The Ilocos Times

By Clarita T. Maneja Contributor The Late Judge  Efren O. Ramos  Former Regional Trial Court judge and The Ilocos Times publisher and owner, the late Efren O. Ramos Sr., will receive a posthumous recognition award for academic excellence during this year’s golden jubilee celebration and 28 th grand alumni homecoming of the Dingras National High School on March 20, 2015. The former judge holds the singular honor of being the first class valedictorian from the first batch of graduates of the then Dingras Provincial High School in 1947. “He set the foundational standard for high academic achievement and performance which the generations of students who came after him aimed to emulate, uphold and perpetuate,” General alumni association president Judge Ed Vincent S. Albano explained. He further explained that his citation will also recognize his long and impressive record in both private and public service. A businessman, a practicing lawyer and the RTC posi

The newly inaugurated building of the Municipal OFW Families Association of Villasis, Pangasinan. (OWWA RWO1) The Municipal OFW Families’ Association of Villasis, Pangasinan inaugurated their new building named as Hilario and Luz Maraña Bascos Memorial Building located at Brgy. San Blas in Villasis, Pangasinan on February 24, 2015. The building was donated by the families of Mr. and Mrs. Conrado Nievera and Mr. and Mrs. Jesus Bascos, migrant workers in the United States of America. Both families were known as active supporters of various organizations in their locality including the OFW sector. The building was named after the late Hilario and Luz Bascos, parents of Mrs. Filipina Nievera and Mr. Jesus Bascos. The building houses the OFW Family Circle (OFC) in Villasis and offers a convenient area for meetings, gatherings and other activities to be conducted for the benefit of the members of the said association. “This building was put-up for the OFWs in Villasis, Pangasi

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  Batac Mayor Jeff Nalupta and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos open the Rice Science Museum (Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Batac City —The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) launched on March 3 a rice museum to showcase the historical transformation of rice production and technology over the last 2,000 years. Reaching out to farmers including students and out-of-school youth, PhilRice Batac branch manager Fidela Bongat said the museum hopes to entice the young generation to have a deeper appreciation of what agriculture means as the real backbone of the economy. “ Alam natin nauubos na ang ating mga farmers. The average farmer, according to our Governor Imee Marcos is aged 58 in Ilocos Norte and 57 in the Philippines. So, what else can we do? We have to entice our young generations to make up their minds that they will into agriculture, not only on rice but also in all aspects of agriculture,” said Ms. Bongat in an interview.

Fr. Robert Reyes and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos discuss the plan to cut hundreds of trees in Currimao as Northwestern University's Shermon Cruz and Karl Lenin Benigno look on. (Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Laoag City —Father Robert Reyes, popularly known as the “running priest” from Malabon was in Laoag City for two days to reiterate his call to stop the cutting of trees as he reached out to young Ilocanos to do their share in protecting the environment. Fr. Reyes’ visit to Ilocos Norte came in the wake of the proposed cutting of more than 700 indigenous species of trees in Currimao, Ilocos Norte to pave the way for the construction of a 20-megawatt solar power farm there. Originally, the solar project proponent proposed to cut 1,281 trees but this was opposed by the Ilocos Norte government saying the number is “too much”. “It’s absolutely hard to plant trees in sand dunes where there is no top soil. These trees were planted

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Laoag City —The North Luzon Renewable Energy Corporation (NLREC), a   joint venture of the Ayala Corporation’s AC Energy Holdings, Inc. (ACEHI), UPC Renewables, and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI) which recently put online an 81-megawatt (MW) wind power farm at Brgy. Caparispisan in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte   delivered several goods as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) project to host communities. Attended by the NLREC management and staff led by chief operations officer Miguel de Jesus, a ceremonial turn-over ceremony of goods worth approximately P11 million was handed to Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos and witnessed by several members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan at the Provincial Capitol auditorium. The CSR projects affirms NLRE’s commitment to provide health, sanitation and livelihood assistance to host villages covering the municipalities of Pagudpud, Bangui, B

By Dr. Ernesto T. Lumaoang Contributor The roads leading to the Dingras National High School campus in Dingras, Ilocos Norte will be paved literally with longing and excitement as alumni from the glorious class of 1965 of what was formerly known then as Dingras High School will gather together, mostly for the first time, for their golden jubilee celebration on March 20, 2015. They will form the core group of some three hundred expected attendees which include alumni from different class years dating back to as early as the 1950s. Serving as a major highlight of the school’s 28 th Grand Alumni Homecoming this year, the “golden event” will also draw attendance by alumni families, guests and their many friends some of whom will come from overseas settlements like Australia, Mainland United States, Canada and the islands of Hawaii. Atty. Ed Vincent S. Albano, former RTC Judge of Pampanga and President of the DNHS General Alumni Association for the last 28 years informe