The Ilocos Times

The Philippines may be losing as much as 10% of its gross domestic product (GDP) because workers are not always able to use their skills at their highest productive value, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) senior research fellow Michael Ralph Abrigo . Speaking at the 2026 Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) Kick-off Press Conference and Media Awards on September 1, 2026, Abrigo said the country’s challenge is not limited to the production of skilled workers. It also involves ensuring that workers are deployed and allowed to work in ways that make full use of their capabilities. “What we estimate is as much as 10% of our GDP is actually lost because of this misallocation of talent,” Abrigo said during the open forum. He explained that talent misallocation occurs when the system does not allow skilled workers to use their skills at their most optimal level. It is different from unemployment or a lack of skills. A person can be employed,...

TECHNOLOGY is one of humanity's great achievements, but it is not humanity itself. The Christian vision welcomes progress while insisting that every invention remain ordered toward human dignity , freedom, truth, and authentic flourishing . The first question is not simply, “What can technology do?” It is, “What should we do with it?” Technical power has no moral direction by itself. Its value depends upon the purposes it serves and the person it protects. To remain fully human begins with remembering that a person is never merely a function, product, consumer, data point, or biological organism. Each human being possesses dignity because each is created in God's image and called to communion with Him. Artificial intelligence can imitate conversation, compose music, analyze information, create images, and assist decisions. Yet imitation is not identity. Human intelligence includes embodied experience, conscience, relationships, wonder, moral responsibility, and openness...

Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida and Vice Mayor Caroline Arzadon Garvida lead the distribution of educational assistance to 216 ADAL scholars, incentives to senior citizens, birthday celebrants, BHWs and barangay tanods, rice to heads of families, maintenance medicines to residents with non-communicable diseases , and livestock to ADAL scholars. ( Doms Dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ,  Staff Reporter NUEVA ERA, Ilocos Norte —The municipal government of Nueva Era distributed educational assistance to 216 scholars under the Arapaap Dagiti Agtutubo ken Laing (ADAL) Scholarship Program on August 31, 2026 at the People’s Center, highlighting its continuing support for education, community welfare and livelihood development. Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida led the activity, joined by Nueva Era Vice Mayor Caroline Arzadon Garvida, members of the Sangguniang Bayan , Sangguniang Kabataan officials, parents, guardians and other stakeholders. The scholars received educational ass...

Batac City Councilor Martha Louise Aurora M. Borleo announces the passage of an ordinance temporarily suspending the payment of business taxes, rental fees and garbage fees for fire-affected vendors of the Batac Public Market . ( Doms Dela Cruz)   By Dominic B. dela Cruz;  Staff Reporter CITY OF BATAC— The city government of Batac has temporarily suspended the payment of business taxes, rental fees and garbage fees for market stall holders affected by the Batac Public Market fire for the third and fourth quarters of 2026. Batac Councilor Martha Louise Aurora M. Borleo said the measure was approved through an ordinance to provide temporary financial relief and help affected vendors resume and rehabilitate their businesses. The Batac Public Market fire damaged stalls and structures, destroyed inventories and disrupted business operations, leaving affected vendors with significant financial losses, Borleo said. Under the ordinance, payment of the covered fees for th...

  Councilors vote on the measure authored by Laoag Councilor Justine Chua establishing a three-tier permit and price-tracking system for the hog industry in Laoag City . ABC President Rbee Ablan, SK Federated President Rionell Jan Respicio and Councilor Eric Ang voted in favor, while Councilors Jeff Fariñas, John Michael Fariñas and Atty. Jason Bader Perera abstained. (Doms Dela Cruz) By Dominic B. Dela Cruz.  Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The Laoag City Sangguniang Panlungsod is moving to impose a three-tier permit and price-tracking system for the hog industry to improve transparency in the trading of live pigs and monitor price increases from hog raisers to the retail market. City Councilor Justine Clarence G. Chua, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and author of the measure, said the system is designed to identify where price increases occur, determine whether they are justified and curb unreasonable markups along the pork supply chain. Chua said the tradin...

  Combining climate adaptation with measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could cut projected emissions from Philippine agriculture by 18% over 2025–2045, while helping the sector become more resilient and productive, according to a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). The study, “Culprit and Victim: Scenarios for Philippine Agriculture amidst Climate Change,” by PIDS senior research fellow Roehlano Briones and former PIDS supervising research specialist Ivory Myka Galang , examines how Philippine agriculture could respond to climate change under three scenarios: continuing current trends, strengthening adaptation, and combining adaptation with mitigation. Using a computable general equilibrium model , the study assesses the potential effects of these pathways on agricultural productivity, consumption, and GHG emissions. Under the combined adaptation-and-mitigation scenario, agricultural GHG emissions are projected to decline by 18...

I still remember—not so long ago—when responsible newspapers would print the news on the front page and tuck commentary inside, separated neatly so that readers could distinguish fact from opinion. Back then, every news story had a byline , and a whole chain of editors—from copy editors to the editor-in-chief—stood as gatekeepers of accuracy and truth. Today, much of the news we consume is online — and with that shift, we’ve seen a blurring of lines. Some online outlets continue the tradition: reporters write bylines, stories pass through editors, and readers can trace the chain of accountability. Others present themselves as “news,” yet offer neither bylines nor editorial credits. The difference between an online newspaper and a blog can become dangerously subtle. That’s why I ask: Should online newspapers have formal editorial boards? I believe the answer is yes—and here’s why.   What Is an editorial board—and what is it for? An editorial board is a group of senior edi...

I still remember a time—not even that long ago—when newspapers followed a simple but sacred rule: the front page was for news; the inside pages were for opinions. There was no confusion, no overlap, no sneaky editorializing masquerading as journalism. You always knew what you were reading and who wrote it. Every piece of real news carried a byline , because truth has a name. And behind that name stood an entire battalion of editors—the copy editor, the desk editor, the managing editor, all the way up to the editor-in-chief —carefully cross-checking facts and holding every reporter accountable. Fast forward to today. The online versions of traditional newspapers still follow this discipline. They still publish bylines. They still employ editors. They still observe a chain of accountability . Generally speaking, most broadsheet newspapers that come out with online versions could be deemed as responsible, because the same editors that serve in their paper versions also serve in t...

WE often recognize physical age without recognizing emotional maturity. Someone can be forty yet react to criticism like a child, while another quietly accepts disappointment, takes responsibility, and remains kind. Psychological maturity is not simply growing older; it is learning to live truthfully and responsibly. Psychological maturity means becoming more fully oneself: knowing strengths and weaknesses, accepting reality, regulating emotions, making responsible decisions, forming healthy relationships, and pursuing worthwhile goals. It is gradual, not finished. We mature as experience, reflection, virtue, and grace reshape how we live. A mature person does not mean someone who never becomes angry, afraid, disappointed, or sad. Maturity enables us to recognize emotions without becoming their prisoners. We can acknowledge pain, think calmly, choose a fitting response, and continue doing what love and responsibility require. This distinction is important for Christian life. Sp...