though is coming from surrounding private commercial malls that sell goods and even fish, meat and vegetables at much cheaper prices than the retail stalls in the new public market.
City’s Awai lot eyed as watershed area
THE city government’s controversial purchased lot in Awai, San Jacinto town may soon be turned into a tourist forest park, if the Lim administration’s plans materialize.
Mayor Benjamin S. Lim said the Awai property has a potential of being developed initially into an orchard project, having already various fruit-bearing trees growing in it, including some that can be used for lumber and bamboocrafts.
The mayor noted that the Dagupan-based Duque clan also has a big parcel of land in Lobong, adjacent to Awai, which could be converted into a golf course.
“Several years ago, some prospective investors flew over the area to survey if it is feasible to put up recreational center facilities,” Lim said, adding that Awai and Lobong areas are unexploited and it is something only a few people know.
The mayor said the city will soon tap the services of the Bureau of Mines to also look into possible water deposits in the area. He stressed that Dagupan City and San Jacinto can both benefit from the minerals to be found in the site.
In the future, Lim said that the place can also be developed into a housing area if the population of Dagupan, San Jacinto and Manaldan grows immensely.
Lim bared his plans for Awai during the recent launching of the Adopt-a-Watershed project of the city government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
DCWD General Manager Ramon Reyna said the main objective is to have a watershed in the area which could be a good water source for both agricultural and domestic use in the future. A portion of the Awai property is inundated by rain water forming a natural lake during rainy season.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Rogel Pimentel said the project can be compared to the La Mesa Dam, which is environment-friendly and a tourist spot project.
Pimentel said aside from being a future water source, the area can also be an educational site for students who have not actually seen a forest.
Lim signed a memorandum of agreement with Reyna and Pimentel to pursue the project. “The tree planting will become a weekly activity until we can plant 2,500 seedlings per hectare. And with 30 hectares of lot to be planted, we can plant 75,000 trees,”Lim said. (Sunshine D. Robles)
Mayor Benjamin S. Lim said the Awai property has a potential of being developed initially into an orchard project, having already various fruit-bearing trees growing in it, including some that can be used for lumber and bamboocrafts.
The mayor noted that the Dagupan-based Duque clan also has a big parcel of land in Lobong, adjacent to Awai, which could be converted into a golf course.
“Several years ago, some prospective investors flew over the area to survey if it is feasible to put up recreational center facilities,” Lim said, adding that Awai and Lobong areas are unexploited and it is something only a few people know.
The mayor said the city will soon tap the services of the Bureau of Mines to also look into possible water deposits in the area. He stressed that Dagupan City and San Jacinto can both benefit from the minerals to be found in the site.
In the future, Lim said that the place can also be developed into a housing area if the population of Dagupan, San Jacinto and Manaldan grows immensely.
Lim bared his plans for Awai during the recent launching of the Adopt-a-Watershed project of the city government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
DCWD General Manager Ramon Reyna said the main objective is to have a watershed in the area which could be a good water source for both agricultural and domestic use in the future. A portion of the Awai property is inundated by rain water forming a natural lake during rainy season.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Rogel Pimentel said the project can be compared to the La Mesa Dam, which is environment-friendly and a tourist spot project.
Pimentel said aside from being a future water source, the area can also be an educational site for students who have not actually seen a forest.
Lim signed a memorandum of agreement with Reyna and Pimentel to pursue the project. “The tree planting will become a weekly activity until we can plant 2,500 seedlings per hectare. And with 30 hectares of lot to be planted, we can plant 75,000 trees,”Lim said. (Sunshine D. Robles)
12 Dagupeño HS studes bound for Stanford U
TWELVE outstanding high school students from Dagupan City will take part in the U.S. study exchange program as part of the sister-cities memorandum of understanding between Dagupan and Milpitas in California.
City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, coming home from a two-week trip in the United States, signed the MOU with Milpitas City Mayor Jose Esteves on July 21, 2005.
He said that the Dagupeño students will attend classes at Stanford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States and in the whole world.
Lim said that aside from joining classes inside classrooms, the students will also participate in sports events, drama acting and visits to museums, libraries, exhibit centers, and outdoor adventure.
“Their stay will be hosted by families from various Dagupeño associations in the area,” he said. They will also be given a one-week break to stay with their relatives in the U.S.
The mayor will personally select the final 12 scholars who must belong to the cream of the crop as recommended by various public and private schools in the city.
This year, Public Order and Safety Office chief Robert Erfe-Mejia also participated in the “Emergency Training Seminar” at Camp San Luis Obispo in California, the only Asian who participated in that seminar which simulated disaster scenarios.
Mejia is now implementing and sharing his experience with members of the City Disaster Coordinating Council.
Lim also launched the Nandaragupan Coffetable book in the places he visited which included aside from Milpitas City: Seattle in Washington, Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, coming home from a two-week trip in the United States, signed the MOU with Milpitas City Mayor Jose Esteves on July 21, 2005.
He said that the Dagupeño students will attend classes at Stanford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States and in the whole world.
Lim said that aside from joining classes inside classrooms, the students will also participate in sports events, drama acting and visits to museums, libraries, exhibit centers, and outdoor adventure.
“Their stay will be hosted by families from various Dagupeño associations in the area,” he said. They will also be given a one-week break to stay with their relatives in the U.S.
The mayor will personally select the final 12 scholars who must belong to the cream of the crop as recommended by various public and private schools in the city.
This year, Public Order and Safety Office chief Robert Erfe-Mejia also participated in the “Emergency Training Seminar” at Camp San Luis Obispo in California, the only Asian who participated in that seminar which simulated disaster scenarios.
Mejia is now implementing and sharing his experience with members of the City Disaster Coordinating Council.
Lim also launched the Nandaragupan Coffetable book in the places he visited which included aside from Milpitas City: Seattle in Washington, Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
Nandaragupan book launch at CCP a resounding success
By Sunshine D. RoblesTHE book launch of Nandaragupan: The Story of a Coastal City and Dagupan Bangus at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) last Thursday turned out a resounding success.
Mayor Benjamin S. Lim led city officials in thanking dignitaries and guests at the event for being “one with our aim and desire in establishing Dagupan City as a progressive, peaceful and orderly city.”
Lim said the Nandaragupan book is a comprehensive description of the city designed to make Dagupeños and those with kinship to the city, especially Dagupeños now based abroad, acquire a vivid information and picture of Dagupan.
“Many Dagupeños living in foreign lands are able to say they are from Dagupan, but they have difficulties in actually describing their home, their city,” the mayor said.
Lim said that Nandaragupan doesn’t only show the history and culture of the city, but also the problems it surmounted particularly the devastating July 16, 1990 earthquake.
He credited the renaissance of the city to the enthusiastic Dagupeños under the leadership of then Mayor Liberato Reyna Sr. and Vice Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr.
Speaker Jose de Venecia, for his part, honored not only the writers and photographers of the Nandaragupan book, but also the rich history, culture and legends found in the book.
“We will endorse the book to our friends in California, East Coast, Midwest and London where we will try to sell at least 5,000 to 10,000 copies of the book,” de Venecia said even as he sought the provision of a global airline ticket for Carmen Prieto, author and editor of the book, “so that she can start marketing the book all over the Philippines.”
Preito said that only a simple book signing in a bookstore was initially planned to launch the book, but with the help of some people, the CCP big affair happened.
Another highlight of the book launch is the presentation of a resolution by the Sangguniang Panlungsod to Philippine National Railways (PNR) Director Felipe Siapno.
Earlier, PNR formally turned-over the temporary custody of the vintage Manila to Dagupan locomotive to the city government to form part of its museum pieces.
Lim also presented an enlarged marriage certificate of Leonor Rivera and Engr. Henry Kipping, an English national and first railroad supervisor, to British Ambassador Peter Beckingham and descendants of Rivera and Kipping.
The Barangay Poblacion Oeste dancers, two-time champion of the Gilon!Gilon! street dancing contest in the city, and a photo exhibit on the contents of the book greeted the guests at the launching.
Dagupan-based restaurants Bangus Fiesta, Café du Marc, Jam Sweet Jam, Dagupeña and Plato Wraps served samplings of their specialties which highlighted the 101 Ways to Cook Bangus.
Community cleanliness best dengue safeguard
By Danny O. Sagun
PIA-Pangasinan
ENVIRONMENTAL sanitation is still the most effective means to fight the dreaded dengue fever disease, the head of the provincial health team in Pangasinan said Thursday.
Dr. Jose Soriano said that fogging operations cost a lot of money and do not necessarily kill all mosquitoes. “Yong hindi matamaan lumilipat lang sa ibang lugar o barangay,” he noted.
Maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in the neighborhood on the other hand costs practically nothing, but it is the most effective way to control any outbreak, he observed.
Breeding grounds of the day-biting mosquito aedes Aegypti, the carrier of dengue virus, are stagnant water likely found in cans, unused tires, and flower vase. Soriano cited as an example an unused aquarium in a house in Binalonan town that became the breeding ground of mosquitoes. He said two members of that household fell sick of dengue.
Health authorities are again alarmed by the rising incidents of dengue in the province lately. A lone fatality was recorded in Dagupan City. .
Soriano said he has yet to confirm a report that five died of the disease in Sison town. He said that health officers from the province were set to meet Thursday at the health team office at People’s Astrodome to assess the situation.
The sangguniang bayan of Binalonan recently declared the town under state of calamity but Mayor Ramon Guico vetoed the measure noting that the situation there was manageable and not so alarming as to merit such move.
The Region l Medical Center reported a total of 82 dengue cases from the pedia ward alone from January to August 4 with July registering a high 58 cases. The Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City reported 17 cases.
The provincial health office recorded some 63 cases as of July 31 with one fatality from Daguapan City as collated from reports submitted by the various district and community hospitals. The identity of the victim was not immediately known as efforts to get it from concerned agencies proved futile.
Soriano said there is a need to verify such reports by getting the name of the patient and other details as there may be duplication in numbers reporting.
Dr. Jesus Canto, chief of the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City called on residents no to hesitate going to the R1MC once they feel the onset of dengue symptoms like off and on fever for at least five days.
He said dengue is not a viral disease.
The R1MC, Canto said, is the only hospital in Region 1 with a blood separator, assuring itself of a steady supply of blood platelets when most needed by dengue patients.
PIA-Pangasinan
ENVIRONMENTAL sanitation is still the most effective means to fight the dreaded dengue fever disease, the head of the provincial health team in Pangasinan said Thursday.
Dr. Jose Soriano said that fogging operations cost a lot of money and do not necessarily kill all mosquitoes. “Yong hindi matamaan lumilipat lang sa ibang lugar o barangay,” he noted.
Maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in the neighborhood on the other hand costs practically nothing, but it is the most effective way to control any outbreak, he observed.
Breeding grounds of the day-biting mosquito aedes Aegypti, the carrier of dengue virus, are stagnant water likely found in cans, unused tires, and flower vase. Soriano cited as an example an unused aquarium in a house in Binalonan town that became the breeding ground of mosquitoes. He said two members of that household fell sick of dengue.
Health authorities are again alarmed by the rising incidents of dengue in the province lately. A lone fatality was recorded in Dagupan City. .
Soriano said he has yet to confirm a report that five died of the disease in Sison town. He said that health officers from the province were set to meet Thursday at the health team office at People’s Astrodome to assess the situation.
The sangguniang bayan of Binalonan recently declared the town under state of calamity but Mayor Ramon Guico vetoed the measure noting that the situation there was manageable and not so alarming as to merit such move.
The Region l Medical Center reported a total of 82 dengue cases from the pedia ward alone from January to August 4 with July registering a high 58 cases. The Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City reported 17 cases.
The provincial health office recorded some 63 cases as of July 31 with one fatality from Daguapan City as collated from reports submitted by the various district and community hospitals. The identity of the victim was not immediately known as efforts to get it from concerned agencies proved futile.
Soriano said there is a need to verify such reports by getting the name of the patient and other details as there may be duplication in numbers reporting.
Dr. Jesus Canto, chief of the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City called on residents no to hesitate going to the R1MC once they feel the onset of dengue symptoms like off and on fever for at least five days.
He said dengue is not a viral disease.
The R1MC, Canto said, is the only hospital in Region 1 with a blood separator, assuring itself of a steady supply of blood platelets when most needed by dengue patients.
PHOTO: Pistolero Vice Mayor
Taking careful aim at the firing range, Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez leads shooters during last week’s shooting cup staged under his name. (PStar Photo by Butch F. Uka)150 shooters join VM Alvin Cup
SOME 150 gunholders and shooters from the Ilocos region and outlying provinces like Tarlac joined the 2nd Vice Mayor Alvin D. Fernandez Cup held at the Don Pedro Balingit Firing Range in Bonuan Binloc from July 30 to 31.
The competition covered five categories: Open, Modified, Standard, Production and Single Stack.
Winners in each category were Cheng Ingimar of Baguio City (Open), Rico Papa of BB Dionisio Gun Club of Manila (Modified), Edwin Halili of Tarlac (Standard), Eduardo Yao of BB Dionisio Gun Club of Manila (Production) and Reynaldo Buan of Tarlac (Single Stack).
From the Local Government Unit (LGU), POSO Chief Robert Erfe-Mejia emerged as the winner with Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez and Councilor Joey Tamayo as 1st and 2nd runners-up respectively.
Vice mayors from different towns and cities of Pangasinan also joined the two-day shooting competition, each getting the chance to learn the different techniques of gun safety and gun handling.
Vice Mayor Alfredo Frias of Basista, Pangasinan who was among the first-time shooters, expressed joy at his new learning. “Enjoy talaga at ang sarap palang pumutok,” he said.
The Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez Cup was organized by the city vice mayor in cooperation with Dagupan Practical Shooting Association President Mario Lim, Range Director Louie Nazareno and Range Master Christian Yap. The Level 1 shootfest is sanctioned by Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA). (CIO/ Leziel Cayabyab)
The competition covered five categories: Open, Modified, Standard, Production and Single Stack.
Winners in each category were Cheng Ingimar of Baguio City (Open), Rico Papa of BB Dionisio Gun Club of Manila (Modified), Edwin Halili of Tarlac (Standard), Eduardo Yao of BB Dionisio Gun Club of Manila (Production) and Reynaldo Buan of Tarlac (Single Stack).
From the Local Government Unit (LGU), POSO Chief Robert Erfe-Mejia emerged as the winner with Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez and Councilor Joey Tamayo as 1st and 2nd runners-up respectively.
Vice mayors from different towns and cities of Pangasinan also joined the two-day shooting competition, each getting the chance to learn the different techniques of gun safety and gun handling.
Vice Mayor Alfredo Frias of Basista, Pangasinan who was among the first-time shooters, expressed joy at his new learning. “Enjoy talaga at ang sarap palang pumutok,” he said.
The Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez Cup was organized by the city vice mayor in cooperation with Dagupan Practical Shooting Association President Mario Lim, Range Director Louie Nazareno and Range Master Christian Yap. The Level 1 shootfest is sanctioned by Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA). (CIO/ Leziel Cayabyab)
Rape cases rising
LINGAYEN – Cases of rape, acts of lasciviousness and child abuse are on the rise anew in Pangasinan, according to a report of the Police Community Relations Office.
The report signed by Supt. Ricardo Tamayo showed six of these cases being recorded last Wednesday in various parts of Pangasinan.
These incidents happened in Manaoag, Agno, San Manuel, Tayug and San Quintin towns.
All of the victims were minor girls, the youngest at five years old. The others were aged 11, 15 and two of them were 17.
The youngest of the victims was molested by a 14-year old boy who inserted his finger in the girl’s private part.
One of the teenaged victims was sexually abused by her own father while another victim was raped by her uncle.
The police said another teenage victim was raped twice by her sister’s live-in partner inside her room, while the other victim was embraced and kissed several times on her lips against her will by her suitor, a 17-year old boy.
All these cases were coursed through the Women and Children Complaints Desk in the concerned municipal police stations which are now also investigating these for the filing of corresponding complaints against the suspects.
The report signed by Supt. Ricardo Tamayo showed six of these cases being recorded last Wednesday in various parts of Pangasinan.
These incidents happened in Manaoag, Agno, San Manuel, Tayug and San Quintin towns.
All of the victims were minor girls, the youngest at five years old. The others were aged 11, 15 and two of them were 17.
The youngest of the victims was molested by a 14-year old boy who inserted his finger in the girl’s private part.
One of the teenaged victims was sexually abused by her own father while another victim was raped by her uncle.
The police said another teenage victim was raped twice by her sister’s live-in partner inside her room, while the other victim was embraced and kissed several times on her lips against her will by her suitor, a 17-year old boy.
All these cases were coursed through the Women and Children Complaints Desk in the concerned municipal police stations which are now also investigating these for the filing of corresponding complaints against the suspects.
Ilocos’ first drug recovery center opens in Alaminos
ALAMINOS CITY – The city government here headed by Mayor Hernani Braganza has linked up with a church in Hawaii and a non-government agency to establish the first-ever drug recovery center in the Ilocos region.
Opened here last week, the facility was initiated by Braganza with the help of the City of Refuge Christian Church of Hawaii and the NGO anti-drug group Project Adam.
Braganza said the center will cater to residents of the first district of Pangasinan, particularly the city of Alaminos, which have drug problems of their own.
It will not only treat drug users clinically and psychologically but will also put them under rigorous regimen so that they can completely shake off their drug habits and become useful and productive citizens anew.
Alaminos City beat the province of Pangasinan in putting up such a center as the latter’s project, started in year 1992, was discontinued for lack of funds.
Like all other burgeoning places in Pangasinan, Alaminos has its share of the drug problem which city officials and the police intend to lick thru “demand reduction” and rehabilitation.
Police Provincial DirectorAlan Purisima, Sheila Ann Sevilla, Project Adam board member, Braganza and other city officials opened the facility.
Opened here last week, the facility was initiated by Braganza with the help of the City of Refuge Christian Church of Hawaii and the NGO anti-drug group Project Adam.
Braganza said the center will cater to residents of the first district of Pangasinan, particularly the city of Alaminos, which have drug problems of their own.
It will not only treat drug users clinically and psychologically but will also put them under rigorous regimen so that they can completely shake off their drug habits and become useful and productive citizens anew.
Alaminos City beat the province of Pangasinan in putting up such a center as the latter’s project, started in year 1992, was discontinued for lack of funds.
Like all other burgeoning places in Pangasinan, Alaminos has its share of the drug problem which city officials and the police intend to lick thru “demand reduction” and rehabilitation.
Police Provincial DirectorAlan Purisima, Sheila Ann Sevilla, Project Adam board member, Braganza and other city officials opened the facility.
OPINION: No ag nasipor iray iskwater, irap lan paeren
SAYAN INDIO
Nen Mario F. Karateka
ANGGAN mansorbi laran mansorbi na gili-gilig na dayat pian paeren kono so probleman iskwaters, anggapoy pakanengneng kon epektibo so antokaman a programay gobyerno lokal tan say Deparsmin op Enbayronmint en Natyural Risorsis ed saya no ag tekepan na malet tan maples ya aksiyon so idarakel daranian iskwaters.
Insan labat onaksiyon iray otoridades no piga-pigaralay nipaalagey ditad gilig na dayat o il-ilog; singa bulag-telek iray opisyales anggan walalaray riport ya kesyo si ontan a pulano o si ontan a taga-biek-taew et mangipapaalagey na mansion tolad isesebel a pasen.
Ansakit ya ibaga ia balet walan walay opisyal ya pinononong daray opisyales a singa saray walad DENR mismo tan anggan saray walad lokal gobyerno kanian onialan mandakel imbes a nababawasan iray iligal ya istraktoradtan.
“Survey” kuay gobyerno.
Niman kan samay otit ya sorbi da et nen taon 2000 tan nalmoan konon walaay anem libon iskwaters ed luyag tan ontan met anem libon iskwaters ed Dagupan, kaibalaray wadtad gilig na rilis na tren. Bay da taym nasompal da so ibabalap dan balon “survey” natan – siguro abuten toy Taon 2007 itan – ompan samplo anggad labinduan libo laray iskwaters ed dalin publiko.
Agan tlaga ontonda iray andiay abong ya mananap na pasen publiko ya pangipaalageyan day abong, natural labat itan, tan no maletey so panagbantay na gobyerno, tan patuloy ya manpaolian iray ahensiya tan mangawat na pasuksok so manag-aproba na permit odino mabulos so panangiter na “exemption”, ag napatonda so iskwating ed dalin publiko.
Singa tilabat manlolokoan ed satan.
Amen?
Nen Mario F. Karateka
ANGGAN mansorbi laran mansorbi na gili-gilig na dayat pian paeren kono so probleman iskwaters, anggapoy pakanengneng kon epektibo so antokaman a programay gobyerno lokal tan say Deparsmin op Enbayronmint en Natyural Risorsis ed saya no ag tekepan na malet tan maples ya aksiyon so idarakel daranian iskwaters.
Insan labat onaksiyon iray otoridades no piga-pigaralay nipaalagey ditad gilig na dayat o il-ilog; singa bulag-telek iray opisyales anggan walalaray riport ya kesyo si ontan a pulano o si ontan a taga-biek-taew et mangipapaalagey na mansion tolad isesebel a pasen.
Ansakit ya ibaga ia balet walan walay opisyal ya pinononong daray opisyales a singa saray walad DENR mismo tan anggan saray walad lokal gobyerno kanian onialan mandakel imbes a nababawasan iray iligal ya istraktoradtan.
“Survey” kuay gobyerno.
Niman kan samay otit ya sorbi da et nen taon 2000 tan nalmoan konon walaay anem libon iskwaters ed luyag tan ontan met anem libon iskwaters ed Dagupan, kaibalaray wadtad gilig na rilis na tren. Bay da taym nasompal da so ibabalap dan balon “survey” natan – siguro abuten toy Taon 2007 itan – ompan samplo anggad labinduan libo laray iskwaters ed dalin publiko.
Agan tlaga ontonda iray andiay abong ya mananap na pasen publiko ya pangipaalageyan day abong, natural labat itan, tan no maletey so panagbantay na gobyerno, tan patuloy ya manpaolian iray ahensiya tan mangawat na pasuksok so manag-aproba na permit odino mabulos so panangiter na “exemption”, ag napatonda so iskwating ed dalin publiko.
Singa tilabat manlolokoan ed satan.
Amen?
* * * *
Naimano yotala saray angkabaleg iran pigura ed sayay magotgot ya kipapasen ed nasyonal a eksena natan et wadtan ya Pangalatok – o manugang na Pangasinan --viray manonaan. Si FVR, si Joe de V, si Garcillano, si Arsobispo Cruz, si Heneral Art Lomibao, si Heneral Hermogenes Ebdane tan arom niran nalilingwanan ko labat natan.
Puwera ni si GMA mismo ya apo na Pangasinan.
Impanbabana na kapalaran irayan personalidad pian nagawa so antokaman a nagawa, onong ed akagetar ed senyales na Pilipinas. Et no onelet nin onelet so gotgotan, tan talagan anapen si manaamot ya “Garci” nayarin pati si Imigresyon Komisyoner a kabaleyan tayon Al Fernandez so napilanlanor ditan.
Makapakelaw balet a saray natitilak iran kongresista tayod Pangasinan --Celeste, Espino, Tulagan, Cojuangco tan Estrella – et singa ag ompipigura ed dapag na “pro” odino “anti”. Labay kon ibaga agira mangibalikas na talagan liknaan da.
Manatalineng .. odino manpiplising? Pian antokaman so kasompalan toni naani et agira masyadon naluyakan odino nasinit.?
Ditan ko idayew iyay Meyor Bendyi Saplan Lim. Anggan antoy pawayan tonian gulo, imbalikas, imporek tan insigbat tolad pader so posisyon to. Atan so laki. Atan so lider.
Puwera ni si GMA mismo ya apo na Pangasinan.
Impanbabana na kapalaran irayan personalidad pian nagawa so antokaman a nagawa, onong ed akagetar ed senyales na Pilipinas. Et no onelet nin onelet so gotgotan, tan talagan anapen si manaamot ya “Garci” nayarin pati si Imigresyon Komisyoner a kabaleyan tayon Al Fernandez so napilanlanor ditan.
Makapakelaw balet a saray natitilak iran kongresista tayod Pangasinan --Celeste, Espino, Tulagan, Cojuangco tan Estrella – et singa ag ompipigura ed dapag na “pro” odino “anti”. Labay kon ibaga agira mangibalikas na talagan liknaan da.
Manatalineng .. odino manpiplising? Pian antokaman so kasompalan toni naani et agira masyadon naluyakan odino nasinit.?
Ditan ko idayew iyay Meyor Bendyi Saplan Lim. Anggan antoy pawayan tonian gulo, imbalikas, imporek tan insigbat tolad pader so posisyon to. Atan so laki. Atan so lider.
EDITORIAL: If the police or POSO won’t, who will?
FOR the nth time, will City Hall please harken to the complaints of the growing list of victims of abusive tricycles in the city?
If the city police and the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) can’t go after these three-wheeled brigands masquerading as public conveyances in city streets, who else will protect the unwary riders? It looks like passengers are being left pretty much to fend for themselves – with the vulture tricycle drivers free to prey on them – in this “proud, peaceful” city in the North.
Morning radio programs are replete with the public’s woes and unfortunate encounters with overcharging trikemen, who have apparently been thumbing their noses at all those transportation laws and regulations. They have practically implemented tariff rates of their own, even going ahead of public utility jeeps and buses in raising their charges at the first announcement of oil price increase.
The sad part of it all is, the city police and POSO (never mind the LTO or LTFRB, both agencies being too busy with whatever it is they’re doing at the highway corner) can easily stop these horrid tales of overcharging by tricycles by simply hauling in all the abusive characters complained against -- or even posing as plain passengers themselves to catch them in the act – but they don’t seem inclined to do it.
The city PNP and POSO, in short, do not show they mean business in enforcing the legal fare rates; after all, tricycle operation is within the ambit of the city government and therefore covered by local regulations.
But then, as a popular local radio commentator said, if the two units can’t even seem to catch colorum tricycles operating in the city with impunity, how expect them to bother implementing legal tricycle fare rates at all?
If the city police and the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) can’t go after these three-wheeled brigands masquerading as public conveyances in city streets, who else will protect the unwary riders? It looks like passengers are being left pretty much to fend for themselves – with the vulture tricycle drivers free to prey on them – in this “proud, peaceful” city in the North.
Morning radio programs are replete with the public’s woes and unfortunate encounters with overcharging trikemen, who have apparently been thumbing their noses at all those transportation laws and regulations. They have practically implemented tariff rates of their own, even going ahead of public utility jeeps and buses in raising their charges at the first announcement of oil price increase.
The sad part of it all is, the city police and POSO (never mind the LTO or LTFRB, both agencies being too busy with whatever it is they’re doing at the highway corner) can easily stop these horrid tales of overcharging by tricycles by simply hauling in all the abusive characters complained against -- or even posing as plain passengers themselves to catch them in the act – but they don’t seem inclined to do it.
The city PNP and POSO, in short, do not show they mean business in enforcing the legal fare rates; after all, tricycle operation is within the ambit of the city government and therefore covered by local regulations.
But then, as a popular local radio commentator said, if the two units can’t even seem to catch colorum tricycles operating in the city with impunity, how expect them to bother implementing legal tricycle fare rates at all?
OPINION: Market’s there, but where’s the market?
AFTER ALL
By Behn Fer. Hortaleza
THE most sensible suggestion to save the new Malimgas public market from economic perdition and by extension, the city government from going crazy on how it could pay the amortization for its P300 million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines, is to open the whole second floor to big food chains or to big-time franchisees who could probably convert the area into a giant “food center” of sorts. You know, like the SM Food Plaza which is never wanting of customers all hours of the day up to early evening.
Food as a business has always proved to be a crowd-drawer— i.e., for the gourmets and the plain hungry, regardless of the eater’s social standing or bank deposits. Clothes shops or boutiques located in a public market, no matter how classy and trendy (or even low-priced) their wares may be, on the other hand, suffer from the common impression that these could not but be just so-so wears, considering the location.
Let’s – okay, the city government must – face it, despite hard times, even the low-income youngsters would go for a commercial modern mall and upbeat supermarket anytime, there to be seen by neighbors and friends and earning the mark of being “in” or simply “belonging”. Dagupan youth and teens, even some adults, are no different from those of their age groups anywhere; just make a quick survey of their shopping area preferences and you will see what we mean. It’s Pavlov’s conditioned reflex theory at work, maybe even the real signs of the times – when you’re used to playing rich or “can afford,” it’s hard to shake off the habit.
We can only wonder how and why the feasibility study groups for the Malimgas modern public market did not factor this particular human factor when it comes to people’s choice of their kind of market. The great misfortune of the Malimgas market is that it tried, is trying, to compete with the big commercial malls found right beside it by trying to copy their ambience and facilities – without however considering the mental makeup of shoppers and buyers who have some unconscious aversion for goods and wares especially clothes found in public markets.
Malimgas planners had thought putting in modern amenities (airconditioning system, escalators, elevated parking, great lights) was all there is to drawing in the crowd.
Sad miscalculation!
On hindsight, it does look like Belen had a much better reading and “gut feel” of the idiosyncrasies of the Dagupan buyer then than the present marketing geniuses of the Malimgas combined. To hear the The Fat Lady sing: Profit and public service don’t mix. You’ve got to make a choice.”
And she didn’t even have to throw good money after bad hiring, like the Malimgas guys did and are still doing, some fancy media outfits to produce those so-called “catchy” promotional jingles that so far, has succeeded only in catching the city taxpayers’ money -- not the sought-after, hard-to-get local marketgoers.
Time to go back to the planning boards, gentlemen!
By Behn Fer. Hortaleza
THE most sensible suggestion to save the new Malimgas public market from economic perdition and by extension, the city government from going crazy on how it could pay the amortization for its P300 million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines, is to open the whole second floor to big food chains or to big-time franchisees who could probably convert the area into a giant “food center” of sorts. You know, like the SM Food Plaza which is never wanting of customers all hours of the day up to early evening.
Food as a business has always proved to be a crowd-drawer— i.e., for the gourmets and the plain hungry, regardless of the eater’s social standing or bank deposits. Clothes shops or boutiques located in a public market, no matter how classy and trendy (or even low-priced) their wares may be, on the other hand, suffer from the common impression that these could not but be just so-so wears, considering the location.
Let’s – okay, the city government must – face it, despite hard times, even the low-income youngsters would go for a commercial modern mall and upbeat supermarket anytime, there to be seen by neighbors and friends and earning the mark of being “in” or simply “belonging”. Dagupan youth and teens, even some adults, are no different from those of their age groups anywhere; just make a quick survey of their shopping area preferences and you will see what we mean. It’s Pavlov’s conditioned reflex theory at work, maybe even the real signs of the times – when you’re used to playing rich or “can afford,” it’s hard to shake off the habit.
We can only wonder how and why the feasibility study groups for the Malimgas modern public market did not factor this particular human factor when it comes to people’s choice of their kind of market. The great misfortune of the Malimgas market is that it tried, is trying, to compete with the big commercial malls found right beside it by trying to copy their ambience and facilities – without however considering the mental makeup of shoppers and buyers who have some unconscious aversion for goods and wares especially clothes found in public markets.
Malimgas planners had thought putting in modern amenities (airconditioning system, escalators, elevated parking, great lights) was all there is to drawing in the crowd.
Sad miscalculation!
* * * *
Come to think of it, this could have been the reason Belen Fernandez, once she had the CSI franchise tucked in her (wide) belt from the city council then led by Vice Mayor Teddy Manaois --and despite the publicly announced concept of building a “modern public market thru private initiative” at the old site of the original Dagupan market some years back – made a 360 degree turn and came up with a purely commercial mall instead! Now, you can see her gambit worked – and worked so well, never mind the frayed nerves and heartaches she left in her trail among both allies and oppositors.On hindsight, it does look like Belen had a much better reading and “gut feel” of the idiosyncrasies of the Dagupan buyer then than the present marketing geniuses of the Malimgas combined. To hear the The Fat Lady sing: Profit and public service don’t mix. You’ve got to make a choice.”
And she didn’t even have to throw good money after bad hiring, like the Malimgas guys did and are still doing, some fancy media outfits to produce those so-called “catchy” promotional jingles that so far, has succeeded only in catching the city taxpayers’ money -- not the sought-after, hard-to-get local marketgoers.
Time to go back to the planning boards, gentlemen!
OPINION: ‘Pogi’ points and dengue
THE PEN SPEAKS
By Danny O. Sagun
“JUST to get some pogi points.”
We heard that Dr. Jose Soriano, head of the provincial health team in Pangasinan, made this sarcastic note on local officials’ penchant for publicity in their choice for fogging operations over the more effective cleanliness and sanitation in the health campaign against the dreaded dengue fever disease.
Fogging entails much expenses while environmental sanitation practically costs nothing, but our officials prefer the more costly one for obvious reason. “Pampapogi lang nila yan,” he curtly told a radio interview.
Soriano said that fogging alone cannot kill all mosquitoes. “Yong hindi matamaan lumilipat lang sa ibang lugar,” he pointed out. The most effective means to get rid of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, called aedes Aegypti, is to deprive them of breeding grounds – stagnant water in flower vases, cans, pails, drums, bottles, unused tires, gutter, etc. Fogging may kill the adult mosquitoes but the eggs left untouched eventually hatch and the cycle is there, he said
Citing the case in Binalonan where a high incidence of dengue cases was recorded prompting the municipal council to declare a state of calamity, Soriano said that a health team dispatched in an affected area found in a house an aquarium, apparently not already functioning, that became a breeding ground of mosquitoes. “Ang ganda ng bahay, pero pagpasok namin, merong aquarium na pinamumugaran ng lamok” he noted. Two young members of the household became ill of dengue fever with one having internal bleeding.
Sanitation is as simple as picking tin cans or coconut husks left in the yard and disposing them properly. “Ganyan lang kasimple pero ang gusto ng iba gumastos pa,” he noted with sarcasm.
We can only agree. If only all households take a few minutes to look for all possible reeding places of mosquitoes and dispose of them, this dreaded disease may not rise at all. Take note that this mosquito species thrive on clean stagnant water. Depriving them of such favorable condition would not allow mosquitoes to lay eggs, thus ending their life cycle; the adult ones would soon die without any replacements.
By Danny O. Sagun
“JUST to get some pogi points.”
We heard that Dr. Jose Soriano, head of the provincial health team in Pangasinan, made this sarcastic note on local officials’ penchant for publicity in their choice for fogging operations over the more effective cleanliness and sanitation in the health campaign against the dreaded dengue fever disease.
Fogging entails much expenses while environmental sanitation practically costs nothing, but our officials prefer the more costly one for obvious reason. “Pampapogi lang nila yan,” he curtly told a radio interview.
Soriano said that fogging alone cannot kill all mosquitoes. “Yong hindi matamaan lumilipat lang sa ibang lugar,” he pointed out. The most effective means to get rid of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, called aedes Aegypti, is to deprive them of breeding grounds – stagnant water in flower vases, cans, pails, drums, bottles, unused tires, gutter, etc. Fogging may kill the adult mosquitoes but the eggs left untouched eventually hatch and the cycle is there, he said
Citing the case in Binalonan where a high incidence of dengue cases was recorded prompting the municipal council to declare a state of calamity, Soriano said that a health team dispatched in an affected area found in a house an aquarium, apparently not already functioning, that became a breeding ground of mosquitoes. “Ang ganda ng bahay, pero pagpasok namin, merong aquarium na pinamumugaran ng lamok” he noted. Two young members of the household became ill of dengue fever with one having internal bleeding.
Sanitation is as simple as picking tin cans or coconut husks left in the yard and disposing them properly. “Ganyan lang kasimple pero ang gusto ng iba gumastos pa,” he noted with sarcasm.
We can only agree. If only all households take a few minutes to look for all possible reeding places of mosquitoes and dispose of them, this dreaded disease may not rise at all. Take note that this mosquito species thrive on clean stagnant water. Depriving them of such favorable condition would not allow mosquitoes to lay eggs, thus ending their life cycle; the adult ones would soon die without any replacements.
* * * *
We vividly recall how our Junior, then a Grade II pupil, fell so weak he had to be rushed by the wifey to the nearest clinic. That was the very year dengue cases in Pangasinan rose to an epidemic level in the 90s, affecting almost all municipalities and leaving several fatalities. We had no idea at that time he was already suffering from that illness until the doctor told us his platelets level had gone dangerously low. We thought he was only affected by flu with his fever going on and off.
Doctors said a fever now that is gone tomorrow only to recur the next day or days is one symptom. Rashes may be visible in the arms. Bleeding from the nose occurs if the situation gets worse. It is a must to rush the patient immediately to a hospital. Do not procrastinate please, it may already be too late to save the life of our loved one.
To strengthen the immune system, include in the daily menu fruits and vegetables. Rest and enough sleep are important too.
First of all, let us maintain our surroundings clean and sanitary. It’s not only economical but also very effective.
Doctors said a fever now that is gone tomorrow only to recur the next day or days is one symptom. Rashes may be visible in the arms. Bleeding from the nose occurs if the situation gets worse. It is a must to rush the patient immediately to a hospital. Do not procrastinate please, it may already be too late to save the life of our loved one.
To strengthen the immune system, include in the daily menu fruits and vegetables. Rest and enough sleep are important too.
First of all, let us maintain our surroundings clean and sanitary. It’s not only economical but also very effective.
OPINION: Saving the new Malimgas market
WINDOWS
By Gabriel L. Cardinoza
Last week, several vendors occupying the stalls at the second floor of the New Malimgas Public Market trooped to the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall to ask the city government for lower rental fees saying that their small businesses are already losing heavily.
Very few people, according to them, go to the area despite its being fully air-conditioned, despite its escalator, despite its two-level parking and despite the city government’s full-blast tri-media advertisements of the new public market as the most modern and cleanest in the country.
In fact, 46 stalls have closed and many more vendors are contemplating to give up theirs if they could not cut their overhead expenses, such as the rental fees.
What could have gone wrong? Wasn’t the market built on the premise that a cleaner, brighter and air-conditioned market will attract more buyers? That people would not mind spending a little more as long as they can buy what they need comfortably?
When the city government borrowed P256 million to construct the public market building, and P30 million more for its centralized air-condition system, Mayor Benjamin Lim was very optimistic that the revenues the new market will generate will be more than enough to pay for the annual amortizations of these loans such that on the 5th or 7th year, the city will already be earning millions from its operations.
But with stalls closing down, the mayor’s projections seem to have gone awry or amiss. The city hall is in for a long rough ride ahead.
Interviewed by hard-hitting radio commentator Orly Navarro last week, Lim could only blame the economic crisis that hit the country “because of the present political crisis” and of course, he said, because this time of the year, it’s gawat or lean season.
He, too, as owner of the Magic Group of Companies, which is engaged in retail business in the province, experienced dramatic decrease in sales.
But wasn’t there supposed to have been a feasibility study? Didn’t the planners factor in the rising cost of oil and electricity and the possible economic crisis as an offshoot of a possible political crisis, like what we are in now?
With higher rental fees in the New Malimgas Market, it also means higher prices of goods than those found outside its premises. For instance, a buyer would prefer to buy bangus at the Magsaysay Fish Market not only because the fish there is cheaper by P5 to a kilo but because it is fresher.
Those buying clothing would rather go to the adjacent CSI Market Square or Magic Centerpoint than to the Malimgas Market because they would have a lot of clothes to choose from and in many cases, these are cheaper.
We can only hope that Mayor Lim can reverse the situation at the new market. Fast. Otherwise, we may have just created a white elephant.
ENDNOTES: The Rotary Club of Dagupan, under the leadership of Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, had PENRO Juan delos Reyes as its first guest speaker in its regular meeting last Wednesday. Delos Reyes talked about environmental laws that Rotarians should know to familiarize themselves with these laws… Nandaragupan, a coffee table book about Dagupan City edited by Ms. Carmen Prieto, was launched at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last Thursday. The book project cost the city government at least P500,000. With each book selling from P2,500 to P3,500, we hope the city government can recoup its expenses.
QUICK QUOTE: There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is a miracle. -- Albert Einstein (You can reach Gabriel L. Cardinoza at windows@digitelone.com)
By Gabriel L. Cardinoza
Last week, several vendors occupying the stalls at the second floor of the New Malimgas Public Market trooped to the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall to ask the city government for lower rental fees saying that their small businesses are already losing heavily.
Very few people, according to them, go to the area despite its being fully air-conditioned, despite its escalator, despite its two-level parking and despite the city government’s full-blast tri-media advertisements of the new public market as the most modern and cleanest in the country.
In fact, 46 stalls have closed and many more vendors are contemplating to give up theirs if they could not cut their overhead expenses, such as the rental fees.
What could have gone wrong? Wasn’t the market built on the premise that a cleaner, brighter and air-conditioned market will attract more buyers? That people would not mind spending a little more as long as they can buy what they need comfortably?
When the city government borrowed P256 million to construct the public market building, and P30 million more for its centralized air-condition system, Mayor Benjamin Lim was very optimistic that the revenues the new market will generate will be more than enough to pay for the annual amortizations of these loans such that on the 5th or 7th year, the city will already be earning millions from its operations.
But with stalls closing down, the mayor’s projections seem to have gone awry or amiss. The city hall is in for a long rough ride ahead.
Interviewed by hard-hitting radio commentator Orly Navarro last week, Lim could only blame the economic crisis that hit the country “because of the present political crisis” and of course, he said, because this time of the year, it’s gawat or lean season.
He, too, as owner of the Magic Group of Companies, which is engaged in retail business in the province, experienced dramatic decrease in sales.
But wasn’t there supposed to have been a feasibility study? Didn’t the planners factor in the rising cost of oil and electricity and the possible economic crisis as an offshoot of a possible political crisis, like what we are in now?
With higher rental fees in the New Malimgas Market, it also means higher prices of goods than those found outside its premises. For instance, a buyer would prefer to buy bangus at the Magsaysay Fish Market not only because the fish there is cheaper by P5 to a kilo but because it is fresher.
Those buying clothing would rather go to the adjacent CSI Market Square or Magic Centerpoint than to the Malimgas Market because they would have a lot of clothes to choose from and in many cases, these are cheaper.
We can only hope that Mayor Lim can reverse the situation at the new market. Fast. Otherwise, we may have just created a white elephant.
ENDNOTES: The Rotary Club of Dagupan, under the leadership of Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, had PENRO Juan delos Reyes as its first guest speaker in its regular meeting last Wednesday. Delos Reyes talked about environmental laws that Rotarians should know to familiarize themselves with these laws… Nandaragupan, a coffee table book about Dagupan City edited by Ms. Carmen Prieto, was launched at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last Thursday. The book project cost the city government at least P500,000. With each book selling from P2,500 to P3,500, we hope the city government can recoup its expenses.
QUICK QUOTE: There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is a miracle. -- Albert Einstein (You can reach Gabriel L. Cardinoza at windows@digitelone.com)
PHOTO: New traffic rule for PUJs
Drivers and operators of public utility jeepneys plying the Dagupan route listen to Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) Chief Robert Erfe-Mejia (at right, inset photo) read a draft ordinance for the use of the Odd-Even /Day Coding Scheme for Dagupan to be calendared at the city council for discussion and approval. The PUJ operators, mostly members of the Piston, want instead the PUJ Card System tried a few months back, saying they earn better with that scheme. To Erfe-Mejia’s right is Councilor Nick Aquino.
