The Ilocos Times

Incoming Mayor Edward T. Quilala of Currimao (3rd from left) takes his oath of office before Ilocos Norte RTC Executive Judge Francisco R.D. Quilala (left). Looking on are their children and other relatives. ( Reynaldo E. Andres) By Reynaldo E. Andres Contributor Currimao , Ilocos Norte—This coastal town in southern Ilocos Norte voted for change in the recent May elections; in the process defeating a dynasty that began 31 years ago. New Currimao Mayor Edward “Boyet” T. Quilala took his oath on June 28, 2019 before Ilocos Norte Regional Trial Court (RTC) Executive Judge Francisco R.D. Quilala, his relative. In his inaugural address, Mr. Quilala said he wants to institute reforms and progress in Currimao because it is “my humble dream and part of my vision. I’ll try my best to fulfill this within three years.” In asking the support and sympathy of the people, Mr. Quilala quoted part of one of the speeches of President Rodrigo Duterte who said that “no leader, ...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Five members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan leave the halls of the Provincial Capitol session hall after the end of their terms on June 30, 2019. Led by its presiding officer, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo M.   Barba along with three-term board members Rogelio Balbag, Ramon Gaoat, Matthew Joseph Manotoc and Vicentito Lazo turned a bit emotional as they bid farewell to each other during the last session of the 10 th Sangguniang Panlalawigan on June 24, 2019 afternoon. During the final conduct of the 127 th regular session, Mr. Barba expressed his gratitude to his colleagues, staff and supporters as he spent almost two decades of his life serving the province of Ilocos Norte as board member from 2001 to 2010 and then as vice governor from 2010 to 2019. The veteran politician looks forward to representing the second district of Ilocos Norte in Congress as he will assume his new office at the House of Repre...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter Paoay, Ilocos Norte —The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Region 1 served on the morning of July 4. 2019 the dismissal order against newly elected Paoay Mayor Jessie Galano. Mr. Galano was not in his office when Atty. Patrick Estillore, DILG Region I regional legal officer served the order signed by DILG Regional Director James Fadrilan. Meanwhile, the DILG has directed Vice Paoay Mayor Romulo Acdal to assume as the new mayor, by the law of succession. Pursuant to a July 1, 2019 memorandum of DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, it states that they will still enforce decision that dismissed and suspended local elective officials who ran, won and proclaimed as winners last May 13, 2019 elections. Mr. Galano was one of them, with the DILG citing a January 31, 2018 decision from the Ombudsman, dismissing him from service. Up to now, Mr. Galano has failed to secure a favorable relief pending an appeal at the Supreme ...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Laoag City --Outgoing Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas personally thanked the people of Laoag in her speech during the June 19, 2019 Charter Day celebration held in front of the City Hall for all the support they had extended to her and her family for almost a decade. She likewise thanked her fellow city officials, all the city hall employees and the members of the media for also supporting her administration for six years as mayor as well as her late husband Michael V. Fariñas’ 9 years of administration as mayor. She stressed that her family is so grateful for their support. On June 24, 2019, city government employees posed with Mrs. Fariñas after the flag-raising ceremony. At the same day, outgoing Laoag councilors Shirley O. Sin, Dr. Edison Siazon, Pamela R. Salenda, Ferdinand Domingo and Laoag Vice Mayor Franklin Dante Respicio also gave their respective farewell speeches at the session hall during their last regular session...

THE  city’s top taxpayers pose with former Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas after the awarding of top taxpayers of 2018 at the City Hall auditorium on June 20, 2019 as part of the 54 th  Charter Day celebration. (Photo by Alwin Formantes) By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Laoag City —The city government, led by former Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas celebrated the city’s 54 th charter day in simple rites on June 19, 2019. Mrs. Fariñas personally spearheaded the celebration with a thanksgiving mass at the St. William Cathedral followed by a medical mission and social services, seedling distribution and pig dispersal, and salary distribution for the 2019 Special Public Employment for Students (SPES). In her speech, Mrs. Fariñas said that in its 54 years of existence of Laoag as a city, it deserves its rightful place and respect. She also took the opportunity to thank all the people of Laoag who supported her family’s journey in serving the city. ...

Laoag City —New Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc vowed to further improve the provincial government’s scholarship programs. Mr. Manotoc made the promise during the stipend distribution to more than 600 Sirib scholars at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena on June 3, 2019. Recipients include 239 Sirib community leaders scholars; 219 Sirib academic scholars; 154 Sirib young leaders scholars; and 31 technical-vocational (tech-voc) scholars. “ Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating mga scholars para sa nilalaan ninyong community service sa mga programa ng ating probinsya. Kahit mga bata pa kayo ay malaki na ang inyong naitutulong sa kapwa dahil matibay ang inyong pagkakaisa ,” Mr. Manotoc stressed. Aside from maintaining a specific general weighted average, Sirib scholars exemplify youth involvement, as the provincial government requires the beneficiaries to serve 50 hours of community service per semester. As new governor, Mr. Manotoc assured to not only c...

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter Laoag City —After closing its door for more than four years, the 209-year-old St. Anne Parish in Piddig, Ilocos Norte province is ready to open again for church services. Fr. Carlito Ranjo Jr., head of the Diocese of Laoag’s restoration committee shared his excitement as he posted in Facebook a fully-restored façade and interiors of the Baroque church. The newly-restored church is expected to be turned over on July 25, 2019. In September 2014, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) engineering experts decommissioned the old church and declared the church “unfit for occupancy, with its wooden trusses heavily deteriorated and its foundation weakened”. “The St. Anne Church restoration is done. Just waiting for the turn over date,” said Fr. Ranjo which delighted netizens which watched the new look of the old Piddig church located on top of a hill of the town center. Recognized as one of the oldest churc...

  SIX MONTHS IN . Laoag councilor Roger John Fariñas stressed a point during the discussion of the city’s 2019 annual budget during their June 10, 2019 regular session. The session ended way past 7 pm as the council finally passed the city’s annual budget six months into the year. (Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City— After five months in the council, the Sangguniang Panlungsod here has passed the city’s 2019 annual budget on June 10, 2019. The budget totals PHP879,951,091.97, a 13 percent increase from last year’s budget of PHP778,263,204. Standing as a committee of the whole, all the councilors present during the June 10, 2019 session reintroduced the ordinance. Budget deliberations stalled in January this year after a political shift in the council resulted in a new majority who voted down the budget ordinance. Budget increase The 2019 budget’s increase was based on the higher projected revenue resources for this y...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The Sangguniang Panlalawigan here—voting 6-4—disapproved an unnumbered resolution that concurred with the appointment of Mylene Isabel Pascual as department head I of the Community Affairs Division during the council’s June 3, 2019 regular session. Former Laoag councilor Shirley O. Sin presented the said resolution for discussion during the other matters portion of the agenda but prior to the presentation, former Laoag Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Atty. Franklin Dante Respicio, in his chairman’s time, asked for committee reports pertaining to the council’s concurrence to the appointment; nobody, however reported. Prior to the June 3, 2019 session, the council referred the issue to the committee on laws and labor and employment for its study and scheduling a committee report 15 days later, or June 7, 2019. But Mrs. Sin, who chaired the committee on labor and employment, moved for the suspension of the rules...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The elected Sangguniang Panlalawigan member from this town said he will focus on social services program and infrastructure projects. Engr. Aladin Santos, the lone candidate who won in the second district not from the Marcos party, said he “would love to be a part of the committee on social services if given the chance to choose as he wanted to support the governor’s program helping and addressing the needs of those less fortunate”. Mr. Santos added that he also wants to become part of the provincial board’s committee on infrastructure being an engineer by profession. He also showed interests on becoming a part of the economic development of the province. He disclosed that he wants to share the secret of the San Nicolas municipal government, which is a local government unit not solely dependent on its internal revenue allotment (IRA) share but rather on the revenues derived from this town’s boomin...

MR . Bueno Antonio, 98 years old, receives his land title (certificate of land ownership award) from provincial agrarian reform program officer II Vic M. Ines (center) and chief administrative officer Rudy G. Acacio (first from left). Mr. Antonio is the oldest agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) of Barangay Capurictan, Solsona, Ilocos Norte. At least 69 land titles were recently distributed to the ARBs in the said barangay. (Jorge Richard P. Guerrero)

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—A day before the June 29 mass oathtaking of newly and reelected provincial, city and municipal officials of Ilocos Norte, the provincial government will break ground a total of PHP2 billion infrastructure projects funded through a soft loan from the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines. As part of the continuing “Metro Ilocos Tourism Plan” to boost economic growth in this northern gateway of Luzon, these three big projects will become the centerpiece of transformation in Laoag this time. According to an Ilocano architect Felino Palafox Jr. who worked on the Ilocos Norte tourism plan in 2010 during the first term of outgoing Ilocos Norte Governor and now Senator-elect Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos, “visiting and living in the province these days is exciting considering the many improvements that is taking place and the several infrastructure facilities that will be in place to enhance the aesthetics o...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Dingras , Ilocos Norte—The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) disclosed that one of the main reasons for the frequent power interruptions recently was due to the relocation of distribution lines, which the Dept. of Public Works and Highways’’ road-widening projected affected. INEC board president Enrico Ruiz made this claim adding that other causes of power interruptions recently were the termination and testing of new control switchgear of the Laoag 2 sub-station; isolation and switching of Laoag 1 & 2 sub-station; installation of intermediate pole; restructuring of primary line; rerouting of secondary lines; NGCP APMT of Laoag 50MVA transformer; simultaneous maintenance of controlling breaker for Laoag-Marcos 69 KV Line; and replacement of rotten poles. “ Idi ngamin napalabas nga election ket iti covenant mi ket saan a mabalin nga agpukaw iti kuryente before, during and after the election. Ket itan ta nalpasen ti el...