The Ilocos Times

  Ilocos Norte 1 st  district Rep. Sandro Marcos presents the letter requesting  Php 500 million for the access road project. Laoag City —Ilocos Norte first district Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos replied to accusations that he is “politicking” when he criticized the Laoag City government’ mall bypass road project. His criticism of the said project happened during the filing of certificates of candidacy for next year’s elections. He pointed out that even if the proposal letter made by Laoag mayor Michael M. Keon—addressed to the Dept. of Public Works and Highways—was made during the first quarter of this year, Congress only gets to scrutinize the budget proposals for the general appropriations act in September of each year, or when the House of Representatives session resumes after the President’s state of the nation address. The young Marcos stressed that other than the timing, people should focus on the huge discrepancy between the DPHW project cost an...

  CLARK AIR BASE built in 1903, was a US military base in Central Luzon. It was known as Fort Stotsenburg when it  was first established as a US military camp for the 5th Cavalry after the Spanish-American War ( 1898). After the Second World War, it was renamed Clark Air Field after Major Harold M. Clark, a World War 1 pilot who was born in Minnesota and raised in Manila. The area covered an area of 12 square miles (30 square km).  The Clark family had a strong military tradition dating back to the Revolutionary War (late 1770s). His father fought Spanish forces in the Philippines while assigned to Company E, 13th Minnesota volunteer infantry during the Spanish-American War of 1898. The end of the Spanish-American War brought a period of growth and interest in the Philippines. In 1904, the Clarks moved to Manila, where they enjoyed considerable wealth and prestige due to the family's business ventures. After graduating from the American High School in Manila in 1910, Haro...

Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has announced the availability of immediate financial assistance to businesses and individuals affected by Typhoon Kristine, reinforcing its commitment to helping rebuild communities and restore economic activity in hardly hit areas. Under the LANDBANK CARES Plus (Community Assistance and REintegration Support Plus) Lending Program, various sectors—including farmers, fishers, cooperatives, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), large corporations, and electric distribution utilities—can access financial aid to rebuild, restore operations, and recover from disaster-related losses. “LANDBANK stands ready to provide accessible, responsive, and immediate financial assistance to sectors severely impacted by the typhoon. We are fully committed to doing our part in helping our kababayans and communities recover from this adversity while accelerating recovery efforts,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz. Eligible borrowers can...

RELIEF ASSISTANCE. Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc leads the distribution of relief aid to evacuation centers in various parts of the province. ( PGIN) By Leilanie G. Adriano Laoag City —The provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), led by Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, has distributed PHP55.8 million in rehabilitation resources to farmers severely affected by super typhoon “Julian,” which battered the province last month. The multi-million worth of hybrid corn seeds, assorted vegetable seeds, rice seeds, and fertilizers, is aimed at restoring crops in lands damaged by extreme flooding and destructive winds. This initiative follows a recent assessment indicating that the typhoon impacted over 195,000 individuals across Ilocos Norte, with damages and losses reaching nearly PHP1.1 billion as of the report from the Provincial Resiliency Council dated Oct. 7, 2024. A total of 16,789 farmers received the support package, with the goal of ensuring timely agricul...

THIS is what we can gather as a lesson from that gospel episode about the two sisters, Martha and Mary, in their relation with Christ. (Lk 10,38-42) Both were good sisters and followers of Christ, but the former failed to take the proper priority regarding their relation with Christ. While everything temporal and earthly plays an important role in our relation with God, they can be dangerous if they do not have God as their beginning and end, and are simply understood and treated as temporal and earthly. We really need to train our mind and heart to be always anchored and focused on God. This will take a lifetime to achieve, and we may not be able to perfect it, but the point is simply for us to just try and try. Especially these days when we are heavily bombarded with fantasies and fictions in novels and movies, we can easily be gaslighted to believe in them if our faith in God is not nourished regularly in our mind and heart. We would fail to realize that these fantasies and...

TYPHOON IMPACT. One of the two Chinese vessels that ran aground at the shore of Currimao, Ilocos Norte on Friday (Nov. 8, 2024) due to to strong winds and waves caused by Typhoon Marce (international name Yinxing). Both vessels are processing their conversion as domestic traders.  Photo courtesy of Currimao LGU Currimao , Ilocos Norte—Authorities are monitoring possible oil leaks from two foreign vessels that ran aground in the Currimao shoreline early Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, because of strong waves and wind brought by typhoon “Marce” (international name Yinxing) MV Aries 1 and LCT PanPhil 8 were anchored at the Currimao port but were dragged to shallow waters, Lt. Joseph Christian Sagun, station commander of the Philippine Coast Guard Ilocos Norte, said in a phone interview. Sagun said both vessels are from China but have all-Filipino crews. MV Aries 1, with five crew members, has been at the Currimao port for five months already. LCT PanPhil 8, with 15 crew members, arriv...

Dear Mr . President: Technically senior citizens are not in the same category as persons with disabilities (PWDs), but in a manner of speaking, many seniors have already lost their abilities to function normally, such that they would already need some of the facilities that are intended for PWDs. But if I may ask you Sir, what does it take for a senior citizen to be considered as a PWD? Is it a cane? Or a walker? Obviously, it is not a wheelchair because if a senior citizen must use a wheelchair, that will already qualify him or her to be a PWD. Aside from some listings in the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in the local government units (LGUs), that are probably mostly in paper form, there appears to be no reliable electronic databases that are hosted anywhere, at both the national and local levels. As proof of that, most of the local senior citizen’s cards and discount booklets are still in paper form. Aside from that, there is no real monitoring of local business establis...

  Philippine  Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) staff share their disaster risk reduction and early warning systems to training participants. Manila —The United States Peace Corps, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), recently launched the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Toolkit, a comprehensive training guide designed to help Peace Corps volunteers and their partner communities build resilience by enhancing their disaster preparedness capability. The DRR Toolkit contains resources on developing disaster preparedness strategies, conducting risk assessments, managing community resources, and strengthening early warning systems.   As an inclusive training guide, the DRR Toolkit promotes the active participation of all community members in pre-disaster planning. From Oct. 14 to 18, 2024, the Peace Corps gathered 28 of its volunteers, staff, and work partners from the Philippine government and non-...

Dear Mr . President: I beg to disagree with those who have already said that there is no solution to the problem of flooding and that the government could no longer do anything about it. I believe in the saying that for every problem, there is always a solution. Otherwise, mathematically speaking, it is not even a problem if it could not be solved. While it could be said that no country could claim that they have completely solved the problem of flooding, there are four countries that could rightfully claim that they have controlled flooding to a manageable level, which is good enough, I think. To be fair, Mr. President, our people are not really expecting the government to end flooding once and for all. As it is written in our laws and in our budget appropriations, our objective is simply to control the floods, hence the so-called “flood control” projects. I think that in terms of public opinion, the public does not really mind seeing a few inches of flood water every now and then...

To address urgent financial needs during emergencies, Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has expanded its available loan packages for businesses and individuals affected by calamities and natural disasters to help facilitate and fast-track rebuilding efforts. Under the enhanced LANDBANK CARES+ ( C ommunity A ssistance and RE integration S upport Plus) Lending Program, affected farmers and fishers, cooperatives, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), corporations, and electric distribution utilities may access loans to finance their recovery and restore regular business operations. Eligible borrowers may use the funds for working capital, capital expenditures, and the construction, repair or acquisition of disaster-damaged equipment, facilities and structures. Electric distribution utilities can also use the loan as short-term working capital for the incremental increase in generation and distribution expenses. “We want to boost the ability of our clients and partners ...

Balance of payments (BoP) is a comprehensive record of all economic transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world over a specific period. It includes the trade balance, net income, and net current transfers. Trade balance, on the other hand, is a component of the BoP, which specifically measures the difference between a country's exports and imports of goods and services. A positive trade balance—or surplus—occurs when exports exceed imports, while a negative balance—or deficit—arises when imports surpass exports.   Economic importance 1. Indicator of economic health :   A surplus can indicate a competitive economy, suggesting that local industries are thriving and are able to produce goods that are in demand abroad. A deficit may indicate reliance on foreign goods or a lack of competitiveness, which can raise concerns about economic sustainability. 2. Currency value : A consistent trade surplus may strengthen a nation's currency, making im...

THE lesson we can draw from the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (cfr. Lk 15,1-10) is very clear. We need to give special attention and exert special effort to recover those who have lost their way toward God. This is the real test of discipleship. We obviously need some special training for this. But let’s not forget that the first thing to do is to beg for that grace and power of God so we can carry out this duty that is clearly beyond our human powers and condition. In our prayer, we should ask God to instill in us this strong urge to be concerned for those who have strayed from the proper way, those who for one reason or another are ostracized and alienated from God and from the rest of humanity. With God’s grace, let’s embark on a plan to develop the appropriate attitude, virtues, skills and practices. Yes, we have to learn how to be “all things to all men to save at least some,” as St. Paul once said. (cfr. 1 Cor 9,22) Definitely this would require of us a ve...

Dear Mr. President: During the series of Senate hearings about how dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Gou was able to leave the country, one of the resource persons said that one of the reasons is that we have “porous borders”. I think that there is nothing new with that, because that is a reality that we could not avoid, considering that we are an archipelagic country. However, what could be a cause for concern, is that if that porousness could enable fugitives to get out, it could also enable terrorists and even hostile foreign agents to come in. Because our borders are naturally porous, there is probably no way to fully prevent the exit of fugitives, and the entry of terrorists. However, it would be realistic to assume that we could do the next best thing and that is to minimize both the exits and the entries. And how could we do that? I do not have a ready design yet, but I believe that we could do that through a mix of manual and digital systems. If there is a will, there is a ...