Pangasinan 'adopts' 2 Guam senators

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines  – The provincial board here passed two resolutions making two senators from Guam an adopted son and daughter of Pangasinan.

Provincial officials led by Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Vice Gov. Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr., who authored the resolutions, presented the distinction to Senators Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio who attended a special session of the provincial board last Thursday.

Despite the apparent success of their careers as senators of the 31st Guam Legislature, Guthertz and Respicio, according to the resolutions, still find time to be active members of the Filipino community in Guam and have supported initiatives of fostering sisterhood relations and goodwill with other communities.

“The province of Pangasinan is honored equally to share with Guthertz and Respicio its unified and cordial relations, economic and cultural stability and the heritage of the Pangasinense people,” the resolutions read.

The resolutions added that the province recognizes the important roles that Guthertz and Respicio play in promoting stronger ties between the people of Guam and Pangasinan.

They added that the province is honored for having staunch partners whose efforts deserve acknowledgement from Pangasinenses.

Respicio has been a senator from the 27th to the 31st Guam Legislature from January 2003 to December 2012.

Guthertz has been a senator in the Guam Legislature since January 2007.

The two came here for the establishment of sisterhood ties and goodwill between Guam and Pangasinan.

Espino said the sisterhood relationship will foster closer ties in terms of business development, strong economic relationship and closer cultural experiences and exchanges with Guam.

Espino thanked Federation of Pangasinenses in Guam president Victor Rivo, who hails from Mapandan town, together with Respicio and Guthertz, for making the partnership possible.

Espino said that as a former military officer, he knows how US military bases employed more than 30,000 Filipinos before.

Respicio and Guthertz said that with Guam’s military buildup plan, they will ensure that foreign workers will come from the Pangasinan.

“Filipinos have the advantage because they are experienced workers, especially in military bases,” Espino said.