The Ilocos Times

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

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—A Korean school is partnering with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte to train Ilocanos in speaking the Korean language. Anne Marie Lizette B. Atuan, manager of the Public Employment Service Office under the provincial government announced that enrollment is now on-going for the short-term training course which could last for more or less 13 days. For the benefit of interested applicants who want to work in South Korea, the KRT International Training Center Inc. is reaching out to all Ilocanos in the province to provide Korean language training to them without going out of their comfort zone. For Ms. Atuan, she said, “This is a good opportunity to all interested individuals who wish to learn Korean language.” In May, the KRT Training Center initially conducted a career orientation at the Capitol attended by at least 75 participants. Last year, the government of South Korea decided to accept 56,000 forei

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Owing to the increasing cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Region 1, the Ilocos Norte government through a resolution passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is urging all concerned local government units to intensify information and education campaign in local communities. Authored by ex-officio SP member Rafael Chua Medina, in his capacity as Sangguniang Kabataan Federated President in Ilocos Norte, the provincial board asked the Communications and Media Office in coordination with local government units and the Provincial Health Office to take the lead in the campaign against the prevention of HIV/AIDS. As of December 2018, there are a total of 1,351 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the region with an average increase of 21 cases per month. The highest number of cases, according to the report are male, aged 25 to 34. “Awareness of this virus and how it affects u

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —Smooth flow of traffic marked the opening of schoolyear 2019-20 in this city, Laoag police chief Lt. Col. Mar Louise Bundoc made the announcement, saying that this happened with the help of an augmentation force from the police provincial office, force multipliers and the city traffic division, as well. He added that all 10 Police Assistance Centers (PACs) in the city had their own augmentation force helping them man their respective areas 24 hours. Newly detailed Maj. Adriano Licudan also announced that he closely monitored all the members of the traffic division. His monitoring included the strict implementation of the city’s traffic rules and regulations, specifically mentioning Rizal Street which they strictly restricted parking on both sides of the street. They also prohibited traffic aides from smoking while on duty. Anti-illegal drugs operation Before the last schoolyear ended, the city police

Laoag City --Jeremy Adrian Guiang, a beneficiary of the Sirib Youth Leader Scholarship (SYLS) Program, recounted the multiple opportunities the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) has offered for his personal transformation. “Innemkami nga agkakabsat, siak ti inaudi. Amin a kakabsatko nagasawada ti naubing a tawen. Nakitak kadakuada ti saanko kayat a tuladen ta ammok a ti oportunidad ti edukasion ket isu lang ti mangparang-ay iti panagbiagmi. Bayat iti panagbasak iti kolehio, lima a takyag iti binagkatko ta dagiti manangko ket saanda a nakabasa. Siak lang ti nakapagturpos iti kolehio. Ammok met a saan a lapped ti kinakurapay iti oportunidad iti edukasion,” Mr. Guiang narrates . Mr. Guiang and his family reside at Brgy. San Matias, Laoag City. His father is a carpenter and his mother sells tupig and bibingka in order to support their family’s daily expenses.   Initially, Mr. Guiang’s friend invited him to attend a Sirib Camp in 2015, and he shared that

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—In time for the opening of classes, a total of 643 scholars of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte received their stipends on June 3, 2019 at the Centennial Arena, this city. Outgoing senior Sangguniang Panlalawigan member and Ilocos Norte Governor-elect Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc personally handed the cash assistance fund, which ranges from PHP2,250 to PHP3,500 per month for each government scholar. To date, there are three types of scholarships being offered by the provincial government. These are the Sirib Academic Scholarship, with 219 scholars; Sirib Young Leadership Scholarship, 239scholars; and Sirib Community Leadership and Tech-Voc Scholarship, 185 scholars. The first two scholarship provide a monthly stipend and tuition fee, while the latter provides a fixed stipend every semester for beneficiaries. As a government scholar, the provincial government encourages beneficiaries to become actively in

Badoc, Ilocos Norte —The province of Ilocos Norte celebrated the first Pontifical Coronation Anniversary of its patron saint, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc on May 31, 2019. As part of the celebration, a fluvial parade highlighted the last of the nine-day novena in honor of the provincial patroness. The images of La Milagrosa and Sto. Cristo Milagroso de Sinait were paraded in the waters of Badoc, reenacting the historic arrival of the Blessed Virgin in the province. It showed how La Milagrosa came to be the provincial patroness: she is said to have arrived floating in a box together with the image of Cristo Milagroso between the shores of Brgy. Paguetpet in Badoc and Brgy. Dadalaquiten, Sinait, a bordering town of Ilocos Sur. Hundreds of local spectators united and revered the blessed images while the fluvial procession sailed along the cove. The procession was followed by a novena mass officiated by Metropolitan Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, Most Rev. Marlo M. Pera