The culmination of the month-long Dagupan City Bangus Festival is the Kalutan ed Dagupan last April 30, 2006. It is dubbed as "Bangus Sa Lansangan", a reunion of sorts of the more than a kilometer long Guinness record for the Longest Grill along A.B. Fernandez Avenue. Though this year’s "Kalutan ed Dagupan was not staged to beat the existing record held by the city, the revelry and sumptuous grilled bangus continued to wow the crowd.

The event started with the lighting of the grills but this time they did it by stations. Then came the street dancers. The local group simulated the Gilon! Gilon! (harvesting of bangus) in a spectacular dance repertoire. Guest dancers from the Dinagyang and Ati-Atihan Festival also came and entertained the spectators who were left in awe and amusement. The day (until the wee hours of the morning) was capped by concerts in 8 stages along the avenue. Performers included Brownman Revival, Francis M, Itchyworms, Hale, local bands and other performers I could not remember.

I only had my old Nokia 3660 with me so the pictures that I took were not good. The digital camera that I’m expecting to have will arrive on the 15^th of May. I hope it would be a good one.

I also hope and fervently wish that the just concluded festivities will translate into present and future actual revenues for the city that is the proud home of the "World’s Tastiest Milkfish." (and for not the politicians with gargantuan tarpaulins- Oh it’s an election year on 2007!)

Blackboard Note: This post is lifted from an Email that I got from my ANG BAGONG PINOY Yahoo Group. I am sharing it because I believe in the Filipino and his importance, not just to this country but also to the world. Mabuhay Tayong Mga Pinoy!

A Day Without Filipinos

By: Fr. Jess E. Briones

SVD Superior Delegatus

Argentina Oficina: Calle Mansilla 3865

Residencia: Calle Paraguay 3901

Tel.: 4824-0270 ext 43

Let's imagine then, not just California, but the entire world, waking up one day to discover Filipinos have disappeared. I'm talking here about the six or seven million Filipinos currently working overseas in countries with names that run the entire alphabet, from Angola to Zimbabwe.

Let's not worry first about why or how the Filipinos disappeared; in fact, it becomes academic whether it's a day or a week. Just imagine a world without Filipinos.

Think of the homes that are dependent on Filipino housekeepers, nannies, caregivers. The homes would be chaotic as kids cry out for their nannies. Hong Kong and Singaporean and Taiwanese yuppie couples are now forced to stay home and realizing, goodness, there's so much of housework that has to be handled and how demanding their kids can be and hey, what's this strange language they're babbling in?

It's not just the children that are affected. The problems are even more serious with the elderly in homes and nursing institutions, because Filipino caregivers have provided so much of the critical services they need. When temporary contractual workers are brought in from among non-Filipinos, the elderly complain. They want their Filipino caregivers back because they have that special touch, that extra patience and willingness to stay an hour more when needed.

Hospitals, too, are adversely affected because so many of the disappeared Filipinos were physicians, nurses and other health professionals. All appointments for rehabilitation services, from children with speech problems to stroke survivors, are indefinitely postponed because of disappeared speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists!Eventually, the hospital administrators announce they won't take in any more patients unless the conditions are serious. Patients are told to follow their doctors' written orders and, if they have questions, to seek advice on several Internet medical sites.

But within two days, the hospitals are swamped with new complaints. The websites aren't working because of missing Filipino web designers and website managers. Service establishments throughout the world — restaurants, supermarkets, hotels — all close down because of their missing key staff involved in management and maintenance. In Asia, hotels complain about the missing bands and singers. In the United States, many commercial establishments have to close shop, not just because of the missing Filipino sales staff but because their suppliers have all been sending in notices about delays in shipments.

Yup, the shipping industry has gone into a crisis because of missing Filipino seafarers. The shipping firms begin to look into the emergency recruitment of non-Filipino seafarers but then declare another crisis: They're running out of supplies of oil for their ships because the Middle Eastern countries have come to a standstill without their Filipino workers, including quite a few working for the oil industry.

Frantic presidents and prime ministers call on the United Nations to convene a special session of the Security Council but Kofi Annan says he can't do that because the UN system itself is on the edge, with so many of their secretarial and clerical staff, as well as translators, having disappeared from their main headquarters in New York and Geneva,as well as their regional offices throughout the world. Quite a number of UN services, especially refugee camps, are also in danger of closing down because of missing Filipino health professionals and teachers. Annan also explains that he can't convene UN meetings because the airports in New York, Washington and other major US cities have been shut down. The reason? The disappeared Filipinos included quite a few airport security personnel who used to check passengers and their baggage. Annan calls on the World Bank and international private foundations for assistance but they're crippled, too, because their Filipino consultants and staff are nowhere to be seen. Funds can't be remitted and projects can't run without the technical assistance provided for by Filipinos.

An exasperated Annan calls on religious leaders to pray, and pray hard. But when he phones the Pope, he is told the Catholic Church, too, is in crisis because the disappeared include the many Filipino priests and nuns in Rome who help run day-to-day activities, as well as missionaries in the frontlines of remote posts, often the only ones providing basic social services.

As they converse, Annan and the Pope agree on one thing: the world has become a quieter place since the Filipinos disappeared. It isn't just the silencing of work and office equipment formerly handled by Filipinos; no, it seems there's much less laughter now that the Filipinos aren't around, both the laughter of the Filipinos and those they served.

I know, I know, I'm exaggerating the contributions of Filipinos to the world but I'm doing what the producers of "A Day without Mexicans" had in mind: using a bit of hyperbole to shake people up. As their blurb for the film goes: "How do you make the invisible, visible? Make them invisible." As I wrote this column, I did realize I was doing this not so much for the Hong Kong Chinese and Taiwanese and Singaporeans and Americans who don't appreciate us enough, than for us, who as Filipinos, are pretty good at putting ourselves down, at making ourselves invisible.

Dagupan Bangus Festival 2006: Updated Schedule

As of April 27, 2006

April 1-30-May 1-2, 2006

Whole Day

TRADE FAIR

Jovellanos St.

April 25 - May 8

TRADE, LIVELIHOOD, TOURISM, EDUCATION, LIVELIHOOD, TOURISM, EDUCATION, REAL ESTATE AND EMPLOYMENT SHOW/ EXPO

Malimgas Market

April 27 - Thursday

Whole Day

GLOBE DAY - CONCERT

City Plaza

8:00AM

FINALS & AWARDING : BANGUS AMAZING RACE

City Plaza

3:00PM

OPENING OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL

City Plaza

7:00PM

BANGUS FEST KING AND QUEEN FINALS

In front of Dagupan City Museum

DAGUPAN'S BEST

Malimgas Market

April 28 - Friday

Whole Day

SMART DAY - CONCERT

City Plaza

8:00AM

BANGUS RODEO featuring LUMBAY BETEL

Malimgas Market

3:00PM

CHAMPIONSHIP: BATTLE OF THE 3RD KIND

In front of Dagupan City Museum

7:00PM

THE BIG HIPHOP BOUNCE RAVE PARTY

Perez Blvd.

7:00PM

CONCERT AT MALIMGAS MARKET

Malimgas Market

April 29 - Saturday

8:00AM

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

City Plaza

3:00PM

GILON! GILON! STREET DANCING/

BANGUS ED KAROSA/

STAR FM-TRIBU BOMBO-STAGE PERFORMER

City Wide

7:00PM

SINGING CONTEST

Astrodome

9:00AM

MEDICAL OUTREACH

Astrodome

April 30 - Sunday

8:00AM

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

City Plaza

4:30PM

KALUTAN ED DAGUPAN-"BANGUS SA LANSANGAN"

Café Du Marc-Amado

May 1 - Monday

7:00AM

FLUVIAL PARADE

Pantal - Tondaligan Beach

9:00AM

PISASALAMAT

Mayor's Shed Tondaligan Beach

9:00AM

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Tondaligan Beach

10:00AM

PALARO SA DAGAT

Tondaligan Beach

SAND SCULPTOR PARK COMPETITION

Tondaligan Beach

BANGUS IN THE SKY

Tondaligan Beach

7:00PM

ROCK THE BEACH CONCERT

Amphi Theater