The Ilocos Times

Genetically engineered (GE) crops are no different from conventional crops. “ To date, no scientifically valid demonstrations have shown that food safety issues of foods containing GE ingredients are greater than those from conventionally or organically produced foods,” according to a new publication released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). ISAAA — based in the Philippines, Kenya and the United States — is a not-for-profit international organization which promotes the benefits of crop biotechnology and shares science-based information and appropriate technology to the public, including farmers and policy makers. The safety of genetically-engineered crops and foods, just as those created by classical breeding and mutation and grown conventionally or organically, needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis so that informed decisions can be made about their utility, safety and appropriateness, ISAAA says in a primer, “

Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Farinas wed 35 newly couples who availed of the mass wedding program of the city government. The event was held at the city hall auditorium on August 29, 2014in line with the celebration of “A Cause for August” project in time for the birthday of Laoag Vice Mayor Michael V. Fariñas. (Doms dela Cruz)

By Pilar S. Macrohon Senate PRIB The Senate approved on Sept. 8 two bills on third and final reading seeking to upgrade the Forestry Profession Law and the Metallurgical Engineering Law to international standards. Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2055 or the Forestry Profession Act 2014, said the measure seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 6239 and enact a more comprehensive law that will regulate the practice of forestry in the Philippines. The bill was also co-authored by Sen. Cynthia Villar. “The pressing concern of climate change has been aggravated by human-induced environmental destruction as well as by natural calamities. This necessitates a major reorientation of the Forestry profession which has remained unchanged since it was signed into law by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1971,” Sen. Trillanes said. He said the bill seeks to remove a provision in the previous law that allows the registration of forestry practit

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Laoag City —Responding to the national government’s call to vaccinate all children aged 5 years old and below against measles, rubella and polio, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) has already started reaching out to Ilocano families here to have their children immunized for free. Targeting a total of 147, 878 children in the entire province of Ilocos Norte, Dr. Artemio Gambalan, acting provincial health officer, said “Regardless of the previous immunization status, 68,024 children nine months to below five years old will get a dose of German measles vaccine while each of the 79,854 children zero to below five years old will get two drops of oral polio vaccine.” For the whole month of September, Dr. Gambalan urged mothers, fathers and families here to bring their children for immunization at the nearest health centers. The Ilocos Norte government likewise tapped local media practitioners in the province to boost the information d

Iti Mata ti Mannaniw Amado I. Yoro Ewa, Hawaii 96706 Daytoy ti sabong: gupitna ti bassit a tinukel a bin-i kas iti dawa ti panagani maidulin iti naimeng a kamalig Sibibiag ti pulso ti nainaw a pammateg Itag-ay ti init ti daeg maipasngay a Namnama; aglangoyda iti danum Iti dalluyon ti biag kayaw ti mabukel a ladawan ti nakaparsuaan a buya: ti bantay, ti baybay, ti dakkel a danum napanayag a tangatang, ti mula, ti tumaytayab sika nga inubba, sika iti dagidagi iti away a nakagsatan ti kurdonmo ti ina iti pisikal a panagsina….. [naibartay kadi met laeng ti tangkulong wenno ti damili a naglaon iti kadkadua iti sanga ti duog a salamagi?] Ala denggem: kanta-dayyeng ti ina a nagubba Kenka: agawaam ti agbiag, kunnotem Ala, kunnotem pay ti mungay Ti biag; penkem sakbay ti saraaw Tipdem ti sangit – maturogka latta Iti saklolo ti talged ken pammateg. Dagiti anglem iti laem isuda daeg ti daniw Dagiti garakgak ken katawa Isuda a kinapintas t

More jobs mean more rice on the table. And it really doesn't matter where you grow rice as long as people can afford to buy it, said Dr. Bruce J. Tolentino, Deputy Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The important thing is to generate more jobs and increase incomes for more people to afford rice, he said in a media briefing hosted by IRRI and SciDev.net on food security and the ASEAN common market. Rice is just fine coming from Thailand or Vietnam as long as Filipinos have the money to buy what they need, which is about 120 kilograms of rice per person each year, he said. “When incomes go up, then people can eat more rice.” “ The principal yardstick of national food security is improving the nutrition status of all, consumers and farmers alike,” Tolentino said. Actually in the last four years, rice yields increased faster in the Philippines than in any other country in Southeast Asia, he pointed out. “ When government provid

OUR Christian faith teaches us that there will be the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. That’s what we profess in the Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.” This truth of our faith is supposed to be the consequence of the resurrection of Christ which signifies the completion of his redemptive work on our behalf. We too are supposed to take part of this resurrection, as long as we also take part of Christ’s death. St. Paul teaches that to us very clearly: “If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ.” (Rom 6,8) This truth is not meant to take place only at the end of time. What is implied is that we need to live it in a daily basis. We can make use of our usual drama in life as a way to live out the very passion, death and resurrection of Christ. In other words, our earthly day-to-day life becomes the precious t