By Leonardo Micua

 

“ISANG text message lang, hindi dalawa, nandiyan na siya.”

This was how Mayor Belen Fernandez described how Senator Imee Marcos quickly responded to the city’s call for help.

According to Mayor Belen, with just one text message, Manang Imee came to Dagupan in one of its darkest hours last Saturday trying to provide solution to the flood that constantly ills Dagupan, hence her timely slogan “Imee Solution”.

In Dagupan, she towed DSWD officials headed by Regional Director Angela Gopalan to  provide assistance to 2,500 tricycle drivers and operators for their lost income during the flood under the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program

She did that too in Calasiao, Sta. Barbara and Binmaley.

Imee was looked up like a knight in shining armor by TODA members, who because of the almost two weeks flood, could not earn from their livelihood.

As if she already developed a special bond of friendship and affinity to Dagupan, Manang Imee is already a frequent visitor of the city since Mayor Belen returned to the helm.

She was here during the Bangus Festival where she opened the Kadiwa ng Pangulo at CSI City Mall, and during the city fiesta in December. She brought ayuda to some of the city’s poor, aside from nutribuns and yes, toys for the kids.

For Imee, Dagupan and Pangasinan are parts of Region 1 where the Ilocanos and Pangasinenses co-exist. And being an Ilocana, she made it clear that as far as she and President Marcos are concerned, no one in the region will be left behind when disaster comes. Imee is Region 1’s senator.

“Walang iwanan sa baha,” she repeatedly intoned in a talk to the TODA members at CSI Stadia. She was the first national official and senator who came to Dagupan to comfort the Dagupeños in their time of immediate need.

Well aware on what is happening in Dagupan and Pangasinan, Manang Imee even asked Dagupan City officials to close ranks, even only temporarily, “kahit plastikan man lang” and pass the annual budget “ if they do not want to all drown in the flood”.

For Belen, Manang Imee is the biggest ally of Dagupan that the city can always depend on in its most trying times.

Belen said the senator agreed to help the city redevelop the Tondaligan Ferdinand Park, renamed after her late father, former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

She already provided funds for the city to buy a refrigerated truck that Dagupan bangus growers can use to transport their products to Metro Manila.

At the Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) where they regularly met, they exchanged ideas how they can improve their respective athletes.

At the Regional Peace and Order Council, they succeeded each other as chairperson.

So, no wonder, Dagupan is close to Imee’s heart.

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Many even suspect that because the ‘Super Ate’ is the elder sister of President Marcos, Dagupan City is being showered with a lot of national government projects  already being implemented.

Among these are the parallel bridge now being built across Dawel River beside the old Dawel Bridge and the segment by segment elevation of roads in Dagupan’s Central Business District.

But of course, Cong Toff de Venecia helped Mayor Belen secure these projects from the DPWH, which could not have been implemented at a faster pace sans the imprimatur of Malacanang.

Other national projects include those requested by Belen from Senators Francis Tolentino, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Risa Hontiveros, and most recently by Senator Sonny Angara for the construction of a three-story multi-purpose building in Bonuan Boquig.

All these projects combined is easily worth at least a billion pesos, indeed a big bonanza to Dagupan never happened at any time in the past.

In Bonuan Boquig, Belen announced that four buildings of four storeys each will soon be built there under the mass housing program of President BBM.

Not to mention are the ongoing national projects sought by Belen from Cong Toff and Abono party list Congressman Robert Estrella Jr., including those shared for Dagupan City by the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor Employment and other national government agencies.

You see, without the support of the seven majority in the Sanggunian, Dagupan is still teeming with projects, many of them infrastructures, through Belen’s constant liaison with national government officials, particularly with Manang  Imee. 

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