PEACE-MAKER

We wish to express our profound appreciation to Dagupan City and our fellow Dagupenos, led by the dynamic and indefatigable Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, for bestowing us the Biskeg Na Baley Diamond Award, “the highest honor,” during the 75th Diamond Jubilee of Dagupan last June 19, 2023. We also thank them for honoring our son, Congressman Christopher de Venecia of the fourth district of Pangasinan, with the Pinablin Pangidayew Award “for his work in the promotion of arts and culture and fostering creative cottage industries.” Dagupan, our beloved hometown, became a city on June 20, 1947 by virtue of Republic Act No. 170, known as the City Charter of Dagupan, which was signed into law by President Manuel Roxas. The law was authored by the renowned Pangasinense, Speaker Eugenio Perez, who served as the last Speaker of Commonwealth and the first Speaker of the Republic. The city’s official website describes it as “the only independent component city of Pangasinan’s four cities. Crisscrossed by seven rivers and 14 creeks, Dagupan is known for its pond-raised bangus (milkfish), which is said to be the world’s tastiest and juiciest, making it the “World’s Bangus Capital.” History tells us that prehispanic Pangasinan was the center of trade for East Asia. When the Spaniards occupied the Philippines, they made Dagupan and Lingayen the centers of Spanish governance and culture in Northern Luzon. This paved the way for economic prosperity and for Pangasinenses to pursue liberal studies in Manila and in foreign countries. The building of the Ferrocaril de Manila-Dagupan in 1891 by the Manila Railway Company hastened the transportation of goods and people from Manila and vice versa which bolstered Pangasinan’s economic growth. Dagupan is home to the now famous “MacArthur House,” the Home Economics building in our old school, the West Central Elementary School, formerly the Dagupan Elementary School, which General Douglas MacArthur used as a military outpost in Northern Luzon during World War II. As we wrote in this column several times, we were nine years old when we saw General MacArthur, smiling and waving at the crowds, from the balcony of the said building. We are proud that it was also our son, Congressman Christopher, who pushed for the restoration of the “MacArthur House” and its transformation into a tourist destination and a heritage site. Dagupan is where National Artist Victorio C. Edades was born – in Barrio Bolosan. He was known as the “Father of Modern Art in the Philippines.” Congressman Christopher authored the law establishing the Edades and Bernal Museum in Dagupan, as a way of honoring Edades and another National Artist from Pangasinan, Salvador Bernal, who was acknowledged as the “Father of Theatre Design in the Philippines.” We are honored to point out that our grandfather, Guillermo de Venecia, served as mayor of Dagupan in the early 1900’s. We considered him our hero and later inspired us to run for public office. We told friends that he must have a deep understanding of geopolitics as he sent his children to study in countries – the United States, Germany, and Japan — which indeed shaped the course of modern history during World War II. We will forever be grateful to our fellow Dagupenos and the people of the fourth district of Pangasinan, for without their unwavering support, we would not have served as their representative in the House of Representatives for six terms and as Speaker of the House five times.