The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G, Adriano Staff reporter NUEVA ERA, Ilocos Norte—A decade-long celebration of merriment showcasing this town’s rich culture and traditions has come earlier this year as local residents welcome 2017 in a festive mood. Held on January 9-12, this year’s Tadek Festival of Nueva Era derived from the Tingguian tribe’s cultural dance highlights a variety show of local talents participated both by young and old generations. “Nueva Era’s Got Talent” and a variety show which was held January 10 is an added attraction this year with at least nine competitors representing various organizations here. Running for 12 years now, town Nueva Era vice mayor Aldrin Garvida said the main event was held on January 11 Community and Tribal Day, showcasing a day with the community, parade of carabao-drawn carrier or the so called “Parada ti karison” and the coronation night of Miss Nueva Era 2017. Poised to become the next “summer capital” of Ilocos Norte, its local governme...

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) announced that deposit insurance claims from depositors of the closed Rural Bank of Claveria (Cagayan), Inc. who have not filed their claims may be filed at the PDIC Public Assistance Center, 3rd   Floor, SSS Bldg., 6782 Ayala Avenue corner V.A. Rufino Street, Makati City. Claims for deposit insurance may be filed until August 20, 2018.    Claims may also be filed by mail. When filing deposit insurance claims at the PDIC Public Assistance Center, depositors are required to submit their original evidence of deposit and present two (2) valid photo-bearing IDs with signature of the depositor directly to PDIC. Depositors may also file their claims through mail and enclose their original evidence of deposit and photocopy of two (2) valid photo-bearing IDs with signature together with a duly accomplished Claim Form which can be downloaded from the PDIC website,   www.pdic.gov.ph . PDIC reminds depositors to deal onl...

  ACEYORK  P. Guerrero, president of Bad Circle Runners, leads the group’s annual outreach program at West Riverside, Laoag City. (Jopo Guerrero) Laoag City —Around 300 residents of West Riverside in this city benefited from the recent outreach program of the Bad Circle Runners (BAD), an organization of runners in Laoag City and Ilocos Norte. Members of indigent families were given free rice, canned goods and other grocery items. The children were also treated with healthy snacks and some games. The activity was supported by Laoag mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas, Laoag vice mayor Michael V. Fariñas, PNB Laoag branch manager Metty V. Guerrero, Arnel Nacino, Blessie Rose Esteban Bolusan, barangay chairperson Marlon Blanco, kagawad Mary Jane Guillermo, Paulo Blanco, Macky Guerrero, Mark Ryan Rosal, Jane Nehz Vinarao and some anonymous donors. The said runners group, headed by Aceyork P. Guerrero, is also set to hold a medical mission and a sports festival this c...

Atty. Eduardo M. Pangan (right) takes his oath of office before Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III as the newest member of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Board of Directors. (PDIC) The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) welcomed Atty. Eduardo M. Pangan, newly appointed member of the PDIC Board of Directors, representing the Private Sector. As a partner at the Mendoza & Pangan law firm, Atty. Pangan brings with him more than two decades of experience in corporate law, negotiating and structuring acquisitions and divestments, investments and joint ventures in various industries. The new PDIC Director graduated from the Ateneo Law School in 1991 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1992. He is a member of the Alliance of M&A Advisors. Atty. Pangan joins Mr. Rogelio Guadalquiver as newly appointed member of the PDIC Board of Directors. Under Republic Act No. 10846, the amended PDIC Charter that took effect on June 11,...

The Peter Bertelout and Fernando (PBF) Prosthesis and Braces Center and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) turn over to the Laoag City mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas through the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer 10 prosthesis for use for differently abled persons in the city. (Doms dela Cruz)

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr. Contributor The grapevine is ripe with a circulating news that a conspiracy to oust President Rodrigo Duterte from office by the “Yellows” and a Fil-Am woman named, Loida Lewis, has been hatched—formalized when Vice President Leni Robredo made an abrupt trip to the United States last Christmas, even in the face of a superstorm that was to hit her home province of Camarines Sur in a couple of days.   Mrs. Robredo's denial of insinuations that her U.S. trip was agenda-based was of course understandable, although her admission of having met with Ms. Lewis during her stay in America has raised some eyebrows, in the wake of Ms. Lewis' unequivocal demand for President Duterte's ouster from office. Loida Lewis of course if a Filipina U.S. citizen multi-billionaire residing in America. This lady from Sorsogon is a lawyer, here and in the United States. Her fortune came from her husband's estate. Reginald Lewis, her husband, was an African-...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—The local government unit here is planning to establish a centralized embalming facility located at the town’s public cemetery. With the municipal government providing the funding, the proposed new embalming facility aims to provide a common center for licensed embalmers and funeral parlors to treat human remains prior to public display or final viewing. According to Paoay mayor Jessie Galano, he is set to meet with funeral parlor owners to discuss the establishment of an embalming site away from residential houses. For the safety of the public and to contain any disease which may be come from a dead person, Mr. Galano said the embalming facility regulation is one of his administration’s major priority this year. Once completed, licensed embalmers in Paoay shall only be allowed to treat human remains at the government-owned embalming facility for a minimal fee. Mr. Galano said some residents living nea...

Batac City —“Ang e-Skwela and kwelang Eskwela ng ALS”.                 City division education program specialist II Mrs. Dolores Ubina said the ALS E-skwela is a community based e-learning center where ALS learners use computers. Ms. Ubina said the center has 21 computer units loaded with digital modules that include videos and animations. The E-skwela learners no longer need pens, papers and notebooks or even attend school every day to finish their secondary education. Instead, they only need three hours per week and their learning progress depend on their need and speed. The digitized modules follow the ALS learning strands, which are communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving, sustainable use of resources and productivity, development of self and sense of community and expanding world of vision. Ms. Ubina said that the ALS strands are the same subjects in formal schools. (Dominic B. dela Cruz)

Batac City —Representatives from the Dept. of Public Works and Highways personally turned over to Batac city schools’ division superintendent Vilma Eda the Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Building intended for senior high school students. Ms. Eda thanked the DPWH for the immediate construction of the building for senior high school students’ use. Batac DepEd project development officer I George Manuel said the ₱ 6 million two-storey building consists of four “big classrooms” that can contain about 172 students. The turn over ceremony was attended by Batac mayor Albert D. Chua and Batac vice mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta. ( Dominic B. dela Cruz )

PINILI, Ilocos Norte—To further strengthen the Ilocano weaving tradition called “pinagabel”, locals here established the ‘House of Inabel’ by Magdalena Gamayo on December 26, 2016. A Spanish-style brick house had been renovated to provide a space for ‘abel’ weavers and their products, including Gamayo's nationally-acclaimed inabel, a hand-woven textile done on traditional wooden looms using unique and diverse weaving techniques. Magdalena Gamayo, 93 years old, is recognized by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts in 2012 as a national living treasure because of her excellent skills in textile weaving. According to Dr. Joven Cuanang, one of the founders of the House of Inabel, he said it was launched to engage people, especially young individuals, to learn the tradition of Ilocano weaving and to ensure sustainability of the inabel industry.  As an active supporter of the industry, Mr. Cuanang encourages schools, organizat...

Batac City —The Department of Education (DepEd) local office here formally unveiled the Teacher’s Lounge before 2016 ended. City schools’ division superintendent Vilma Eda said the projects were inaugurated during the Batac fiesta’s “DepEd Day” last December. Ms. Eda said the “Teacher’s Lounge” will serve as training center for teachers in the division level. A part of DepEd’s rationalization program, the lounge is located at the Gabaldon building of Batac Central Elementary School; which is situated in the center of the city. The location, Ms. Eda said, gives more accessibility for teachers. The “Teacher’s Lounge” will serve as mentoring site for teachers if they need additional skills, competencies and knowledge they need to develop. With this development, Ms. Eda requests stakeholders to donate additional books and reading materials for teachers. A librarian will man the said lounge. (Dominic B. dela Cruz)

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —City budget officer Carlina Cumigad said Laoag’s total budget for 2017 is P747,625,399.00. She said this covers the city’s estimated annual general fund of ₱ 557,772,000.00 and from the economic enterprise of ₱ 189,493,000.00. Ms. Cumigad made the announcement during the first regular staff meeting for 2017. She added that there is an 18% increase compared to last year’s budget. She highlighted the inclusion of the “SSL4 tranche 1” or the salary increase, mid-and end-year bonuses for city government employees. On top of this, the employees will also receive extra cash gifts of ₱ 5,000 each, and productivity enhancement incentive (PEI) of ₱ 5,000 each. The budget also includes the allocation of public health workers (PHW) positions in compliance with Local Budget Circular No. 2009-92 and the creation of several positions at the city hospital, information technology and city general services office. The ci...

Rice farming is a good source of biomass energy. Engr. Alexis T. Belonio, in a lecture given at PhilRice Los Baños on July 15, said rice husks and straws, found in the rice farming environment have so much potential as energy sources. For an average harvest of 4.5 t/ha, there are around 900 kg of rice husks and 4,500 kg of rice straws.  “At 3,000 kcal/kg of rice husks and 4,000 kcal/kg of rice straws, there are about 20, 700, 000 kcal of energy available per hectare of rice farms.  When gasified, it can provide 600 to 1,200 kcal/m3 of gas per kg of rice biomass,” Belonio explained.      Annually, around 2-3 M metric tons of rice husk and 15-17 M metric tons of rice straw are produced in the country. Rice biomass does not only provide energy but also help in the restoration of the soil. It also contributes to carbon sequestration for GHG mitigation. Biomass technologies Mr. Belonio shared that there are many technologies dev...

A K9 dog checks for illegal drugs in the Batac jail. (BJMP Batac) By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Batac City —The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here conducted “operation greyhound” late last year to check if illegal drugs are in the jail compound. With K9 drug-sniffing dogs searching for illegal contraband inside the jail complex, Mr. Sapaden said they did not find any illegal drugs. The Batac police also joined the said operation. Mr. Sapaden added that all belongings of inmates—both male and female—were thoroughly searched. He also disclosed that they usually conduct daily searches; however other law enforcement agencies also conduct unannounced searches. He added that the BJMP can also request for such search. Operation greyhound, Mr. Sapaden explained was conducted through the request of several municipal police stations including Batac. He stressed that the operation primarily aims to clear up the BJMP’s image which was...

Participants to the e-Presyo launching By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The Department of Trade and Industry launched on December 27, 2016 an Online Price Monitoring System in this city that seeks to strengthen consumer protection here. Attended by consumer groups, retailers, and other business organizations in the entire province, the price app can be downloaded in smartphones where consumers can readily access when shopping for groceries. The app can also be access via personal computer or the DTI website if you have internet at home.  Robert Baniqued, DTI regional director told consumers during the launching held at a function hall of a Laoag hotel that it is very important that consumers are aware of the prevailing prices of basic and prime commodities and for them to identify owners of department stores or any commercial establishments who are not following the suggested retail price being monitored by the DTI. Once a province or muni...

Sunday beauty queen Hazel Perdido By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—A 33-year old single mom and domestic helper in Hong Kong who hails from this town has captured the hearts and admiration of Ilocanos here as her life story has been featured in a documentary film entitled, “Sunday Beauty Queen”, which is one of the entries in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). A graduate of Computer Science at the Mariano Marcos State University, Hazel decided to apply as a domestic helper in Hong Kong in 2008 to sustain the needs of her three growing boys—Jaylord, 13, Daniel,12, and Genesis, 9.  Leaving behind her three boys to her 66-year old mom, Rosita at Brgy. Pambaran here to find her fortune abroad is one of the toughest decisions she had ever made. Fortunately, she landed a good employer who supported her when she was asked to join a beauty pageant in Honking. Hong Kong’s annual search for ‘Sunday Beauty Queen’, exclusive for Pina...

  Laoag police officers and DENR officials direct the return of 19 sea turtle eggs on their natural breeding area in the shores of Brgy. 33-B La Paz in Laoag City. (Doms dela Cruz ) By Dominic dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —Police officers here and representatives from the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led the return of at least 19 sea turtle eggs. The said eggs were returned to their natural breeding sites along the seas shores of Brgy. La Paz in this city. On December 7, 2016, the Laoag police in coordination with the local DENR office responded to an information that a fisherman was selling “marine turtle eggs” at the Laoag City Commercial Complex. The fisherman was identified as Jayson Antonio Pascual alias “Mang Jesse.” The group confiscated the said eggs placed in a plastic container.; the DENR later identified them as sea turtle eggs. Mr. Pascual was brought to the police station for questioning while the eggs were t...

  THE  Laoag, Laoag-Castro, Batac and Pasuquin branches of Philippine National Bank (PNB) hold a gift giving activity for the patients of the maternity and paediatrics wards of the Gov. Roque B. Ablan, Sr. Memorial Hospital. (Photo courtesy of Aceyork P. Guerrero) More than 40 patients of Gov. Roque B. Ablan, Sr. Memorial Hospital (GRBASMH) received gifts from the different branches of Philippine National Bank (PNB) in Ilocos Norte. As part of their annual gift giving project, the Laoag, Laoag-Castro, Batac and Pasuquin branches of PNB distributed packages containing baby soaps, baby powder, baby oil, diapers, tissue papers and health products. The beneficiaries were charity patients of the maternity and pediatrics wards recommended by Dr. Roger Braceros, chief of hospital, and the social welfare representative of GRBASMH. The annual gift giving, which is now in its 11th year, was led by Ms. Christine Marie M. Rillera, senior assistant vice president of PNB...

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) represented by Philippine Trade and Investment Center Commercial Counsellor Glenn Peñaranda urged Filipinos in Singapore to join the country’s emerging startup community in a recent seminar organized by FilTreps, a group of Filipino entrepreneurs in Singapore that holds networking and information sessions for Filipinos on setting up business, prospects for joint venture and collaborations. “Find inspiration in events like this to get that idea off the ground.  Think about a solution that is original and differentiated.  There is a new breed of businesses that thrive in the innovation economy.  Do your research,” said Mr. Peñaranda. Mr. Peñaranda also shared the strategies and policies of the Philippine government, particularly of the DTI and the recently formed Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship and enabling the development of startup b...

DEED OF ADJUDICATION Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of the late PABLITO C. PAÑARES consisting of six (6) parcels of land designated as Lot Nos. 20894, 20920, 20891 all of Cad-398, 19 Blk. 24 of the consolidation-subdivision plan Pcs-4790 being a portion of Lot 731 of the Davao Cadastre, ½ undivided share of Lot Nos. 3644-C of Cad-6563-D and 184-B-2-A-2-D, Psd-11-006224, being a portion of Lot 184-B-2-A-2, (LRC) Psd-125695 under OCT/TCT Nos. P-42548, P-42549, P-42878, T-154515, T-130498 and T-118074 containing an area of 897 sq.m., 811 sq.m., 945 sq.m., 608 sq.m., 150,000 sq. and 115 sq.m situated at Brgy. Tabug, Batac, Ilocos Norte, Dist. of Toril, Brgy. Catigan and Barrio of Torril all of City of Davao, Island of Mindanao respectively has been adjudicated by his heir ratified and acknowledged before Notary Public DA VINCI M. CRISOSTOMO as per Doc. No. 103; Page No. 22; Bk. No. CCCXXVIII; S. of 2017. Jan. 9, 16, 23, 2017*IT _____________________________________...