OVERSEAS Dagupeños are being encouraged to come home for the duration of the city fiesta on December 16 to 30 which coincides with the yuletide season, under the revived ‘Pawil Dagupan’ program.

Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo, chair of the city council’s committee on tourism, said the homecoming of overseas Dagupenos will add glitter to the 15-day fiesta, which will start with the holding of the traditional ‘Misa de Gallo’ in all churches within the city on December 16.

The fiesta proper will be ushered in by a trade fair that will open on December 1, said Tamayo who was designated this year’s hermano mayor or chairman of the executive committee of this year’s fiesta.

He said, however, that since ‘Pawil Dagupan’ has just been recently revived, only a few overseas Dagupeños may be able to make the arrangements to join the celebration.

Tamayo pointed out that this year’s Pawil Dagupan will merely set the stage for a grand homecoming and reunion set in 2008 when there will be plenty of time to prepare for the activity.

To date, nine associations of overseas Dagupeños from North America are being contacted by the fiesta executive committee to help campaign for participation in the homecoming.

These are the Dagupan Association of Northern California, Dagupenans Association of California, Dagupan Association of South California, Greater Dagupan Association of Los Angeles, Dagupan Association of San Diego, Dagupan Association of Chicago, Illinois; and Dagupenos of New York, New Jersey and Boston.

‘Pawil Dagupan’ was founded and introduced in 1995 by Fernandez, who was also then city mayor, as a special tourism package for balikbayans.

It then became a permanent fixture in city fiestas until he vowed out of office in 2001 after completing his three consecutive terms as city mayor.—LM

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