The Ilocos Times

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Why we are the salt and light of the earth

WHY? Because , first of all, Christ told us so. “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world,” he clearly told his disciples and eventually all of us. (cfr. Mt 5,13-14) But more than just being told by Christ, the basis of such divine command is because as persons we are meant to care for one another, to love one another. We would be contradicting our personhood if we fail to care and love one another. And the basic expression of such personal care and love for others is precisely to be such salt and light as Christ wants us to be so that we can lead everyone to our ultimate good and goal, which is to be with God, to be like God who wants us to be like him. Let’s remember that as persons we are meant to enter into a necessary relation with God and with others. That is why we have been endowed with intelligence and will so that we can know and love God and everybody else. Besides, we have been given the grace from God so that our knowing and loving does not get st...

Let’s build a faster and cheaper internet—from the backbone out

Our electric power system may not be perfect, but at least we know how it works: there's production (like power plants), transmission (via the national grid), and distribution (done by Meralco or the electric coops). That structure—clear and layered—helps us manage power more efficiently. Now, can we do something similar for the internet? Today, the internet is arguably as essential as electricity. Yet it remains expensive, slow, and—ironically for the digital age—inequitable. The urban rich get fiber connections, while many in the provinces struggle with unreliable or nonexistent service. But the problem isn't just about infrastructure; it's also about structure. Who owns the internet highway? Let’s use the power sector as a metaphor. If we think of telcos like Globe, PLDT, and Converge as the National Power Corporation of the internet world, they are doing more than just transmitting. They’re also controlling the last mile, the way Meralco controls your neig...

The need for a cabinet cluster for clean energy transformation

Plastic pollution is one of the most visible and persistent environmental problems in the Philippines today. From clogged esteros in Metro Manila to remote coastal towns where plastic waste washes ashore daily, the signs are everywhere. And yet, for all the laws, ordinances, and cleanup drives we've seen, the volume of unmanaged plastic waste keeps growing. But what if we could turn this environmental nightmare into a clean energy opportunity? The game-changer we’ve been ignoring The conversion of waste plastic into hydrogen fuel is no longer science fiction. It is a scientific breakthrough with real-world applications. Researchers in Japan, South Korea, the UK, and the US have already proven that technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, and photocatalysis can extract hydrogen from plastics—a clean-burning fuel that produces only water when used. Kyushu University in Japan, for instance, recently developed a photocatalyst that breaks down plastics and releases hy...

Making good use of time

By Carlos V. Cornejo “ One of the deceptions of an unproductive life is that today is not important.” (John Mason) One of the reasons why many people waste their time is the lack of goals in life. If we don’t have specific goals or dreams of finishing college for example or working abroad or starting a business, etc. chances are we will just be letting the days go by with no sense of direction. The only sense of direction it will have would be wherever the wind blows. We would then be at the mercy of what comes up during the day. If a friend calls up inviting us to a drinking session, of course we can’t say no because we have no plans for that day anyway. If you open the TV and there seem to be an interesting show you can’t say no it because there’s nothing else to do. You seem to have all the time in the world, but it also has no sense of purpose. No wonder your life is dull and boring. Time is like seed money that God gives to us. ...

Aurora Park repainting, uniform color of Laoag City barangay halls seen

By Dominic B. dela Cruz, staff reporter Laoag City —Following the painting of the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) and the Laoag City Public Market for free courtesy of Pacific Paint (BOYSEN) Philippines, another paint company, Davies Paint is also donating paints amounting to around PHP4 to PHP5 million for the free “uniform painting” of all the 80 barangay halls in this city and the LC Aurora Park. Laoag Mayor James Bryan Alcid confirmed this after representatives from Davies Paint already signified their intention for the painting of all the barangay halls and the Aurora Park. The mayor said that these paints will be distributed equally to all the barangays with an off-white color, additional colors will be agreed upon later. “ Nakapinpintas dagitoy a libre a proyekto appo aglalo awan bayadan iti city government renewable pay every three years. Kayat na saoen agi donate da kada tallo a tawen ,” the mayor said. In a random interview with the punong barangays, they all ...

The ‘good life’ can be a sweet poison

THAT gospel parable about the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, reminds us of the danger of the so-called “good life” where due to our status, privileges and other endowments, we tend to live in our own world and can become indifferent and insensitive to the needs of the others. (cfr. Lk 16,19-31) Let’s be reminded that the privileges, favors and blessings we enjoy in life are meant for us to strengthen our desire to serve and not to be served. But as it is, we should try to avoid them, since they tend only to spoil and corrupt us. We have to be most wary when we happen to enjoy some privileged positions or status in life because we tend to think that we deserve more entitlements. And not only would we expect them. We may even demand them for us. This, sad to say, seems to be a common phenomenon these days. It can affect everyone, of course, but it especially affects the young ones who appear to be more privileged than those in the previous generations because of the many new ...