DTI joins Pangasinan LAB for All to boost local biz

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan -- The Dept. of Trade and Industry joined the LAB For All Project to signify the DTI’s commitment to bring essential government services and programs directly to communities nationwide last Feb. 6.

    The LAB For All Project, headed by First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, is a priority undertaking to enhance access to vital services, ensuring that citizens receive the support they need in a timely and efficient manner.

    Through this initiative, the DTI Region 1 aimed to contribute to the overall development and empowerment of local communities by facilitating access to business, trade-related services, resources, and information.

    With DTI Regional Operations Group Assistant Secretary Dominic Tolentino and DTI Region 1 Regional Director Merlie Membrere at the helm, the DTI showcased its services to the community.

    "We are excited to be part of this transformative project. Our participation in LAB For All reflects our dedication to serving the public and fostering economic growth at the grassroots level,” Asec. Tolentino said.

    DTI set up a vibrant array of products from One Town, One Product (OTOP) program.

Attendees explored the Ilocos Region-made goods by local artisans. From the exquisite loom-weaving products of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur to the unique “Luca”l products of La Union and the innovative “Ang Galing” products of Pangasinan, these were all displayed at the OTOP Display Booth.

    In addition to the OTOP display, DTI offered a comprehensive suite of vital business support services.

    Twenty-nine experienced mentors from Go Negosyo provided expert guidance to a total of 159 entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their businesses during the mentoring sessions through the 3M (Mentorship, Money, Market) on Wheels Program.

    Facilitation of business name and Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) registrations to streamline the process of formalizing businesses were also available. For those in need of financial assistance, the Small Business (SB) Corporation team provided information and guidance on accessing various financing options.

DTI’s participation in the LAB for All program underscores its commitment to a whole-of-nation approach to development by working in collaboration with other government agencies and private sector partners.

    Meanwhile, Asec. Tolentino took the opportunity and visited the Shared Service Facility (SSF) Project at the Food Innovation Center, located within the Pangasinan State University (PSU) Bayambang Campus.

    The initiative seeks to enhance local food innovation and entrepreneurship. The facility houses machines and equipment specifically designed for food processing, preservation, and packaging. Some of these invaluable resources were provided by the DTI to empower students, cooperatives, associations, and micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region. 

 

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2K trike drivers tapped as PNP force multipliers

 

POLICE BOOSTERS — Pangasinan Police Provincial Office director Col. Rollyfer Capoquian (standing left) talks to tricycle drivers and operators during oathtaking of officers and members of the tricycle drivers and operators (TODA) Rescue in San Fabian, Pangasinan on Feb. 8. The PPO  tapped around 2,000 TODA in the province to serve as force multipliers in crime prevention and rescue operations. (Photo courtesy of Pangasinan PPO)

By Hilda Austria

 

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO) has tapped around 2,000 tricycle drivers and operators (TODA) in the province to serve as force multipliers in crime prevention and rescue operations. 

    In a phone interview on Wednesday, Pangasinan PPO director Col. Rollyfer Capoquian said the members of the TODA Rescue will help the police in crime prevention efforts and assist them in the maintenance of public safety. 

    “They are on the road 24/7, making them valuable partners in crime prevention. We will train them in basic life-saving skills, first aid, and emergency response,” Capoquian said. 

    He highlighted that tricycle drivers, who operate in densely populated areas and navigate narrow roads, are well-positioned to respond to emergencies. 

    Their ability to quickly transport victims to healthcare facilities makes them crucial in rescue operations.

    "Their familiarity with their respective area qualifies them as first responders or rescuers," Capoquian said. 

    He said the TODA Rescue members have no salary but they will be given perks such as red cross cards, priority lanes on license renewal, and issuance of police auxiliary stickers. 

    Aside from the training, the rescuers will also have their identification cards. -- PNA

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Pangasinan police shootfest raises funds for ill colleagues

By Hilda Austria

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office held a two-day shoot fest recently to raise funds for 21 ill officers

    In an interview, provincial police office director Col. Jeff Fanged said parts of the proceeds of the invitational fundraising activity will go to the medication and other needs of their members, some of whom are bedridden, undergoing dialysis or are cancer patients.
    Participants paid P600 (police) and P700 (for guests) as registration fees.
    “Kailangan din alagaan ang mga tumulong sa pagganap sa serbisyo. In our own little way, ito yong hinahandog para makatulong kahit papano sa kanila (We also need to take care of those who have rendered service. This is our little way to ease their plights),” Fanged said.
    PPPO recently raised P855,000 from a June shoot-for-a-cause event to help sick officers and for the construction of a day care center for the children of employees.
    He said presidential son and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos also chipped in P100,000. -- PNA
 

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Ilocos 4P housing starts with 10 condo buildings

By Gabriel L. Cardinoza

ASINGAN, Pangasinan -- The first housing project in Region 1 (Ilocos Region) under the national government's Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4P) program was launched here on Dec. 15, in the farming village of Carosucan Norte.
    "This project consists of 10 four-story condominium buildings," said Sherwin Patanao, 4P regional focal person of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD), shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony here.
    "We are no longer developing horizontal housing projects because our agricultural areas are becoming smaller and smaller," Patanao added.
    The project will be built starting next year inside a 2.14-hectare area located about 1.5 kilometers from the Villasis-Asingan Road.
    Each condominium building will have 24 units in each floor, or a total of 96 units for every building. Each unit will have an area of 27 square meters.
    "So, there will be a total of 960 units. And this is just the first phase of the project," said Patanao.
DHSUD Undersecretary Emmanuel Pineda said that the housing project will have a swimming pool, playground, a clubhouse and parking areas for cars and motorcycles.
    "We wanted it to be breathable and livable, so instead of the 30 percent minimum open space, we made it 40 percent for the quality of life of the occupants," Pineda said.
    He said the housing project is open to all Filipinos, adding that it will be affordable for everybody, especially the informal sectors.
    He also said a condominium unit is payable in 30 years, at P2,600 per month amortization in the first year and P3,600 per month in the following years.
    Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr. expressed his gratitude to DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar for approving the project.
    He also thanked Dept. of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd for helping in the reclassification of the project site, which the town purchased many years back.
    Lopez said that the town has more than 3,000 backlogs in housing and some 1,000 families live under a bridge or within the irrigation line.
    Pangasinan 6th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias Agabas said that this was "so blessed."
    She said last Dec. 14, she and Lopez led the groundbreaking ceremony for a Regional Trial Court station for this town and neighboring San Manuel.
    She also said that a "super health center" will be built soon near the housing project after she requested it from the Dept. of Health.
    In addition, Agabas said, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has allotted an initial P10 million for the construction of a new building.
    "It is our vision that this place will become a beautiful community. By 2025, after the first two buildings will rise, we should also start planning to build daycare centers for our children," Agabas said.
    "What we are doing now is history. In the future, they might have their own school," she added.
    Patanao said that the project will be completed in five years, with two buildings built every year.
    He said that for this project, they were just waiting for the beneficiary selection before its construction starts.
    Lopez said they have already approved 300 applicants, consisting of overseas Filipino workers, tricycle drivers, teachers and government employees.
 
 

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Pangasinan business folks warned against scammers posing as DTI personnel

By Hilda Austria

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI) Pangasinan on Monday warned the public against fraudulent individuals posing as the agency’s personnel targeting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the province.
    At a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency-Pangasinan, DTI provincial director Natalia Dalaten said they have received two reports from MSMEs on Sept.16 about attempts to scam companies.

    “We have received reports that there were those going around pretending to be staff from DTI offering loans and soliciting money. Wala po kaming staff na nagso-solicit ng anumang amount para sa aming mga programa (We have no staff soliciting any amount of money for our programs),” she said.
    Dalaten said the fraudulent scheme is targeting MSMEs, offering them loans and then soliciting money from them, for a minimum amount of P5,000, as part of an advertisement or sponsorship of an event.
    “Una, they would act na kilalang-kilala nila ang businessmen at sinasabing taga-DTI sila at mag-o-offer ng loan at magso-solicit sa isang event na pwedeng ipa-sponsor (First, they would act as though they know the businessmen very well and they would present themselves as from DTI and then they would offer loans and solicit money for an alleged sponsored event),” she said.
    She noted that DTI-Pangasinan has no programs asking for sponsors and gathering advertisements.
    The DTI said it has coordinated with the Pangasinan Provincial Police Office to check the reported scheme.
    It said the two MSMEs did not fall for the scammers and instead, immediately reported the incident to authorities.
    Dalaten also asked the public to immediately alert authorities if they encounter such individuals or groups. -- PNA
 
 

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Elem school atop Pangasinan islet thrives amid challenges

By Hilda Austria 

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The first and so far the only elementary school sitting atop a small island in Bolinao town in Pangasinan province continues to thrive amid challenges, a year since its founding on Sept. 9, 2022.
    Situated in the heart-shaped islet of Silaki in Barangay Binabalian, the Silaki Elementary School started with a single school building with two classrooms but now has two buildings with four classrooms where classes from kindergarten to Grade 6 are being held.
    In an interview on Friday, school principal Mailyn Cruz said the building was the realization of the promise made by the Rotary Club of Bolinao, which funded the construction.
    Two additional regular teachers were added to the roster of the faculty this school year, she said.
    "We now have five permanent teachers and one local school board from the municipality of Bolinao," she added.
Elementary pupils are taught by the school's permanent teachers, while kindergarten students are taught by a local school board teacher from the local government unit (LGU).
    Silaki Elementary School has produced seven graduates during the last school year who are now continuing their studies at the Binabalian Integrated School.
    Cruz said they have 38 enrollees this school year, a little lower than the 45 learners last school year.
    "The number of kindergarten decreased for this school year but we have a lot of learners in the day care center so we are expecting that by next school year there will be an increase in the number of enrollees," she said.
    Cruz said they are glad that the learners in the higher levels are mostly readers and majority of the children have good health and nutrition despite the challenges in their living condition on the islet.
    She attributed the good educational and health standing of the learners to the sacrifice of the teachers as well as the support and cooperation of the parents and the community as a whole.
    "The children do not need to cross the rough seas and we are grateful for that but we have the teachers who sacrifice as they are the ones who travel through the seas to teach the learners," she added.
    The boat ride from mainland Barangay Binabalian is 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the weather condition.
Cruz admitted that she sometimes worries for the safety of the teachers especially during the typhoon season.
    "When the weather would not permit them to travel, they stay at the house of the two other teachers who live in Silaki," she said.
    The school implements multi-grade teaching wherein a teacher handles two grade levels in one classroom.
"It may be difficult but given the number of learners it is possible," Cruz said.
    She said the pupils from the two grade levels take turns in doing their seatwork or listening to class discussion.
    Cruz said they plan to put up dividers in the classroom to limit distraction among the learners of both grades.
    Amid the sacrifice of the teachers at the Silaki Elementary School, Cruz said she hopes the teachers would be provided with allowances to compensate for their efforts.
    They are also hoping for more classrooms, a gymnasium, and more concreted and shaded areas that will serve as playground areas for the learners.
    Rosalda Padilla, who has two children studying at the Silaki Elementary School, said it was a huge relief to the parents as their children do not have to cross the sea to attend classes.
    The whole community, including the LGU, provincial government, academe, and even non-government organizations came together last year in hope to change the meaning of the word "silaki," which means unfortunate, by establishing an elementary school in the islet for the sake of its residents, especially the younger generation.
    The school was built on a 300-square-meter lot donated by Binabalian residents Marino Celi and his wife, while the LGU funded the temporary learning shelter.
    The Department of Education provided the manpower and the office supplies for the school. -- PNA

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Ilocos Region records 11 ‘cracker-related incidents

Victims suffer burns, eye injuries 

By Hilda Austria

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – Authorities have reiterated their call to avoid unauthorized storage and use of firecrackers in welcoming the New Year as the Ilocos Region has recorded 11 firecracker-related incidents from Dec. 21 to 26 this year.
    The latest incident occurred on the night of Christmas Day in barangay Malued in Dagupan City where unauthorized storage of firecrackers led to an explosion, injuring five individuals and causing damage to 21 houses in the area, according to Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) public relations officer Capt. Renante dela Cruz.
    “Kahit personal use hindi pupwede dahil according to Executive Order (EO) 28 signed in 2017 na authorized lamang na tao at kung saang lugar lamang pwede mag-imbak (Even if it is just for personal use, it is not allowed to store firecrackers because according to EO 28 signed in 2017, only authorized persons and areas would be allowed for storage),” he said in an interview on Wednesday.
    The firecrackers stored at a house under construction in Barangay Malued exploded when one of the victims lit a cigarette during a drinking session, he said.
    Based on the initial investigation of the police and the Bureau of Fire Protection Dagupan City, the impact of the explosion has affected 21 houses with their window glasses and other parts of their houses broken.
    They are now investigating who was responsible for illegally storing those firecrackers.
    Meanwhile, Department of Health Center for Health Development Ilocos Region medical officer Dr. Rheuel Bobis, in a separate interview, said seven more firecracker-related incidents were reported in Pangasinan, three from La Union and one from Ilocos Sur.
    The 11 victims suffered burns and eye injuries, said Bobis.
    Bobis and Dela Cruz have called on parents and guardians to look after their children amid the busyness of the holiday revelry.
    “Dapat hindi binibigyan anumang uri ng paputok ang mga kabataan or mga matatanda. Ang nirerecommend nga po natin ay yong mga alternatibong pampaingay or pagsama sa community fireworks display (We should not be giving any kind of firecrackers to the young people or children or even the elderly. What we recommend are the alternative noisemakers or joining community fireworks, instead),” Bobis said. -- PNA
 

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