The Ilocos Times

Laoag City --The provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), through the initiative of Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, will launch its "Speak up, I'm here" mental health movement to help address the increasing number of psychological-related incidents in the province. The movement is created due to consecutive suicide-related cases reported in these past months. According to the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office, there is a 32% increase in suicide incidents compared to their August 2019 data. "Speak up, I'm here" aims to expand the service delivery network to address mental health issues, encourage positive psychological practices, try to prevent suicide and improve mental health situations, and decrease mental health-related incidents. On October 1, 2020, the implementing offices, the Communications and Media Office, the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office, Gender and Development Office, and the Provincial Public Employment Service Office

  Chinese consul and head of post Zhou Youbin, and MMSU President Shirley Agrupis lead the unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Chinese corner at the ground floor of the MMSU main library. Said corner features various book titles, a television set, DVD player, teaching materials, and photo exhibits to be used by university faculty and students. ( Lei Adriano)   By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter CITY of Batac —A Chinese corner, measuring around 7 by 13 meters is now open at the first floor of the main library building of the state-run Mariano Marcos State University in this city. The corner features various book titles, a television set, DVD player, teaching materials, and photo exhibits for use by university faculty and students. Leading the unveiling ceremony on Sept. 3, 2020 are Chinese consul and head of post Zhou Youbin and MMSU President Shirley Agrupis. In her speech, Dr. Agrupis said the reopening of the Chinese corner is another miles

  By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The city government here is appealing to all health professionals who are bona fide residents or trace their roots in this city from here and abroad to lend their expertise pro bono in transforming the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) from a health institution on the verge of bankruptcy to a truly earning economic enterprise. In their regular session, the Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved a measure sponsored by the committee on health appealing to all health professionals to elevate the present economic status of the city hospital. Laoag councilor Jaybee Baquiran, who sponsored the measure, said the present administration was shocked to discover the hospital’s present condition. The 10-year-old city hospital was earlier announced as “a noble and economically feasible” as it was declared to be an economic enterprise. Mr. Baquiran, who chairs the committee on health, explained the present administration discove

By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—As various schools in this city gear up for distance learning under the new normal, some riders here have signified their intent to distribute learner’s modules for free. In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between the Department of Education Laoag City and the Motorcycle Philippines Federation 128, Inc., both parties agreed that the modules, which teachers developed, the riders will distribute and retrieve for free to the city’s barangay village, including other municipalities if applicable. Dubbed as project “Volunteer Riders Organized for Optable Module” (VROOM) Delivery, Gary D. Ronquillo, the motorists’ federation provincial coordinator said in an interview that as partners for education in the “new normal”, they are offering their services for the welfare of children in Laoag and Ilocos Norte. “Over the years, we [riders] had been used to public service. This is the least we can do for our children during this time

  Laoag City —Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc has committed to the opening of the "Northern Luzon Tourism Corridor," an initiative of chief executives and tourism councils in Northern Luzon to cushion the impact of COVID-19 across tourism industries. Preparing for the resumption of tourism by rolling out a rehabilitation plan, the provincial governments of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan, and the city government of Baguio have collaborated to prioritize the livelihood rehabilitation of their constituents while guaranteeing the overall safety of tourists and spurring again tourism-related economic activities.   "We started discussing the 'Tourism Bubble' concept together with 'the Department of Tourism (DOT) and counterparts in Region I and Baguio City, as well as other tourism officers in the country because at that time, very early in May,   there was no clear reference about how to address the impact of the pandemic,

  The Philippines and China are traditionally good neighbors with a long history of exchanges and friendship. Ilocanos and the people of North Luzon are friendly, and usually greet Chinese people with 'Ni Hao'. With the deepening of China-Philippine communication and cooperation, the enthusiasm of Filipinos to learn Chinese is increasing. However, there has been a shortage of native Chinese language teachers for years in the northern part. In order to cultivate a group of talents proficient in both languages and cultures of two countries, the Chinese Consulate in Laoag set up a scholarship to support local students to study in China since 2016. The consulate and local government jointly selected outstanding candidates. Melody Allado, a student from Paoay National High School, is one of the winners. In June 2020, Melody successfully graduated from Minnan Normal University in Fujian Province. Recalling the amazing experience in China, Melody said, "I am very gratefu

By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The city’s Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) federation president and ex-officio Sangguniang Panlungsod member alleged that Laoag SK federated vice president Juan Carlos Tabios III is moving to oust her from her current position. Laoag SK president Anzhelyka Faye Lao, in a privilege speech delivered during the city council’s August 14, 2020 regular session, said she is disappointed to learn that Mr. Tabios has allegedly circulated a manifesto against her. She added that Mr. Tabios had been allegedly meeting with other SK officials in this city one by one to sign the manifesto. Ms. Lao disclosed that other SK officials in the city have approached her and said that Laoag councilors Roque Benjamin Ablan and Jaybee Baquiran were allegedly “pressuring and persuading” them to sign the manifesto. She stressed that those who approached her did not mention Mr. Tabios as the one allegedly pressuring them. She added that she considers Mess