Online newsletter for the citizens of Sagunto, Sison, Pangasinan, Philippines
Not many people in Sagunto, Spain, nor in Sagunto, Philippines, knew that their town had a namesake all the way across the ocean. This was an exciting revelation that Senor Jose Ramblas wrote an article about this coincidence in Levante, a publication in Valencia, Spain. He shared with us what he had written but I hadn’t posted it here yet because I wanted to translate it first. If you’d like to read the Spanish version, you can access the file by clicking this link: filipinas.
When Senor Ramblas heard of the recent storms that hit the region and saw some of the devastation posted here and on the Sison website, he wrote another article about the devastation. Below is the article and my rough translation. Forgive any errors, but you get the idea. Click on the photo below to read the article in Spanish.
People take precautionary measures as meteorologists announce another typhoon for Monday
Sagunto, the one located in the Philippine island of Luzon, has been devastated by the effects of typhoon Pepeng. The main highway that gives access to this barangay, a part of the municipality of Sison, has been destroyed; and the rice harvest, main product of this agricultural locality, has been a total loss. More worrisome, the meteorological forecasts announced the possible arrival of a new typhoon next Monday.
Loejan Anudon has emphasized the lack of resources to rebuild damaged infrastructure which is now the main worry among the inhabitants badly affected by the recent floods. “We [Sagunto] are hopeful of receiving financial aid from the municipal office” he says, “But we cannot expect too much because all twenty-eight barangays in Sison were affected, so any loan from the municipal government will be divided between all twenty-eight barangays.”
Desesperados
Most of the damage occurred in the agricultural sector especially in the rice production which suffered total devastation. Anudon indicates that the farmers are desperate because most of the money invested in their farms were loaned. The great problem now is how they will recover their investment and where they are going to obtain the money necessary to finance the next harvest.
The Philippine Saguntinos do not remember another natural disaster of this magnitude besides from the 1990 earthquake. As the work of reconstruction continues, the mayor of Sison, Kimi S. Cojuangco, met with the leaders of Sagunto and other barangays of the municipality to take preventive measures before the possible arrival from this new typhoon. “Everyone is praying that it changes direction and won’t make landfall”, indicates Anudon.
Sagunto is a small municipality of about 2.000 inhabitants. In century XIX, its name was changed to Sagunto by a soldier of Saguntin origin who was assigned in the Camp de Morvedre region.
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Here’s a colored photo of the ‘bahay kubo’ in our yard and the article as it appeared in the paper http://www.levante-emv.com/comarcas/2009/10/04/sagunto-filipinas/637976.html
Gracias a Senor Ramblas y Levante para publicar una historia acerca de la devastación en Sagunto, Filipinas. Espero a una visita del día Sagunto, España y veo el “otro” hermoso Sagunto.
Oro que el Saguntins en Valencia encontrará que en sus corazones para ayudar nuestro municipio donando para financiar un granjero.
Gracias tanto Sr. Ramblas. Gracias Saguntins.
Ophelia “Babot” Glasser
Para donar directamente a la Rehabilitación Agrícola del Sison:
Land Bank of the Philippines
Urdaneta, Pangasinan
Account Name: LGU – Sison, Pangasinan
Account Number: 0112-1025-23
Office of Mayor Kimi Cojuangco
075-467-2661
075-600-3113