The Ilocos Times

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—Residents in the flood-prone villages of this town may no longer need to seek refuge in public schools in times of typhoons and other calamities following the start of construction for a 2-storey evacuation center at Brgy. Callaguip here. With the project pegged at Php 3.4 million, the center sits on a 3,000-square meter public lot can house about 1,000 evacuees. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) funds the project while the local government here owns the lot. In response to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to avoid using public schools as evacuation centers during natural calamities so as not to disrupt classes, DPWH regional firector Ronnel Tan during his recent visit to Paoay on said the President tasked them to construct more evacuation facilities around the country. The planned evacuation center will feature modern house amenities, including kitchen, restrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and a social hall and a functional Civil Defe

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Dingras , Ilocos Norte—In a bid to hasten its resolution, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Ilocos Norte (LMP-IN) chapter is offering PHP100,000 as reward for any information that may solve Marcos mayor Arsenio Agustin’s killing. To implement this, the group passed five resolutions. In an emergency meeting held in this town, Dingras mayor Erdio Valenzuela chaired the meeting as he presented the resolutions. One resolution condemned Mr. Agustin’s killing as “dastardly and barbaric”; the second resolution extended the league’s “deepest sympathy” to Mr. Agustin’s family; two resolutions requested Ilocos Norte police director P/Sr. Supt. Jose Melecio Nartates Jr. to from a special task force for the case and to beef up security for mayors in the province. The last resolution called for the PHP100,000 cash reward for “vital information” that could help solve the case. Mr. Valenzuela disclosed that PHP50,000 of the reward

Batac mayor Albert D. Chua leads the distribution of farm equipment and machineries including 40 shallow tube well units, 40 electric pump units, 160 pcs irrigation hose, 40 pcs threshers and 40 units of kuliglig (hand tractors) to all registered zanjera associations. The Batac government used their RA 7171 share to purchase them. The distribution was part of Batac’s 10 th charter day celebration. ( Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Batac City —“Siudad a Nalatak, Umili a Maragsak”. This is this city’s theme as it celebrated its 10 th charter anniversary on June 21-28, 2017. First term Batac mayor Albert D. Chua thanked the “Almighty for giving another year with lots of blessings to the city and its residents.” The charter celebration, which had become “Empanada Festival” shortly after its conversion into a city officially began on June 23, 2017. Though the weather was “raining on Batac’s parade”, participants gamely went through with th

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Eight Sangguniang Panlalawigan members declared on June 27, 2017 Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas (Ilocos Norte, 1 st district) as “persona non-grata.” Officially known Draft Provincial Resolution No. 2017-06-080, its first reading was on June 27, 2017. At least 10 board members sponsored the measure namely: Mariano Marcos II, Juan Conrado Respicio, Ramon Gaoat, Vicentito Lazo, Da Vinci Crisostomo, James Paul Nalupta, Donald Nicolas, Rogelio Balbag, Domingo Ambrocio Jr. and Paulino Baltazar. Senior board member Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, son of Ilocos Norte governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos; and SP member Ria Christina Fariñas, daughter of the House majority floor leader, was both absent during the 45 th regular session of the 10 th Sangguniang Panlalawigan. When it was time to deliberate on the proposed resolution on Tuesday afternoon, June 27, 2017 Mr. Crisostomo moved to defer it citing they still need to include othe

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—An online petition is currently making waves again over the internet expressing disappointment and disgust on the continuing circulation of some erroneous books intended for use in the Ilokano Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education of the Department of Education’s K-12 program. Since 2014, there had been talks and numerous criticisms about these error-ridden books which were already out in local and national bookstores including some schools in Ilokano-speaking provinces yet the DepEd apparently failed to catch errors in textbooks and teaching materials used in public schools. With a bigger alliance called as the Committee for the Protection of the Ilokano Language and the Ilokano MTB-MLE from various communities, organizations and individuals who are stakeholders of the Ilokano language, Joel Manuel, Bangui National High School principal and president of the Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano (GUMIL)-Ilocos Norte Chapter