The Ilocos Times

The attainment of the goals set in the country’s coffee roadmap is determined by public and private convergence thus, programs such as the 2nd Philippine Coffee Conference firms up stakeholder’s initiatives in promoting coffee as a national industry, Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG) Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said during the conference held last November 23-25, 2016 in Baguio City. Ms. Maglaya explained that the government will provide technical support while the private sector will take the lead in what she refers to as “angat lahat” for shared responsibility while attaining inclusive growth. Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Executive Director Lorenzo Caranguian, said that the roadmap goal is also dependent on the right seed, right place, right price and right market. With the theme “Nurturing the Coffee Industry Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Growth”, the two-day conference engaged the 800 participants from va...

Manila —Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) members in the Philippines marked the third anniversary of YSEALI by conducting youth-led community outreach projects in 33 locations across the country.  YSEALI YOUnified, held December 3, engaged 640 youth volunteers and more than 4,400 participants nationwide to advance the key YSEALI advocacies of civic engagement, economic development, education and the environment.  Projects included a mental health awareness program in Albay; outreach to survivors of Typhoon Lawin in Ilocos Norte; an underwater clean-up on Danjugan Island in Negros; a leadership camp with indigenous youth in Iloilo; English literacy sessions for out-of-school youth in Sulu; and an agri-entrepreneurship workshop for recent drug surrenderees in North Cotabato. In Manila, the culminating YSEALI YOUnified event brought together almost 200 university student leaders to look at ways to work together to address challenges and opportunities for yout...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter BATAC CITY—Around 885 farmers from the different towns and cities of the province received their graduate certificate on December 19, 2016 at the Mariano Marcos State University’s Teatro Ilocandia following a three-month long school-on-the-air (SOA) program aired over the government-owned DWFB Radyo ng Bayan here. Wearing green shirts and denim pants, graduates of the first province-wide radio school program stood tall as they took pride of their new knowledge, skills and experience acquired through listening and interactive communication with the radio host and invited technology experts and other resource speakers, sharing tips and various insights on garlic production and how to increase their income. On September 14, 2016, at least 500 farmers were encouraged to enroll in the SOA and the number has almost doubled during the course of the program which runs from September to December. Inspired by the Department of Agriculture ...

DEED OF ADJUDICATION AND DONATION           Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of the deceased FILOMENA DOMINGO, who died on June 7, 1980 at Laoag City, consisting of her one-half (½) share in Lot No. 13920 of the Laoag Cadastre covered by TCT No. T-021-2015000043 is hereby adjudicated by her heirs Juanito Bareng and Felix Bareng. Felix Bareng simultaneously donated his one-fourth (1/4) share in Lot No. 13920 to his son NICK KARL LLEWELLYN M. BARENG, as per Deed of Adjudication and Donation docketed as Doc. No. 351; Page No. 72; Book No. CCI; Series of 2016, dated November 11, 2016 of Notary Public AMEURFINA A. RESPICIO Jan. 2, 9, 16, 2017*IT ____________________________________________ DEED OF ADJUDICATION           Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of the late DOLORES P. CUADRO consisting of her rights and interest of two (2) parcels of land designated as...

LAOAG CITY—To complement the aggressive tourism campaign efforts of the provincial government to lure more tourists here, hotel owners and managers are expected to organize themselves as a federation. By doing so, Aianree Raquel, head of the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) said, will enable tourists and visitors to enjoy quality service and avoid operation of fly-by-night accommodation facilities, which are not accredited by the Department of Tourism. Over the past four years, Ilocos Norte’s booming tourism industry created a lot of opportunities to its residents. However, with the increasing number of un-accredited budget tour operators, transients and home stays particularly in the vicinity of Laoag, Raquel said this is causing a problem among licensed hotel and resort owners here. “We really need to have a solid stand on regulation—to standardize rates with the cooperation of private stakeholders so can control prizes,” he said as he cited the spillover of tourists visi...

San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The Department of Health (DOH) regional office has awarded the Municipality of San Nicolas a Plaque of Recognition for their commemorative performance, commitment and active involvement in the promotion of voluntarily blood donation towards the achievement of National Blood Services. Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office officer Ryan Rollaine Simon received the award in San Fernando City, La Union on December 2, 2016. San Nicolas Mayor Alfredo “Boying” Valdez Jr. said the award was given in connection with one of his pet projects, the “Sandugo Program.” The said program enjoins groups here to hold bloodletting activities. The mayor said the town’s tricycle association, teachers’ group, the 4Ps beneficiaries as well as barangay officials are constant joiners of the program. San Nicolas is a past national awardee also for the same program. ( Dominic B. dela Cruz )

FROM MUHAMMAD Ali to David Bowie to Prince to Allan Rickman to Craig Sager and to, most recently, George Michael and Carrie Fisher, 2016 has terribly become a year of deaths.   Closer to home, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “war on drugs” have so far yielded 6,206 deaths—as per Rappler account. Of the total, 2,157 were killed in police operations while 4,049 were killed vigilante-style. But 2016 proved to be not just a year for literal death; it displayed more so the death of sensibilities, morality, common sense and empathy. We cheer the deaths of illegal drug trade suspects—both alleged users and pushers; while we also gnaw at our fingernails hoping and praying that we and our loved ones are spared from either being collateral damage or simply being suspected then killed. We nonchalantly spew thoughts that those who died deserved their violent deaths; yet we feel the chill of understanding that we—or our family members and friends—may be next. We continue to ...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PASUQUIN, Ilocos Norte—The Philippine Coastguard (PCG) is set to construct a ₱3 million building of in the coastal barangay of Davila here. Pasuquin Vice Mayor Pedro Rex Aguinaldo confirmed this as he reported that the town council is set to approve the budget in the form of a donation from the Philippine Coastguard through the Department of Transportation and Communication. Apart from the building, another ₱ 10-million is being eyed for the establishment of a lighthouse here to guide fishers while at sea. In Ilocos Norte, the main station of the Philippine Coastguard is located in Currimao in the second district of the province. To speed up delivery of services particularly in search and rescue operations and enforcement of maritime laws, the proposed PCG station in the first district of Ilocos Norte is needed. For the meantime, the PCG has set up a temporary station in this town to monitor the illegal fishing activities her...

LAOAG CITY—As the nationwide “war on drugs” shifts to higher gear, the police here arrested a Bacarra school teacher on December 3, 2016 for possession of illegal drugs and ammunition. Using a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Philip Salvador, elements of the Laoag police implemented the operation against Jemcefen G. Luis, a.k.a. “Kawatog” and “Mistro” at his Brgy. Barit (55-A) residence. Mr. Luis is 39 years old, married and a public school teacher in Pasiocan Elementary School on Bacarra, Ilocos Norte. As the search warrant operation was being implemented, Mr. Luis suddenly displayed heart attack symptoms and was rushed to the Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital. He was in stable condition. Seized during the said operation were 5 live ammunition for caliber .38 pistol; 8 pieces of small heat-sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu; 1 medium sized plastic sachet containing suspected marijuana; and 1 roll of aluminum foil. ...

Engr. Vic M. Ines, OIC Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, explains that the credit management seminar prepares the agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations to become credit conduits of the Land Bank of the Philippines. ( Jopo Guerrero) Under its Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), the provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Ilocos Norte recently held a credit management and capacity-based lending seminar. It was attended by the officers of different Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the province, particularly the Bacarra Norte Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative, Sanjera de Padual Irrigators Association of Sarrat, Madamag River Farmers Irrigators Association of Dingras and Camanga Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Badoc. The two-day activity aims to train ARBOs on credit discipline and financial management and instruct them on how to save, pay loans on time and to better handle their finances. ...

Batac mayor Albert D. Chua personally hands over two laptop units and a printer to Batac City prosecutor Valentin Pascua. Aside from this, the Batac government also extended financial assistance for the prosecutor’s office building. (Doms dela Cruz )

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 ENGRACIA GANAL BUMANGLAG has filed with this Office a petition for change of first name from ENGRACIA ALMA to ENGRACIA in the birth certificate of ENGRACIA ALMA G. BUMANGLAG who was born on April 16, 1967 at Sarrat, Ilocos Norte and whose parents are RAFAEL BUMANGLAG and CRISELDA GANAL.           Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than January 30, 2017. (SGD) JOAN A. DUQUE Municipal Civil Registrar Jan. 16-22, 23-29, 2017*IT __________________________________________________ Publication Notice R.A. 10172 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC CCE-0003-2017...

MARCOS, Ilocos Norte—Taking pride of this town ’s favorite Ilo cano dish, locally known as pinakbet, a mix of indigenous vegetables steamed in fish sauce, residents here ushered the opening of the third Pinakbet festival. “Pinakbet” came from the contracted Ilokano word ‘pinakebbet ’ which means “ shrunk ” or “shriveled.” As a way of thanksgiving, the Pinakbet festival is a repository of the town ’ s “ani” [harvest] festival being celebrated every month of March but this was later moved to December to accommodate more balikbayans wanting to join the festivity. Residents in this agricultural town derived most of their income from the harvest of high value crops, including rice, tobacco and corn as staple crops. This year, the week-long festivity highlighted a grand parade around the town plaza and a pinakbet cook fest at the municipal gymnasium to showcase the best pinakbet in town. A boodle fight followed suit. Earlier, a fun run was participated by various groups ...

RA Form No. 10.1 (LCRO) Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office Province: ILOCOS NORTE Municipality of Vintar NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION           In compliance with Section 5 of RA Act No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that ANTONIO GAPUZAN ACACIO has filed with this Office a petition for change of first name from ANTONIO FERDINAND to ANTONIO in the birth cerficate of ANTONIO GAPUZAN ACACIO who was born on November 20, 1953 at Vintar, Ilocos Norte and whose parents are AGUSTIN ACACIO and MAXIMINA GAPUZAN.           Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than January 9, 2017. (SGD) MENELEO JOEY J. LEAÑO Municipal Civil Registrar Dec. 26-Jan. 1, Jan. 2-8, 2017*IT _____________________________________________ RA Form No. 10.1 (LCRO) Republic of the Philippines Local Civil R...