The Ilocos Times

Officers and employees of the Laoag Rizal Branch of the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) added a Spanish touch in their office decorations and costumes. This is in connection with the month-long celebration of BPI’s 165 th anniversary. The branch with the best cultural theme will receive an award from the head office of BPI. (Mayvel Julian Canlapan)

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan here is set to conduct its own “deeper investigation”, following the Laoag City government officials’ failure to present a clear measure, assuring taxpayers here that the loss of over Php 85 million will not happen again and let those behind it be penalized. On August 22, the Laoag City council led by vice mayor Michael Fariñas was invited to the provincial board. However only three neophyte councilors appeared: Laoag councilors Handy Lao, Roque Benjamin Ablan and Justine Clarence Chua. The three councilors were not yet part of the Laoag council when the funds went missing, hence they were excused by the board. In explaining their non-appearance, Mr. Fariñas sent a letter dated August 18 expressing the city council’s inability to attend the committee hearing saying, the sanggunian “has done what it needs to do” and the request to investigate “has been accomplished.” Earlier, ...

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Batac City —With internet connectivity a must for developing areas, Batac mayor Albert D. Chua said they may need a city-wide internet access. He said his wish is Batac would cope with public utilities upgrade. The neophyte mayor notices that rural barangays in this city sometimes cannot connect to the internet. Either they have low or no signal. The poblacion area, or the city’s commercial area, is saturated with internet signals, he added. With this development, he stressed that the city’s rural areas should be served by service providers more. He emphasized that internet connectivity should now be considered a public utility. “Kasi gumatang da cellphones da plus loads ken ag access da dagitay promos ngem ton agawid da awan met gayam signal . Ket kasanu ngarud dagitay ginatang ken binayadan dan, maibos to latta dagitay loads dan nga saan da man pulos a nausar”, he explained. He added that city’s schools also need internet connections for their ICT programs. ( Dom...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—The next time you buy your ‘Abel Iloko’ [handwoven cloth] product, chances are these may have become more intricate and stylish that goes with modern style. Leading the way in reinventing the modern fashionista style of unique abel products in Paoay town are some 10 highly-skilled women from the Nagbacalan Loomweavers Multipurpose Cooperative (NLMC) who were taught new designs courtesy of the state-run Mariano Marcos State University. In partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its implementer, the Research Triangle Institute, MMSU professor Ciriaco Ragual said the new patterns and designs transferred to the Paoay loom-weavers were produced by employing mathematical procedures. The new designs and patterns were showcased at the University Guest House in Batac City on August 10. Under a memorandum of agreement signed between MMSU representatives and the NLMC, both ...

The PhilRice Text Center (PTC) posted a 47.3% increase in client registration nationwide for the first quarter of 2016. Data shows that from 18,924 registered clients in March 2015, it jumped to 27,883 as of March 31, 2016. PTC is a digital platform that provides daily consultation services to rice farmers through call and short messaging services (SMS). It also caters to students, extension workers, researchers, and other stakeholders who are inclined to the rice industry. The PTC management considers this a milestone which went far from just less than a hundred registered clients in 2004 when it started its operations. PTC was initially launched as the Farmers’ Text Center (FTC) by the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA). In 2015, PTC also received an average of 240 SMS per day. Other services it renders are monthly rice tips, weather advisories, promotions, and announcements.  “By responding to the farmers’ queries, we give them informed dec...

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr. Contributor President Duterte's controversial war on illegal drugs is widening, what with the unremitting occurrences of drug-related killings by the police and vigilantes nationwide which have now invited world attention, spearheaded by no less than the United Nations. Understandably, Mr. Duterte is unhappy with the UN censorious attitude toward this domestic problem of the Filipinos that the president has correctly labeled as one that can only be solved by Filipinos under a strong leadership, like the one he is giving now to them.  This writer has consistently questioned Mr. Duterte's style of dispensing justice on the criminals, centered mostly on his loosely unleashed rhetoric of taking up the cudgels for the police even if they get convicted given his constitutional power to pardon convicts upon his own discretion. In our perception, he has practically given the police the blanket authority to kill people, be they deem them to be crim...

RA Form No. 10.1 (LCRO) Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office Province of Ilocos Norte Municipality of Sarrat NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION           In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. Act No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that REMEDIOS GANUT LLAPITAN has filed with this Office a petition for change of first name from REMEDIOS ESTRELITA to REMEDIOS in the birth certificate of REMEDIOS ESTRELITA GANUT who was born on 25 January 1965 at Sarrat, Ilocos Norte and whose parents are NICOMEDES GANUT and NICOLASA TAGAMA.           Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than September 12, 2016. (SGD) JOAN A. DUQUE Municipal Civil Registrar Aug. 29-Sept 4, Sept. 5-11, 2016*IT ______________________________________________________ REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Regional Trial Court F...

By John Michael Mugas PGIN-CMO Veteran actress Lilia Cuntapay who was dubbed as the country’s “Horror Queen” died at 81 years old on August 20, 2016 at her son’s home in Pinili, Ilocos Norte. Ms. Cuntapay, who died due to a spinal cord illness, was the icon of Ilocos Norte’s annual horror festival ‘Semana ti Ar-aria’ and a mainstay of the ‘Parada Iloca-locana’ [Ghost Parade] which has been drawing thousands of local and foreign tourists to the province since 2010. Governor Imee R. Marcos and actress Lilia Cuntapay ride together a make-shift horse carriage during the Parada Iloca-locana (Ghost Parade) as part of the province-wide annual Semana ti Ar-aria Horror Festival last October 31, 2013. (Alaric Yanos) Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos mourns the passing of the great actress whom she described as “a vibrant and gracious Ilocana.” “We have forever been given an unforgettable icon, whose talent enlivened the screen and brought magic to o...

  LIA WI-FI LAUNCH .  Understanding the need for virtual connectivity, LIA and PLDT-Smart officials launched the 200 mbps public Wi-Fi at the Laoag Airport. On hand during the launch are (from left) are PLDT AVP for Network Engineering Roberto Pascual; PLDT Head of Alpha Enterprise- Regional Dick Perez; PLDT/Smart VP for Enterprise Customer Operations Management Finina Gorres; Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) Terminal Manager for LAO Ronald Estabillo; Laoag City Councilor Handy Lao; and PLDT AVP for Enterprise Fulfillment Management Kim Orbase. (Contributed photo) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—As the Laoag International Airport (LIA) gears up for modernization, it has not forgotten everyone’s need to be connected to the internet while at the airport. With this in mind, the LIA officials officially launched an ultra-fast public Wi-Fi on August 26, 2016. Attended by airport personnel, local government units’ officials and representatives...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Batac City— City schools division superintendent Vilma Eda hailed the successful start of the senior high school program in this city. Speaking at the “Kapihan sa DepEd,” Ms. Eda added that a groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for the construction of a four-storey building for the Batac National High School Bungon Campus. The said building will have 12 classrooms in addition to the six classrooms in its two-storey building. Ms. Eda also announced the formal opening of bids for the construction of the Crispina National High School. The Dept. of Public Works and Highways opened the bids. On top of these, the Batac DepEd head also announced that two item for principal for senior high school and administrative staff have been released. Meanwhile, Ms. Eda also disclosed that students from Billoca who were temporarily allowed to use the Mariano Marcos State University College of Business Economics and Accountancy building ...

Batac City —Mayor Albert D. Chua disclosed that members of the local finance committee have started the preparation for the 2017 annual budget. He said the early preparation is to check how much they can increase the annual budget compared to this year’s budget. Mr. Chua said he has started meeting with the city government’s department heads to ascertain their respective proposed budgets for next year. He stressed that the proposed budget will be submitted on or before October 16 to the Sangguniang Panlungsod. ( Dominic B. dela Cruz )

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter BATAC CITY—Responding to the needs for more professionals in the field of renewable energy sector, the state-run Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) launched another specialized course program to advance professional training and managerial capability building of engineers and other concerned stakeholders here.  Dr. Prima Fe Franco, MMSU acting president said the Professional Science Master’s in Renewable Energy Engineering is a pioneering two-year program of MMSU in partnership with the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) project funded under the United States Agency for International Development. Being the first in the country and Southeast Asia to offer such program, Ms. Franco said this would open a lot of opportunities for Ilocanos who may want to pursue this course, which is more of a hands-on training with partners from the renewable ener...

By Alfredo C. Garvida Jr. Contributor President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to bury the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani was the right thing to do in the midst of the nation's divisive state on this burial issue for the past 30 years. The self-righteous of course had to raise their opposition to this presidential decision invoking as reasons the late president's human rights sins, his fake records as a soldier during World War II and his plundering the nation's coffers which, sadly, has yet to be substantiated in an acceptable form.  It has to be noted, however, that those who have voiced their opposition to the president's burial decision have trained all their guns against the late President's alleged misdeeds without casting any faulting word against the person who made this decision in the first place that is President Duterte. Why? Because these guys are devoid of the needed balls to clash with the fierceness o...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—When Ferdinand E. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii on September 28, 1989, his body was only flown back to his homeland four years later. That time a planeload of Ilocanos went home with him. Though already back in the country, the body of the former President remained unburied. And after 27 years, newly elected President Rodrigo R. Duterte allowed Mr. Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with all the honors befitting a former President and a soldier. With the burial scheduled, some Ilocanos in Hawaii are also scheduled to come home to the Philippines to witness the burial. The Ilocanos are mostly the same as those who accompanied Mr. Marcos body to the Philippines in 1993. A native of Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Engr. Ric Agnes who heads the Marcos for Peace Movement (MPM) based in Honolulu, Hawaii said they are delighted to know about the latest development. “Ever since the passing of the late President, it has al...

  National living treasure Magdalena Gamayo shows off the shroud for former President Ferdinand E. Marcos. (Alaric Yanos) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PINILI, Ilocos Norte—A pure white abel Iloko [handwoven cloth] measuring seven and a half yards is now being prepared as a shroud and pillow case for the scheduled burial of President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani next month. The shroud will go along with the bronze casket imported from the United States of America. Personally handwoven by national living treasure Magdalena Gamayo said it is an “honor and great privilege to make the former President’s shroud and pillow case. Ms. Gamayo is 93 years old a master abel weaver from Brgy. Lumbaan Bicbica in this town. “I am deeply honored to make his blanket and pillow case for his burial. I have seen him visit our village when he was President,” said Ms. Gamayo adding she will give it as a “gift to the best President the Philippines ...