Golden Age of Manaoag - Mayor

 Spate of Investors

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANAOAG, Pangasinan -  The spate of investors and a modern infrastructure project from the provincial government coming here were cited by the mayor as the golden age of the pilgrimage town.

“Investors are coming in. I see Manaoag now as its golden era dahil nandito na ang mga investors,” Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario told Northern Watch Newspaper.

These investors have been here, started to break ground, and signified their intention to put shop.

He said these development jibe with his administration economics strategy to create opportunities here where the people could have jobs after the pilgrims and devotees of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag patronized the recreational activities, checked in to the hotels here, and enmeshed themselves with other draws this central Pangasinan town offers.

“Pero the challenge namin, lahat pamalagi muna ng mas matagal after hearing mass after saying novena dito muna (sila) para gumastos. The longer they stay here katumbas niyan is hanap buhay at kita”.

ALREADY HERE

There are already hotels here while the second biggest mall of the CSI Group of Company based in Dagupan City had branched up here four months ago. Memorial parks like Golden Haven - owned by the Villar Group and Companies -, Paradise, and Forrest Lake are already in this landlocked town.

COMING HERE

Businessmen Joey de Venecia – the son of former Speaker Joe de Venecia – brought at the office of the mayor the top executives of the Sta. Lucia Reality & Development Corportation when they presented a master plan on their planned business venture here.

Out of the more or less 42 hectares owned by the descendants of former House Speaker  Eugenion P. Perez -  the maternal family of Joey de de Venecia, the Sta. Lucia Reality & Development Corporation will build in Barangay Baritao a housing project with a lagoon perched on a five –hectare land.

“May activity na boating and fishing para may gagawin iyong tao”.

 Rosario said a huge mansion owned by a retired air force Colonel in Brgy. Sapang is being converted into a countless bedroom’s hotel.

The first term's mayor said the provincial government under Governor Ramon Guico, III will be building a common bus terminal here.

 “Gagawa ng common bus terminal saka gagawa kami ng daan hoping sa likod ng Central School. We will be traversing the school to accommodate more vehicles sa likod”.

The terminal is one of the three of the P1 billion Pangasinan East-West Expressway (PEWEX) – North Alignment Terminals. The fund will be taken from the P6 billion Omnibus Term Loan Facility where the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (legislature) authorized Guico to contract with the Land Bank of the Philippines.

PLANS

He said a bill in Congress is pending on the proposed plan to build a five-hectare Libingan ng Bayani in Northern Luzon at the 32 hectares Camp Tito Abat in this central Pangasinan town.

“Kasi meron din sa South Cebu ata kasi sa Manila punong puno na close to 55, 000 ang nailibing doon”.

He is looking too to the proposal of 4^th District Cong. Christopher de Venecia to build a vertical multi-level edifice parking spaces to mitigate the vehicular traffic here.

Rosario said there are 54, 000 to 55, 000 pilgrims that visit here a week.

Department of Tourism’s Region-1 Director Joseph Francisco Ortega told this newspaper that there were 8, 000, 000 tourists that visited the town in 2019.

MAYOR BECKONS!

“More to come in Manaoag. If you’re an investor open ang bayan ng Manaoag. This is the Golden Era of Manaoag,” Rosario, a surgeon by profession, beckons.