The Ilocos Times

IN this life we cannot help but be versatile. St. Paul himself expressed it so well when he said that we have to be “all things to all men.” “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews,” he said. “To those under the law I became as one under the law—though not being myself under the law—that I might win those under the law. “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law—not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ—that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.” (1 Cor 9,20-22) Of course, we have to remind ourselves also, as St. Paul himself had also reminded us, that though “all things are lawful…not all things are helpful.” (1 Cor 8,12) There’s always a need for discernment and prudence. This is a doctrine worth keeping in mind, its relevant attitude and skill properly and consistently cultivated and developed. That’s because nowadays we cannot help but contend with a growing variety...

SMOOTH BIZ PERMIT RENEWAL. As the yearly tradition, the Laoag City government has set-up a one-stop-shop for business owners to facilitate their renewal of business permits. The one-stop-shop houses all offices needed by business owners so they no longer need to shuttle back-and forth to different locations. The business permit renewal ends on January 20, 2014. (Doms dela Cruz)

Pormalen a nalukatan ti Bonsai School iti Mariano Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) a nagpagsursuruan dagiti estudiante a mayat nga  agpatanor iti mula a bonsai. Ti pannakalukat iti Bonsai School ket naigiddan iti maika-36 a Foundation Anniversary ti MMSU a nangablaawan metten ni Gobernador Imee Marcos kadagiti mangimatmaton iti nasao nga unibersidad. Dimmar-ay iti nasao nga okasion ni Professor Amy Liang, Presidente ti Asia-Pacific Bonsai Friendship Federation ken dagiti kakaduana  manipud idiay Taiwan. Dinayaw ken immunan a nagyamanan ni Gobernador Imee Marcos dagiti Taiwanese masters nga umuna a mangiyadal kadagiti maseknan a mangisursuro iti MMSU no kasano ti napintas ken epektibo pay a panagpadakkel iti bonsai ditoy Pilipinas. Mamati ti gobernador a dakkel ti maitulong dagitoy gapu ta nayon pay a pamastrekan dagiti umili gapu ta nangina dagiti mula a bonsai no mailako iti local a mercado ken uray idiay ballasiw taaw. K...

A British Broadcasting Corporation reporter and a business executive from England have written, nine years apart, witty features on unique Filipino names that we take for granted but stun foreigners. “On my first day in Manila, I…was served by a smiling coffee shop girl who wore a name badge:  BumBum,” Kate McGeown of BBC recalls. “I did a double-take. But if it’s is a joke the whole country seems to be in.” Matthew Sutherland agreed in an Observer feature “The secretary I inherited on arrival had an unusual name: Leck-Leck.” Filipinos, he discovered, were fond of “repeating names.” They include: Lenlen or Ning-ning. “Names are refined by using the ‘squared’ symbol as in Len 2 or Mai 2 ,” Sutherland wrote. “How boring to come from the UK, full of people named John Smith. How wonderful to come to a country where imagination rules.” The head of the Catholic Church here then was named Jaime Cardinal Sin. “Welcome to the house of Sin,” he’d greet guests. “Wher...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Batac City —Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta announced that the farm-to-market road projects he began in 2013 will continue in the new year. He stressed that the city government will continue to prioritize barangay projects as he said he does not want the city’s rural barangays to be left behind in terms of development and improvement. Nalupta said he considers his farm-to-market road projects as one of his major accomplishments last year and as such he wants to continue it this year. He also mentioned that he wants both urban and rural barangays to be developed in all aspects. To achieve this, he said the best strategy is to hasten development in the rural barangays. To make sure that their primary roads are paved but he pointed out that he is not in favor or re-gravelling as this is just a waste of money. Since 2007, Nalupta has already told barangays that the city’s vision is to improve farm-to-market roads of all rural ba...

Kinumpirmaran ni Ilocos Norte Gobernador Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos nga adda ti maysa manen nga Amerikano nga investor ti simmangpet ditoy Ilocos Norte itay nabiit. Kuna ti gobernador nga iti mismo a sand dunes ti kitkitaen iti nasao nga investor a mabalin a pangibukbukan  iti puunan na. Naragsakan ti gobernador gapu ta naidumduma daytoy nga investor a namnamaen a makatulong ditoy probinsia gapu ta isuna pay ti kimmita kadagiti dadduma nga investors. Naammuan a pursigido ti American investor a mang-develop wenno mapadur-as  iti sand dunes. Daytoy ket gapu iti mabalin a naidumduma a naimatangan na a kinapintas ti lugar no idilig na kadagiti sabsabali a lugar a nagtutrungan na. Gapu iti daytoy, inbatad  ti gobernador a  napintas daytoy a pangrugian ti Ilocos Norte iti itatapog  ti tawen 2014 para iti agtultuloy a panagdur-as ti turismo iti probinsia. ( PGIN-CMO ) Herbert Kohler Jr. gleefully acce...

FIRST BONSAI SCHOOL IN PH. Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos ( fourth from right ), with Prof. Amy Liang ( fourth from left ), President of the Asia-Pacific Bonsai Friendship Federation, MMSU Pres. Dr. Miriam Pascua ( third from right ), and members of the Philippine Bonsai Society, cut the ribbon signifying the opening of the Bonsai School in Batac City January on 6. The school was established by MMSU in cooperation with the Provincial Government. (PGIN-CMO) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter Batac City —Ilocanos love for plants go beyond planting agricultural crops in sprawling farm lots and backyard gardening. This time, they are now ready to ascend to the next level and learn the art and science of bonsai making. To make this possible, the country’s first bonsai school formally opened on January 6 at the Mariano Marcos State University here with not more than 30 expected enrolees to land a promising career as bonsai technicians here and abroad,...

CHARITY is, of course, a necessity for us. It is what makes us who and what we are in our fullness. It is the essence of our humanity , since we are the image and likeness of God, and God is love, “Deus caritas est.” In fact, Christ commanded us to be charitable. When asked what the greatest commandment was, he simply said, to love God with all our might and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Charity is not something optional for us, to be lived only from time to time, depending on favorable circumstances. We have to live it all the time and to extend it to all, friend or foe, at home and in the fields and offices, in schools and in sports, in business and in politics. Especially politics, since that is where we usually find ourselves to leave charity behind. In the aftermath of the calamities we just had, for example, rabidly partisan politics rears its ugly head, and charity is simply shredded to pieces. It’s true that we unavoidably have different views and op...

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija - The Alalay sa Kaunlaran Inc. (ASKI), a non-government organization specializing in microfinance was chosen as one of the organizations to receive a grant from US Agency for International Development (USAID) and NetHope on the Electronic and Mobile Payment Implementation and Evaluation Grants Program. ASKI is the only organization in Southeast Asia to receive and implement the said project. Other recipients were Concern Worldwide in Malawi and Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) in Tanzania. The initiative from USAID and NetHope is aimed at supporting the leading development organizations committed to testing electronic payments, compare and document the costs, challenges and benefits of using cash versus electronic payments. A grant of $42,000 is awarded by USAID and NetHope to the selected organizations to demonstrate the potential uses of electronic payments in relief and development programs, provide insights into procedures f...

Ni Bernard Ver Contributor Dakkel iti pammadayaw a nagun-od saan laeng iti ili a Sarrat nu diket iti sibubukel a probinsya ti Ilocos Norte. Napili kas umun-una nga Ilocano cardinal iti intero amiananen a Luzon  kalpasan a nangipaulog ni Pope Francis ti pammilin kenni Most Rev. Orlando Beltran Quevedo , OMI, tubo ti Sarrat, Ilocos Norte ken Archbishop iti Cotabato ket nagbalin itan a kas cardinal iti Roman Catholic Church. Mapasamak iti pormal a pannakaiyawat iti nasao nga akkem kenkuana baben iti eminent ranking a maangay iti Consistory sadiay Vatican intuno Pebrero 22 ita a tawen, 2014. “Te Deum Laudamus” ti ikkis daguiti papadi wenu kayat na saw-en We praise Thee, O God, wenu dayaw ti maipaay kenni Apo Dios. Ni Cotabato Archbishop Quevedo ket karaman kadaguiti 16  a kabbaro a cardinal segun kenni Pope Francis idi laeng Enero 12, 2014 para iti 12 a pagilian iti lima a continento. Daguiti sumaganad iti makipagpasset iti College of Cardinals sadiay Consi...

Naituding a maisayangkat  inton Enero 31 agingga iti Pebrero 2 iti daytoy a tawen ti Regatta International iti mismo a Paoay Lake a daytoy ton ti maikadua a tawen a pannakaisayangkatna ditoy probinsia. Ti Regatta ket maysa a water sports a panaggaod ti bilog no sadinno nga aglalaban dagiti makisalip iti mismo a Paoay Lake. Kuna ni Ilocos Norte Gobernador Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos nga addan to met dagiti agsangpet a contingents  manipud idiay Hongkong ken dadduma pay a kaparanget a pagilian. Nupay kasta, kuna ti gobernador a basbassit a Regatta ti maisayangkat iti daytoy a tawen gapu ta awan iti tiempo ken maibilang laeng daytoy a “Winter Regatta.” Iti laksid daytoy, inbatad ti gobernador nga adu pay laeng dagiti ag-interes iti Paoay Lake a pakaisayangkatan dagiti nagduduma a water sports. Kunana nga adda payen dagiti temporario a nangbukel iti Club House-da a kas iti Rowing Club House. Gapu iti daytoy, kuna ti gobern...

Sangagasut amin ti kasapulan iti maysa a kompania ti call center nga Expert Global Solutions (EGS) nga adda iti agdama ditoy probinsia a mangal-ala kadagiti empleado da. Segun ken ni (Public Employment Services Office) PESO manager Nicole Rudio iti kapitolio probinsial, sangagasut pay a tao ti kasapulan ti nasao a kompania agingga nga agtapos daytoy a bulan ti Enero. Iti agdama, madama pay laeng ti hiring ken interview kadagiti aplikante nga interesado a sumrek ken agbalin a call center agent iti mismo nga Ilocos Norte Provincial Library wenno I –hub ti probinsia. Impasingked ni Rudio nga itugot laeng ti resume ken dadduma pay a kasapulan iti panagapply ti trabaho tapno alisto iti idadalan ti proseso. Ti suweldo wenno ganaren iti binulan ket nangatngato ngem P12,000, malaksid pay dagiti dadduma a benepisio nga awaten dagitoy. Ti panangigagaed iti PESO ti kapitolio probinsial a maiserrek ti pagtrabahuan dagiti  nakadap-aw ken nagturpos  iti ko...

The Ilocos Times January 13-19, 2014

Impasingked ni Gobernador Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos a masapul pay laeng ti naan-anay a pannakaitandudu iti benneg ti trade ken panagpuunan ditoy probinsia. Kuna ti gobernador nga adu met latta dagiti umay agnegosio ken rumrumuar ti Ilocos Norte kadagiti advertisements babaen kadagiti nasinged a papagayam. Inadmitir-na a nupay kurang iti pundo ti probinsia para ti advertisements itay napan a tawen, saan pay laeng a paudi iti Ilocos Norte gapu ti agtultuloy a panagadu dagiti agsangpet a local ken gangannaet a turista ken investors nga umay mangipundar kadagiti bukodda a puunan. Mainag iti daytoy, inlawlawag ni Marcos nga ad-adda nga itanduduna iti biang ti trade and investments ngem iti turismo. Mamati iti ina ti probinsia a ti turismo ket maysa laeng a  dana dagiti umay bumisita   iti probinsia ngem ti nasken ket maimatangan ken mapaneknekanda a ti Ilocos Norte ket napintas a lugar a pangipundaran iti negosio. ( PGIN-CMO )

Amid the ongoing recovery efforts in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda, Senator Loren Legarda urged the survivors to learn from the lessons brought by the disaster and share the same to others to be able to build back better communities and ensure resilient recovery. In her recent meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Legarda, UN Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, stressed that communities anticipated and prepared for Yolanda, but the strength of the typhoon and the devastation it caused showed that much more needs to be done. “Filipinos are a resilient people. Communities, headed by the local government heads, had taken precautionary measures to avert a disaster, but Yolanda showed more of the underlying risks in our communities. Some local government units have early warning systems, but what we must ensure is that all LGUs must put in place such system,” she explained. The senator said that the Philippines is ahead ...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter MEMBERS of the Pamulinawen Festival 2014 committee are in the thick of preparations for the annual fiesta celebration set to open of February 1. Committee member Mylene Pascual said the Civic-Military Parade, the traditional opening parade of the yearly event, is all set. Pascual said the parade assembly time will be at 1 pm and would start at exactly 2 pm. The parade route starts at the P. Gomez St. and Gen Segundo Ave. intersection and would wound up at the Rizal St. side of the Laoag City Commercial Center. All City Hall employees as well as those from the national agencies serving in the city, schools and civic groups were requested to join. In connection with this, the chairman of the committee on parade Dr. Francis Dacuycuy said that there should be some innovations to be made like a better presentation to make it more interesting, livelier and more colorful. Dacuycuy suggested that all the participants should come...