The Ilocos Times

  Business One Stop Shop . Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Laoag unanimously approved the extension of the “Business One Stop Shop” from Jan. 20 to 31, 2025 in the city of Laoag without surcharges and penalties to accommodate the 5,000 business establishments’ license renewal. ( Doms Dela Cruz)

  Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc and SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the SEC extension office in Laoag City. Laoag City —The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opened its first extension office in Northern Luzon, located on the 5 th floor of the Dap-Ayan Commercial Center in this city. The inauguration of the new SEC office on Jan. 9, 2025 was led by Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc and SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino, both emphasizing the importance of the office in further boosting the economic performance of the provinces in Northern Luzon. “We welcome SEC with open arms and I am hopeful that this will be a positive windfall, not only for Ilocos Norte but [for ] the entire Northern Luzon. We thank you once again our friends and partners from the SEC and please know that we’re here if you need anything, especially our new head of the SEC. We are hopeful that we will have a fruitful and beneficial p...

SMART GRID. Officials of the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, National Electrification Administration Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda and Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan lead the ceremonial switching of the advanced metering infrastructure project at the INEC main branch in Dingras, Ilocos Norte on Jan. 15, 2025. The smart metering system will be deployed in the towns of  Nueva Era, Dingras, Pagudpud, Bacarra, Badoc and the city of Laoag for pilot testing in the first quarter of this year. ( Photo grab from NEA’s FB page) By Leilanie Adriano Dingras , Ilocos Norte—Government and commercial buildings in five municipalities and a city in Ilocos Norte will be tapped to pilot smart meters in the first quarter of 2025. The smart metering system will be pilot-tested in the towns of Nueva Era, Dingras, Pagudpud, Bacarra, Badoc and the city of Laoag, Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) acting general manager Cipriano Martinez said. National E...

  The  City of Batac celebrated mayor Albert Chua’s birthday with the distribution of  farm machineries and equipment for select farmer beneficiaries held at the Imelda Cultural Center. Witnessing the blessing are Chua, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod headed by Batac vice mayor Windell Chua and the city’s department heads. The farm machineries and equipment distributed were 1,000 units of water pump; 1,800 rolls of irrigation hose; 500 units of 2-in-1 knapsack sprayer; six units walk-behind transplanter; 30 units of riding type hand-tractor; 30 units of multi-cultivator; 40 units rice reaper; 40 units hold-on thresher; two  units of amphibious vehicle; one water tanker; three garbage compactor; one manlift and two dump trucks. Chua said the funding for these came from the city’s RA 7171 share. ( Doms dela Cruz)

The procession of Christ the King 2024  Photos by John Lei Medrano By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—Thousands of Catholic devotees from the entire province of Ilocos Norte joined and participated in this year’s Diocesan Christ The King 2024 held at Mary Mother of the Church Mission Station in Brgy.  Uguis, in this town on Nov. 24, 2024 with the theme: “Iti Daytoy a Tawen Iti Kararag, Kibinen Natayo Ni Maria, Ina Iti Simbaan A Mangnamnama Iti Kaasi Ni Kristo Rey Nga Ari”. “Napalaos iti pinagyaman mi kadakayo amin nga immay nagatendar iti daytoy nainsantoan a Kristo Rey ditoy a nanumo nga ili mi kangrunaan na ditoy nain-gasatan a Brgy. Uguis, Nueva Era numan pay adayo a kuna tayo ken kangrunaan na man ti Apo tayo a Namarsua ta inikkan natayo iti gundaway a nangsangaili kaniyana ditoy lugar tayo ket aglaplapunusan ti ayat ken ragsak iti marikrikna mi ita gapu iti kaadu yo nga immay nagatendar ken iti kumpleto a parokya ken padi iti probinsiy...

Trike franchise amnesty. Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) member and chairman of the Committee on Public Works, Transportation and Communications James Bryan Alcid and several members of the council headed by Laoag vice mayor and council presiding Officer Rey Carlos Fariñas  congratulate the first batch of 100 franchise holders whose applications for amnesty were approved during the last regular session. “Daytoy a ganwat ket maiparit a talaga ngem sapay la kuma ta maudi daytoyen ta unfair met kadagitay natudyo a franchise holders ken daytoyen iti maudi iti datoy a termino mi,” Alcid said. The amnesty program was approved by joint committees of laws and transportation through a resolution granting amnesty to the 220 franchise holders that were revoked and those who illegal sold their franchises. The remaining 120 second batch will follow soon. (Doms delc Cruz)  

WHEN Christ complained against the Pharisees about their hypocrisy with these words: “Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inside is full of rapine and iniquity,” (Lk 11,39) we are strongly reminded of the danger of hypocrisy that can easily enter into our lives. We should be ready to protect ourselves from it, but learn also how to differentiate it from our need for discretion in our lives. That’s because hypocrisy and discretion can appear to have certain things in common. Some hiding is involved in both conditions. But the former certainly is an anomaly while the latter is a necessity in our life. The former goes against sincerity, truthfulness and consistency. The latter seeks to protect the truth that can easily be misunderstood by those who are not yet prepared to accept it. Of course, the only way for us to be able to differentiate between the two is for us to be truly united with God. Yes, only with him can we have the power to a...