Mayor Belen as ‘Diamond Mayor’
By Gonzalo Duque
IT is our 75th year of cityhood and there has been no grand celebration to mark that important milestone in the history of Dagupan. In the absence of one organized by then outgoing Mayor Brian Lim, I believe we should celebrate our 75th year of cityhood under Mayor Belen Fernandez till June 19, 2023.
On this 75th year, the outgoing administration of Brian took the occasion to tear down the right and left wings of city hall purportedly to lay down the groundwork for a new one.
The diamond jubilee of Dagupan is an important occasion that MBTF should help highlight to Dagupeños by lining up activities one at a time until the middle part of next year .
It should be an occasion for the city to honor outstanding Dagupenos (past and present) who distinguished themselves here and abroad in their chosen works and professions. It is not yet too late to do this especially for Mayor Belen who has a deep respect for culture and history.
On the other hand, I can understand why Brian decided not to celebrate our 75th year as a city. Firstly, there was the pandemic and second, because the local and national elections were just concluded, where sadly, he miserably lost.
But just like when Julius Caesar dismissed a soothsayer’s prediction about the Ides of March when nothing still happened to him when the month came. The soothsayer then told Caesar: “If the Ides of March has come, it has not ended either”. Shortly after twilight, Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and his gang.
In the same manner, since the observance of our 75th anniversary only started last June 20, the celebration has not ended.
Anyway, I’m glad Mayor Belen took my humble suggestion to heart when we talked after her inaugural address, and quickly directed City Legal Officer Aurora Valle to draft an executive order that will organize an executive committee to prepare and line up activities for the diamond jubilee of the city.
When Dagupan celebrated its golden year 25 years ago, Mayor Belen was just a neophyte councilor and was tapped by then Mayor Al Fernandez to head the executive committee he organized to spearhead the celebration. That was the time when the Gilon-Gilon dance was born!
Today, she is the Diamond mayor of Dagupan!
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Speaking of cultural and historical renaissance, I’m not sure if DepEd already included the study of Pangasinan’s history in the grade school or high school curriculum.
The Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission’s (which I chaired then), had recommended the integration of the study of Pangasinan’s history and culture into the school curriculum in the province.
A study of Pangasinan’s history and culture by our children will enrich their historical and cultural values and rekindle their love for the province and for our people. I know the Dagupan City schools division was the first to do it but I don’t know if it’s still being continued today. There were two modules for Grades 3 and 6 prepared for this study.
There’s a saying “kung hindi natin alam ang kasaysayan at pinanggalingan natin, hindi natin alam kung saan tayo patungo”. This study is also good for our college students majoring in hotel and restaurant management. Our tourists should know more about our province and its potentials.
I hope Governor Ramon “Mon-Mon” Guico III, whose inaugural I attended, and the provincial board will look into this. Our commission already planted the seed.
The ball is now in the hands of Guv Mon-Mon, Vice Guv Mark and the members of the provincial board who began their three-year reign July 1.
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Thank you very much President Rodrigo Duterte for awarding my daughter Peebles Duque with the Lapulapu award with the rank of Kamagi. (The Kamagi Medal is awarded to government personnel and private individuals who actively participated in and contributed significantly to an activity pursuant to an advocacy or campaign of the President).
Peebles was director of the Bureau of Communications Services under the Presidential Communications Operations Office headed by Secretary Martin Andanar then was transferred as assistant executive director of the Department of Tourism. There, she was tasked to promote scuba diving as an activity to promote the Philippines as a top tourist destination in Asia.
The other Dagupeños who received the Lapulapu-Kamagi award were Chip-Chip Velasco, son of our late departed friend and fellow columnist Jun Velasco and his wife, the former Catherine Bernardo; and Juliet Castanares, who served in the Presidential Management Staff longer than Peebles’ stint with PCOO.
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