The Ilocos Times

Laoag City —The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) sustained its position as the Regional's Best PESO for 2023 during the Dept. of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Year-End Performance Assessment and Planning Exercise cum 2024 Congress in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, on March 13, 2024. PGIN-PESO also received the same recognition in 2017, 2019, and 2022. It  was also recognized for achieving the “Highest Number of Individuals Reached through Labor Market Information”, the “Highest Number of Hires on the Spot during Job Fairs”, the “Highest Number of Applicants Placed”, being the “Best Implementer of the TUPAD Program”, having the “Highest Number of Registered Employers”, winning the “Kabuhayan Awards 2023 for Implementing Livelihood Programs”, being the “Top Performing PESO in Career Development Support Programs”, receiving “Special Citations for Implementing Job Start Philippines”, and for “Timely and Complete Submission of Sta

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!       Yes, we have every reason to be most happy as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let’s hope that when we greet each other, ‘Happy Easter,’ we would really mean it and know what is behind that greeting. Let’s exhume that happy greeting from the tomb of our usual formalisms and clichés. Let’s get real! Finally, we have reached that point where Christ culminated his redemptive mission with his resurrection that simply means that he has conquered sin and death and has reopened the gates of heaven for us. He bore all our sins and conquered them with his resurrection. He offered his very own self as the ransom. We can now be true children of God if we also do our part. All our sins and all the negative things in our life can be considered a “happy fault” as the Easter praise, the “Exultet,” puts it, because they have caused God to show the ultimate expression of love, a love that we ourselves should also cultivate in ourselves. But we sh

Laoag City —The Public Employment Service Office (PESO) of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) sustained its position as the Regional's Best PESO for 2023 during the Dept. of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Year-End Performance Assessment and Planning Exercise cum 2024 Congress in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, on March 13, 2024. PGIN-PESO also received the same recognition in 2017, 2019, and 2022. It   was also recognized for achieving the “Highest Number of Individuals Reached through Labor Market Information”, the “Highest Number of Hires on the Spot during Job Fairs”, the “Highest Number of Applicants Placed”, being the “Best Implementer of the TUPAD Program”, having the “Highest Number of Registered Employers”, winning the “Kabuhayan Awards 2023 for Implementing Livelihood Programs”, being the “Top Performing PESO in Career Development Support Programs”, receiving “Special Citations for Implementing Job Start Philippines”, and for “Timely and Complete Submission of St

By Ike V. Señeres Recycling , composting and gardening are all parts of the same value chain that all communities should “operationalize” everywhere, all the time, and all over the country. I should say wherever there is there is waste and wherever there is hunger, but these two are actually everywhere too, and are present all the time too! I should also say that it sounds like it is easier said than done, but that is not true either, because it is not too difficult to do, and it could be one everywhere, from Mavulis island in Batanes, to Saluag island in Sulo, from Forbes Park in Makati City to Payatas Dumpsite in Quezon City. Recycling starts with the segregation of biodegradables and non-biodegradables. For the most part, the latter has commercial values when sold as paper, plastic and metals. The biodegradables generally do not have commercial value except when these are converted into fertilizers. And that is where composting comes in. Composting could be done with or without eart

LAOAG CITY—The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Ilocos Norte has reached its PHP3.2 billion collection target for 2023 due partly to compliance among taxpayers. In a media interview, revenue district officer Aldrin Camba said he is thankful for the taxpayers for making the Ilocos Norte bureau one of the country’s top performing revenue districts. “(This transpired because of) the cooperation of Ilocano taxpayers and through the intensified tax enforcement operations, which paved the way in hitting the annual target,” he said. For this year, the local BIR chief vowed to duplicate or even surpass last year’s success through intensified enforcement activities such as the imposition of stiff fines and filing of tax evasion charges against tax cheats, if any. In support of the implementation of the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, he said, "the district has started accelerating its digitalization initiatives to deliver prompt, efficient, and excellent taxpayer service, ensuring tha

By Noralyn O. Dudt It was almost in the middle of the day. Jesus and the twelve (his disciples)  were plodding  through the noonday heat not too far away from Jerusalem, in a place called Samaria. They were all hungry and thirsty.  They were Jews in a place they were not fond of, and to be precise, a place and a people they loathe. Why were they even there? Why didn't they bypass  this "despicable" place like all the other Jews in that period  would do? Why didn't they cross the Jordan River rather than travel through Samaria? Samaria, located on a hill northwest of Nablus in the West Bank territory came  under the Israeli administration in 1967. It is bounded by Galilee on the north and by Judea on the south; on the west is the Mediterranean Sea and on the east, the River Jordan. It was at  the crossroads and served as the  political center of the region. Excavations in 1908-1910; 1931-33; 1935 revealed that the site had been occupied occasionally during the l

FROM  left:. Bb Marcos 2 nd  runner up Charlene Miguel Bayudan (Brgy. Elizabeth), Miss ABC Stephanie Malilay (Pacifico), Miss Marcos 2024 Ma. Ninotcha Ericka Jenee Diza (Mabuti), Miss Tourism Lyca Mae Dumaoal (Valdez) and 3 rd  runner-up Sharies Mae Argell (Daquioag) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Marcos , Ilocos Norte – Thousands of Marcoseños has successfully joined and participated in this year’s 7 th Mannalon Festival, held March 9-14, 2024, with the theme “Rambak iti Panagsalukag’’. Marcos Mayor Antonio Mariano expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to all the people behind the success of this year’s festival especially to the participants in all the activities. MARCOS  Mayor Antonio Mariano announces the success celebration of the 7th Mannalon Festival in Marcos in an interview with the members of the media. (Doms dela Cruz) The festival kicked-off with a motor show on March 9 followed by the launching of “Tiangge ni Tatang Hub”, “TESDA Day” and “Thanksgiving Night” o

By Noralyn O. Dudt THE WHOLE  WORLD is in HIS HANDS HE's got the whole world in His hands (4×) He's got the wind and rain in His hands (4×) He's got the tiny little baby in His hands  (4×) He's got you brother and me in His hands  (4x) He's got you sister and me in His hands. (4×) He's got the whole world in His hands. (4×) While those lines may look too simple and  "unimpressive" to some, they do come alive when sung—the tune so lively that singers—faces beaming and eyes gleaming—can’t help but clap their hands and dance. This  beloved Christian hymn that arose from traditional African-American spiritual first published in 1927 became an international pop hit in 1957-58 in a recording by English singer Laurie London. The variations in both text and tune praise the dominion of God over all things, comforting our anxieties from things that are out of our control. It is especially popular with families and Sunday School classes to teach

Laoag City —The provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) officially established a sisterhood partnership with the City Government of Danao through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on March 7, 2024. Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc and Danao Mayor Thomas Mark “Mix” Durano led the MOA signing at the Provincial Capitol Auditorium along with government officials from Ilocos Norte and City of Danao. “This is more than a sisterhood agreement. It is a friendship and a strong everlasting bond between families and now one that has culminated in this official MOA signing. This is an earnest and hopeful invitation for you to come back anytime because Danaoanos will always be most welcome in Ilocos Norte. May both the Province of Ilocos Norte and the City of Danao prosper,” Manotoc stated. This relationship between Ilocos Norte and the City of Danao signifies a commitment to solidarity, friendship, and shared progress, as both government units strive to trans

  Pagudpud Mayor Rafael Ralph Benemerito and other municipal officials and department heads join the blessing of the newly acquired prime mover with boom crane of the Municipal Engineering and DRRM Office. The equipment is for the transport of heavy equipment and for rescue purposes for vehicles in road accidents. (Photo courtesy of LGU Pagudpud)

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) recently launched ‘PalayCheck App’, a new smartphone application, designed to make PalayCheck – a rice integrated cropping system, more interactive and accessible for stakeholders. The PalayCheck System recommends nine keychecks for crop management areas, including seed quality, land preparation, crop establishment, and management of nutrients, water, pests, harvest, and postharvest. The PalayCheck App serves as the mobile counterpart of this system with easy-to-use features for farmers, farm managers, and agricultural extension workers. Nehemiah L. Caballong, lead developer, said that one of the app’s main features is the cropping season calendar, which provides a comprehensive schedule of farm practices, from land preparation and planting to harvesting. The schedule is based on the variety of rice the farmer intends to use, the chosen establishment method, and the preferred nutrient management option. “For a successful harvest, ric

By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff Reporter Laoag City —With the projected possible increase of wastes in this city, the city government plans to add an additional sanitary cell at the Laoag City Sanitary Landfill (LCSL). This is in preparation for the full operations of big business establishments in the city. Relative to this, the city government has acquired an additional 10 units of garbage trucks under the present administration. City engineer Marishel Batuac confirmed this saying due to the possible increase of wastes that will be brought about by a big mall that will soon open before the year ends. “ Isunga iti maysa a move iti city government ket ma acquire pay dagitay kaabay a lote idiay LCSL tapnu lumawa diay sanitary cell tayo a pagikalbilan dagitay bas-basura ,” Batuac explained. The city government is also planning to put up a sewerage treatment plant since a de-clogger and a shredder machine for the composting facility is already available. “ Dakkel a tulo

Monsignor Joel Bruno C. Barut blesses the newly acquired heavy equipment of the City of Laoag comprising of 10 units of dump trucks, one unit of man lift, and one unit of de-clogger. This marks a pivotal moment in the city's commitment to progress and efficiency. Joining Msgr. Barut are Laoag Mayor Michael Keon, several members of the Laoag council headed by Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas, city hall department heads and employees as witnesses for the blessing. The 10 units of dump trucks is seen to revolutionize waste management, transportation of materials, maintenance of public spaces, and logistical support during evacuation and disaster relief operations. These vehicles are also set to streamline operations, ensuring a cleaner and more organized urban landscape for residents. The single unit of man lift likewise improves urban planning and maintenance. This equipment will facilitate the inspection and maintenance of elevated structures, enhance the efficiency of repairs, an

By Carlos V. Cornejo If the kind of work involved in your company consists of straight forward tasks such as repetitive data entry work, an assembly line job, selling goods, then the carrot and stick incentives would easily work. Carrot would mean giving cash bonuses and stick would be punishments or penalties if there are failures in delivering the goods.  But if your company is into intellectual work such as a software design, learning (university or school), or consultancy work, the carrot and stick system of reward would not work in the long run.  Your workers would need a higher form of motivation to work and get the job done and this book by Daniel Pink, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” could help you with that.  Dan Pink would recommend Three Intrinsic Drivers:  Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose   Autonomy When Atlassian, an Australian software company, allowed their programmers to have a complete day of freedom by giving them a free day to work on

WE, of course , need laws. Otherwise, our world would be in chaos. But we have to learn the different kinds of laws and know the importance, coverage and effectiveness of these laws. Offhand, we can distinguish between divine law and human law, the natural law, which more or less governs the material order of our life and the world in general, and the moral law that looks into the spiritual and supernatural dimensions of our human acts. There are, of course, many other subsets of these general laws. At the outset, what we have to be clear about is that our human laws should try their best to reflect the spirit of the divine law which is the source of all laws. This is where some tricky things will have to be dealt with as best that we can. That’s because the divine law would always contain some mysteries that would be challenging for us to decipher in a precise way. Thus, we have to be wary of considering our human laws as containing the final say or judgment about everything. Th

SOON TO RISE IN BATAC: ILOCOS NORTE AGRICULTURAL TRADING CENTER. Provincial officials led by Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc and City of Batac officials led by Mayor Albert D. Chua, alongside key officials from the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 1 (DA-RFO 1), led by executive director Annie Bares and National Dairy Authority Administrator, Dr. Gabriel Lagamayo lead the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ilocos Norte Agricultural Trading Center. The project is a collaborative effort of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, DA RFO 1 and the City Government of Batac. It is a keystone initiative of Manotoc, and funded by the DA RFO 1. The City Government’s counterpart is the land at Brgy. Bil-loca, conveniently located near the Batac Public Market. The project aims to establish a centralized trading hub for agricultural products in the province. It promises to offer a safer, more efficient and hygienic environment for trading, most especially for our local farmers.

By Noralyn O. Dudt GRACE, the Gift undeserved. ETERNAL Salvation is God's idea—desired by God for all humanity—free to anyone  who is willing to  accept and receive it. As the Holy Week approaches, we are again reminded of that noble act  that Jesus the Christ did for humanity on the cross. An excruciating death where blood was shed and life was taken. The death that  bridged the chasm between us and our Creator. The death that was God's way of  extending his hand to ours, to lift us back up so we can go back to the "garden"—the “garden" where the first man and the first woman had chats with God the Father in the "cool of the day," until they were told to leave because they disobeyed. They left,  but God never "left" them. God was relentless in his love and He meticulously devised a way to get them, and us back. It's called redemption in its finest. God's grace—his gift that we do not deserve, and free for all. It was this Grac