Greed threatening Dagupan bangus brand

By Leonardo Micua

 

UNTIL a delivery truck from Bulacan was caught en flagrante delicto unloading 1,800 kilograms of  bangus at the Jose de Venecia Expressway last September 27 some of which were beginning to rot, without an auxiliary invoice from its point of origin nor a transport permit from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic  Resources, did some people finally realize the folly of allowing bangus from outside the province into Dagupan.

The cargo was consigned to the Magsaysay Fish Market where the spoiled bangus would  be mixed with freshly harvested in Dagupan and in other coastal towns in Pangasinan, a clear business malpractice aimed at deceiving the buyers.  The discovery has indicated that it was not the first time, that the unscrupulous traders in conspiracy with local traders, made Dagupan as their dumping ground of rotten fish.

Because of what happened, some who did not know how the Bulacan bangus was allowed to invade Dagupan, suggested a total ban on bangus from outside Pangasinan be made since the outsiders not only abused the city’s hospitality but also want us to eat their rotting fish.

It is now water under the bridge. The Sangguniang Panlungsod passed the ordinance during the early days of the Lim administration that allows the delivery of ‘alien bangus‘ in Dagupan on certain days of the week. Isn’t Dagupan known as the Bangus Capital of the World, so, why are the Bulacan bangus here?

It was greed of some traders and officials in the city that led to this serious threat to the quality brand of Dagupan bangus.

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The proposed ordinance in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan seeking to make San Fabian as the biking or cycling capital of Pangasinan did not initially get the support of the board members. They possibly thought other places in Pangasinan such as Mangatarem, Aguilar, Lingayen, Sison and Balungao are as deserving as San Fabian to become the cycling or biking capital of Pangasinan.

 But had the ordinance proponent, Fourth District Board Member Liberato Villegas, amended his proposal to declare San Fabian instead as the Mountain Biking Capital of Pangasinan, he would have gotten the support that he wanted. 

 It was through the initiative of Fourth District Congressman Toff de Venecia that the mountain biking trail in Barangay Immalog Sur, complete with a Bikers’ Den perched on a hill is now in place. It is already being frequented every weekend by mountain bikers and enthusiasts not only from San Fabian but from other towns. That place already became another tourist magnet of San Fabian.

 It could have been an easy sailing if BM Villegas chose to change the title of his proposed ordinance. The mountain bike trail is one of Toff’s biggest contributions to spur tourism in Mayor Constante Agbayani’s turf. 

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 With its area and population, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Pangasinan at 354 is still among the lowest, if not the lowest among the big provinces with relatively high population in the country.

But in the case of Dagupan City, with an area of just few square kilometers, some of which are fishponds, the 115 it has logged in as of October 1, may be among the highest among small cities. This is quite disturbing.

Since there are confirmed cases being added to Dagupan daily based on the monitoring of the Provincial Health Office, it only shows that community transmission has accelerated in the densely populated city.

Many said they are now limiting their movements for fear of catching the virus. You can easily see this on the occupancy of jeepneys plying around the city mostly with just two or three passengers on board, instead of eight, their 50 percent capacity.

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