The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Farmer-leaders in this northern part of Luzon have sought the help of government authorities here to plan for the conduct of cloud seeding operation to produce more rain. Rogelio Ceredon, president of the Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Council (MAFC) in Dingras, Ilocos Norte said   hectares of agricultural lands planted with hybrid rice failed to survive the prolonged dry spell, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported it will continue until the end of this month. According to Engr. Cynthia Iglesia, chief of the PAGASA weather station in Laoag said   most parts of Ilocos Norte is still experiencing water shortage or below normal rainfall even if it rained for three consecutive days now. As more than 11 typhoons is expected to hit the Philippines until December, farmers expressed their concern a cloud seeding operation to induce rain may help them cop

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Manila — Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative   (YSEALI) Generation Startup Weekend August 4-6 which takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The YSEALI Generation Startup Weekend is hosted by Techstars SE Asia in partnership with the United States Department of State and YSEALI and will take place during the ASEAN Regional Forum which is being held in Malaysia the same week. Interested applicants should join YSEALI if not already members and submit a one-minute video pitch describing their idea for helping Southeast Asia grow in the areas of economic development, civic engagement, environment and education.  The deadline for applications is July 3, 2015.  One hundred and ten aspiring entrepreneurs from South East Asia, aged 18 to 30, will be selected to take part in the event.  Participants will receive entrepreneurship training and build online apps. The team that creates the best app will win a free trip to the United State

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—A magnitude 4.0 quake shook  Laoag City, including Vigan City and Sinait in Ilocos Sur on June 24 at 2:18 am, a report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. The epicenter of the earthquake was at 39 kilometers southeast of Laoag with a depth of five kilometers. Some Laoag City residents who were awakened that time felt a mild shaking of the earth while nearby Sinait felt shock of intensity II and intensity I in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The earthquake was of tectonic origin. No damage and aftershocks is expected. The Philippines sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

WE all know that life has more to offer than what we can manage. There are surprises both of the pleasant and welcome ones as well as the terribly unwelcome ones. There are heavy pressures and insoluble predicaments. We have to be ready for these eventualities, though we also know we cannot be truly ready enough.   We have to learn to live with this fact of life and strengthen our conviction, based on our Christian faith, that there’s such thing as divine providence. God always governs all of his creation, and in his own mysterious ways directs all things to himself. If this is part of our bedrock belief, then we would be open, ready and game with anything in life. A great part of his providence is beyond our understanding. What we know is that it is at once all-wise, all-powerful, all-just and all-merciful. If we would just be open to this truth about his providence, I suppose we would be ok even if along the way we commit all sorts of mistakes and even sins. God knows wh

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Batac City —Farmers here has expressed commitment to support the Rural Transformation Movement (RTM), a continuing advocacy program of the Philippine Rice Research Institute to help farmers hit their target and achieve P1 million gross income per hectare per year. Showing farmers this goal is very possible, farmers at Brgy. Nagbacalan, this city reorganized themselves into a strong group as PhilRice representatives visited seven sitios here to conduct briefings about the RTM. Using new rice farming technologies while teaching farmers how to come up with value-adding agricultural products to increase their income, local farmers here welcomed this new development saying they keep an open mind to learn new things. With the support of PhilRice and the different line agencies of the national government, a 5-day  training dubbed as “Growing Agri-prenuer” was recently attended by Nagbacalan farmers at the PhilRice Central Experiment Sta

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua