The Ilocos Times

Dua a nataenganen a padamin a limmas-ud iti payapay ti pitopulo, ti nagkuna iti nagduma a kapanunotan: Umuna:  Nataenganakon, awanak ditan, bagiyo metten. Maikadua: Addaakto latta aginggana ti kabaelak ken ipalubos ti salun-at, bagi ken panunotko iti rummuar ken makidanggay iti agus ti biag. Makidanggay. Makipagtunos. Makikaykaysa. Mangted ti panawen.  Kasta ti naawatanmi iti kinuna ti maikadua. Nalpasakon. Panawenyo metten. Didak ibibiangen. Kasta met ti nagawatak iti kinuna ti umuna. Ania kadagitoy ti pangipuestuantayo ti bagitayo, kalpasan a nakaawattayon ti nangato a pammigbig kas ‘kangrunaan a pammadayaw’.  Agsardengtayo kadin? Adda sumagmamano nga am-ammomi ti nagkuna: “Adda man ken awan ti plake wenno sertipiko ti pammadayaw, saandak a mapasardeng nga agaramid iti mabalinko nga aramiden a patiek a pakairanudan ti sabali.” Iti kaudian a OFCC board meeting itay Marso 30, 2014 iti FilComCenter, kadagupan iti aganay a 38 a lider ken k...

Department of Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala lauded the Central Luzon farmers for helping achieve the highest rice harvest in the Philippine history during the Farmers` Lakbay Palay hosted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, April 1-4. Despite strong typhoons that ravaged agricultural lands last year, Alcala told about 1,500 farmers that they had produced 18.44 million metric tons of rice, enlisting the Philippines as the fastest growing rice production country in Asia. The production also made the country 97-percent rice self-sufficient in 2013. Although three-percent short of the 100 percent target, the country, however, registered a 16-percent increase within three years. The country was only 81-percent rice self-sufficient in 2010. With the rice sector`s performance last year, the agriculture secretary discouraged the public from focusing on the deficit in the 100-percent rice self-sufficiency target. “We have tried h...

Bimmaba ti bilang dagiti out-of-school youth idiay Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.sipud nanayonan ti bilang dagiti Iskolar ni Manang Imee iti benneg ti elementaria ken sekondaria. Iti panagturong ni Ilocos Norte Gobernador Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos idiay Pasuquin a nagibununganna iti stipend dagiti ubbing a maibilang nga “Iskolar ni Manang Imee”, kinunana a dandanin awan ti out-of-school youth iti elementaria ngem adu pay laeng dagiti saan a makaturpos iti sekondaria. Gapu iti daytoy, impasingkedna a masapul nga ikarigatan a pagbalinen a 100 a porsiento a makalpas amin iti high school dagiti taga Pasuquin. Naragsakan met ti gobernador kalpasan a naammuanna a libre wenno awan ti bayadan dagiti ubbing nga agluglugan iti Sirib bus nga inpaay ti probinsia gapu ta ibakbaklay daytoy ti gobierno munisipal. Makita met ti gobernador ti rigat dagiti ubbing nga aggapu kadagiti nasilunek a barangay. Gapu iti daytoy, kidkiddawenna ti tulong dagiti agtuturay idiay Pasuquin a pag...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Carasi , Ilocos Norte—Citing “unfriendly and unhealthy working environment”, Dr. Jerwin Johnted Asuncion filed his irrevocable resignation as Carasi’s rural health unit chief. The resignation letter was addressed to Carasi Mayor Rene Villa Gaspar and effective April 15, 2014. Asuncion admitted that his decision to resign stemmed from an incident where a patient died due to a puncture wound. The victim was identified as George B. Ganojera, who suffered the wound from accidentally stepping on a nail. Blamed Asuncion was later blamed for the incident as he allegedly did not attend to the victim immediately. To exacerbate the situation, Asuncion was also alleged to have injected the wrong drug. The incident transpired on January 20 wherein Ganojera went to the RHU seeking medical assistance for his wound. According to Asuncion, the victim was immediately attended to. The victim was also instructed to undergo a tetanus toxoid ...

Ket sirmataek ti parbangon A pammasungad agdanapidip a kiray Ti kinamaladaga ti linnaaw iti agsapa Dagiti maipasngay nga  ayat muyong Nasudi a samiweng sonata ni ayat Dagiti sirayak a raya ti init iti agsapa Kas met iti panagukrad ti sabong Itag-ay ti init ti alibungubong banglo-sam-it Umaddang ti aldaw a kantaan ti kulibangbang Uray dagiti napudaw a kalapati ken pagaw Napintas ti aglawlaw iti rayray ti init Sagut met ti ibabangon iti agsapa Iti sabali a panangrugi a mangtunton Ti dalan ti panagbaniaga….. Agtindek manen ti init ti kinasin-aw Lumabas ti oras tarakitik ti pagorasan No aglikig ti init malaylayto ti sabong Ket sumurot met a matnag ti bulong Ngem saan a dita ti paggibusan Ta iti ilalabas iti igid ti lansangan Ti metropolis, uray ditoy ili ti daan a kaunasan Dinto met mapunas ti ladawan ket tugot Sakasaka a sakada a nangibuat ti ekonomia Ta ti malem addanto met pannakaimbirna Iti laem ti sardam ti panaginana Mainawto...

YEAR 2014 is fast becoming a very special year for me. There actually are many reasons for this, and all of them leave me profoundly thankful and nervous. But among the reasons is the most gratifying fact that two men, very close to my heart, will be raised to the altars in this Year of the Laity. One is Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, successor of Opus Dei founder, St. Josemaria Escriva, who will be beatified in Madrid on September 27. He ordained me to the diaconate in Rome on January 28, 1991. It was his first time to ordain candidates to the priesthood, since he was just consecrated bishop a few weeks earlier that year. The other is Blessed Pope John Paul II who will be canonized saint on April 27. By an extreme stroke of luck and, I believe, a pure bolt of grace, I was chosen as one of those to be ordained priest by him in Rome that year on May 26, Trinity Sunday. The moment I was told I would be ordained by Pope John Paul II, I literally froze in disbelief. Spontaneous...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Laoag City treasurer Ma. Elena Asuncion is all smiles as the city government reported that it has reached the 100 percent permit renewal of all businesses in the city. Records show that Laoag currently has a total of 3,941 registered business establishments that have renewed their licenses and an additional 106 new business applications as of April 4, 2014. The city processed 3,929 business establishments last year. The recorded delinquent payers have also complied with their yearly obligations before the first quarter ended with the help of barangay officials. The barangay officials served as the city government’s “eyes and ears” in discovering which business establishments in their respective areas had no permits to operate. The treasury office’s task force and enforcement team also continuously roamed around in different barangays assigned to them to monitor the same. The new business establishments in the city inclu...

Iraq again tops list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and killers go free New York —Targeted murders of journalists in Syria landed the war-torn country for the first time on the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual  Impunity Index released April 16. Syria joins Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines, and others on the list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free. But there was some good news. Four countries on the Index—the Philippines, Pakistan, Russia, and Brazil-achieved at least one conviction in a journalist murder case, while the United Nations recognized the need to combat impunity in a resolution in November. “In too many countries, the climate of impunity engenders further violence and deprives citizens- global as well as local-of their basic right to information," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Gro...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The municipal council here has returned all barangay resolutions requesting the holding of “tupada”, or cockfights, during their respective fiesta celebrations. Sangguniang Bayan member Atty. Reynaldo Corpuz, chairperson of the council’s committee on law, said three barangay resolutions were referred to his committee. The said resolutions, coming from Brgys. 6, 7, and 14, requested the holding of “tupadas” during their respective fiestas. These resolutions however were returned to the said barangays. Corpuz explained that the resolutions have no legal basis. He added that the requests were later referred to San Nicolas Mayor Melanie Grace Valdez as she has the discretion to give these barangays special permits to hold cockfights. But as far as the Sangguniang Bayan is concerned, Corpuz said they cannot grant them their request as this would go against the existing policy of law. The lawyer-lawm...

The Philippine League of Local Environment and Natural Resources Officers, Inc. (PLLENRO) will hold its 2014 National Convention with the theme  “Building Climate-Resilient Local Government Units .” It will be held on May 7-10, 2014 in Bacolod City. Local and international resource persons are invited to talk on topic on building resiliency in local government units, their capacity to respond to and recover from any disaster. During the event, there will also be discussions on efforts to address environmental challenges and sustainability. Sharing of experiences among LGUs on building resilient communities will also be presented. A session on GHG Inventory and Management focusing on entity level inventory to provide PLLENRO members’ capacity in conducting the inventory in their respective LGUs will be discussed. According to PLLENRO President Danilo Villas, “All provincial, cities and municipal LGUs are encouraged to send their environment off...

By Jund Rian A. Doringo FNRI-DOST S&T Media Service Moringa , or more commonly known among Filipinos as malunggay , is a plant acknowledged for its nutritional and medicinal value. Almost all parts of the moringa plant are edible, from the immature seed pods called drumsticks, to the leaves, mature seeds, and roots. The leaves are said to be the most nutritious part of the plant. According to the Food Composition Tables (FCT) developed by the Food and Nutrition and Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), malunggay leaves are significant sources of B vitamins, vitamin C, beta-carotene, zinc, potassium, and iron, among other significant nutrients. Malunggay is a very common ingredient in Asian cuisines in countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Pakistan. In the Philippines, malunggay leaves are added to broth, like in the famous tinola , a traditional chicken soup dish with ginger and green papa...

In the observance of Holy Week, Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas joined the station of the cross inside the Laoag City Hall on April 16, Holy   Wednesday. (Doms dela Cruz)

Are we captives of “pre-conceived ideas of Easter”? theologian Eamonn Bredin asks. Do we assume that Easter is “little more than the simple resuscitation of a larger-than-life Jesus”? “Then, we have no hope,” he writes in “Rediscovering Jesus”. That’d only be a reprieve, before we slip back into death. “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ," St.  Paul wrote, “We are, of all men, most to be pitied.” The Philippines leads the world in the number of people who believe in God, a University of Chicago research group reports, based on surveys taken in 30 countries since 1991. Here, 94% percent believe in God, followed by Chileans, 88%, and Americans 81%. Belief was lowest among East Germans, 13% and Czechs, 20 %. A head count, however, can paper over the deeper fissures. Why is the Philippines, reputed to be the only Christian nation, also among the most corrupt? asked former Asi...

Silsilungan Falls in Adams By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter Adams, Ilocos Norte —At a time when traditional hunting and gathering has been embedded as a cultural practice transferred from generation to generations, up to what extent indigenous peoples here should be able to let go of tradition and turn to the need of the time—the protection of the environment. “As a member of the indigenous peoples (IPs), we are trying to encourage our people to refrain from hunting and gathering because it is now prohibited by law,” said the Brgy. Chairperson and Adams Liga ng mga Barangay President Maelyn Daquioag-Guinayen. Adams is composed of just one barangay. Nestled deep in the mountains and surrounded by forests, crystal clear rivers and waterfalls in the northern part of Ilocos Norte, Adams is gaining popularity among nature lovers and has attracted foreign, domestic and local tourists to visit and experience extreme adventure. Opening its windows to eco-tourism dev...

The first Himala sa Buhangin By Grazielle Mae A. Sales PGIN-CMO Fun activities , soul-stirring music and art installations to be turned into giant campfires are set to enliven the famous Paoay sand dunes as the Province of Ilocos Norte’s ‘Himala’ (Miracle) festival comes back this May 10 in time for the summer vacation. Dubbed ‘Himala sa Buhangin’, this biggest offbeat outdoor arts and music festival in the north is expected to gather the biggest party-ready crowd up north as with its debut which had a turnout of at least 5,000 people.  Awaiting revelers are sand sports like 4×4 racing competitions, sand castle making, sand boarding, Zorb riding, sand castle and other entertainment like belly and fire dancing. Various unique art installations and Arabian-inspired parties are also back in the lineup. Slated May 10, the whole-day event will make a comeback that brings together the hottest rock bands and artists in the country, headlined by the “Prince of Rock” ...