The Ilocos Times

G2G PROGRAM. Marites Maynes, senior labor and employment officer of the Department of Migrant Workers , assists a returning an overseas Filipino worker from Singapore at a shopping mall in Laoag City on August 26, 2026. The DMW said a number of G2G jobs is available to interested migrant workers. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano LAOAG CITY—The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on August 27, 2026 encouraged aspiring overseas Filipino workers in the province to take advantage of its government-to-government (G2G) program that provides access to legitimate overseas employment opportunities facilitated through government arrangements. Marites Maynes, senior labor and employment officer of the DMW, said that through the DMW's Pre-Employment and Government Placement Bureau , qualified Filipino workers can access vacancies without relying solely on private recruitment agencies. The DMW currently maintains a dedicated platform for G2G vacancies and Recruitment Specification...

Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida By Dominic B. dela Cruz.  Staff Reporter NUEVA ERA, Ilocos Norte — Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida has confirmed the plan to establish an extension campus of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Nueva Era, which could provide nearby college opportunities for students who cannot afford to pursue four-year degrees in Laoag City or Batac. Garvida said the proposed extension is intended primarily to help Grade 12 graduates from Nueva Era and surrounding communities who want to continue their education but face financial difficulties, particularly the cost of transportation, boarding and other expenses associated with studying outside the municipality. However, he said the proposal is still pending before the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which must assess the project’s requirements and feasibility, including the projected number of enrollees and the courses that can be sustainably offered. “ Maawatan tay met iti CHED ken MMSU ...

Farmers using direct seeding may need to control weedy rice earlier than usual, after a study found that the weed gains its advantage before cultivated rice reaches its reproductive stage. The Philippine Rice Research Institute ( PhilRice )-led study found that weedy rice can outgrow cultivated rice because it emerges earlier, grows taller, produces more tillers, and develops larger and more highly branched roots. Dr. Leylani M. Juliano , PhilRice lead researcher, said that these traits help weedy rice absorb more water and nutrients from the soil. The weed can also continue using sunlight efficiently to grow even when nutrients are limited, giving it a stronger chance to compete in direct-seeded fields. She said understanding how the weed competes can guide researchers in improving the timing and design of management strategies, especially during the early stages of crop growth. The study showed that weedy rice builds much of its advantage from the seedling stage until be...

US and Philippine officials tour the new Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Reporting Center. PUERTO PRINCESA CITY —The US Embassy in the Philippines , through the Fish Right Project , launched the Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Reporting Center in partnership with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.   The new facility strengthens Philippine-led efforts to combat IUU fishing —a shared economic and security threat for both the United States and the Philippines. Building on the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development ’s existing coordination mechanisms with local and national agencies, Fish Right will integrate American technologies, such as Starlink and data visualization software EarthRanger , to strengthen connectivity, improve the collection and organization of community reports, and support timely information-sharing with Philippine authorities.   The Center will serve as a community hub for receiving a...

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo Compassion means empathizing and caring for the unfortunate situation of the others.   When we have compassion, we put yourself in the shoes of others in their misfortunes and feel what they feel.   Compassion is supposed to not only feel pity but also to try to remedy the sufferings of others.   When we feel compassion for a friend who has lost a loved one, we try to tell him we feel his sorrow and that we are united with him in his suffering perhaps with a word or two of condolence.   We could not fully remedy his pain and our condolences are all we could offer. But it would be a big help to alleviate his pain.   St. Thomas Aquinas discussed the virtue of compassion in his Summa Theologiae by asking a question: “Whether pain and sorrow are alleviated by the compassion of friends?” The question may seem odd to the modern mind because the answer seems obvious.   But St. Thomas reasoning however is enlightening.   He ...

Every so often a technology arrives that carries the potential to reshape entire systems—not just improve them. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is doing just that for renewable energy . From forecasting weather to optimizing solar and wind farms, AI is helping flood our grids with clean power while making them smarter, more reliable, and more resilient. But the bigger question for us here in the Philippines is: Are we ready to ride this wave—or will we lag behind once again?   What AI can do for renewables AI and machine learning (ML) address some of renewable energy’s biggest headaches: intermittency , unpredictability, maintenance challenges, and grid instability . Experts say that AI-powered systems excel at forecasting, optimization, and adaptive control. Here are the key levers: Wind & Solar Forecasting: AI models analyze weather patterns, historical generation data, and real-time conditions to predict output. This allows grid operators to anticipate supply and ma...