Dagupan honors beloved sons, daughters

DAGUPAN CITY – This city’s beloved sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves in public service, business, humanities, the creative arts, or in the profession they practice or the avocation they follow were honored during the Gala Night at CSI Stadia on June 19.

The awardees who are either Dagupan-born and a resident of Dagupan for at least one third of his/her life or not a Dagupan-born but a resident of the city for at least 40 years were Dr. Eliza Fernandez Ramos (Medicine), Dr. Gregoria P. Villaflor (Medicine), Dolores Cerezo (Education), Dr. Francisco T. Duque III (Public Administration), lawyer Liberato C. Reyna Jr. (Public Service), Westly R. Rosario (Science/Technology), Restituto Basa (Heritage), Wilfredo D. Lomibao (Mass Media), and Dr. Vicky S. Tada (Business and Entrepreneurship).

Four other distinguished sons and daughters of the city were given special awards as per Executive Order of Mayor Belen T. Fernandez as the city celebrates its Platinum Year as an independent component city.

They were former Speaker of the House Jose De Venecia Jr., who receive the Lifetime Achievement Award; lawyer Gonzalo T. Duque, Dr. Aurora S. Reyna and retired Regional Trial Court Judge Alicia G. Decano, all three were given the Order of Merit for Exemplary Public Service, for Exemplary Service in Culture and Arts and for Exemplary Judiciary Service, respectively.

Mayor Belen in her message hailed the passion and the spirit of the awardees as a true-loving Dagupeños especially on Dr. Francisco Duque III’s call to businessmen and Dagupeños to stay and rebuild Dagupan after the 1990 earthquake.

“No one can stop the great passion and spirit of true-loving Dagupeños like those demonstrated by our Pinablin Dagupeños honorees tonight. No one can stop us from doing the good works, fighting a good fight, and building the great dreams for our city. There is a great celebration and we shall celebrate the success we have built together because today at our 70^th Platinum Anniversary as a city…more than at any other time in our history…is a Great Time to be a Dagupeño,” said Fernandez. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/June 21, 2017)