The Ilocos Times

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...

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...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff reporter LAOAG CITY —The city government of Laoag has adopted and institutionalized the Department of the Interior and Local Government ’s ( DILG ) “Safer Cities Initiative” to strengthen public safety, order and decency in public spaces. The nationwide initiative calls on local government units to enact and strictly enforce community safety measures. Laoag City Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Rey Carlos Fariñas , who authored the measure, said it is timely amid recent violent incidents in schools involving minors. He said measures such as curfew enforcement , noise regulation and public decency standards can help prevent disturbances and promote a safer environment for residents and visitors. Under the measure, existing city and provincial regulations on curfew, excessive noise and public drinking will be harmonized and strengthened. Minors 17 years old and below are prohibited from loitering, roaming or staying in public ...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter Laoag City —The city government of Laoag will establish a comprehensive school safety, violence prevention, and emergency response program for all public and private educational institutions within the city. The initiative aims to provide mechanisms for preventing school-related violence, including shooting incidents, stabbings, armed attacks, and other security risks, through a unified school safety framework. Laoag Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Rey Carlos Fariñas announced the measure in light of the tragic school shooting incident in Tacloban City on June 22, 2026, where minors planned and executed a deadly attack. The incident highlights the urgent need to strengthen school safety measures, early detection systems, and coordinated response protocols to prevent similar occurrences in Laoag City. Fariñas, who authored the ordinance, cited existing national laws that protect children and provide intervention progr...

Laoag City —For the first time, the city of Laoag has emerged as a national winner in the 51st Gawad Saka Parangal sa Natatanging Magsasaka at Mangingisda, earning recognition at the Department of Agriculture ’s annual search for outstanding contributors to the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Held June 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center, the Gawad Saka awards honor farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers, extension managers, local government units and other partners whose work has helped strengthen food security and rural development across the country. Laoag’s national victory marks a milestone for the city’s agri-fishery sector. City Agriculturist Sheila Marie Opelac said Laoag submitted six entries this year, three of which advanced to the national finals: Outstanding Corn Farmer Geoffrey Santiano Pascual , Outstanding Agricultural Extension Manager Sheila Marie N. Opelac , and Outstanding Local Government Unit, Laoag City. She said the city’s finalist...

Laoag City —The Laoag City government’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) has stood by its disqualification of Northpoint Alliance Motors Corporation (NAMCO), the losing bidder in the city government’s PHP92-million procurement of 80 vehicles, despite the company’s protest. In its letter addressed to Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Farinas, NAMCO said it was disqualified without its sealed bid being opened, allegedly on the ground that one of its owners is a provincial board member. The company argued that the official does not directly or indirectly influence the decisions and funding of Laoag City. NAMCO also questioned the BAC’s specifications, saying they appeared tailor-made for a particular brand and that the winning bidder failed to meet three requirements, which it said should have resulted in a failed bidding. It added that the winning bid amounted to PHP91.16 million, compared with NAMCO’s PHP83.98 million offer, or a difference of PHP7.18 million that it said could have been us...

Laoag City —The 13 th Sangguniang Panlungsod of Laoag has approved an ordinance granting holiday-with-pay benefits to job order (JO) and contract of service (CoS) workers of the city government, citing the constitutional right to health, the Mental Health Act, and related civil service issuances. The proposed measure, titled “Holiday with Pay Benefit of the JO and CoS Workers of Laoag City,” seeks to extend to JO and CoS personnel a benefit similar to the wellness leave granted by the Civil Service Commission to government workers under Resolution No. 2501292 and Memorandum Circular No. 01, Series of 2026. The ordinance also cites Republic Act No. 4622, which provides for the payment of regular daily wages to government laborers and employees during special public holidays. Under the ordinance, all Laoag City Job Order and Contract of Service workers, regardless of length of service, are entitled to holiday leave with pay during regular, special and local holidays, except those as...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz;  Staff reporter Laoag City —The city government here is urging all 80 punong barangays to intensify awareness, prevention and response measures against leptospirosis to reduce infections during and after heavy rains. Laoag Councilor Justine Clarence Chua reminded barangay officials that Laoag’s frequent tropical cyclones and prolonged rainfall increase the risk of waterborne diseases transmitted through floodwaters and contaminated soil, including leptospirosis. He described the disease as a serious bacterial infection that can cause high fever, jaundice, kidney failure, meningitis and death, and warned that even a few cases can burden local health services and families. The City Health Office reports four confirmed cases since July 2025, including two from Barangay Bengcag and two fatal cases from Barangays 6 and 46. Chua said barangay health workers, working with punong barangays, are key to early detection, reporting, education and referrals that e...

  Laoag Mayor James Bryan Alcid meets with barangays tanods and barangay officials headed by Laoag ABC President Rbee Ablan, Schools Division Superintendent Joan Corpuz, chief of police Lt. Col. Ryan Retotar and CDRRM officer Dr. Melvin Manuel for a stricter implementation of peace and order both in public and private schools in the city to avoid crimes and other illegal activities that might occur. ( Photo by Mr. Larry Pedralvez) By Dominic B. dela Cruz,  Staff reporter Laoag City —To ensure public safety and protect residents from crime, the city government of Laoag has asked Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police, to deploy 106 additional police personnel to meet the ideal 1:500 police-to-population ratio and bolster security across 80 barangays and 64 schools. Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas said Laoag covers 12,747.35 hectares and comprises 80 barangays, 40 public schools and 24 private schools, all of which require ade...

By Dominic B. dela Cruz.  Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved PHP20.2 million for the Laoag City Sports Development and Tourism Promotions Project to host an international triathlon aimed at boosting employment, the local economy and tourism. The council authorized Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid to enter into a multi-year contract with a qualified supplier/consultant for the project. Laoag Councilor Donald Nicolas, chairperson of the appropriations committee, said Republic Act No. 12009 (the New Government Procurement Act) allows multi-year contracts subject to Multi-Year Contractual Authority (MYCA) and Department of Budget and Management conditions. The MYCA’s total project cost will be the basis for the Approved Budget for the Contract. The city plans to fund the project over two years. It allocated PHP6 million through Supplemental Budget Ordinance No. 13-013-2026 (Series of 2026) and will include the remaining PHP14.2 million in the 2027 ann...

  Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR)Director IV Atty. Suzette T. Ganaban-Medina leads the inauguration and blessing of the newly established Schools’ Division of Library Hub with Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas , several members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and DepEd staff. More than just a book-filled building, the Library Hub shows SDOLC ’s dedication in giving learners and teachers better access to a wide-array of learning resources. It's meant to be a facility for reading, research, and life-long learning serving both present and future generations of learners. The blessing and inauguration ceremony marks the culmination of efforts from various partners and stakeholders who shared a common vision of creating a learning environment where curiosity can flourish and opportunities for growth are within reach thru the leadership of Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid, by providing the parcel of land through usufruct agreement. (Photos by Larry Pedralvez )

Ilocos Norte Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos, with Laoag Mayor James Bryan Alcid and members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod headed by Laoag Vice Mayor Rey Carlos Fariñas, leads the 61 st Charter Day celebration of Laoag City on June 19, 2026. Also shown are two coasters, ambulances, advanced life support ambulances, e-bikes, shredders, and nego karts distributed to concerned beneficiaries. (Photos by Larry Pedralvez) By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The City of Laoag marked its 61 st Charter Day on June 19, 2026 with a celebration befitting its growth, as the city government under Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid distributed a wide array of vehicles, equipment, and social services to Laoagueños as a gesture of gratitude and a fulfillment of promises made since he assumed office. The festivities opened with a “Diana Around the City”, followed by a thanksgiving mass at Aurora Park. The multi-awarded Samiweng Singers, performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday...