The Ilocos Times

RECOGNIZING COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. LANDBANK bags six Quill Awards for communication initiatives that connect and empower Filipinos during the 22nd Philippine Quill Awards on 27 August 2026 at Solaire Resort North in Parañaque City. Receiving the awards on behalf of the Bank were Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs Catherine Rowena B. Villanueva (center-left), Vice President for Public Communications Gaudioso Carlos A. Garcia VI (center-right), and Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications and Events Melissa B. Calimag (2 nd from center-left), together with other officers and personnel from LANDBANK’s Corporate Affairs Group. LANDBANK’s efforts to connect Filipinos to opportunities, champion sustainability , and support underserved communities earned six recognitions at the 22nd Philippine Quill Awards, affirming the Bank’s development impact beyond banking. The state-run bank received three Excellence Awards and three Merit Awards in communication manage...

WATER RESERVE. A water impounding project in Batac City , Ilocos Norte stores rainwater for agricultural use in this undated photo. The provincial government has allocated PHP25 million to build at least 23 rainwater catchment facilities as part of preparations for prolonged dry conditions . ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie Adriano LAOAG CITY —The Ilocos Norte provincial government has set aside PHP25 million for the construction of at least 23 rainwater catchment facilities as the province prepares for prolonged dry conditions and possible El Niño impacts. Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) officer Marcell Tabije confirmed the allocation following a meeting of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Tabije said the project is intended to augment water supplies in communities that could face reduced availability during extended periods of below-normal rainfall. “The investment comes as communities face increasing pressure on w...

Manila — The governments of the United States, the Philippines, and Japan hosted today the inaugural Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Investment Forum. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton, U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Deputy Director Thomas Hardy, Philippine Department of Finance Secretary Frederick Go, Philippine Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Ono Sho, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, attended. Sponsored by USTDA, the forum brought together more than 600 investors, industry leaders, and government officials to mobilize private-sector investment and accelerate commercial partnerships in transportation, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing supply chains. It featured deal signings, project pitches, and discussions focused on improving connectivity, strengthening supply chains, and unlocking pr...

IT’S sad to note that some people simply cannot be pleased. That is exactly what Jesus exposed in Gospel reading of September 16, Memorial of St. Cornelius and Cyprian, Martyrs (cfr. Lk 7,31-35). The people of his time rejected John the Baptist because he fasted too much. Then they rejected Jesus because he mingled with ordinary people, ate with sinners, and attended celebrations. John was "too strict." Jesus was "too friendly." The problem was neither John nor Jesus. The real problem was the hardened heart . This Gospel is more relevant than ever. We can easily fall into the same trap. We become experts at criticizing. If someone is prayerful, we call him fanatical. If another is approachable and cheerful, we accuse him of lacking seriousness. We find fault with almost everyone while refusing to examine ourselves. It’s an attitude blocks grace . God comes to us in many forms. Sometimes he challenges us through demanding people. Sometimes he consoles us ...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY —The city government of Laoag has expressed its appreciation to Davies Paints Philippines Inc. for supporting the repainting of all 92 Child Development Centers (CDCs) across the city. Laoag councilor Donald Nicolas said the Sangguniang Panlungsod has authorized Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid to enter into and sign a tripartite agreement with Liga ng mga Barangay President and ex-officio Sangguniang Panlungsod member Roque Benjamin C. Ablan and Davies Paints Philippines Inc., represented by Vice President for Business Development Engr. Maria Rosario Quintos. Under the proposed agreement, Davies Paints will donate 450 pails of paint valued at PHP1.3 million for the repainting of the city’s 92 CDCs. Nicolas said the project responds to the need to maintain and improve the facilities where young children receive early childhood care and development services. Repainting the centers will help improve their physical co...

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo Here’s a summary of the famous book of the same title by best-selling author Ryan Holiday .   First, Mr. Holiday tells us about the Three Areas in Life when the problematic ego appears.   First area is aspiring.   Aspiring in the wrong way means we are more of talking than doing.   Or we end up not walking our talk.   The author says, “It’s a temptation that exists for everyone—for talk and hype to replace action.”   It is that constant concern of what people would think of us, making comments on social media of what we plan to do, instead of doing it.   Mr. Holiday made the example of Emily Gould , a famous novelist and blogger who was constantly posting on the plans she had for her book and what her followers on Twitter would say about it that she ended up wasting her time on her comments and replies to her fans instead of working on the book.   The second area in our life that makes the problematic ego rear its ...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter LAOAG CITY —The city government of Laoag has posthumously honored 12-year-old Mark Khianne Asuncion of Barangay 33-A La Paz for his courage and selfless attempt to save two cousins during a drowning incident in the barangay last year. The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a resolution commending Asuncion as a “ Young Hero of La Paz ” for risking his own life to rescue his cousins, an act that ultimately cost him his own young life. Laoag Councilor Jaybee Baquiran , who cited the boy’s extraordinary courage and presence of mind, said Asuncion immediately responded after seeing his two cousins in danger on September 12, 2025. According to the resolution, the two cousins were in a life-threatening situation when Asuncion intervened. He managed to rescue both of them and bring them to safety, but tragically drowned in the course of the incident. The council recognized Asuncion for placing the safety and lives of others before his own and d...

  DRUG-CLEARED. The Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing conducts validation and deliberation on the drug-cleared status of Laoag ’s additional barangays. With the latest declaration, all 80 barangays of Laoag are now drug-cleared. (Photo courtesy of LMB Laoag) By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Laoag City has been declared “100 percent drug-cleared” after the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing (ROCBDC) validated and deliberated on the status of 18 additional barangays on September 9, 2026. Liga ng mga Barangay President and ex-officio Sangguniang Panlungsod member Roque Benjamin Ablan said the latest declaration brought all 80 barangays of Laoag to “drug-cleared” status. The validation and deliberation were conducted at the Philip Corpus Velasco Socio-Civic and Cultural Center in Barangay 1, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, upon the motion of PDEA Regional Office 1 Director and ROCBDC Chairperson Julius M. Paderes Jr., PhD ,...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is like electricity in the early 1900s—full of promise, but also full of dangers for those who do not know how to handle it. For me, the priority groups needing protection are clear: minors and older adults . In the Philippines, we define minors as anyone below 18, and “older adults” as our senior citizens, those aged 60 and above. These two groups are often the least equipped to recognize the risks created by rapidly advancing AI tools. And make no mistake: AI is already being used for harm.   The rise of AI scams Scammers today are no longer satisfied with text messages or suspicious emails. With AI, they can now produce videos that look and sound like your own family members, claiming they’re in danger, asking for money urgently, or begging for help. This is the era of deepfakes —videos so convincing that even tech-savvy adults sometimes pause. How much more for a 12-year-old child or a 72-year-old lola ? Most minors don’t have the cri...

I remember when the internet was simpler. Back then, if you wanted to file a complaint, you could say confidently: the server’s location was the crime scene. There was clarity. There was accountability. If a website published defamatory content, you knew where to start: trace the server, identify the network, and hold someone responsible. But those days are gone. Today, websites deploy multiple servers across different countries. Content is mirrored, cached, shared on social media, reposted under new names. The physical “scene of the crime” has dissolved into bits and bytes scattered across clouds. So where do we draw the line when it comes to cyberlibel? If a post stabs someone’s reputation, if it spreads misinformation, if it damages a person’s name—the “platform” isn’t the perpetrator. The crime is not committed by a set of servers or by a tech company. The real suspect is the content creator —the individual behind the keyboard.   Cyberlibel : law meets the digital wi...

LASTING PRINCIPLE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. pays tribute to his late father, former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., during the commemoration of the latter’s 109th birth anniversary in Batac City , Ilocos Norte on Friday (Sept. 11, 2026). Marcos said the principles and lessons he learned from his father continue to guide him in carrying out his responsibilities as president. (Screengrab from RTVM) CITY OF BATAC—President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on September 11, 2026, honored his father and namesake, the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., as a “great man” whose lessons and principles continue to guide him in public service . During the commemoration of the elder Marcos’ 109 th birth anniversary in this city, the President recalled how his father taught him the value of public service, leadership , and sacrifice . He said his father taught him to stay on track and always do what is right, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be. “So, one lesson—immedi...

Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas receives his Certificate of Completion and Certificate of Appearance during the face-to-face session and graduation of the Executive Education Program for Young Legislators , held August 30 to September 1, 2026, at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore . (Photo courtesy of VMO)   By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Rey Carlos Fariñas has completed the Executive Education for Young Legislators (EEYL) program at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) of the National University of Singapore, bringing home new insights on governance, public policy and leadership. The executive education program ran from July 23 to August 31, 2026, with Fariñas attending the face-to-face session and graduation activities from August 30 to September 1 at LKYSPP. The program was conducted in partnership with the National Movement of Youn...