The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Laoag City treasurer Ma. Elena Asuncion is all smiles as the city government reported that it has reached the 100 percent permit renewal of all businesses in the city. Records show that Laoag currently has a total of 3,941 registered business establishments that have renewed their licenses and an additional 106 new business applications as of April 4, 2014. The city processed 3,929 business establishments last year. The recorded delinquent payers have also complied with their yearly obligations before the first quarter ended with the help of barangay officials. The barangay officials served as the city government’s “eyes and ears” in discovering which business establishments in their respective areas had no permits to operate. The treasury office’s task force and enforcement team also continuously roamed around in different barangays assigned to them to monitor the same. The new business establishments in the city inclu

Iraq again tops list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and killers go free New York —Targeted murders of journalists in Syria landed the war-torn country for the first time on the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual  Impunity Index released April 16. Syria joins Iraq, Somalia, the Philippines, and others on the list of countries where journalists are murdered regularly and their killers go free. But there was some good news. Four countries on the Index—the Philippines, Pakistan, Russia, and Brazil-achieved at least one conviction in a journalist murder case, while the United Nations recognized the need to combat impunity in a resolution in November. “In too many countries, the climate of impunity engenders further violence and deprives citizens- global as well as local-of their basic right to information," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Gro

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The municipal council here has returned all barangay resolutions requesting the holding of “tupada”, or cockfights, during their respective fiesta celebrations. Sangguniang Bayan member Atty. Reynaldo Corpuz, chairperson of the council’s committee on law, said three barangay resolutions were referred to his committee. The said resolutions, coming from Brgys. 6, 7, and 14, requested the holding of “tupadas” during their respective fiestas. These resolutions however were returned to the said barangays. Corpuz explained that the resolutions have no legal basis. He added that the requests were later referred to San Nicolas Mayor Melanie Grace Valdez as she has the discretion to give these barangays special permits to hold cockfights. But as far as the Sangguniang Bayan is concerned, Corpuz said they cannot grant them their request as this would go against the existing policy of law. The lawyer-lawm

The Philippine League of Local Environment and Natural Resources Officers, Inc. (PLLENRO) will hold its 2014 National Convention with the theme  “Building Climate-Resilient Local Government Units .” It will be held on May 7-10, 2014 in Bacolod City. Local and international resource persons are invited to talk on topic on building resiliency in local government units, their capacity to respond to and recover from any disaster. During the event, there will also be discussions on efforts to address environmental challenges and sustainability. Sharing of experiences among LGUs on building resilient communities will also be presented. A session on GHG Inventory and Management focusing on entity level inventory to provide PLLENRO members’ capacity in conducting the inventory in their respective LGUs will be discussed. According to PLLENRO President Danilo Villas, “All provincial, cities and municipal LGUs are encouraged to send their environment officers to participate in this

By Jund Rian A. Doringo FNRI-DOST S&T Media Service Moringa , or more commonly known among Filipinos as malunggay , is a plant acknowledged for its nutritional and medicinal value. Almost all parts of the moringa plant are edible, from the immature seed pods called drumsticks, to the leaves, mature seeds, and roots. The leaves are said to be the most nutritious part of the plant. According to the Food Composition Tables (FCT) developed by the Food and Nutrition and Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), malunggay leaves are significant sources of B vitamins, vitamin C, beta-carotene, zinc, potassium, and iron, among other significant nutrients. Malunggay is a very common ingredient in Asian cuisines in countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Pakistan. In the Philippines, malunggay leaves are added to broth, like in the famous tinola , a traditional chicken soup dish with ginger and green papa

In the observance of Holy Week, Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas joined the station of the cross inside the Laoag City Hall on April 16, Holy   Wednesday. (Doms dela Cruz)

Are we captives of “pre-conceived ideas of Easter”? theologian Eamonn Bredin asks. Do we assume that Easter is “little more than the simple resuscitation of a larger-than-life Jesus”? “Then, we have no hope,” he writes in “Rediscovering Jesus”. That’d only be a reprieve, before we slip back into death. “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ," St.  Paul wrote, “We are, of all men, most to be pitied.” The Philippines leads the world in the number of people who believe in God, a University of Chicago research group reports, based on surveys taken in 30 countries since 1991. Here, 94% percent believe in God, followed by Chileans, 88%, and Americans 81%. Belief was lowest among East Germans, 13% and Czechs, 20 %. A head count, however, can paper over the deeper fissures. Why is the Philippines, reputed to be the only Christian nation, also among the most corrupt? asked former Asian Development Bank lead economist and UP professor Ernesto Pernia. This disconnect