Skip to main content

Imee personally thanks OFWs for Ilocos Norte’s progress



Joining the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) community at the 6th Year Anniversary of the New Marcoseños of Hong Kong Worldwide (NewMAHK) on February 25, 2018, Ilocos Norte governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos took the opportunity to personally thank them for their contributions to the progress and development of Ilocos Norte.



With 61% of families in Ilocos Norte partially or fully dependent on foreign remittances from loved ones working abroad, the province has grown to be one of the richest, most well-developed, and most educated in the country, marked by a high human development index (HDI).



Dahil sa hirap ng mga OFW, lahat nakakapag-aral; walang sinasabing mga squatter—may sariling mga bahay; at higit sa lahat, nakikita natin na umuunlad sa maliliit na hotel, restaurant, at iba pa dahil sa turismo. Iyan ay dahil lahat sa tinatawag na hirap at pasakit ng ating mga OFW,” said Ms. Marcos.



She also shared recent developments in tourism, including the yearly average of two million visitors in Ilocos Norte and the regular docking of a luxury ship at the Port of Currimao, saying that OFWs made these possible by contributing to the local economy for decades.



Furthermore, Ms. Marcos highlighted the rapid creation of local jobs, in particular those brought by business process-outsourcing (BPO) companies.



Alam natin na ang pag-migrate, ang pag-alis… ay hindi dapat ‘kapit sa patalim’ kundi choice talaga ng isang pamilya,” she said, empathizing with the difficulty of being away from family and having to work from home just to provide more for loved ones.



Dapat magbigay din nga trabaho sa sariling probinsiya. Iyan talaga ang gusto naming mangyari.” She added as she told potential investors repeatedly, “Help us generate secure, well-paying jobs so that soon, leaving home will simply be another choice.”



For years, Ms. Marcos’ said her desire is for stable and well-providing employment to be available in Ilocos Norte as she recognized the social cost of families getting split apart by time and distance as many parents, out of desperation, need to work for higher incomes abroad. (PGIN-CMO)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become...

Free dormitories eyed for Nueva Era students in LC, Batac

 Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here, headed by Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida is planning to establish dormitories in the cities of Laoag and Batac that will exclusively cater to college students from the said cities. “Sapay la kuma ta maituloyen iti mabiit tay ar-arapaapen tayo ken iti munisipyo a maipatakderan kuma dagiti annak tayo a college students nga agbasbasa idiay siyudad iti Batac ken Laoag iti libre a dormitoryo a bukod da ngem inggana nga awan pay ket an-anusan mi paylaeng nga ibaklay kenni apo bise mayor iti pagbayad da iti kasera aggapu iti bukod mi a suweldo malaksid dagitay it-ited iti munisipyo ken iti barangay nga stipend da kada semester, ” Garvida said.    Garvida added that the proposed establishment of dormitories would be a big help to the students’ parents as this would shoulder the expenses of their children for rent and likewise they would feel...

P29 per kilo rice sold to vulnerable groups in Ilocos region

BBM RICE. Residents buy rice for only PHP29 per kilo at the NIA compound in San Nicolas town, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. The activity was under a nationwide pilot program of the government to sell quality and affordable rice initially to the vulnerable sectors. (Lei Adriano) San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte —Senior citizens, persons with disability, and solo parents availed of cheap rice sold at PHP29 per kilogram during the grand launching of the Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) Rice held at the National Irrigation Administration compound in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. “ Maraming salamat Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa inyong pagmamahal sa Region 1 lalong-lalo na sa bayan namin sa San Nicolas,” said Violeta Pasion, a resident Brgy.   18 Bingao in this town. The low-priced grains were sourced from the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) contract farming with irrigators' association members in the province. Along with Pasion, Epi...