Month: July 2025

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—Governor Ramon V. Guico III is strongly advocating for the dredging or large-scale excavation of rivers to address the perennial flooding problems in the province.

In a recent press briefing during the onslaught of massive flooding in Pangasinan, the governor emphasized the need for a comprehensive plan for drainage system reconstruction, pumping stations, and retention ponds.

“We have to make bold move kung ano ba talaga yung long-term solutions on how to solve this flooding problem. Kailangan province-wide ito or kung hindi man, region-wide. Kasi ang nakikita naming pinaka-reason are the heavily silted rivers,” Gov. Guico said.

As emphasized by the governor, one of the key initiatives of the provincial government is to conduct dredging from the river mouths to the upstream areas. This is in line with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order No. 2020-07 (DAO 7), which governs dredging activities in the country.

“Yung DAO 7, they will dredge (the river) (with) the province as the proponent. Meron tayong iti-nap na magdredge. They will even pay the province. So, at no cost ito….dumaan sa proseso ito, may ECC lahat,” he added.

Furthermore, Gov. Guico asked the support of Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG Lambino and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, as he proposed the crafting of an ordinance that will create a task force focused on flood mitigation and the rehabilitation of the province’s systems.

“Pinag-aralan po namin nila Vice Gov., sabi ko kailangan ng sangguniang Panlalawigan ordinance para ma-create ito…I’m very confident that maka-form tayo ng isang department or unit specifically to address the flooding sa probinsya,” he said.

Gov. Guico also encouraged the support of all the province’s congressional representatives to support the realization of the project.

(Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO, photos by Gian Carlo Millanes)

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – Another crowd drawing component of the Capitol Complex redevelopment program will have its test run this August.

Gov. Ramon Guico III will lead local government officials in the test run of the interactive fountain which is expected to draw record crowd.

In May 1, a big crowd gathered at the complex to witness a test run of the reflecting pool.

This as improvements at the Capitol grounds are expected to be finished at the end of the year, said Provincial Engineer Amadeo Veras. “(Completion rate) of Phase II is 62.39%,” said the engineer.

The governor also said that there is a need for efficiency in government transactions and that can be realized with the construction of the 11-storey government center/tower that will house all provincial and line agencies offices.

The construction has actually kicked off with the demolition of the former Provincial Training Center 1.

This has prompted the relocation of the Provincial Legal Office to the Finance building. Offices that will be relocated are the Family Court at the Legislative building and the Land Registration Authority to the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) complex.

The Philippine Veterans Affairs and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples offices are planned to be temporarily relocated in the vacant stalls at the back of Palaris building while a proposed relocation site for the office of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines has been identified.

Engr. Veras, meanwhile, encouraged the public to be patient with the inconvenience caused by the construction of the drainage system which will not only benefit Lingayen town but the entire province as well.

The Capitol Complex will have pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, an intelligent traffic light system, open spaces, improved WIFI and other structures of global standards.

The projects have the needed permits before implementation like the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Ruby F. Rayat with report from Eira Gorospe/PIMRO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Sangguniang Panlalalawigan Monday confirmed the appointments of the provincial administrator and legal officer during its first session.

Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino and the board confirmed the re-appointment by Gov. Ramon Guico III of Provincial Administrator Melicio Patague II and Legal Officer Baby Ruth Torre, a lawyer.

“I have given my best to support the mission and vision of the provincial government of Pangasinan under the leadership of Governor Ramon V. Guico III and Vice Governor Mark Ronald DG. Lambino,” said PA Patague after completing the three year service as right hand man of the governor last June 30.

He added: “We would like to be a team player, a positive contributor and we would like to participate in the continuation of the big-ticket projects initiated by the administration of Gov. Guico and Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino.”

Patague is a former vice mayor of Binalonan where he also served as a Sangguniang Kabataan chairman and later president of said organization leading to him getting a seat at the municipal board. He also served as a councilor and later as vice mayor until his “graduation” in 2022 just as Gov. Guico won as governor.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Saint Louis University and finished his bachelor of law at the Baguio Colleges Foundation, now the University of the Cordilleras.

In confirming Torre, the provincial board said: “After careful examination, scrutiny, and review of the qualifications, records and experiences of the recommendee, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan finds the appointment meritorious and therefore interposes no objection to said appointment,..

Torre, an SLU accountancy and law school graduate, was the former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Pangasinan President (2015-2017) and the former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Governor- Central Luzon Region (2019-2021). She specialized in litigation law before she joined the Guico administration.

Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The province is the National Grand Winner for Outstanding Kadiwa Implementer in the local government unit (LGU).

Pangasinan was the outstanding implementer in Region 1 earlier for the Department of Agriculture (DA) initiated Kadiwa. The project was given intensive support by the province led by Governor Ramon V. Guico III, through the ‘Kadiwa ed Kapitolyo’. The local version is held twice a month specifically every 10th and 25th at the Capitol grounds here.

The Kadiwa on Wheels, on the other hand, are held monthly in other localities through the assistance of other LGUs.

The Provincial Agriculture’s Office (PAO) reported that around 2,500 farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives and associations have benefitted from the program.

The project is conducted with the support of other line agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the National Food Authority (NFA).
Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya said the Kadiwa kicked off with 20 exhibitors but increased in number in the succeeding months.
At present, about a hundred Kadiwa-related activities are conducted with the support of several partner agencies and LGUs throughout the province.
The PAO said that exhibitors have over P20 million gross sales.
“We have generated a total sales of P20,985,234.60 and we have helped 2,582 exhibitors. The total household that we have served is around 55,710,” said Provincial Agribusiness and Marketing Service Coordinator Ramy Sison, in a mix of English and Filipino, earlier.
Launched in 2022, the Kadiwa ng Pangulo is a marketing initiative of the DA to empower local farmers, fisherfolk and local entrepreneurs through establishing a direct market link to enable them sell their produce directly to the consumers at affordable prices.
Kadiwa offers safe, fresh, and affordable food products like vegetables, dairy products, fruits, fish and meat products, rice, native delicacies, among others.

Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – More projects are expected to benefit the poor of this province, Governor Ramon V. Guico III vowed during his oath taking last Monday at the Sison Auditorium here.

The governor said that thru the provincial government’s ‘Ipagpatuloy Ang Galing, Community Outreach Program” they will be able to reach out to the more than 3.1 million Pangasinan residents in the 1,364 villages.

Launched last June 11 in Brgy. Doyong, Calasiao, the project is an integrated multi-agency program that provides services to disadvantaged rural or urban households and individuals in Pangasinan.

The project provides various services like free medical and dental. Medical services cover preventive care including examinations, consultations, and prescription medications. Dental, on the other hand, encompasses oral examinations and extractions.
Barangay residents can avail of free laboratory services like ECG and X-ray. Health packs containing medicines and vitamins are distributed as well as food packs consisting of rice, salt (from Pangasinan Salt Center), canned goods and eggs.

“Sa taong ito, sinimulan natin ang ‘Ipagpatuloy Ang Galing, Community Outreach Program’ upang paglingkuran ang 1,364 na barangays ng ating lalawigan,” said Gov. Guico.

[This year, we have started ‘Ipagpatuloy Ang Galing, Community Outreach Program’ to serve the 1,364 villages in our province.]
Aside from health and social services, infrastructure projects such as asphalting and concreting of farm-to-market roads or community thoroughfares are continuously undertaken. The province will also establish barangay facilities like multi-purpose buildings and halls and child development centers.
Solar streetlights will be installed also in various barangays to ensure a safer, conducive environment for villagers.

Provincial government offices recently joined in supporting the project by adopting a barangay as recipient for their outreach projects.
“Mas marami pang barangay ang gusto nating maabot sa aking pangalawang termino sa pamamagitan ng all-of-province approach sa outreach program nating ito. Samahan po ninyo ako sa layuning ito para ipagpatuloy Ang Galing ng Pangasinan,” Gov. Guico said.

[We want to reach more barangays in my second term through an all-of-province approach for our outreach program. Join me in our quest to continue how good Pangasinan is.]
Barangay folks are also urged to participate in greening the environment thru the Pangasinan Green Canopy project.

Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC) received its Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) for its initial four-degree programs from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) last Monday.

Gov. Ramon V. Guico III received the COPC from the CHED during his inauguration at the Sison Auditorium here.

The COPC serves as a quality assurance certification that ensures educational programs meet the necessary requirements for operation and are aligned with national educational standards.

The four curriculum programs include Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Media Arts, Public Administration major in Local Governance and Special Needs Education.

Gov. Guico said the COPC symbolizes the provincial government’s goal to provide brighter future for Pangasinense youth through the provision of free quality education. He further stated that his administration set its sight in building more campuses in the future.

“Ito ang katuparan ng aking pangako noong ako’y umupo sa aking unang termino bilang inyong Gobernador, katuparan ng pangarap ng unang batch na mahigit pitong daang estudyante at libu-libo pang mga nagnanais maging marunong at magaling,” the governor said.

[This is a fulfillment of my promise when I serve my first term as Governor, a fulfillment of the dreams of the first batch of over 700 students and the hundreds more who want to become knowledgeable and good.]

Education is one of the governor’s flagship programs to improve the lives of his constituents by opening the PPC. It was established last year with 700 students coming from poor families which was doubled this academic year. He is also eyeing the establishment of two new campuses to be built in Umingan and Bugallon towns soon.

The governor is planning to establish the PPC School of Medicine and Health Sciences in June 2028, just before he completes his second term. Gov. Guico said that he wants to fill the shortage of nurses and doctors in the country.

Meanwhile, PPC President Professor Raymundo D. Rovillos said the accomplishment serves as a clear testament to the institution’s unwavering commitment to maintaining high educational standards, ensuring program quality, and continuously striving for academic excellence in all areas of instruction and service.

Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has four million Filipinos enrolled with its Konsulta program and 35 percent or 1.4 million are from this province.

Governor Ramon V. Guico III said this after his induction to his second term as governor Monday, June 30, at the Sison Auditorium here.

The governor said that four million has been enrolled with the PhilHealth Konsulta program, of which half are from Region I and 70 percent of that number, or 1.4 million, are Pangasinenses.

Gov. Guico attributed that to the provincial government’s support project which is the Government Unified Incentives for medical Consultations or GUICONSULTA.

Gov. Guico said that he eyes an initial two million enrollees and will be happy if they could have the entire population of over 3 million enrolled with the PhilHealth program.

Konsulta, a PhilHealth outpatient program was started in 2020.

When Governor Guico introduced the GUICONSULTA late last year, he found out that only 30,000 locals have availed of the program.

Pangasinenses were then urged to enroll that they were even given funds for transportation and food just to do so and that started the ball rolling that saw a massive enrollment in all the 48 local government units (LGUs).

In less than a year, some 1.4 million of the two million targeted by the provincial government are already PhilHealth members.

The feat amazed PhilHealth Vice President for Region 1 Dennis B. Adre that he urged other LGUs all over the country to emulate the GUICONSULTA.

“We have been coordinating with our head office to study and evaluate the Pangasinan Business Model (for GUICONSULTA) and probably adopt and turn it into a policy,” Adre said.
Quezon City is the first LGU to do so when Mayor Joy Belmonte said that she aims to have all her constituents of 2,96 million, Philippine Statistics Agency 2020 estimate, enrolled with the PhilHealth Konsulta.

Adre said that those enrolled with the Konsulta will have a capitation worth P1,700 which is paid to the partner accredited hospitals like the 14 provincial operated hospitals.
The amount will go to the members’ laboratory fees, maintenance medicines to battle diabetes and hypertension as well as prescription medicines like antibiotics.

“In the case of Pangasinan, they have come up with an 80-20 sharing scheme which is provided for in a memorandum of agreement signed by and among the 48 municipalities and cities,” Adre explained.

Adre said the 80 percent is being held in trust by the province in a special health fund as contained in a resolution to that effect while the remaining 20 percent goes directly to the LGUs.

The PhilHealth later accredited all rural health units of the 48 LGUs, which are now organized into one united health network.

Gov. Guico said he eyes the establishment of an Apex Hospital and to upgrade existing health facilities in the province to meet the needs of every sick and poor Pangasinense.

Ruby F. Rayat/PIMRO