Think about it
Pangasinan Today
“The journey is the reward.”—Chinese Proverb
WE got a mountain-full of magnificent goods that our beloved province possesses we haven’t seen before from the oratorical pieces delivered by six contestants at the Sison Auditorium last Monday.
The masterpieces were Pangasinan-centered and so were novel, fresh, straight from the heart — unlike the run-of-the-mill, high sounding topics local orators would usually deliver in most speech competitions. We thank the executive committee for making us chairman of the board of judges, which served like a subpoena for us not to miss it.
Most of their theses were on the Pangasinense pride which the incumbent leadership has successfully awakened due to sheer performance and holistic development vision.
And so we didn’t really mind the superlative tribute the speakers -or orators, pronounced “ora-tors” (as in oracion, not orate-tors) – heaped on our diminutive ” ama na probinsiya” -Governor Amado “Spines” Espino Jr., a cumpadre and friend from way back.
In fairness, the young Demostheneses and Gracia Lopez Jaenas also paid tribute to other “Pangasinan greats” who have individually or collectibly contributed to what the premiere province is Today, to name a few, Andres Malong, Juan dela Cruz Palaris, Juan Quesada, Princess Urduja (we thought she was a myth), Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Eugenio Perez, Jose de Venecia Jr., Francisco Sionil Jose, Carlos Bulosan, Gloria Romeo, Ryan Cayabyab, Fernando Poe Jr., and others. We might have missed out some names due to time constraint.
It’s really glorious to be in that select company.
And their lists of goodies that are native Pangasinan make us proud – the asin (salt) after which our province was named, Dagupan or Bonuan bangus in which Benjie Lim’s name was usually attached, the Hundred Islands of Nani Braganza, our abundant rice, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, veggie produce, our marine wealth gifted by the Lingayen Gulf and the China Sea (still safe from nuclear contamination), the majestic Capitol Building and the well-kept and sculpted surroundings, our succulent mangoes they described as better than those of Zambales and Guimaras (really?), and many more.
We whispered to Governor Spines that the verbal joust, which was part of the celebration of Pangasinan’s foundation day, reminded us of the marathons in ancient Greece as we cast our sight on the upper gallery of the auditorium. We salute Spines for what he has incomparably done for Pangasinan. Our friendship dates back to the old days he and General Art Lomibao (another cumpadre) were shadowing our whereabouts during those days of activism before 1972. Spines, who was born on Dagupan Day, June 20, would light up our faces whenever he’d sing “Today,” which up to now remains unbeatable in lyrics and melody. We thought it would make a good theme song for our foundation day.
Don’t count us out on Pangasinan’s Foundation Day. It was sparked by a round of beer with the guy who carved it on granite, our neighbor Gonzalo T. Duque, the best president the Pangasinan Press Club has produced, so far.
Modesty forbids us to elaborate on the subject.
Back to the oratorical masterpieces. One of them says it’s not what all this great abundance and prestige we already have and celebrating that matters; it is in the laying of a roadmap guiding Pangasinenses to their great future. Judging from what people around the world say about Pangasinan and the Pangasinenses, we view with detachment the casual description of us as a sophisticated and cosmopolitan people comparable, as we told broadcaster Liway Manantan in an interview, with the world’s best.
Alas, our reservation for making an all-out praise for our provincemates, especially the well-heeled, the politicians and yes, our leaders is their penchant for short-cuts and get-rich-quick any which way schemes. By and large, we forget our core values and our commitment to promote or, at least, live our ideals.
Well, there’s the exigency of what’s practical, what’s doable, what’s possible. That’s a given, but we lack the ability to sustain what we hold true, noble and sacred because often we slide to mediocrity which has the tendency to become habit.
On the whole though, we are still lucky, guided by our stars and highly esteemed because our better side always prevail in the end.
Mabuhay ang Pangasinan.
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NOTES: Letters in our email and text messages from cousins and relatives abroad have requested for a reprint of our article in the Martinez clan mag “Somewhere in Time” whose artistic cover was done by our former Rotary Club secretary. They say they were touched by our article on the love story of laki Felix Martinez, bae, the former Maria Pilar Montero who were born on the same day on Oct. 12, 1901 in Barangay Malued and Zamora Street in Dagupan respectively.
We hope cousin Mina Llamas Urmaza, our last clan grand reunion chair, still has a copy. A film director wants to make a movie of the Felix-Pilar love story… Btw, Danny and Mina’s kids, Dan Gerard, and Danielle Ina both graduated salutatorian at the Dominican High School in Dagupan. Dan will enter college next school year, while Danielle will be 2nd year at the Ateneo.
Congrats! May pinagmanahan!
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