Where’s the ‘punch’, Ermin?

By Jun Velasco

PANGASINAN, otherwise known as Agbayani Country, at summertime should easily run away with the prize title of the most fun-filled province in the islands.

The ballyhooed Pistay Dayat, traditionally celebrated  with aplomb, fiesta galore and  beauty pageants, unfailingly energizes  Pangasinenses’ and in Dagupan City dons international color  with the pompous entry of  its  Bangus Festival that  got into the roll of  the world’s  famed  Guinness Record for its kilometer-long grill.

Pistay Dayat’s raison d’etre is a people’s show of respect and gratitude to the Divine Creator for the bounty of the Lingayen Gulf and its tributaries.

Colorful tradition’s religiosity, however, is marred by man’s abuse of God’s gifts. What are those dynamites, chemicals and killer l fish-catch gadgets that bring death to the sea?  Pistay Dayat’s spirituality would only be gobbled up by multinational giant commercials that cash in on the Lingayen Gulf’s frolic.

Of course, Pangasinan does not monopolize summer frolic by the sea, as all coastal provinces throughout the archipelago have their summer time sagas, too. You have heard of Kalibo’s Ati – atihan, Cebu’s  Sto. Nino, Negros’ maskara, Antique’s Binirayan and many others.

No doubt, there is rivalry on who is the fairest  between and among the coastal LGUs, and  those trying  to rival or defeat Pangasinan’s summer  phenomena  ended up inside   except  a few  proverbially  backed by millions of dollars. The Guinness thing, however, has silenced them all, and Pangasinenses, particularly Dagupeños, bow their heads in gratitude.

These coastal fiestas in summer have already caught the world’s attention as shown by the increasing patronage by multi nationals, boosting the theory that the country could emerge a leader in world tourism. Filipinos should thank their insatiable infatuation with the sea and their Divine Sponsor as they are God-fearing, whether Jehovah or the Sun-God or any revered one their faith embraces.

In Dagupan, what thrusts out like a chronic sore thumb is its inability to wipe out the ugly fish pens hurting the eyes of nature-lovers who pass by the Gulf’s tributaries daily.  Folk wisdom says we need a leader with steely resolve to dismantle the illegal structures. Has Hizzoner Benjie Lim, the man who brought Guinness to the sun-beaten Dagupan fisherman not come to par with his word on the fishpens?  We told “Little Mayor” Raffy Baraan the city has indeed made a dent on the illegal fishpens, but many are still around and hard to kick.

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It took our pare neighbor Al Mendoza,  columnist non  pareil,  to break the good news early morning Thursday that the Sunday Punch, your favorite paper, was recently voted  by the Philippine Press Institute as the community  paper with the best editorial page  among  community newspapers nationwide.

Ho-hum! But we bow to publisher Ermin Garcia Jr.’s professional handling and, of course, Uncle Gerry’s fighting faith and bite-the-bullet loyalty to the norm.

Would you believe that we first joined the Punch while we were a journalism student   in college? We began as a contributor to the late Manny Cornel’s campus rumpus column. Later when Manny and us  crossed  swords on student  issues,  the late Ermin Sr., the journalist martyr, talked to us,  reminding  us of  a vignette in a newspaper that we vowed never to  violate, “don’t  use the page for personal rifts.”  MVC and us have become the best of friends – and, yes, cumpadres — since then.

Mabuhay, Punch, and oh, yes, where’s the “punch,” eh, Ermin?

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Surprise! Gonzalo Duque’s pet peeve, Chairman Carlito Puno of CHED, wrote him  a love letter  to inform him  “to defer  indefinitely the conduct of public hearing in all disciplines which require such while the guidelines and  procedures  are being reviewed by the Committee tasked to do so….rest assured that your request and recommendation will be properly considered.”

Panalo na naman si Gonz. We predicted when we were still biking on the city plaza many moons ago, Gons, you will be a great leader someday, but don’t be too outspoken, marami kang nasasagasaan.”  Later, we told him, “don’t change your controversial nature; great leaders thrive on controversy, but I warn you about the affairs of the heart. Your recent fights are too passionate and energy-consuming!”

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NOTES: Ol’ pal, architect Pepe Rosario who has been in Dagupan City for some time now after centuries of living a lonely life in California has recovered his youthful bearings, thanks to a star from a family-oriented bank hereabouts. He is leaving for the US next week to receive an outstanding award from the Dagupan City Ass’n of California, Inc.  Congrats, Peps, and regards to the beerkada  in the  Big Apple!

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