‘Puto’ industry latest victim of Pangasinan bridge closure

“PUTO” (rice cake) makers and vendors in Calasiao, Pangasinan, are complaining that the closure of Villamil Bridge in the town has started to affect their livelihood. WILLIE LOMIBAO/ CONTRIBUTOR

CALASIAO, Pangasinan—The closure of a bridge here last year has taken its toll on the town’s bustling “puto” (rice cake) industry.

At least 15 of the more than 40 puto stalls fronting the town plaza here had closed shop since 2012, shortly after the 50-year-old Villamil Bridge was closed for replacement, said Ester Santos, a stall owner here.

Villamil Bridge was the faster and shorter route for motorists traveling from Dagupan City to Metro Manila, as it links Calasiao and Dagupan City to the central Pangasinan highway that exits at Camiling, Tarlac. Work on its replacement was stalled because of modifications requested by local government officials.

“[The slump in sale is] because motorists traveling to Metro Manila no longer pass this way and buyers from central Pangasinan towns find it hard to come here to place orders,” said Santos.

This town is known for its cup-shaped, bite-sized, soft rice cakes, which are also described as Calasiao’s “white gold.”

Puto-making has been the major source of income for families in the villages of Dinalaoan, Lumbang, Ambuetel and part of Nalsian here.

Vice Mayor Roy Macanlalay said it’s not only the puto industry that has been hurting. He said businesses in the public market, which is just across the bridge, have also suffered due to the bridge’s closure.

A rice dealer has been experiencing slow sales for months now because buyers from villages across the river no longer come, he said.

“They instead bought rice in San Carlos City or Malasiqui, which is more convenient for them,” Macanlalay said.

“Since Villamil Bridge closed last year, businesses in the town have been losing by as much as 70 percent [of their monthly earnings],” he said.

His son, Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay, asked Department of Public Works and Highways officials to build a footbridge before the old bridge was demolished.

He also asked for the construction of a tunnel below the elevated approach to allow vehicles from the public market to access a road that circles a public elementary school. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon