FROM all appearances, the city of Dagupan is now back on its feet and business goes on as usual with one exception, there is no trace of Dagupan bangus in the market.

According to City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr., business activities are proceeding normally in spite of the reported heavy toll on properties in the aftermath of Typhoon ‘Cosme’.

But the bangus industry, the city’s primary product, will take more time to recover.

“The Dagupan bangus industry s practically decimated due to premature harvesting by all fishpond, fish pen and cage owners at the height of the typhoon, Dagupenos will have to wait for at least four more months more before they get a bite of the tasty Bonuan bangus,” said Fernandez.

The typhoon totally wiped out 900 units of fish pens and while 100 other units were partially damaged, resulting in a total loss of 3.870 tons of milkfish.

“There will not be enough Bonuan bangus even for local consumption till after 120 days,” the mayor said.

The bangus being sold in the city are sourced from the bangus producers in western Pangasinan.

Fortunately for the city, the construction of the proposed P100 million sea foods processing plant to be funded by a grant from the Korean government will only start this month and will proceed as scheduled.

Power supply

Meanwhile, electricity in the city has been restored in more than 80 percent of Dagupan the Dagupan Electric Corporation (Decorp).

Per Decorp’s work plan, electricity in the remaining 20 percent of the city will be restored this week.

Delivery of power in Dagupan started when the power station of the National Transmission Commission (Transco) in Labrador town started delivering power to the Decorp 3 days after ‘Cosme’ left.

He said although life is now getting back to normal after close to two weeks of dark nights, the city government will still have to seek more interventions in order to alleviate the difficult living conditions in many households in the city.

Some 3,349 houses that were totally damaged and 15,034 others partially damaged.

The training acquired by barangay officials under Project PROMISE, a United States Agency for International Development-sponsored project, helped a lot in saving lives and properties, the mayor said. —LM

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