The Ilocos Times

I only have a few regrets in life, and most of these regrets result from incidents when I was not kind enough, not from times when I was not harsh, vindictive, self-affirming enough. In these times of crisis, I consciously choose to be a lot kinder to people, our leaders included. There will be a time to evaluate their performance. The moment of reckoning will inevitably come. But, for now, they're all we've got. This is what’s on my mind as Ilocos Norte ranks on top among provinces that recorded COVID-19 cases in a day (92) and as Laoag City is placed under localized modified enhanced community quarantine. The latest turn of events actually come as a surprise because Ilocos Norte is known to have heavily regulated and heavily guarded borders. Why the spike in cases? We do not want to point fingers, but I think we should stop blaming our people. By and large, they, we, are not pasaway . People will follow strict measures as long as these are consistently and intelligentl

It was bound to happen. Laoag City now has the highest incidence of COVID-19 cases in Ilocos Norte. It also has, as I write this, the highest number of active cases, making up 74 percent of total infections in the province. As a capital city with the biggest and most dense population, this was not unexpected at all. Last November 14, 2020 alone, 14 new cases were announced, all from Sitio Dungtal in Brgy. 23. It was a record high, not only for Laoag City but for the entire Ilocos Norte province. In the middle of this spike in cases, Laoag applied a new measure: home isolation now in place for COVID-19 patients in Brgy. 23 and also in Brgy. 5. As with anything that is new, home isolation was met by people with apprehension and fear. Some were understandably wary about having COVID-19 patients a stone’s throw away from their own homes, not least because the enemy is unseen, and they would embrace paranoia with arms wide open if that is the best way to be safe. I myself was surpr

Raising the alarm on the rising incidence of suicide in the province, a rise that is also observed almost everywhere in the planet, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew M. Manotoc made an appeal for everyone “to lend a helping hand while we can… to look after all of those around us,” and mean it when we ask others, “ kumusta ka na ?” The multitude of difficulties brought by this pandemic has made life even more unbearable to those who are already suffering, mostly in silence. To me, this phenomenon is personal. I have seen the monster in the eye, and I know the feeling from both sides of the equation: as the lender of help, and also as its desperate recipient. Over 10 years ago, I would stare at an empty chair in a classroom where I taught, and, ridden with guilt, would ceaselessly ask myself if there was something I could have done to save a life. He was a college freshman from a small town. His classmates said they never noticed anything wrong with him. His parents likewise observed

The Ilocos Times marks this month its 63rd Anniversary as a bastion of the free press in Northern Philippines. Community newspapers here and elsewhere have come and gone but this paper has endured the test of time, and while it ceased printing for a couple of months at the height of the quarantine, it continued to serve the public through its Facebook Page, website, and blog. On this occasion, I remember with gratitude and affection my dear friend Steve Barreiro who risked life and limb with his exposés and scathing commentaries. The man behind  “ In and Out”  always fought for what was just and right . Ironically justice continues to elude him for the murder that sent him out of this temporal world and into the Great Beyond. Out too early, Steve lingers in the minds and hearts of fans, and that includes me at the forefront. We all miss his spunk. Then there’s Michael Esmino, the brilliant managing editor who is the paper’s journalistic mind silently working in the background. A r

By Lance Patrick C. Enad For a while now, I have noticed mainstream Filipino media adapting themes popular in liberal American mainstream media. Among these are transgenderist and feminist themes. In the past few days, I noticed much talk of rape, rape culture, and modesty (especially in dress). I would agree that in cases of sexual offences, the offender is to be blamed. Yet on top of this assertion, I also find a denial that modesty in clothing (for it is much broader than that), does not affect these cases. First, this seems to be coming from third wave feminism which views modesty in clothing as a form of misogyny as well as the strong assertion that men are to blame for everything. This movement is a category of postmodernist philosophy which has the feature of not being rational and not in talking terms with the metaphysical principles. Secondly, it seems to be denial of reality. Throughout history, women understood that men have certain tendencies that are more in men t

Admitirenda man wenno saan, adu dagiti pulitiko ti mabutbuteng la unay iti makunkuna a “tricycle power” wenno “tricycle vote”. Dakkel ti bilang dagiti tricycle-fo- hire iti agdama. Ket no i- multiply mo pay dayta iti bilang dagiti kamkameng ti pamilyada, posible a dakkel ti epektona iti botos ti kada kandidato.   Isu a saan a nakaskasdaaw a manmano dagiti opisial a mangayat a mangsagid iti issue ti traysikelan—lisianda wenno agpamemmemda iti dayta a topiko. Madlawan nga uray nagadun dagiti reklamo seknan kadagiti abusado a tricycle driver , dandani awan ti mangngegam manipud kadagiti agpanpanday-linteg. Masansan, dagiti laeng “playing safe statement” ti maituredda nga iyebkas. Isu a dagiti pada a pasahero ti kakaasi. Piman ta uray inaldawda nga agreklamo iti traffic division ken agikkis iti social media , awan ti pagbalbaliwan dagiti bulok a traysikelan, fuera delos buenos. Ngamin, tapno madisiplinaan dagitoy, masapul nga ikkan koma dagiti local legislators t

Adda dagiti nangidanun kadakami nga adu dagiti mabul- bully kadagiti pila ti tricycle iti ciudad ti Laoag, pasahero man wenno saan. Inbatadda a narway dagiti driver a mangbasto-bastos kadagiti aglugan ken aglabas. Naari ken naturayda, no kasta. Nagbalin met ngaminen a "little kingdom" dagiti traysikelan dagiti pila isu a maararamidda lattan dagiti kaykayatda. Malaksid iti mangbully , agpilida pay ti pasahero ken agsingirda iti nakangatngato a plete, puera delos buenos.   Ditay ammo no dagitoy ngamin pila ket  intuding ti ciudad wenno bukbukod lattan nga inaramid dagiti driver . Permi a nagadun dagiti "little kingdom" iti Laoag ta sakupenda pay nukuan ti gudua't kalsada. Adda koma ngarud round-the-clock a mangmonitor kadagitoy, kas iti pannakabantay kadagiti pila iti Manila. Adda koma pay dagiti asideg a pagreklamuan iti sentro ti ciudad, ta nakaad-adayo met ngamin ti traffic division ken PNP station . Narway dagiti maaw-awatmi a message ,

Ania? Kalikaguman dagiti traysikelan ditoy Laoag a nangatngato koma ti plete iti rabii ngem iti aldaw? Apay at-atiddog ti rukod ti kilometro iti rabii no maikumperar iti aldaw? Apay nanginngina kadi met ti singir dagiti jeepney, van, minibus, bus, tren, barko ken eroplano nga agbibiahe iti rabii? Ken maysa pay, uray awan pay paglintegan, nabayagen nga inpangato dagiti traysikelan ti Laoag ti plete, aldaw man wenno rabii. Puera delos buenos!  *** Nakasusuron ti "estilo bulok" dagitoy tricycle driver no makitada a maymaysaka a sumungad iti pila. Agintatawagda iti cellphone , agin-uurnosda iti uneg ti sidecar wenno "harap-harapan" a pagpipinnasaandaka. Isu a maymayat sa ketdi nga ipakattayo met kadakuada ti aramidda. No agintatangkenda, natangken met ti takdertay kadakuada! No bastosda, tapkalantay met ti bastos a purwa! No nakaritda, ikarittay met a mabalintayo a patiliw ida! Saantayo a pakigkigtot kadakuada. Datayo  koma ketdi ti mangkigtot kadak

Ania’t kinagpaysuanan dagiti inpormasion a ti rason no apay a kanayun a nangato ti board examination—passing percentage dagiti dadduma nga unibersidad ket gapu ta pilienda dagiti palubusanda nga ageksamen. No ti graduate ket saan a nangato dagiti gradona wenno saan unay a napintas ti performance na, mangaramid ti pamuspusan ti unibersidad tapno saan pay laeng a maka- exam . Ti laeng palubusanda nga ag- take ti board exam ket dagiti sigurado a makapasa. Daytoy ket tapno sigurado met a nangato ti passing percentage ti unibersidad, banag nga addanto manen ipangpangasda iti intero a lubong. Ala, saan a dakes nga ipangasda ti performance da iti board exam . Ngem ti ayanna nga adat, adda dagiti graduate a nairurumen, naipaigid ken naisakripisyo tapno laeng maidaydayaw ti pagadalan. Moral kadi daytoy? Legal kadi? Paset kadi pay laeng daytoy ti makunkuna nga academic freedom ti unibersidad? Sapay koma ta makadanun daytoy nga issue iti biang ti Kongreso wenno iti

Iti kada eleksyon, saan koma laeng a dagiti kandidato ti mabutusan. Maikkan koma pay dagiti umili ti gundaway a mangpili ken mangbutos kadagiti kangrunaan a programa ken proyekto a rumbeng nga ipatungpal dagiti mabutusan nga opisyal. Ngamin, no panagkakampanya, nagadu ti kari dagiti kandidato. Ngem no maelektarandan, dagiti kaykayatdanto man lattan ti sangsanguenda. No dagiti umili ti mangpili kadagiti kangrunaan a programa ken proyekto a masapul a maipatungpal, mapilitan dagiti opisyal a mangimplementar kadagitoy, pabor man wenno saan iti bukodda a partido.  ***   Agpayso kadi nga adda maysa a konsehal iti lugartayo a sabali ti ob-obraenna iti rabrabii, nangnangruna no mabartek? Mapan kano nukua dita sentro ti ciudad ti Laoag nga agapro-apros kadagiti tricycle driver ken lallaki a tambay. Ket no permi a typena kano, tawaranna iti PHP300 tapno maiyawid wenno maipanna iti motel. Ne, no agpayso daytoy a naipadanun kadatayo, nakababain daytoy a konsehal! Rumbeng a maobserbar ken

Itay nabiit , nakakitakam man dita sentro ti Laoag ti maysa a kurong-kurong a nagkarga ti hamburger buns , maysa a klase ti tinapay. Kinagpaysuananna, napno ti sidecar na kadagitoy a makan. Ti dakesna, awan abbong wenno umno a proteksyon dagitoy a tinapay manipud iti tapok, rugit ken asuk. Sa pay laeng tay akinrabaw a buns , pinarabawanda ti naangdod a sweatshirt . Dikam la ngamin nakaala ti gundaway a mang picture . Siasinno ngata ti pakaideliveran wenno pakailakuan dagitoy? Kadagiti maseknan nga agar-aramid ken agang-angkat kadagitoy a makan, makonsensya kay koma met. Ipapauneg dagita dagiti agtaltalek a customersyo. Sapay koma ta adda aramiden ti ciudad tapno masierto a nadalus dagiti mailaklako a makan ditoy lugartayo.  *** No obserbarenyo a nasayaat dagiti de-sarming a food display stand dagiti aglaklako ti taraon ditoy ciudad ti Laoag, adu dagiti makitayo nga agsikaw-sikaw a ngilaw, bingraw pay no dadduma. Saan met ketdi nga isuda amin, ngem adu dagiti makitkitami a k

Sinaludsod man kadakami ni Dr. Chester Puño no ania ti pakasaritaan ti Aurora Park wenno ti plaza ti Laoag. Napintas a saludsod ngem saanmi a nasungbatan ta nakurang met dagiti inpormasion iti dayta a banag. Sapay koma ngamin ta dagiti local historian ken tourism official ket irapinda nga adalen ken ipublikar ti pakasaritaan dagiti daan a pasdek ken naduma-duma a lugar iti Laoag.   Nagpintas koma a maammuan ti pakasaritaan ti Aurora Park, "Oblation", Gilbert Bridge, Sinking Belltower, St. William Cathedral, Ermita Hill ken dadduma pay. Ti turismo ket saan laeng a bisbisti, parparada ken ar-arutittit. Dakdakkel koma a pasetna ti pannakaiyadal ti pakasaritaan kas ti ar-aramiden dagiti sabali a lugar. *** Adu ti makaobserbar nga agtaud manen dagitay agkekebkeb ken agga-anggo nga agtutubo dita pagtutugawan iti lauden a mismo ti Marcos Stadium. Ne, kalpasan ti R1AA ket AREM-AA sa metten ti sumaruno. Awan met ketdi’t bibiangtayo a. Ngem saan a maladaw dagita, an

  AMELIA  Bautista of Bagnos Multi-Purpose Cooperative receives the national awards of Bagnos from Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Vic M. Ines. The cooperative was awarded as 2018 Most Progressive Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization and Highest Grade in IT-Enabled Maturity Assessment. (Rommel R. Aquino photo) In 2000, the Bagnos Multipurpose Cooperative in Barangay Binacag, Banna, Ilocos Norte was in shambles. Of its remaining 39 members, only 12 were active. The capital for its consumer store, its sole business then, was down to a few thousand pesos. Nobody had the time to initiate a move to resuscitate it. The men were too busy working in the fields, while the women confined themselves with their household chores. Ironically, this cooperative called “bagnos”, an Iluko term for “guiding light”, was left without a direction, a lost cause. But this situation changed when a woman decided to stand up—a decision that turned the coopera