The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz.  Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved PHP20.2 million for the Laoag City Sports Development and Tourism Promotions Project to host an international triathlon aimed at boosting employment, the local economy and tourism. The council authorized Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid to enter into a multi-year contract with a qualified supplier/consultant for the project. Laoag Councilor Donald Nicolas, chairperson of the appropriations committee, said Republic Act No. 12009 (the New Government Procurement Act) allows multi-year contracts subject to Multi-Year Contractual Authority (MYCA) and Department of Budget and Management conditions. The MYCA’s total project cost will be the basis for the Approved Budget for the Contract. The city plans to fund the project over two years. It allocated PHP6 million through Supplemental Budget Ordinance No. 13-013-2026 (Series of 2026) and will include the remaining PHP14.2 million in the 2027 ann...

  Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR)Director IV Atty. Suzette T. Ganaban-Medina leads the inauguration and blessing of the newly established Schools’ Division of Library Hub with Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas , several members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and DepEd staff. More than just a book-filled building, the Library Hub shows SDOLC ’s dedication in giving learners and teachers better access to a wide-array of learning resources. It's meant to be a facility for reading, research, and life-long learning serving both present and future generations of learners. The blessing and inauguration ceremony marks the culmination of efforts from various partners and stakeholders who shared a common vision of creating a learning environment where curiosity can flourish and opportunities for growth are within reach thru the leadership of Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid, by providing the parcel of land through usufruct agreement. (Photos by Larry Pedralvez )

Bangui Mayor Denton Lawrence Garvida delivers his 365 days State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) before the municipal council, municipal hall employees, barangay officials and the people of Bangui. (Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter Bangui , Ilocos Norte—Mayor Denton Lawrence G. Garvida delivers his first State of the Municipality Address (SOMA), “A Year of Service. A Vision for the Future,” at the Bangui People’s Center during the Sangguniang Bayan ’s second Special Session on June 30, 2026, marking his 365 days as local chief executive. Garvida reviews the municipality’s accomplishments, outlines ongoing projects and sets priorities for 2026–2027, stressing that local governance is a shared task among the municipal, provincial and national governments, barangays, civil society, the private sector and residents. Administrative governance and partnerships drive many projects. The LGU partnered with Mariano Marcos State University on tilapia grow‑out sit...

  Laoag City —Demonstrating its continued dedication to providing equitable and convenient identification services, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Ilocos Norte Provincial Statistical Office (PSO) intensified its national ID (NID) registration operations, recording a total of 1,805 registrants across the province in May 2026. This accomplishment was achieved through the enhanced implementation of field registration activities, particularly through mobile registration efforts conducted in collaboration with various local government units (LGUs), especially in the cities of Laoag and Batac. These outreach initiatives enabled the PSO to bring NID services closer to residents, making registration more accessible to individuals who encounter difficulties traveling to Fixed Registration Centers (FRCs) because of geographical, physical, or economic barriers. As part of the province’s operational strategy, considerable manpower resources were allocated to LGU-led mobile reg...

Violence experienced at home and exclusion encountered in school can have lasting consequences on Filipino adolescents’ education, well-being, and future opportunities, according to studies presented during the second session of the forum “Ugnayan: The Journey of Filipino Adolescents Across Past, Present, and Future”. Organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from the Australian Government, the session examined how childhood and adolescent experiences shape long-term development outcomes. Drawing from the Longitudinal Cohort Study of the Filipino Child (LCSFC), PIDS researchers found that children exposed to parental violence were significantly less likely to stay in school, while adolescents with diverse sexual orientations faced higher risks of domestic violence and bullying. The LCSFC, which follows about 5,000 Filipino children from age 10 in 2016 until they reach young adulthood in 2030,...

All ideas in this column come from Dr. Clarita Carlos. I am merely echoing them because I fully agree with her. After I wrote about the job mismatch problem, my former professor at UP—Dr. Clarita R. Carlos—sent me what I can only describe as a clinical, no-nonsense diagnosis of our education crisis. As always, she went straight to the point: skills mismatch is only a symptom. The disease lies much deeper. And because I believe her analysis deserves wider public attention, I am putting her commentary front and center here. This column is merely my humble attempt to amplify her voice.     A system gone awry Professor Carlos begins with a stinging indictment: The mismatch problem is the result of an entire educational system gone awry—from preschool to postgraduate and onward. In her words, we have allowed an entire lifetime of learning to rest on a shaky foundation. Our reforms have been piecemeal — “a patchwork of this and that” — with no real philosophy of le...