The Ilocos Times

The Philippines is projected to become an aging society by 2030, but inadequate support systems, such as weak healthcare, limited pensions, and low digital literacy, risk leaving millions of older Filipinos vulnerable. Aging experts at the 11th Annual Public Policy Conference (APPC), organized by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) as part of the 23rd Development Policy Research Month (DPRM), urged the government to act now: strengthen institutions, embrace technology responsibly, and ensure no elderly Filipino is left behind. “The Philippines is aging before it becomes economically affluent,” warned Dr. Grace Cruz of the UP Population Institute. Findings from the “Longitudinal Study of Aging and Health in the Philippines (LSAHP)” reveal that older Filipinos have fragile and informal sources of support: six in ten rely on their children, 54% on pensions, only one in four earn from work due to low employment rates, and 18% receive remittances from abroad. ...

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) have signed a memorandum of agreement to operate an eddy covariance flux tower that will support rice research and environmental monitoring. The tower erected at PhilRice in Nueva Ecija can collect data on greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide and methane and monitor energy and water vapor exchanged between rice fields and the atmosphere. Tracking the gases released during rice farming will help researchers better understand how rice production affects the environment to reduce GHG emissions. “This gives us a more accurate way to monitor GHG emissions from rice fields. I believe this makes us one of the most high-tech institutions in the country,” Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang, PhilRice deputy executive director for research, said. The collaboration will integrate satellite-derived and on-ground data to support decision-making in rice production, GHG monitoring, and long-term environm...

Laoag  councilor Jaybee Baquiran defends his measure during a regular session mandating the public telecommunications to install their cables underground. ( Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz (s taff reporter) Laoag City —The city government here is eyeing to mandate all public telecommunication facilities to install their cables or wires in a common underground cable passage. The 1987 Constitution declares that the State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-building, while Republic Act 7925, also known as the, "Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines", also declares the policy that the fundamental objective of government is to develop and maintain a viable, efficient, reliable, and universal telecommunication infrastructure using the best available and affordable technologies, as a vital tool to nation building and development. Section 16 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) states, among others, that every...

I have been managing local area networks (LANs) since my days as a director of Management Information Systems (MIS) at the Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA), as part of my duties as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO). Although LANs was just a new and emerging technology at that time, the division that I managed was able to build a LAN that covered the entire building using twisted pair cables, somewhat an amazing feat at that time. Since we had no budget for a true server at that time, we were able to configure a relatively high-powered personal computer (PC) to function as a “server”, at least good enough to function as a file server and an email server. Also, because we did not have a budget for a true server, I was able to get a subscription to ATT Mail, and that is how the DFA was able to send and receive worldwide for the first time at that time. When I became the director-general of the National Computer Center (NCC), true servers were already commonplace, and LANs were already more a...

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. Personnel of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the  Ilocos Norte provincial government on Aug, 29, 2024 discuss the implementation of GovNet in the cities of Laoag and Batac. GovNet aims to provide a transparent, efficient, and effective governance through the use of online connectivity among government agencies. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte province) By Leilanie G. Adriano LAOAG CITY—The provincial government of Ilocos Norte is currently upgrading its internet connectivity through the PHP21 million funding from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to implement the Government Network (GovNet) to 85 government agencies here. DICT is implementing GovNet to help address the basic needs of the government for transparency, efficiency, and effective governance through ICT. Under the program, DICT is responsible for providing the actual Fiber Optic Cores and the other peripherals that are necess...

Manila —PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest fully integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines, called for innovative solutions that would address the threats to the well-being of students and teachers as they continue eLearning in the next normal. During PLDT Enterprise’s recently held eBossing Online Class—dedicated for the members of the   Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU)   and their 3,000 university and colleges heads, faculty members, and admin officers—Dick Perez, PLDT Enterprise Assistant Vice President and Corporate Relationship Management Head for Academe & FMCG, said that the toll of increased workload on teachers and other associated effects of the pandemic should not be underestimated. A study from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that more than 28 million students, educators, and parents are grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affects t...

Manila —Globe is partnering with Phil-Tower Consortium, Inc (PhilTower) to ramp up its aggressive network rollout in more areas in the National Capital Region and Luzon. Boosted by the Bayanihan 2 law which streamlined the permitting process, the partnership aims to install 500 new cell sites within the year.  Globe believes the partnership with PhilTower will boost the company's response to its customers’ ever-increasing need for better, reliable and accessible connectivity in the new normal. “Our partnership with PhilTower will help us accelerate our cell site expansion. Consequently, this will bring better services to Globe subscribers in more locations in the country,” said Vincent Tempongko, Globe Vice President for Site Acquisition.  PhilTower, on the other hand, emphasizes its role in advancing the telecommunication infrastructure in the country. “As a communication solutions enabler and digital infrastructure provider, we help power critical digital...

PLDT Enterprise , the B2B arm of the   country’s largest fully   integrated telecommunications company   PLDT,   has provided   fiber connectivity and   internet solutions to all 23 barangays of Piddig, Ilocos Norte   to support   online learning   initiatives and   improve   the   governance capabilities of the municipality. The group recently teamed up with the local government and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Piddig for connectivity plans that would support the online education and online businesses of its constituents. “Our goal at PLDT Enterprise is to make a positive impact on every single business, which includes our local government units. We have consistently been extending our innovative services to different LGUs and municipalities in the country to support their needs in improving overall public governance, and this latest partnership with Piddig, Ilocos Norte is a testament to that,” said Jovy Hernan...

Piddig Mayor Eddie Guillen (upper right photo) represents the municipality of Piddig together with PLDT Enterprise and Smart executives during the virtual launching of the “Piddig Free Internet Connectivity” for all the 23 barangays here held on June 29, 2021. (LGU Piddig photo) By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Piddig , Ilocos Norte—Not to be left behind, the municipal government here in partnership with PLDT Enterprise and Smart Telecommunications launched the free internet connectivity project by providing fiber connectivity and internet solutions to all 23 barangays here. “My dream has now [turned] into a reality,” Piddig Mayor Eduardo “Eddie” G. Guillen said by providing a reliable internet connection to all the barangays here to support online learning, improve governance capabilities and online business with their constituents. “This new project of Piddig would be of great help in the advancement of Piddig and our schools for learning, especially [in] this time of ...

Emerging data center market poses potential to be next big economic driver    Manila — The global pandemic has been a catalyst for digital transformation as there was a steep rise in the usage of consumer applications from social media to video streaming, gaming, e-commerce, online learning,  and  telehealth,  among others . The pandemic has also pushed the enterprise and public sector over the technology tipping point by accelerating their cloud adoption  by increasingly migrating workloads to the cloud and massively using collaboration platforms supporting work from home arrangements.  Speaking earlier this year at Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT) 2021, Jeff Mendoza, Asia Pacific Regional Head of PLDT Enterprise said, “The digital transformation dictated by the pandemic among the enterprise and consumer sectors have pushed the hyperscalers  in the cloud and content provider...

Manila—PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines, stressed the need for the adaption of creative education technologies that would better promote student engagement in eLearning. During PLDT Enterprise’s eNDUSTRY Online Forum for eLearning, PLDT Enterprise Assistant Vice President and Corporate Relationship Management Head for Academe & FMCG Dick Perez said that while eLearning has been the top educational trend for the past year, it still requires continuous innovation for a more effective learning experience for the students. “In eLearning, learners are just soaked in knowledge through viewing or reading content. The competition in the education industry now lies on which school have the more interesting and engaging digital platform,” he said. Perez said that gamification, or the application of gaming principles in non-game contexts, could help keep learners engaged in online learning despite numerous distraction...