The Ilocos Times

Manila —Globe is partnering with Phil-Tower Consortium, Inc (PhilTower) to ramp up its aggressive network rollout in more areas in the National Capital Region and Luzon. Boosted by the Bayanihan 2 law which streamlined the permitting process, the partnership aims to install 500 new cell sites within the year.  Globe believes the partnership with PhilTower will boost the company's response to its customers’ ever-increasing need for better, reliable and accessible connectivity in the new normal. “Our partnership with PhilTower will help us accelerate our cell site expansion. Consequently, this will bring better services to Globe subscribers in more locations in the country,” said Vincent Tempongko, Globe Vice President for Site Acquisition.  PhilTower, on the other hand, emphasizes its role in advancing the telecommunication infrastructure in the country. “As a communication solutions enabler and digital infrastructure provider, we help power critical digital...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Marcos , Ilocos Norte—The Philippine National Police ( PNP ) Regional headquarters recognized Marcos Mayor Antonio V. Mariano with a plaque of recognition as one of the stakeholders for his enormous contributions in the PNP’s different programs and projects. Region I National Police Commission (NPC) Legal Affairs Unit chief Atty. Mary Hazel Bela-o and PNP regional director P/Brigadier General Emmanual B. Peralta handed the award during the kick-off ceremony of the 26 th Police Community Relations Month celebration with the theme, “Pulisya at Pamayanan, BARANGAYanihan sa Hamon ng Pandemya at Laban sa Krimen” held at Police Regional Office I, San Fernando, La Union on July 5, 2021. Mariano thanked the PNP for the award; he said he was surprised by it and that he was not expecting anything in return for his personal help to the different PNP stations including the PMFC, Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO) and as far as PNP regiona...

By Noralyn Onto Dudt We have not gotten out of the "COVID-19 woods", yet. The Delta variant is sweeping the globe and new laboratory research on this swiftly spreading variant is highlighting the threats posed by viral mutations. It's an urgent call for accelerated vaccination efforts across the globe. First, it's important to understand how this version of the virus emerged. Viruses cannot live alone and, technically, they are not living things. They need a host, a living host.   They invade the host's cells and hijack their machinery to get energy and replicate, and find ways to infect other living organisms and start the process over again. The coronavirus can mutate when it replicates, especially when circulating at high rates (a.k.a. the absence of vaccinations). Mutations involve changes in the sequences of an organism's genetic code.   As we have learned, viruses typically mutate more rapidly than human cells do. This is because human cells have me...

Newly installed BIR-Ilocos Norte District Officer Marilou Sapungan fields questions from the local media as she announces that the Laoag City-Ilocos Norte district office has reached its target collection for June—PHP135 million. ( Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —Despite the COVID-pandemic, newly installed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-Laoag District Officer Marilou G. Sapungan announced that they reached their PHP135 million target collection for June. She added that she hopes they will also reach their PHP142 million target collection this July, or an increase of PHP7 million from last month. The Ilocos Times learned that target collection for the Laoag District for 2021 is PHP1.8 billion; and Sapungan is hopeful they will realize this with the help of taxpayers here who usually pay their obligations “promptly and honestly.” To reach this goal, Sapungan said they will strictly implement the district’s plans and programs including the ...

Solsona Sangguniang Bayan members Jonathan De Lara (standing right) and Nestor Dela Cruz (standing left) discus with the other council members the proposed municipal ordinance prescribing omnibus guidelines on the implementation of preventive measure against ASF in Solsona as Solsona Vice Mayor and SB presiding officer Bob G. Sacro (seated center) and other SB members listen. The said measure was approved in its third and final reading in the regular session and was authored by De Lara. ( Doms Dela Cruz ) By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Solsona , Ilocos Norte—With the imminent African Swine Fever (ASF) threat to the hog industry of here, members of the Sangguniang Bayan unanimously approved an ordinance prescribing omnibus guidelines in the implementation of preventive measures against this virus with accompanying penalties to those who would not abide by them. In order to arrest the negative economic impact brought by ASF, Sangguniang Bayan member Jonathan De Lara ...

  U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law joined Philippine Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and HIV AIDS Support House Executive Director Desi Andrew Ching, at the handover ceremony. Manila—The United States government, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), handed over 20,000 bottles of HIV prevention drugs, or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), to the Philippine Department of Health (DOH).   The June 25, 2021 handover coincided with the formal launch of the PHP500 million (US$10.3 million) USAID-PEPFAR program in the Philippines. U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires John Law reiterated the U.S. government’s commitment to support the country in its journey to ending AIDS by 2030 through evidence-based strategies like DOH’s PrEP program. “This first tranche of HIV prevention drugs is an initial step toward achieving the country’s goal of ending AIDS,” said Law.   “We have a long road ahead of us, and the jou...

PLDT Enterprise , the B2B arm of the   country’s largest fully   integrated telecommunications company   PLDT,   has provided   fiber connectivity and   internet solutions to all 23 barangays of Piddig, Ilocos Norte   to support   online learning   initiatives and   improve   the   governance capabilities of the municipality. The group recently teamed up with the local government and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Piddig for connectivity plans that would support the online education and online businesses of its constituents. “Our goal at PLDT Enterprise is to make a positive impact on every single business, which includes our local government units. We have consistently been extending our innovative services to different LGUs and municipalities in the country to support their needs in improving overall public governance, and this latest partnership with Piddig, Ilocos Norte is a testament to that,” said Jovy Hernan...

Clockwise from top left) UNP President Erwin Cadorna; UNP Vice President Dr. Ferdinand Pio Lamarca; Director  Edelyn Cadorna; Dean Joselito Dela Rosa; Dr. Florida Ursulom; and Prof. Arnold Pio. Vigan City —Aimed at sustaining a culture of research amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Northern Philippines, through its Research and Development Office, held the first Virtual Student Research Congress joined in by student researchers from various colleges. The poster entry of the College of Public Administration (CPAd), “Food Security Among the 4P’s Families during the Covid-19 Crisis in Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur” was most liked in social media. It was adjudged as first runner-up in the poster competition. Moreover, the paper “Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Awareness and Practices in the Municipality of Luba, Abra” ranked second runner-up in the oral presentation held July 8 through an online platform. Dr. Florida Ursulom, a seasoned researcher, mentored poster au...

  Pinili Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Maynard Francis Bumanglag (seated left) listens to SB member Jerry Fernandez (standing right) as the later moved for his ordinance granting a milestone award to senior citizens in the municipality of Pinili on its third and final reading while other members listen. The said measure was unanimously approved by all members present during the July 5, 2021 regular session. ( Doms Dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Pinili , Ilocos Norte—All members of the Sangguniang Bayan here unanimously approved, on its third and final reading, a measure granting milestone awards to senior citizens ages 80 years old and above. Pinili Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Maynard Francis Bumanglag said the measure is a tribute to senior citizens who have been developmental partners in the municipality and incomparably contributed in strengthening family as an institution. “ Sapay la kuma ta daytoy a gakat ket makatulong kad...

Piddig Mayor Eddie Guillen (upper right photo) represents the municipality of Piddig together with PLDT Enterprise and Smart executives during the virtual launching of the “Piddig Free Internet Connectivity” for all the 23 barangays here held on June 29, 2021. (LGU Piddig photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Piddig , Ilocos Norte—Not to be left behind, the municipal government here in partnership with PLDT Enterprise and Smart Telecommunications launched the free internet connectivity project by providing fiber connectivity and internet solutions to all 23 barangays here. “My dream has now [turned] into a reality,” Piddig Mayor Eduardo “Eddie” G. Guillen said by providing a reliable internet connection to all the barangays here to support online learning, improve governance capabilities and online business with their constituents. “This new project of Piddig would be of great help in the advancement of Piddig and our schools for learning, especially [in] this time of ...

  Eranio A. Mojica was standing beside a poster by the door of their office as he waited for the employees of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to arrive. He was tapped to be part of an activity that would feature farmers-recipients of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP). Mojica, chair of the five-year-old First Damayan Bagsit Irrigators Association in Brgy. Bulawen, Palauig, Zambales, can be seen smiling even if half of his face was covered with a face mask as the PhilRice staffers approached him. “Welcome, Ma’am and Sir! These are the posters on PalayTandaan that you sent us,” he greeted the PhilRice staffers with eagerness. The First Damayan Bagsit is among the hundreds of farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) reached by the RCEF Extension Program. As part of the goals of the program to enhance the skills and capabilities of the farmers on modernized rice farming for ...

By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—More than 1,000 pigs in Solsona and its neighboring Dingras town in Ilocos Norte have been culled to contain the spread of African swine fever (ASF), the Provincial Veterinary Office reported. While depopulation is ongoing within the infected zone, Dr. Loida Valenzuela, provincial veterinarian, has urged hog raisers to cooperate with local authorities by reporting an unusual death of pigs in their areas and to refrain from feeding them with swills or getting their water from an irrigation canal. According to Valenzuela, they are still investigating what triggered the outbreak which started in the remote Brgy. Manalpac in Solsona with a few small hog raisers. During the course of their investigation, they found out that a farmer from Brgy. Maan-anteng in Solsona town dumped his dead piglets and sow in a water irrigation system that spread to other sub-villages. “All adjacent municipalities near the border of Apayao are being ...

Emerging data center market poses potential to be next big economic driver    Manila — The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital transformation as there was a steep rise in the usage of consumer applications from social media to video streaming, gaming, e-commerce, online learning,  and  telehealth,  among others . The pandemic has also pushed the enterprise and public sector over the technology tipping point by accelerating their cloud adoption  by increasingly migrating workloads to the cloud and massively using collaboration platforms supporting work from home arrangements.  Speaking earlier this year at Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT) 2021, Jeff Mendoza, Asia Pacific Regional Head of PLDT Enterprise said, “The digital transformation dictated by the pandemic among the enterprise and consumer sectors have pushed the hyperscalers  in the cloud and content provider...