JANUARY 23, 2006      "Let us thank our Kabaleyan Club Members for making the SUNDAY PUNCH ONLINE free and accessible to all Pangasinenses." Thanks..

BUSINESS

Capitol solid waste mgm't. program up

LINGAYEN—The solid waste management and garbage recycling program of the provincial government  will soon shift to high gear following the purchase by the  province of a 10- horse power hammer mill. Provincial Administrator Virgilio Solis said the machinery will be fully utilized when the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) being built beside the provincial motor pool becomes operational.

The  MRF is a facility recommended to be set up under Republic Act No. 9003 or the Solid Waste Management and Segregation where the wastes will be finally segregated.

 Solis, chair of the Capitol Solid Waste Management Team, said Gov. Victor Agbayani approved the purchase of the equipment to boost the solid waste management and garbage recycling program at the provincial capitol and to serve as model for the whole province.

Pangasinan is the first province in the entire country to construct  its own eco-center MRF unit.

Construction of the MRF  seeks to  boost  the waste segregation and recycling program being piloted among offices of the provincial government.

"Many employees now realize the prospect of earning extra income through waste segregation and recycling as pointed out by the governor time and again," Solid said.

Wastes from various offices at the capitol building and Urduja House, when segregated,  can yield 20 percent recyclables while  70 percent can be processed into compost fertilizer. This means only 10 percent residuals will be brought to the dumpsite.

The  "segregation at source policy" has already been implemented in all various offices through a memorandum issued by Gov. Agbayani since last June.

Rowena dela Cruz, manager of the MRF, said biodegradable wastes mixed with coconut husks sorted out at the facility will be put in the hummer mill for further volume reduction.

Crushed bio-waste ferments shall be composted in composter drums for five days using a vermi-composting method. The organic compost is harvested, air-dried and stock-piled for maturation.

The matured compost can be used as organic fertilizer for agriculture.

 PLDT unlimited P10 per call now permanent

PLDT UNLIMITED P10 Per Call is back for good!

PLDT subscribers in the province now have the freedom to call over 20 million Smart users for as often and as long as they want at only P10 per call.

That's because the Unlimited P10 Per Call rate for PLDT to SMART is back for good as PLDT makes the promo a permanent service.

Starting January 7, 2005, enjoy  Unlimited P10 Per Call every month for a P50 monthly subscription fee.

The service guaran-tees no cut-off time, no network congestion, and no hidden charges. It's the best deal exclusive only to PLDT subscribers.

As an added bonus, the first month subscription  fee will be free upon signing up for a subscription  on or before January 31.

Just dial 10-10-10 to confirm your subscription and begin to enjoy unlimited talk time with your loved ones, friends and business associates.

Users of Vibe, PLDT's dial-up Internet service, can also benefit from this service.

Non-Vibe Plan subscribers who avail of the service can enjoy a special PLDT Vibe Internet Rate at only P5 per hour.

Regular  rates apply for unregistered calls at P13.75 per minute for  PLDT to SMART calls and P5 per minute for PLDT NDD calls.

Pangasinenses are being encouraged to take advantage of this great offer.

To know more about the PLDT Unlimited P10 Per Call Service, dial 171 or log on www.mypad.net.

BUSINESS LOG
By EVA C. VISPERAS 

A wedding to remember

This wedding could be easily classified as the wedding of the year, if not wedding of the decade, as the country's  "who's who" were in attendance.

Held  last Jan. 12 at  7:00 p.m. at the Santuario de San  Antonio, Forbes Park in Makati City, former Board Member Marie Antonnette Villar, the  only child of Undersecretary for Local Governance Antonio Villar Jr. and Mayor Vivien Villar exchanged "I dos" with Luwee  Pescador, son of Sto. Tomas Vice  Mayor Willie and Minda Pescador.

No less than President Gloria Arroyo and Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco topped the list of godparents in a solemn wedding ceremony officiated by Very Rev. Msgr. Marlo Peralta as the main celebrant.

Other godparents included Diosdado Macapagal Jr. and Ma. Georgina de Venecia, Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Carmen Cojuangco, General Ricardo Dapat and Herminia Pamintuan, General Claudio Cabreros and Gina Haas, Mayor Nonato Abrenica and Editha Abesamis, Guillermo Hernandez and Maria Teresa Hernandez, and Engr. Felipe Casem and Estrella Padilla.

Mayora Vivien's core group of friends in the clergy in the Urdaneta diocese, composed of Reverend Fathers Teofilo Calicdan, Alejandro de Guzman,  Franklin Tandingan, Noel Bulosan, Numeriano Gabot Jr., Arturo Aquino, Richard Abalos, Hurley Solfelix, Angelito Arsola and Jesus Melvyn Bufete were the  con-celebrants.

And it was indeed the longest dinner I've ever attended as food was served non-stop. Served in sequence were Parma ham with melon and mesclun salad  tossed in raspberry dressing, lemongrass infused duck consomme' with shiitake wanton, pan-fried Chilean seabass on asparagus spears in clam sauce, pink  champagne sherbet, roast rib-eye of beef with black peppercorn sauce gratin potatoes and roasted vegetables, molten chocolate hazelnut pudding on brandy sauce with star anise orange ice cream, and there was chocolate fountain, too, and pick and eat all chocolate you could consume.

Tonette, as we fondly call her, is often described as "the luckiest person for having doting parents".

Of course, though he refused to admit it, Usec Bebot could not hide  his sadness for his baby Tonette will no longer be his darling dear alone  anymore. But I believe Luwee will do well his part as a dear hubby.

The sadness on Usec's face was evident in the pictures taken earlier during the pre-wedding moments and during the church rites which were flashed onscreen while the guests were waiting for the food to be served.

Can't blame him, really. I knew how he felt. I was lucky to have been part of circle of few close friends of  Usec for a long time already. He has often shared with me some of his observations, feelings even sentiments towards other friends, politicians included.

Of course what made the affair something to remember was President Arroyo's staying on at the reception until past 12 midnight.

She seldom does that, says one guest.

Of course, I knew of Tonette's and Luwee's love affair. I worked as her  Chief of  Staff when she was the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President  of Pangasinan.

In one of our conversations, I told my little sister Tonette," Alam  mo, sabi  ng papa mo, maski sino daw ang mapapangasawa mo, maski mahirap, okay  lang sa kanya. Ang importante ay mahal na mahal ka daw ng lalaki ( You know  your papa told me that whoever will be your husband, though poor, it's okay  with him. What's important is he will love you truly)."

  "Talaga ate, sinabi niya yon (Really, he said that?)," she repeatedly asked me.

Then, next thing happened. What we thought as mere friendship blossomed into a beautiful love affair.

Cheers to the newlyweds!