The Ilocos Times

Ayatko founder Aurelio Almazan Jr. presents the new global digital platform through Zoom during its formal launch on August 22 at the Twins Function Hall in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. (Doms Dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—An Ilocano entrepreneur from Barangay Bengcag has developed a global digital platform designed to strengthen family, community and cultural connections among Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad. Aurelio Almazan Jr., founder of the “Ayatko” mobile application, is currently based in Texas, United States, where he developed the Filipino community and family social networking platform to connect Filipinos across barangays, municipalities, provinces and international borders. Unlike conventional social media platforms, Ayatko was designed without algorithm-driven feeds, advertisements or the selling of user data, promoting what Almazan described as a more authentic, community-centered and privacy-conscious digital environmen...

G2G PROGRAM. Marites Maynes, senior labor and employment officer of the Department of Migrant Workers , assists a returning an overseas Filipino worker from Singapore at a shopping mall in Laoag City on August 26, 2026. The DMW said a number of G2G jobs is available to interested migrant workers. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano LAOAG CITY—The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on August 27, 2026 encouraged aspiring overseas Filipino workers in the province to take advantage of its government-to-government (G2G) program that provides access to legitimate overseas employment opportunities facilitated through government arrangements. Marites Maynes, senior labor and employment officer of the DMW, said that through the DMW's Pre-Employment and Government Placement Bureau , qualified Filipino workers can access vacancies without relying solely on private recruitment agencies. The DMW currently maintains a dedicated platform for G2G vacancies and Recruitment Specification...

Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida By Dominic B. dela Cruz.  Staff Reporter NUEVA ERA, Ilocos Norte — Nueva Era Mayor Aldrin Garvida has confirmed the plan to establish an extension campus of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Nueva Era, which could provide nearby college opportunities for students who cannot afford to pursue four-year degrees in Laoag City or Batac. Garvida said the proposed extension is intended primarily to help Grade 12 graduates from Nueva Era and surrounding communities who want to continue their education but face financial difficulties, particularly the cost of transportation, boarding and other expenses associated with studying outside the municipality. However, he said the proposal is still pending before the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which must assess the project’s requirements and feasibility, including the projected number of enrollees and the courses that can be sustainably offered. “ Maawatan tay met iti CHED ken MMSU ...

Farmers using direct seeding may need to control weedy rice earlier than usual, after a study found that the weed gains its advantage before cultivated rice reaches its reproductive stage. The Philippine Rice Research Institute ( PhilRice )-led study found that weedy rice can outgrow cultivated rice because it emerges earlier, grows taller, produces more tillers, and develops larger and more highly branched roots. Dr. Leylani M. Juliano , PhilRice lead researcher, said that these traits help weedy rice absorb more water and nutrients from the soil. The weed can also continue using sunlight efficiently to grow even when nutrients are limited, giving it a stronger chance to compete in direct-seeded fields. She said understanding how the weed competes can guide researchers in improving the timing and design of management strategies, especially during the early stages of crop growth. The study showed that weedy rice builds much of its advantage from the seedling stage until be...

US and Philippine officials tour the new Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Reporting Center. PUERTO PRINCESA CITY —The US Embassy in the Philippines , through the Fish Right Project , launched the Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Reporting Center in partnership with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.   The new facility strengthens Philippine-led efforts to combat IUU fishing —a shared economic and security threat for both the United States and the Philippines. Building on the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development ’s existing coordination mechanisms with local and national agencies, Fish Right will integrate American technologies, such as Starlink and data visualization software EarthRanger , to strengthen connectivity, improve the collection and organization of community reports, and support timely information-sharing with Philippine authorities.   The Center will serve as a community hub for receiving a...

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo Compassion means empathizing and caring for the unfortunate situation of the others.   When we have compassion, we put yourself in the shoes of others in their misfortunes and feel what they feel.   Compassion is supposed to not only feel pity but also to try to remedy the sufferings of others.   When we feel compassion for a friend who has lost a loved one, we try to tell him we feel his sorrow and that we are united with him in his suffering perhaps with a word or two of condolence.   We could not fully remedy his pain and our condolences are all we could offer. But it would be a big help to alleviate his pain.   St. Thomas Aquinas discussed the virtue of compassion in his Summa Theologiae by asking a question: “Whether pain and sorrow are alleviated by the compassion of friends?” The question may seem odd to the modern mind because the answer seems obvious.   But St. Thomas reasoning however is enlightening.   He ...

Every so often a technology arrives that carries the potential to reshape entire systems—not just improve them. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is doing just that for renewable energy . From forecasting weather to optimizing solar and wind farms, AI is helping flood our grids with clean power while making them smarter, more reliable, and more resilient. But the bigger question for us here in the Philippines is: Are we ready to ride this wave—or will we lag behind once again?   What AI can do for renewables AI and machine learning (ML) address some of renewable energy’s biggest headaches: intermittency , unpredictability, maintenance challenges, and grid instability . Experts say that AI-powered systems excel at forecasting, optimization, and adaptive control. Here are the key levers: Wind & Solar Forecasting: AI models analyze weather patterns, historical generation data, and real-time conditions to predict output. This allows grid operators to anticipate supply and ma...

WE are living in an age of endless distractions. Artificial intelligence , social media , and digital technology have made life faster, smarter, and more convenient. Yet they can also imprison us in ourselves, making us increasingly self-absorbed and indifferent to others. That is why one question has become more urgent than ever: What is the real purpose of my life ? Unless we answer it clearly, we will drift wherever the latest trend, pleasure, or crisis carries us. A life without purpose soon becomes a life without direction. Every day, countless voices compete for our attention. Notifications, opinions, advertisements, and entertainment fill our minds from morning until night. Without a steady interior compass, we easily mistake activity for meaning and success for fulfillment. The greatest challenge today is not simply information overload. It is purpose overload. We chase careers, wealth, comfort, and recognition, only to discover that none of them can fully satisfy the de...

By Dominic Dela Cruz,  Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—The city government of Laoag has requested Ilocos Norte 1 st District Representative Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis to support the establishment of a CHED satellite office in Laoag City . Laoag Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod Presiding Officer Rey Carlos Fariñas said the proposed satellite office would make higher education services more accessible to students, parents, faculty members and higher education institutions throughout Ilocos Norte . CHED is mandated to promote quality, affordable and accessible higher education programs and services nationwide. Fariñas noted that Ilocos Norte is a major educational hub in Northern Luzon, serving thousands of students, faculty members, researchers and administrators from public and private higher education institutions. Among the province’s major institutions is Mariano Marcos State Unive...

INSURED. Farmers register for agricultural and life insurance at the Municipal Agricultural Office of Currimao, Ilocos Norte on Aug. 11, 2026. The municipal government has allocated funds for the protection and safety of the agriculture sector which is a key driver of the local economy. ( Photo courtesy of Currimao LGU) By Leilanie Adriano CURRIMAO, Ilocos Norte —The municipal government of Currimao is targeting all 1,800 farmers and fisherfolk in the municipality for coverage under life and agricultural insurance , providing them with financial protection against accidents, death, natural calamities, crop losses and other risks that could disrupt their livelihoods. Municipal agriculturist Erickson Biag said the initiative, being undertaken in partnership with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), is intended to strengthen the social safety net for local agricultural and fishing communities, whose incomes are particularly vulnerable to weather-related disasters an...

Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid , representing the Laoag City government, and Sunrise Event President and General Manager Princess Galura sign the contract for the international triathlon to be hosted by Laoag City in March 2027 . ( Photo by Larry Pedralvez) By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Laoag City is set to host its first international triathlon in March 2027 following the signing of a contract between the city government and the Sunrise Event and Ironman Group on August 18, 2026. The contract signing was held at the Laoag City Conference Room, with Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid representing the city government and Sunrise Event President and General Manager Princess Galura signing for the event organizer. The city government has approved PHP20.2 million for the Laoag City Sports Development and Tourism Promotions Project to support the staging of the international triathlon. Galura said Sunrise Events has been organizing Ironman and inter...

Arlington , VA—The US Trade and Development Agency announced that the governments of the United States of America, the Republic of the Philippines and Japan will co-host the inaugural Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Investment Forum from September 10-11, 2026, in Manila, Philippines . Sponsored by USTDA, the Forum will bring together 600 international investors, industry leaders, project developers, and government officials to showcase opportunities in the LEC and connect investors with infrastructure projects ready for financing. “America’s leadership in the Indo-Pacific is built on trusted partnerships and a shared commitment to secure, high-quality infrastructure,” said Thomas R. Hardy , USTDA’s Deputy Director. “The LEC Investment Forum brings together the United States, Japan, the Philippines and partner nations from across the world around one goal: turning priority projects into commercial reality, while advancing our collective vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.” The ...

Many older Filipinos who are not officially classified as poor remain economically vulnerable. This suggests that poverty rates alone may fail to identify many seniors who could benefit from social protection programs, according to studies presented during the recent ‘Inclusive Social Protection Services in the Philippines’ Policy and Research Forum. The forum was organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and Australia’s flagship Social Protection, Inclusion, and Gender Equality (SPRING) program in the Philippines. Presenting a study on household vulnerability to income poverty, PIDS supervising research specialist Deanne Lorraine Cabalfin said poverty statistics alone are insufficient for identifying older persons at economic risk. The study found that while only 7.8% of senior citizens were classified as poor in 2023, 24% were vulnerable to falling into poverty. The official poverty threshold measures whether households can afford a minimum basket of...

“At the crossroads , hunger meets hope. The hand that takes from the river must also plant for tomorrow. Poverty and sustainability are not two roads, but one path we must learn to walk together." (UNKNOWN) Can there really be a crossroads between poverty and circularity ? It sounds poetic—but in Germany, it’s becoming architectural, even political. Repurposing used shipping containers into social housing seems, on its face, like a simple act of reuse. Yet it sits squarely at that very intersection: poverty alleviated, and sustainability advanced at once. The question is: why should the government even care? And what kind of society are we if we don’t?   Why recycled containers matter It’s not a brand-new dream. German companies like Containerwerk have long converted used freight containers into affordable micro-apartments, using high-efficiency insulation and modular design. In Bremen, entire “container villages” have been built for refugees—two to three stories hig...