ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan—A group of 50 local journalists and government information writers elected Pangasinan-based BusinessMirror correspondent Orly Guirao as president of the newly formed Pangasinan chapter of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ) during the culmination rites of the three-day seminar-workshop on climate change organized by the PAJ in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the provincial government and the city government of Alaminos over the weekend.
Before joining the BusinessMirror, Guirao was a correspondent for the original Ang Pahayagang Malaya under journalism icon Jose Burgos Jr. and Reuters covering the Ilocos region. He is currently media consultant of Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino III.
Other officers elected were: Ahikam Pasion (Manila Broadcasting Co.-Aksyon Radyo), vice president; Thea Faye Bautista (National Food Authority information officer), secretary; Dividica “Dove” Tibucay (Aksyon Radyo), treasurer; Ria Tacderan (PNP-Pangasinan Information officer), auditor; Renalynne Raguin (Department of the Interior and Local Government-Provincial Information Officer), public-relations officer (PRO); Benjie Lagazo (Sonshine Radio), PRO; and Ricardo Isidro (Luzon Reporter), PRO.
Board of directors are Abe Belena (Manila Standard), Leonardo Micua (Philippines News Agency), Gabriel Cardinoza (Philippine Daily Inquirer), RJ Jimenez (Aksyon Radyo), Helen Saliwan (Veritas Catholic Media), Ed Gonzales (Island News), Vernon Galletes (Ilocano Observer) and Orpheus Velasco (provincial information officer).
The election was presided by PAJ national treasurer Ines Magbual and director Michael Alunan.
In their inaugural meeting, the group polished a plan to stage a weekly forum and publication of a monthly agri-tourism newspaper to galvanize the various advocacies geared toward mitigating the adverse effects of global warming confronting agricultural crops, fishery, livestock, poultry and swine production and other food-based enterprises.
Membership in PAJ-Pangasinan, which will hold a temporary office at the Provincial Capitol compound in Lingayen, Pangasinan, is also open to campus journalists.