Binmaley mulls seafood strip as tourist destination

By April 26, 2009Headlines, News

BINMALEY–A food strip along Don Amado Espino Sr. Avenue serving seafood fare, i.e., bangus, siganid (malaga), shrimps, prawns, and crabs, among others, will be erected to attract tourists to the town.

Binmaley Mayor Simplicio Rosario said each eatery will offer cooking services for fresh seafood which the customers can purchase from an adjoining common seafood market.

Speaking during the ‘Kapihan sa Lenox Hotel’ here on Wednesday, Rosario said this will promote Binmaley’s rich harvests of aqua-marine products.

“The concept is not really new as there are such places along the bay in Paranaque, Metro Manila popularly referred to as “Dampa”, Rosario said as he announced that efforts are now being made to locate a lot where the fresh seafood market and eatery can be established.

The mayor lamented that though Binmaley produces more bangus than Dagupan, the latter beat his town in putting up the Bangus Festival and in proclaiming itself as the Bangus Capital of the World.

Binmaley stages its own ‘Malaga and Sugpo Festival’ during the town fiesta every first week of February.

Rosario said there are already several eateries that serve seafood exclusively along the Amado Espino Sr. Avenue in Barangay Lomboy that leads towards the Agno River dike road, before exiting along the national highway leading to Bugallon town.

Binmaley is a first class town in Pangasinan, located west of Dagupan City, and known for its fishponds that produces bangus, malaga and shrimps, among others.

The planned seafood eatery strip will be funded by the municipal government.

Meanwhile, Simplicio said he already talked to owners of existing eateries in that strip, and urged them to clean their surroundings and establishments in preparation for the influx of diners.—LM

BINMALEY BANGUS
IS “PRETTIEST”

FOR the fourth straight year, bangus raised by Adela Benitez-Caguioa and her husband in Balogo Pandel in Binmaley town won the “prettiest” bangus crown in the Bangus Rodeo of the Dagupan Bangus Festival 2009.

Meanwhile, bangus entries from fishponds owned by Antonio Caneng of Barangay Pantal, Dagupan and represented by his son Sandrell Bryan, went home with P15,000 cash prize and trophy each for the heaviest and longest bangus categories. The heaviest weighed 5.6 kilograms while the longest was 89 centimeters long.

Caguioa’s three entries swept all three major prizes or a total of P6,000 cash.

She said the secret to producing the “prettiest” bangus is having a clean fishpond and the use of natural feed, which is algae or locally known as lumut.

She added the campaign of Binmaley Mayor Simplicio Rosario to rid their rivers of fish pens and fish cages was a big boost to fishponds enabling them to produce better quality of bangus.

She said her entry won as prettiest because of its small head, round belly, clear eyes, intact scales and shiny fins.

“You should handle it with care that’s why not even one scale was removed,’ she said.

LONGEST,
HEAVIEST

Antonio Caneng, who started raising bangus in 1993, has consistently won the longest and heaviest titles since the contest started in 2001 except in 2005 when he did not have an entry.

His bangus winners were five years old as bangus grows by one kilo every year, Caneng said.

He added that his secret in raising champion bangus is proper care and feeding.

Dr. Westly Rosario, center chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Dagupan, one of the judges, said bangus raised in fishponds have a big advantage and this is the reason why, he said, he’s been advocating the promotion of fishponds for bangus-raising.

Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez said the Bangus Rodeo is among the most-awaited events in the yearly Bangus Festival as it demonstrates the pride of thecity and the city government’s support to the bangus industry.

Emma Molina, city agriculturist, noted that more bangus raisers not only from the city but also in neighboring bangus-producing towns are participating in the Bangus Rodeo every year.

“Milkfish can be grown anywhere provided the water quality is good” she said.

Meanwhile, other winners in the rodeo were Hub Tendenilla as “Best Bangus Deboner”, Joel Cerran as “Fastest Bangus Eater” and Abad Soy as “Fastest Bangus Classifier”, each pocketed P3,000.#

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