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Dagupan City, Metro Dagupan, Philippines
Around the globe, there's only one Milkfish Capital of the world. The City of Dagupan

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dagupan unveils new seal


DAGUPAN CITY -- April 25 was a historical day for Dagupan as its new seal was unveiled in a simple ceremony held in front of the City Museum. The new seal was blessed by Father Raffy Cruz.
The occasion was led by Mayor Benjie Lim, the 12 councilors (including the two sectoral representatives), and the members of the Ad Hoc Committee led by City Council Secretary Jorge Estrada and Metro Dagupan Culture and Arts Council President Honorata Siapno.
"Mula sa araw na ito, ito na ang magiging simbolo ng Bangus Capital of the World," the mayor announced.



The old city seal was designed in 1948 by the late Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Mariano Madriaga.
However, the City Government discovered last year that the 62-year-old corporate seal was not registered at the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
Accordingly, Chad Baula, NHCP Research, Publications and Heraldry Division head, notified the mayor that of the four cities and 44 towns in Pangasinan, only Urdaneta City has a NHCP registered seal.
The City Government launched a corporate seal design contest late last year by virtue of Executive Order 41 issued by the mayor. It also created an ad hoc committee tasked to study, initiate, and supervise the redesigning and registration of the official corporate seal of the city.
pangasinan-dagupan-city-new-seal-2011-04-27
PANGASINAN. The new seal of Dagupan City.
The winning design was created by Dr. Carmelo John Vidal of the University of Luzon and Philippine Red Cross-Pangasinan chapter. He received a P50,000 cash prize.
Second place was the design made by Yusof Ferrer, while the entry of Patrick Henry Bacolor placed third. They received P30,000 and P20,000, respectively.
The seal contains a shield; a highway and railroad track crisscrossing, a horseshoe magnet, the slogan "Sigue Dagupan," a bangus, seven waves, rising sun, gear wheel, and blazing torch, 31 stars, and the numeral 1947.
As explained, the shape of the shield is uniquely distinctive by itself and does not derive from the shield of the Province of Pangasinan, Dagupan being an independent component city.
The slogan "Sigue Dagupan" was part of the original seal, so are the highway crisscrossing the railroad track, city being the Pandarugupan or meeting place in the province. Also, trains used to be a major transportation in the city to Manila. The horseshoe magnet symbolizes the city's attractions that lure merchants and traders.
Bangus, which is the main fish product of city, was placed at the lower portion of the seal, particularly at the midpart of the seven waves representing the seven river tributaries here.
The rising sun, gear wheel, and blazing torch stands for hope and the Dagupenos' peerless optimism; the gear wheel symbolizes trade and commerce while the torch stands for education (and health care).
The city is actually known as the center of trade, commerce, education and with the most number of hospitals in Ilocos Region.
The members of the ad hoc committee were City Council Committee on Tourism and Culture Chairman Alipio Serafin Fernandez, City Schools Division Superintendent Alma Ruby Torio, City Administrator Vladimir Mata, City DILG Officer Rhoderick Dawis, Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines-Dagupan City Chapter President Cornelia EspaƱol, retired city assessor Jose M. Sanchez, Dagupan Artists Circle President Patrick Fernandez and and Rufina Meneses, in-charge (Librarian IV), Dagupan City Library & Information Center.(Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre/Sunnex)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pangasinan/local-news/2011/04/26/dagupan-unveils-new-seal-152172
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Metro food plaza to open in July


NIGHTLIFE in Dagupan City is envisioned to get more exciting with the opening in July of the Metro Plaza complex in front of the city hall.
Mayor Benjamin Lim, speaking at the KBP Forum on Thursday, said the complex will house mostly food stalls and restaurants.
The project, set-up under the build-operate-transfer scheme, is expected to generate about 500 jobs and an estimated P5 million from rentals, business and real estate taxes annually.
“The income will make a substantial contribution to the city’s P560 million budget,” Lim said.
CONTROVERSIAL
Construction for the Metro Plaza started during the previous term of Lim, but was stopped under the administration of former Mayor Alipio Fernandez for lack of a building permit.
The complex is located on a portion of the Magsaysay Market, originally operated by Bugnay Construction and Development Corp. under a lease contract with the city, which was gutted by fire in September 2005.
After the fire, Bugnay asked that the lease contract be terminated without any obligation for unpaid taxes, damages and other claims.
Lim apparently agreed to the proposal.
But the sangguniang panlungsod during the Fernandez administration disagreed with the move, saying that Lim had no power to make such an agreement without authorization from the city council. (with a report from PIA-Pangasinan)

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/2011/06/18/metro-food-plaza-to-open-in-july/
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BSL wants additional P14 M for garbage collection


DAGUPAN Mayor Benjamin Lim has appealed to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) to immediately act on the proposed P14-million supplemental budget for garbage collection and disposal.
Lim said the approved P4 million budget, or about P300,000 a month, of the waste management division for its maintenance and operating expenses in the 2011 budget is not enough to cover the city’s waste disposal costs.
The supplemental budget is intended for the purchase of additional equipment and the repair of old ones.
SANITARY LANDFILL
Lim, speaking at the KBP Forum Thursday, also reiterated his plan to pursue the planned sanitary landfill project in barangay Awai in San Jacinto town.
He said the project can be pursued in tandem with neighboring towns to become a district landfill and operated by a private company.
Lim, however, did not clarify how the city can possibly regain the lot in Awai, which the city government under his administration bought but later lost as the land was determined to have been appropriated for land reform even before the purchase.
Both the city administrator and the city legal office remained silent on the status of the acquired-and-lost property of the city in San Jacinto for the failed sanitary landfill.
WARNING
Meanwhile, Lim and other officials of many towns in the province have already been given warning notices for failing to meet the requirements of R. A. 9003, or the Solid Waste Management Act.
Under the law, local government units are supposed to close all open or controlled dumpsites. Local officials are liable for failure to implement.
Lim also wrote off the option of using the newly-opened landfill facility in Urdaneta City, saying the cost of disposing garbage there would be enough to build Dagupan’s own facility.
He explained that the city would spend about P320,000 a day for its 80 tons of garbage or about P100 million a year.
Puede na tayong magpatayo ng sariling landfill nyan,” he said. (With report from PIA Pangasinan/DOS)

http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/2011/06/19/bsl-wants-additional-p14-m-for-garbage-collection/
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