A FLOATING fish market patterned after a world-class facility in Bangkok, Thailand, including a diving spot, a river taxi and land bridges that will connect all the city’s island barangays to each other form part of the many big plans of Christopher “Toff” de Venecia, a candidate for congressman in the Fourth District of Pangasinan, for Dagupan City.

The 29-year old son of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Fourth District Congresswoman Gina de Venecia said the proposed floating fish market will be put up in Barangay Pugaro, the biggest of the island villages of Dagupan across the mighty Calmay River, known for its still unspoiled beach and pristine water that could suit to the discriminating tastes of tourists and nature lovers.

Pugaro and its neighboring island villages are the biggest producers of fish throughout Dagupan, many of these fishes can be sold as fresh to visiting tourists going back home after day-long fun and pleasure in Pugaro.

Pangilinan, who has lent continuous support to the welfare of fishermen and farmers, incidentally was the first national candidate who has ever reached and campaigned in Barangay Pugaro where he was given a warm reception by the hospitable people of the villages, most of them fishermen.

Pugaro now produces “Espada”, a kind of dried fish now marketed not only in Dagupan and Pangasinan but also as far as Baguio, Tarlac and Metro Manila.

The floating fish market is our own way of promoting our own native products, which also include milkfish (bangus), siganid (malaga), groupers (lapu-lapu) and other high-value fish native to Dagupan City, he said.

The project jibes with De Venecia’s legislative agenda of making Dagupan as modern tourism hub on account of its existing landmarks,  museums, infrastructures like the Island Tours of Mayor Fernandez, the remnant of the Franklin Bridge that once connected  downtown Dagupan to Calmay, first class infrastructures, hotels  and  of course its array of shopping malls.

“Definitely, our floating fish market will become a world class too like its model in Thailand. That will become the source of livelihood of the people in the island barangays and an additional tourist attraction in Dagupan,” he said.

Both the younger De Venecia  and Mayor Fernandez talked lengthily about the project when they accompanied former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan when he campaigned in Barangay Pugaro, the ever first national candidate to do it.

They rode on one of the flatboats of the Pantal River Cruise (also known as Dagupan Island Tours) where they had a chance to show former Senator Pangilinan the rich marine resources of Dagupan, its beautiful rivers, mangroves and white river birds called “dulakak”.

The young De Venecia said he and Mayor Belen have a common vision for Barangay Pugaro and all its neighboring villages–to improve the lives of the people through livelihood and tourism.

“The floating fish market serves our plan for Dagupan as a modern tourism hub,” explained De Venecia, who after finishing his college, has worked in theaters where he became a writer and director and at the same time a youth columnist of the Philippine Star.

De Venecia said he will continue to study the coastline of Barangay Pugaro and was happy to note that divers like Councilors Jose Netu Tamayo and Karlos Reyna are now among those frequenting Pugaro for diving.

De Venecia said because divers now often visit Pugaro, there is a big probability that this may be declared as a new diving spot in the country which is a boon to Dagupan’s tourism.

He is personally proposing the putting up of underwater cove that could be the beehive of schools of fishes where divers can view these fishes underwater at close range.

This, he said, is the first step to make Pugaro as a permanent diving spot that could attract divers from around the country and abroad.

A floating restaurant for the divers may also follow, including a resort hotel in the island village.

He said there are calls for the putting up of land bridges but added that even mayor agrees that if this would be realized, the boating culture of the people in these island barangays must not be lost.

The boats are vital to the islands barangays because these already became parts of their character, their lives, he said.

But he added that the boats that they usually ride to and from their villages can still be innovated to make them much more faster and efficient.

That is why, he is calling for the establishment of a taxi boat system that will cater to tourists going to the islands.

But he agrees one hundred percent that the islands must be connected by land bridges to finally end their long isolation and become nearer to the mainland.

He maintained that infrastructures are not the only answer to bring progress to the island villages and this can be done by not losing the culture of riding on boats.

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