The Ilocos Times

Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Farinñs administers the oath of the new barangay officials in the city. (Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The city’s 53 rd charter day celebration on June 19, 2018 turned emotional as officials, led by Laoag mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas, remembered the late Laoag vice mayor Michael V. Fariñas, who died in car crash on June 6, 2018 and buried on June 15, 2018. Originally, the city’s celebration would have featured signing of sister-city accords with various cities. The late Mr. Fariñas personally visited the concerned cities earlier to forge initial agreements. Mrs. Fariñas disclosed that the cities’ officials have signified that they will personally attend the charter day celebration to sign the agreements. Among those include Del Monte in Bulacan, Baguio City and Vigan City, among others. Also schedule to attend were Telavi, Georgia officials to attend the event to formalize the union, which both the cit...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—A group of young Ilocano volunteers is making waves in the coastlines of Ilocos Norte as they attempt to protect marine resources and combat “plastic pollution”. Plastic pollution, they explained are the plastic packaging and bottles commonly used today. During their free time, they would gather near a beach and pick scattered plastic materials and bottles. They would also fun-dive and conduct underwater clean-up. Proudly calling themselves as “ocean patrollers”, these young individuals are part of greater environment advocacy group dubbed “Movement Against Plastic Pollution”, or MAPP in Ilocos Norte which aims to love, protect and educate people about their role stewards of nature. “Plastic pollution is every day’s problem. Plastics are everywhere, including in your own dinner table, in your own food. So be part of the solution,” said Patricia Dacanay, a young environmentalist from Currimao, Ilocos Norte...

Micro entrepreneurs will be able to access P3 loans from more credit delivery partners (CDP) nationwide as the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp) partners with fintech company CRIF Corporation to manage the loan operating system for the accelerated delivery of the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) program. SB Corp President and CEO Ma. Luna E. Cacanando said that a new P3 loaning scheme is under way. The scheme intends to make the P3 funds more accessible to more micro enterprises in poor provinces and in other areas not yet sufficiently reached by formal lenders. “The agreement with CRIF will make borrowing from P3 easier for the micro enterprise. If in the previous P3 scheme, micro business owners get to borrow from cooperatives only if they are members, with the P3 scheme via fintech, borrowers can transact with any CDP. The plan is to set up CDPs within an hour commute from the micro enterprise communities. Moreover, the creditor directly releases the loan to the d...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The state-run Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City is set to host the Association of State Universities and Colleges-Solid North (ASCU-SN) summer Olympics slated next year. With MMSU President Shirley Agrupis as the newly-elected ASCU-SN vice president, she said the premiere university of the north is more than ready to host the event. Ms. Agrupis is also set to take over as ASCU-SN president upon the end of the term of the current ASCU President Dr. Eduardo T. Bagtang of Kalinga State University. ASCU-SN is composed of 23 state universities and colleges in Regions I, II, III, and the Cordillera Administrative Region. In time for the on-going ASCU-SN Summer Olympics at the Benguet State University in  La Trinidad, Benguet held June 18-21 , the member state universities and colleges unanimously voted for MMSU as host and venue for next year’s summer Olympics on June 19-21. This year, about 93 athle...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The city government here employed 300 students from different schools in the city for this year’s 20-day Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES). The Laoag government funded the salaries of 140 students and 60% of the remaining 160 students. The Dept. of Labor and Employment (DOLE) funded the remaining 40% for the 160 students. Laoag City community affairs division chief Bernardino R. Rodillas said the city government paid the 140 students the amount of PHP7,754.60 per SPES beneficiary. Likewise, the city government also paid out PHP4,652.76 per SPES beneficiary for its 60% share. Mr. Rodillas added that the students personally received their cash salaries at the cash division. Relative to this, he also announced that the city government hired additional 11 SPES beneficiaries from two other Laoag schools with a different school calendar. Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas congratulated all the SPE...

Education Sec. Leonor M. Briones during her visit to Laoag City. (LCDepEd photo) By Jennifer T. Pambid Contributor Laoag City —Dept. of Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones lauded the Schools Division of Laoag City for promoting the use of Baybayin even before the congress’ approval of House Bill 1022 declaring Baybayin as the national writing system. During the DepEd chief’s visit to Laoag City for a special meeting with DepEd Region 1 officials recently, Ms. Briones appreciated DepEd Laoag’s welcome streamer bearing her name with Baybayin script. “As you can imagine, this will take years because to translate an ancient script and language into the language of millennials, into the language of science and technology, literature and arts; it’s not going to be very easy,” she explained. In the first quarter of 2017, DepEd Laoag City Schools Division superintendent Dr. Joel B. Lopez initiated the use of the pre-Hispanic Philippine script primarily as a tool...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Paoay, Ilocos Norte —The Court of Appeals issued a 60-day temporary restraining order against the dismissal of Paoay Mayor Jessie Galano. Armed with the seven-page copy of the TRO dated June 21, Mr. Galano faced the press on saying he is just waiting for the Department of Interior and Local Government to serve the TRO to all concerned parties. On June 14, the DILG served the dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman against Paoay mayor and his municipal administrator, Bruno Dumlao for grave abuse of authority, gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct and serious dishonesty. “This is just a trial on the part of the Paoayeños. What happened was just a simple neglect of duty and not corruption. It was procedural in nature and I thank God for helping me extend my public service,” said Mr. Galano. CA Associate Justice Stephen C. Cruz penned the TRO and concurred with by CA Presiding Judge Romeo F. Barza and Associate Justic...

San Fernando City , La Union—Since 2016, the Cash for Work on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CFW-CCAM) program has reforested and protected at least 4,500 hectares of forest lands in Ilocos Norte. CFW-CCAM has also preserved rivers, riverbanks, coastline barangays and provided temporary jobs in partnership with Ilocos Norte governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO). Aside from continuous tree planting, ‘kaingin’ or burning of trees for charcoal making has ceased in many parts of the areas where assigned barangay ranger officers (BROs) have maintained and protected seedlings planted through CFW-CCAM and guarded the mountains from any grass fire or man-made fires. In Saguigui, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, tribal chieftain Emiliano Rabago is maintaining at least 4 hectares of forest land planted with fruit-bearing trees and coffee. During CFW activities, everyone in the community participates to include ...

QC Mayor Herbert Bautista and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos taste the Ilocos Norte empanada (Alaric Yanos) By Jesus Antonio P. Tacorda Contributor Laoag City —The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), through its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEi Office brought local products to an open trade fair in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan on June 24 to July 1, 2018 in response to a vegetable shortage in the said province. The trade fair was part of the Aggao Nac Cagayan Festival and allowed the showcase and promotion of products coming from nearby provinces. In addition to answering Cagayan’s vegetable shortage, it was an opportunity for Ilocos Norte enterprises to increase profit. According to Edison Natividad, administrative officer IV at the SME office “[T]he purpose of this project is to eradicate the middleman, to directly sell the product of our SMEs to consumers; so ibig sabihin, maalis yung middleman sa proseso kasi kung mayroong middleman, liliit yung ...

Add caption By Bernard Ver Contributor Laoag City —Peter Matthew Toribio Fowler of Mapua Institute of Technology-Manila and a resident of Brgy. Darasdas in Solsona, Ilocos Norte topped the recent chemical engineer board examination with a rating of 83 percent. Mr. Fowler graduated with a double degree in BS Chemistry, cum laude; and BS Chemical Engineering, cum laude from Mapua/. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) disclosed that 296 out of 636 examinees passed the Chemical Engineering Licensure. De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila was the top performing school with a passing rate of 96.55. In an interview, Mr. Fowler said we have many resources in the country but we are not properly using them. “We have so many resources in the Philippines—some are over-utilized, but many are still under-utilized, such as biomass,” he said. “It’s because funds are very limited for research, so I’m hoping na ma-step up yung game ng research in th...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte farmers have long been praying for rain and with the prolonged rainfall brought about the southwest monsoon, or “habagat”, Fiel Camacho’s face lit up with excitement; he can now till the once dried up farmland that is dependent on rainwater. For a week now, farmers here are busy preparing their farms as they take advantage of the rainwater. “We are glad rain has finally come so that we can start planting,” said Mr. Camacho as he prepared his equipment for his rice field in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte on June 14, 2018. The first rain of June is also an opportunity for other farmers to earn extra income as they enjoy catching exotic frogs and sell it in their neighborhood or in the market. Pegged at least PHP250 per kilo, the demand for exotic foods is high as some balikbayans mostly based in Hawaii and mainland United States even bring it along with them for family and friends craving for a taste of thes...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Pagudpud , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here shuttered at least 20 homestays for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act. Pagudpud mayor Marlon Sales confirmed this as he reported that they formed a joint inspection team from the local government unit and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to closely monitor the implementation of the Clean Water Act and other related local ordinances. Specifically, Mr. Sales said they found some homestay establishments which are directing their kitchen wastes to the sea. “Let’s help make Pagudpud clean. This is for all of us to ensure a sustainable tourism and environment,” Mr. Sales said citing these homestay establishments and restaurants will not be able to operate again if they will not comply with the provisions of the law. Depending on the gravity of the offense, said the local government closed tourism establishments ranging from 15 to 30 days. The LGU gave t...

By Iryn D. Cubangbang Cotributor San Fernando City , La Union—The Dept. of Social Work and Development (DSWD) Region I, as the lead agency on response, early recovery, and rehabilitation of disaster victims in Region 1, trained 40 employees—the pioneer group—on basic Incident Command System (ICS), a standardized approach to emergency incidents.   Led by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 1, other subject matter experts came from Department of Health and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO)-La Union. At the start of the three-day training, DSWD Region I director Marcelo Nicomedes J. Castillo emphasized the importance of the ICS in disaster operations ̶ for the staff to get a good grasp of the activities done at the local level so they will have the expertise to provide technical assistance or expertise at any given time. “The Philippines is enlisted among the top 10 disaster-prone countries; thus, the ICS is very important,...

Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) Ilocos Norte-Laoag Council president Atty. Corazon J. Ruiz-Abad, signs the memorandum of agreement with the Laoag City government. The MOA gives the GSP usufructuary rights to a parcel of land owned by the city government for a period of 50 years. Both parties officially signed the MOA on July 2, 2018 with Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Farinas representing the city government of Laoag. (Alwin Formantes photo)

Ni Amado I. Yoro NabirokaK man [wenno saan] ti kinaasinok Iti ngalay ti panagbirok ken panagtawataw Adtoy: subliak ti ramutko iti kinasudi a Saan nga aglumen daydi indayon ken Dagidagi ti duayya ken panagkansion Ti tudo ken dagiti sabong Iti kinawayada nga agsasala iti salonan Adtoyak ita iti sabali a pannakainaw-pannakasikog Iti sabali a pannakaipasngay ! Nagkupas kadi ti tugot Naugotan kadi ti ramut Ti ammok, magna, umaddang latta daytoy dapan Toy kayumanggi a gurong Iti sabali a panagubing ken kinaagtutubo Dagiti agkabannuag a panagem Subliak a sirayen ti tumaytayab Ngatuen burayok iti pikkan kas iti sallapingaw Agampayagda latta uray dagiti tuwato Iti law-ang ti init a sumsumged Daytoy kinaagtutubo nga isem dagiti kasingin ti sutil Wenno sariwawek ti sirmata Ti panagbaniaga Iti isu met la nga init Riniwriw a darerpdep Nailaga met latta ti karit A mangsuba allon Dagiti kumalatkat a sirmata A balangat ti balligi Uray dag...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte government officials impounded at least 11 heavy equipment bearing the markings “FVEspiritu Builders” at the Solsona police station for alleged unsystematic quarrying along the Bagbag River in the eastern most part of the province. Local environment officials here said the seized equipment allegedly belongs to Dumalneg vice mayor Francis Espiritu. The items include backhoes, payloaders, transit mixers and screens among others. In a radio interview, Atty. Ferdinand Ignacio, Mr. Espiritu’s legal counsel insisted there is no illegal quarrying in the area. He stressed that a contractor is using the said units for the ongoing PHP810 million flood control project in Solsona. The project commenced in 2017. Through an executive session at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on June 5, 2018, SP member Mariano “Nonong” V. Marcos II, chairperson of the committee on environment, said he called for a meeting to discuss i...

  The Philippine National Bank (PNB) NOL2 conducted a simultaneous Brigada Eskwela in Abra, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Batanes. The Philippine National Bank (PNB) once again showed the bayanihan spirit through Brigada Eskwela on June 2, 2018. Under the leadership of area head Jeffrey C. Querubin, the employees of PNB NOL2 helped in the improvement of school facilities in Abra, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Batanes. Employees of PNB Bangued Abra Main and PNB Abra Magallanes cleaned the compound of Bangued West Central School. PNB Vigan Florentino and PNB Vigan Quezon Avenue devoted time painting fences and cleaning the classrooms and compound of Camanggaan Elementary School in Vigan City. PNB Candon San Antonio and PNB Candon National Highway likewise held a school cleanup in in Candon National High School. PNB Narvacan painted benches and cleaned the school grounds of Patac Elementary School in Burgos, Ilocos Sur. They also distributed school suppl...

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) urges farmers to use quality seeds to boost their yield by 5-10%, as confirmed by both research and actual farming. Experts attribute the achievement of higher yield to quality seeds’ higher germination rate of 85% and above. Moreover, these seeds allow crops’ uniform growth and maturity that gives farmers a better chance of having plentiful harvest, as opposed to low-quality seeds that result in more off-types and higher pest incidence. The extensive promotion of quality seeds is a critical factor in achieving the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) national average yield target of 6 t/ha at a cost of P8/kg. In line with this, the DA National Rice Program and the National Cooperative Tests for rice bared the five nationally recommended inbred varieties for dry and wet seasons. They will promote these varieties, namely: NSIC Rc 216, Rc 222, Rc 160, Rc 300, and Rc 238 in 55 provinces across the country with average yields bel...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The city government here is cracking down on those who are illegally tapping into the city’s streetlights. Laoag mayor Chevylle V. Farinas warned that the city government will deal with illegal wiretappers harshly. The crackdown stemmed from a case where Brgy. Sta. Maria kagawad Cesario Pascual allegedly tapped into a streetlight in their barangay. “Personally , no siyak lang mapakawan ko isuna ngem iti problema ket adda met pagdalanan na nanga umno a wagas wennu proseso aglalo ket illegal connection,” the mayor said. The city government may file administrative and criminal charges against the kagawad. The Laoag government pays for the electric bills of all streetlights in the city. Each streetlight has their own electric meters. The city’s general services office (GSO) discovered that a “kubo” has tapped into the Brgy. Sta. Maria streetlight. The office’s probe further stated that the illegal connection...

By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano EVERY seventh of June, a Southeast Asian archipelago commemorates the "heroism" of compatriots who have been a visible reason for the steady growth of their motherland's economy. The celebration is National Migrant Workers Day, and the passage of a law to protect the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos and their families brought about the date's historicity. That law, currently coded as Republic Act 10022 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, revised twice), spells out regulations for labor migration and lays out the bureaucratic structure—found at home and abroad—that ensures safe and orderly overseas migration. The original law, RA 8042, was a result of the execution of a domestic worker in Singapore, Ms. Flor Contemplacion, in March 1995. That episode created diplomatic tension between the two countries, as well as national shame for a country that then had no enabling law for migrant workers' protection. The ...