The Ilocos Times

  By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) Pagudpud , Ilocos Norte—A beach resort at Brgy.   Burayoc in this town was officially opened on Sept. 30, 2020 to temporary house former drug dependents. In a simple program during the opening and blessing of the “Kanlungan ni Kuya”, a two-story building with a beach front, overlooking the West Philippine Sea,   Pagudpud mayor Rafael Ralph Benemerito II hopes the facility will be put into good use through the active participation of the 36 former drug surrenderers who will be housed in the area for at least 30 days under the watch of the local government unit and the Philippine National Police in Pagudpud town. “I hope that they will become productive during their stay here as guests,” he said. The “Bahay Silangan”, locally known as “Kanlungan ni Kuya" is a reformation center for Pagudpud residents who had been victims of drug abuse. The program offers values formation and livelihood opportunities which are meant to empower them a

  By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Laoag City —To ensure the safety, security and well-being of every citizen, Laoag councilor Jason Bader Perera authored a measure amending city ordinance No. 019 series of 2009 on the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) system for business establishments in this city. Mr. Perera presented his proposed ordinance for second reading expanding the coverage in the application, requirements for a minimum specifications, number and location to be installed and regulating the examination, duplication and recording of CCTV footages. He added that the purpose of the ordinance will not only to deter crimes but to aid in the investigation of any “contestable act”, however several establishments refuse to let their CCTV be examined to give a duplicate copy which defeats the very purpose of the CCTV ordinance. With the help of CCTV systems, numerous criminal activities and accidental occurrences were captured and this could be of gre

The Ilocos Times marks this month its 63rd Anniversary as a bastion of the free press in Northern Philippines. Community newspapers here and elsewhere have come and gone but this paper has endured the test of time, and while it ceased printing for a couple of months at the height of the quarantine, it continued to serve the public through its Facebook Page, website, and blog. On this occasion, I remember with gratitude and affection my dear friend Steve Barreiro who risked life and limb with his exposés and scathing commentaries. The man behind  “ In and Out”  always fought for what was just and right . Ironically justice continues to elude him for the murder that sent him out of this temporal world and into the Great Beyond. Out too early, Steve lingers in the minds and hearts of fans, and that includes me at the forefront. We all miss his spunk. Then there’s Michael Esmino, the brilliant managing editor who is the paper’s journalistic mind silently working in the background. A r

By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Laoag City —As the novel coronavirus pandemic rages on, local government units in Laoag, Batac and San Nicolas offered discounts to their respective public market rentals. In this city, the Sangguniang Panlungsod here passed an ordinance that grants 30 percent discount in rentals, including surcharges and penalties, for lessors at the Laoag City Public Market and Commercial Complex who are categorized as “non-essential goods” businesses. These non-essential goods businesses were earlier restricted to open by the national government during the enhanced community quarantine that lasted from March to May, 2020. As a result, these businesses are still trying to cope and mitigate the economic and financial fall-out from the two-month strict lockdown, wherein only those essential businesses were allowed to operate. Laoag councilor Justine Clarence Chua, who authored the ordinance, said the grant will begin immediately upon approval of Laoag

  Laoag City —The provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) and "Arkila," a local delivery service provider, have collaborated to employ displaced public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers as delivery riders to service customers in various parts of the province. According to Atty. Nikki Pilar, Metro Ilocos Norte Council (MINC) project head, the provincial government has been creating COVID-19 recovery projects to alleviate the condition of the stakeholders in the public transportation sector. “One way to safeguard the livelihood of our affected PUV drivers is working with delivery entities since 50% of the transportation sector is only allowed to operate in the province. We contacted Arkila, the first delivery service provider that showed interest to our ‘IN BUYanihan Recovery Program’, to partner with the hiring of displaced drivers,” she remarked. Five driver-riders were already hired, with beneficiaries targeted at 50. They will follow a rotational shift in deliverin

  By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—As the province of Ilocos Norte relaxes its borders to tourists and returning residents, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte is urging all its residents and visitors to adopt the use of the “SafePass” app to manage COVID-19 cases. Instead of scanning piles of logbook and reviewing CCTV footages for contract-tracing purposes, “SafePass” is a digital incident mitigation and management system developed to address COVID-19 safety protocols, and now has free versions that can be used by anyone from anywhere. In a three-page Executive Order, which Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc issued on Oct. 21, 2020, the governor said there is a need to adopt SafePass to minimize the adverse effects of COVID-19. According to Wilfredo Lorenzo Jr, the provincial government’s information technology department officer-in-charge, he said that starting October 21, 2020 all Capitol employees will use the “SafePass” app when ent

Pagudpud , Ilocos Norte—Officials of the Chinese Consulate in Ilocos Norte, headed by consul Zhou Youbin, visited the northern provincial border in this town and gave border personnel meals and face masks on October 1, 2020. In time for the Mooncake Festival, the time of the year the moon is at its fullest that symbolizes reunion, the consulate also offered mooncakes. Likewise, October 1 marked the 71 st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. "We are proud to support brave Ilokano frontline workers. I would like to extend our deepest respect to all police, soldiers, medical workers, firemen, and local officials. Thank you for your selfless service to protect the whole community,” Mr. Zhou said. "We value the longstanding friendship between Filipinos and Chinese. Together, we will finally win the battle against the virus. Wish everyone a Happy Mooncake Festival," he added. Since the onset of the pandemic, Ilocos Norte's Chinese consula