The Ilocos Times

PREPARING CITY HALL. In line with the Fire Prevention Month as well as the recent strong tremor that rocked the province recently, the Laoag City government conducted a fire and earthquake drill on March 21. (Doms dela Cruz)

Each time I lectured in that classroom, I would stare at an empty chair, asking myself if there was something I could have done to save a life. He was a freshman engineering student from a small town. His classmates said they never noticed anything wrong with him. His parents likewise observed no unusual behavior exhibited by their only child. Everything seemed normal and usual with this boy’s life until he was seen hanging on a nylon rope fastened on a wooden beam. As a teacher, it was my first encounter with suicide by a student. And it was not to be the last. By all indicators, suicide cases are on the rise in the Philippines. According to the National Statistics Office, the suicide rate from 1984 to 2005 went up by 1,522% among men (from 0.46 to seven out of every 200,000); and up by 833% among women (from 0.24 to two for every 200,000). Noticeably, there is an increasing trend of suicide among the youth, particularly in the age group 5 to 14 and 15 to 24. Most

ILOCOS  Norte Gov. Imee R. Marcos receives the trophy and check worth P4 million from Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala and National Rice Program Coordinator and acting Usec. For Field Operations Dante S. Delima on March 14 in Pasay City. Also in the photo are (from left) provincial agriculturist Norma Lagmay, Delima, Marcos, and Alcala. (Photo Courtesy of PGIN-OPAG) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO THE ILOCOS Norte government, represented by Gov. Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos received the trophy and a check worth P4 million from Agriculture Sec. Proceso J. Alcala and National Rice Program Coordinator and acting Usec. for Field  Operations Dante S. Delima on March 14 at the Resorts World Manila as one of the top 12 Agri-Pinoy Rice Achievers in the country for its commitment in attaining high rice self-sufficiency. This is the second time, Ilocos Norte was recognized as a top rice producer in the award launched on 2011 by the Department of Agriculture. T The Agri-Pi

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter ACKNOWLEDGING their contribution to the city’s development, the Laoag City government lauded the top taxpayers for 2013. The top taxpayers were lumped into two categories: businesses in the city and those at the Laoag City Commercial Complex. Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas said the top taxpayers were named based on the amount of the taxes they paid as well as their promptness in paying their obligations. The mayor stressed that there was no favoritism in the selection as it was based solely on the assessment of the City Treasury Office, which made the list from its computerized taxation system. The top 10 business establishments are: SanFord Marketing Corporation (SaveMore), Expressions by Mart One, Fort Ilocandia Land Development Company LTD., Jollibee Foods Corporation (Bacarra Road), Jollibee Foods Corporation (Laoag Centro), McDonalds Laoag, Pepsi Cola, MongDing Construction Supply, The New Laoag Auto Supply and the Dev

Students of the Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades fill up a career planning questionnaire during the Career Counseling Roadshow spearheaded by the Ilocos Norte Public Employment Service Office in cooperation with Sirib Express and De La Salle University last March 7, 2014. ( PGIN-CMO) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO With its aim to assist students in making crucial decisions for their careers, the free career counseling roadshow, spearheaded by the Provincial Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in cooperation with Sirib Express and De La Salle University (DLSU), has successfully catered to more than 4,000 high school students on March 7, 2014. The program was held simultaneously in Ilocos Norte College of Arts and Trades, Ilocos Norte National High School, Sarrat National High School, Sta. Rosa National High School and Solsona National High School. The students were given free materials discussing the necessary work values and skills as well as steps and fa

Pope Francis is the best known Jesuit in the world today, He’s the first member of the Society of Jesus, organized by Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and companions in 1542, to be elected pontiff. Francis has been invited to address the US Congress. And many Filipinos hope that when he visits South Korea this year, he’ll make a side trip here to meet Yolanda victims. The news item, on a lesser   known Jesuit appeared last week, below the fold in the inside-pages, of a few papers: Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang, of Shanghai, a leader of China's underground catholic community, died March 15. He was 96. Fan served in prison after he and other priests were arrested in 1955 during a government crackdown. From 1958 to 1978, Fan was imprisoned in Qinghai province. Among other things, his work included carrying corpses to the cemetery, reported the Asian church news portal UCANews. He refused to recognize the Chinese government-controlled Catholic Patriotic Associat