The Ilocos Times

TURN-OVER CEREMONY . Laoag vice mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas and several members of the Laoag council hand the ceremonial key to the DepEd officials headed by External Partnership and International Cooperation Office Dir. Margarita Consolacion C. Ballesteros, City Schools Division Superintendent Joane Corpuz and other local DepEd officials. ( Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The new Rodolfo CG. Farinas Jr. National Science High School will start its operation this coming school year 2024-25 after the inauguration and turn over ceremony held June 19, 2024, graced by DepEd External Partnership and International Cooperation Office Dir. Margarita Consolacion C. Ballesteros. Former Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo C Fariñas, the prime mover for the establishment of the science high school expressed his happiness that it will finally operate this coming school year. “ Maragsakan nak unay appo ta nagbalin daytoy ta dagitoy national science high schools k...

THE  restored Tobacco Monopoly Monument was originally built in 1882 by Don Jose Moreno Lacalle, the Alcalde Mayor at that time, as a gesture of thanksgiving to King Alfonso XII of Spain for abolishing the Tobacco Monopoly after 100 years of oppressing the people. (Photo by Alwin Formantes.)  

There is the clamor to ban POGO. Let's try to balance the idea starting from its history. How it all started? Where should we stand? Who are responsible in creating POGO? Considering that most employees of this industry are Chinese nationals with no legal papers and to consider that all forms of gambling in China are strictly prohibited. The issue of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)—now renamed as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGL)—is indeed a controversial and complex one. Let's discuss the pros and cons of POGO and try to provide a balanced view on the matter.   History and background POGOs began to proliferate in the Philippines in the early 2010s. These are online gambling operators that cater primarily to Chinese customers but are based in the Philippines. The industry grew rapidly due to a combination of factors including a large pool of English-speaking workers, relatively low labor costs, and supportive government policies. There are also additional c...

WITH Christ telling his disciples not to give what is holy to dogs, or throw one’s pearls before swine, (cfr. Mt 7,6) we are somehow reminded that in our worldly affairs, no matter how technical they are or physically straining and dirty, we should never forget that God is always there, and that they are meant to be done or attended to with God and for God always. In other words, we should avoid being swallowed up by the mundanity of these affairs as if God has nothing to do with them. We should avoid being so absorbed by them that we would not have God in our mind and heart. This definitely would require of us a certain discipline that would put God at the center and peak of our human activities. For this, we have to learn how to be recollected amid the hustle and bustle of our daily activities. Yes, we have to learn this skill. It’s actually a fundamental and indispensable skill. Without it, there’s no other way but for us to get confused and lost in our worldly and temporal a...

NUEVA  Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida and Vice Mayor Caroline Arzadon-Garvida lead the tree planting activity held at Brgy. Uguis in as part of the second Joseph B. Arzadon (JBA) Day celebration held June 19, 2024 By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government of here has conducted the second Joseph Bala Arzadon day with a theme “Your Legacy Lives On’’ focusing on environmental preservation via tree-planting held at Brgy.   Uguis, this municipality on June 19, 2024. Prior to the tree-planting, the municipal government conducted a whole day celebration with a wreath-laying at the Arzadon Mausoleum followed by the awarding of National Passers of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) for barangays; table tennis and literary competition; bloodletting and medical mission; and a thanksgiving mass in the evening. Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida thanked all his constituents for their support in commemorating the third year death anniversa...

THE  Philippine Councilors League (PCL) headed by PCL National President Handy T. Lao and PCL National Chairman Raul Corro, who were both elected, as ACF International treasurer and president, respectively join the Asian Councils Forum (ACF) signing ceremony held on June 6 in Tokyo, Japan along with representatives from Taiwan Councilors Forum (TCF) and the Japan Councilors Forum (JCF).( Photo courtesy of PCL) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The Philippine Councilors League (PCL) bounded with the Taiwan Councilors Forum (TCF) and Japan Councilors Forum (JCF) during the Asian Councils Constitution (ACF) signing ceremony held June 8, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. PCL National President and Laoag councilor Handy T. Lao, who was elected as the ACF international treasurer, said the organization aims to have a united voice from the local legislative councils and local legislative council associations in Asia promoting its objective through cooperation. PCL National Chai...

Customers can now open a Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) savings account completely online via smartphones, as the Bank continues to serve the growing preference of customers for digital solutions and promote financial inclusion. LANDBANK has upgraded its Mobile Banking App (MBA) with a new straight-through account opening feature which allows customers to open a digital account instantly from anywhere, at any time, without visiting a LANDBANK Branch. Through the MBA, customers can open a LANDBANK PISO Plus basic deposit account, a regular LANDBANK Visa debit account, and the new GoBayani savings account designed for overseas Filipinos, to help build their savings and start their financial journey. To open a LANDBANK account, interested clients need only their smartphones downloaded with the latest version of the LANDBANK MBA, a secure internet connection, and any valid identification card such as a Philippine Passport, Driver’s License, SSS, UMID, PRC ID, or PhilSys ID....

There is a social dilemma in many places that needs an immediate solution. I am here to offer a solution, and I hope that the civil society will listen. The problem is that not all indigenous communities are able to qualify for Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADTs) and because of that, they do not have places that they could occupy to live on, and to derive their livelihoods from. In the meantime, there are plenty of vacant lands around them that are owned by the government, but they could not apply for titles to these lands, because they do not have the proper historical claims to these areas. The solution is right there underneath our noses, but we have not thought of it, because it simply did not occur to us. According to the laws, any natural or juridical person for an Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA), or any other similar government program under the DENR. What that means is that any indigenous community that has registered an association of any kind coul...

The history of the Philippines, especially during the periods of colonization and occupation by various foreign powers, has indeed shaped the country's cultural, social, political, and economic landscape in significant ways. Spanish Occupation The more than 300 years of Spanish colonization deeply influenced Philippine culture and values. The Spanish introduced Christianity, which remains a dominant religion in the country. They also left a lasting impact on language, architecture, and governance systems.   Japanese Occupation The Japanese occupation during World War II was a period of great hardship for Filipinos. The brutality of the Japanese occupation left a scar on the national psyche and resulted in significant loss of life and destruction.   American Colonial Period The American period brought significant changes to the Philippines, including the establishment of a public education system, the introduction of democratic institutions, and the developme...

CHRIST was quite clear about this point. In the gospel of St. Matthew which is the gospel reading for the Mass on Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Christ said: “You have heard that it was said to them of old—Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt 5,27-28) To be able to live this real chastity as articulated by Christ, we really need to fully give our mind and heart to Christ, something that can only take place when aside from our earnest effort to live this virtue, we would first of all ask for God’s grace. We need to submit our animal self, i.e., our flesh, to the law of the spirit that is properly animated by the spirit of Christ. We should not just allow our flesh to work simply by its biological and corporeal laws that are surely erratic in their ways due to our wounded condition. We need to “educate” it, giving it its proper formation, so to sp...

HISTORICAL MARKER. Representatives of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Museum of the Philippines as well as Laoag City officials unveil on Monday (June 17, 2024) a historical marker of the Spanish-era watchtower of Gabu. The watchtower is one of the last remaining watchtowers in the country recognized as a national cultural treasure on December 17, 2020. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie Adriano LAOAG CITY – Officials and residents here witnessed the unveiling of a new marker of the Spanish-era watchtower located at Sitio Torre, Brgy. 35, Gabu Sur this city. Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon said the marker would serve as a reminder to preserve the city’s history for the next generation. “The Gabu Sur watchtower built during the Spanish colonial period and used as an outpost for sentinels tasked to warn residents of pirate attacks now stands tall as a symbol of resilience and strength, overlooking our lands with a silent grace that speaks volumes about our pas...

City of Batac —Mariano Marcos State University’s research and development initiatives is now acknowledged international after it bagged the Gold Award under the Pharma Category for its Black Garlic product. Spearheaded by MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis, before she became university president, and commercialized by BauerTek Farmaceutical Technologies Corp, Black Garlic secured the said award during the E-NNOVATE International Invention & Innovation Summit, held May 16-18, 2024 at Krakow, Poland. MMSU’s industry partner, BauerTek, and inventors Richard and Rigel Gomez, assisted in the black garlic’s conversion from a research experiment into a full-blown commercial product. The packaged black garlic is aimed at helping patients with nerve disorders and certain forms of cancer. E-NNOVATE is an annual event supported by the Polish government in partnership with the International Federation of Inventors Associations. This year’s summit featured more than 200 entries from 25 cou...

RIVER DREDGING. A dredging operator at the mouth of the Bislak River in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte in this undated photo. Dredging activities are ongoing to anticipate heavy rains this rainy season, a local official said. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie Adriano & Dominic B. dela Cruz LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte’s provincial government is lending its backhoe, excavator, and other equipment to towns and barangays in the province to hasten the desilting of rivers and creeks in anticipation of heavy rainfall that could trigger flash floods in low-lying areas. Marcel Tabije, local disaster risk reduction and management officer of Ilocos Norte reported that the desilting of waterways is ongoing in the flood-prone areas of Paoay, Pinili, Badoc, and Pagudpud towns. “We are declogging these waterways in anticipation of heavy rains and bring back their depth to prevent overflow that inundates nearby communities,” Tabije said. Aside from lending equipment, the provincial government’s implementati...

I am proposing to build an Urban Forest Park (UFP) inside the Diliman, Quezon City campus of the University of the Philippines. I am hoping that if it becomes successful, it can become the showcase for my advocacy to build new growth forests in all urban areas all over the Philippines. It may sound ambitious, but do not worry because we have all the time to make it happen. Probably, it will take at least 20 years to grow. The proposed urban forest will be planted with native trees, and only native trees. However, it could also be planted with vegetables and other high value crops, in connection with my secondary goal of also building a food forest. Yes, the primary goal is to help combat global warming, but the secondary goal is to contribute to food security. Even if my goal is to build urban forests, the showcase in Diliman could also become the prototype for beach forests in coastal areas, and rain forests in mountain areas. The latter could take hundreds of years to build, but ...