FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos and House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr., along with leaders of the local media, led the awarding rites on March 1 for outstanding Pangasinenses at the President Hotel in Lingayen.

The awards were presented by the bi-monthly magazine Pacebook founded in 2010 by Jun Velasco, (The PUNCH columnist) as publisher, and edited by former Philippines Graphic editor Cesar M. Carpio.

The main awardees were Gov. Amado Espino Jr., Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Reps. Rosemarie Arenas, Georgina de Venecia, Leopoldo N. Bataoil, Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Antonio Villar, Jr., Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, Mayors Ricardo Camacho (Bayambang), Carlito Zaplan (Sta. Barbara), Gwen Palafox-Yamamoto (Bani), Abono Party-list Chairman Rosendo So, Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia, Atty. Gonzalo Duque, Atty. Liberato Reyna, Jr. Dr. Robin Navarro, Engr. Reynaldo Mencias, Angelo Padua of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), noted acupressure specialist Eddie Quinto,  Dr. Vicky Siapno Tada, journalist Maki Pulido, evangelist Bro. Diony Espiritu, Zeny Palisoc, painter Claireyenne Malanyaon and businessman-philanthropist  Ashok Vasandani.

Pacebook has been chronicling landmark events through in-depth articles that exhort the achievements and rags-to-riches accounts of people and struggles of the Philippine countryside as growth catalyst.

Essayist and opinion writer Mita Sison-Duque, publisher of the newest weekly newspaper in the Ilocos region, introduced Ramos, while De Venecia shared his experience as a journalist before he became a politician.

Back to Homepage