The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz, Staff reporter Laoag City —The city government of Laoag will establish a comprehensive school safety, violence prevention, and emergency response program for all public and private educational institutions within the city. The initiative aims to provide mechanisms for preventing school-related violence, including shooting incidents, stabbings, armed attacks, and other security risks, through a unified school safety framework. Laoag Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Rey Carlos Fariñas announced the measure in light of the tragic school shooting incident in Tacloban City on June 22, 2026, where minors planned and executed a deadly attack. The incident highlights the urgent need to strengthen school safety measures, early detection systems, and coordinated response protocols to prevent similar occurrences in Laoag City. Fariñas, who authored the ordinance, cited existing national laws that protect children and provide intervention progr...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally visits the site of the fire at the Batac Public Market and awards PHP 150 million as initial funding for the construction of a new Batac Public Market, as Mayor Mark Christian “Markee” Chua presents the proposed site and building. Governor Cecilia Marcos, 2nd District Congressman Angelo Marcos Barba, and city officials headed by Vice Mayor Albert Chua were also present during the inspection. ( Photo courtesy of CMO Batac)   By Dominic B. dela Cruz. Staff reporter City of Batac — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the Batac Public Market to personally inspect the damage caused by the July 5, 2026 fire and meet with affected stallholders. During his visit, the President turned over PHP 150 million in funding to the City Government of Batac for the construction of a new public market through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). President Marcos was joined by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian , Ilocos Norte 2 nd District Congr...

VMLP National President Maynard Francis Bumanglag and National Chairman Anthony D.L.S. Suva lead the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), led by President Benjie Abalos and Chairman Atty. Raul Corro, as well as the Philippine League of Secretaries to the Sanggunian (PLEASES), led by SB Secretary Timothy Vista of Jamindan, for the eLegis Reference System , held last July 29, 2026, in Cagayan de Oro . (Photo courtesy of VMLP) By Dominic B. dela Cruz.  Staff reporter Pinili , Ilocos Norte—President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr. will formally lead the launching of the eLegis Reference System, a program of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP), in cooperation with the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL), and the Philippine League of Secretaries to the Sanggunian (PLEASES), this November in Cagayan de Oro. VMLP National President and Pinili Vice Mayor Maynard Francis Bumang...

DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda (left) and LANDBANK President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz (center) lead the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance AI-powered solutions that will enhance MSME credit assessment , business development, and access to financing. They are joined LANDBANK Executive Vice President Charlotte I. Conde (right).   Micro, small , and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can soon benefit from faster and more accessible financing as LANDBANK and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) partner to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in streamlining credit assessment and strengthening business support. LANDBANK President and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz and DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda formalized the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 20 July 2026 at the LANDBANK Plaza in Manila. They were joined by DICT Undersecretary Christina Faye M. Condez-De Sagon, LANDBANK Executive Vice President Charlotte...

Nearly one in four Filipino adolescents falls behind in school by age 18, according to findings from one of the country’s most extensive studies tracking child and adolescent development.  Researchers behind the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC) found that disadvantages experienced early in life—including poor nutrition, poverty, mental health challenges , and exposure to work—continue to shape educational outcomes and future opportunities years later. Among the cohort studied, 30.6% were already stunted at age 10, while 15.8% had experienced work. Over the following years, school progression steadily declined, with the proportion of adolescents remaining academically on track dropping from 90% at age 10 to 82% at age 15, and further to about 75% by age 18. Dr. Judith Borja , lead investigator of the study and former director of the University of San Carlos–Office of Population Studies Foundation (USC-OPS Foundation), said childhood experiences contin...

By Carlos V. Cornejo There is this best-selling book of Carol Dweck entitled “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” that classifies people into two groups, those that have a fixed mindset and those that have a growth mindset .   The fixed mindset group would think that they have a talent in some areas but zero in others.   I am good in English but bad in Math.   Or I can dance but not sing.   I can play basketball but not soccer.   Carol Dweck said that the problem with this thinking is that it limits our persistence in overcoming obstacles.   If you have held that long belief that you are not good in math for example you wouldn’t care studying harder in math because you’ve already given up even before the fight.   You would then end up contented getting a barely passing grade when there was that untapped potential of being good in math within you.   You just needed a more persevering effort to bring it out.   The growth minded peopl...

WHEN Christ sent his apostles to proclaim the Gospel , he did not simply give them a mission. He gave them a way of life. "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." Then came the startling instruction: "Take no gold or silver or copper in your belts; no bag for the journey, no extra tunic, no sandals or staff." ( Mt. 10:8-10 ) Those words were radical then, and they remain radical today. Jesus was teaching his followers to let go of self-sufficiency and place their confidence entirely in God. Their mission was not to be driven by comfort, possessions, or financial security, but by faith , generosity, and an unwavering commitment to bringing God's kingdom to others. That challenge was not meant only for the Twelve Apostles. It extends to every Christian who sincerely wants to follow Christ. While not everyone is called to abandon material possessions literally, all are called to cultivate the same...