Dagupan uses task force on beaches for sea fest

By Dennis Principe

DAGUPAN CITY – The city government reactivated its task force formed during this year’s Holy Week to enforce minimum public health standards at the Tondaligan and Pugaro beaches last week.
    “People flock to beaches, so we will use the same exact task force to man the areas for the three-day weekend from April 30 to May 2,” Mayor Marc Brian Lim said in an earlier interview.
    In Proclamation No. 1133 issued last week, Malacañang declared April 30 a special non-working day in the city in observance of the annual Bangus Festival.
    Today(May 1), a regular holiday in observance of Labor Day, Pangasinan will also celebrate Pistay Dayat (Sea Festival), a thanksgiving feast for the year’s abundant harvest from the sea.
    Traditionally, both events draw large crowds at the beaches not just in the city but on all beaches of the province.
    Despite the swimming ban at the Tondaligan Beach still being in effect, it has been observed that bikers, joggers, families, and groups of friends troop to the beach on weekends.
    A bigger number of beachgoers is expected on holidays, Lim said.
    The task force included the Dagupan City police, Public Order and Safety Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, auxiliary forces like the Philippine Navy, and the barangay security forces, he added.
    Pugaro Beach is included in the areas being monitored as this island barangay’s beach is becoming popular especially with the beautiful sunsets of the Lingayen Gulf.