The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) here has proposed the creation of a special committee meant to compel independent power producers (IPP) here to strictly comply to the forest land use agreement. Like mining companies with a multipartite monitoring team, provincial environment and natural resources officer Juan delos Reyes said the forest land use agreement signed by these IPPs with the government should be strictly monitored. “Now that these wind and solar farms are fully operational, we suggest that a special committee be formed to look at their compliance such as their rehabilitation efforts, soil conservation measures and their commitment to deliver what they have promised as stated in their Corporate Social Responsibility projects,” Mr. Delos Reyes said. According to Mr. Delos Reyes, the special committee shall be composed of the different sectors and ensure that all governing laws an

Mrs. Rosa D. Sagisi is crowned as Laoag Association of Retired Teachers and Government Employees (LARTAGE) 2016 by LCGH chief of hospital Dr. Dax Dacuycuy and Mrs. Mary Ang at the city hall auditorium on February 15. (Doms dela Cruz)

By Justin Paul D. Marbella OWWA RWOI Migrant Desk Officers (MDOs) from different local government units (LGUs) in Region I gathered for a training on psychosocial support processing on January 25-27, 2016 in Binalonan, Pangasinan. This is in view of the aim to capacitate them as vital partners of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in serving the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families in the local government level. Facilitated by the OWWA Regional Welfare Office I, the training titled “Basic Facilitator’s Training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support During Crises, Emergencies and Disasters” was participated in by 94 MDOs from across Region I. There were 44 MDOs from Pangasinan, 21 from La Union, 15 from Ilocos Sur, and 14 from Ilocos Norte. Other participants were officers of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office I. DOLE Regional Director Grace Y. Ursua also extended her regards to the participants during the

Awan ti nataengan wenno ubing iti nagan ti panagserbi a boluntario.  Dua a nataenganen a padamin a limmas-ud iti payapay ti pitopulo, ti nagkuna iti nagduma a kapanunotan—umuna: Nataenganakon, awanak ditan, bagiyo metten; maikadua: Addaakto latta aginggana ti kabaelak ken ipalubos ti salun-at, bagi ken panunotko iti rummuar ken makidanggay iti agus ti biag. Makipagtunos. Makikaykaysa. Mangted ti panawen. Kasta ti naawatanmi iti kinuna ti maikadua. Nalpasakon. Panawenyo metten. Didak ibibiangen. Kasta met ti nagawatak iti kinuna ti umuna. Ania kadagitoy ti pangipuestuantayo ti bagitayo. Adda dagiti dadduam a kalpasan a nakaawatdan ti nangato a pammigbig kas ‘kangrunaan a pammadayaw’. Agsardengdan! Adda met dagiti dadduma, sige, ala latta. Addada latta a makidangdanggay, no dadduma isuda ti mangidaulo ken mangiwanwan. Adda sumagmamano nga am-ammomi ti nagkuna: “Adda man ken awan ti plake wenno sertipiko ti pammadayaw, saandak a mapasardeng nga agaramid iti mabalink

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY — A total of 7, 747 old registered voters in Laoag will not be allowed to vote in the May elections for having no biometrics data. Atty. Julius Harvey Balbas, Laoag City Comelec Election Officer confirmed that of the more than 73,000 registered voters here, at least 10 percent has been disenfranchised. The newly-installed Laoag election officer said the significant number of disenfranchised old voters may probably affect the result of election for local candidates. But as to the entire province of Ilocos Norte, Atty.  Marino V. Salas, Provincial Election Supervisor said the number of disenfranchised voters is minimal. “ We did our best. We visited schools and barangays and we wrote letters addressed to all concerned parties not only once but thrice but despite our efforts, we have to comply with our mandate, ” Mr. Salas said. Under Republic   Act   10367, voters who fail to submit the   biometrics   data will

WE normally look for something before we can find it. But there are instances when without looking, we find something. In these cases, we usually call the person involved as a lucky finder, or someone enjoying a windfall or some manna from heaven. This can happen in the world of religion. A good example would be the dramatic conversion of St. Paul who, even in the midst of his most hostile campaign against early Christians, heard the voice of Christ that led to his instant turn-around. Many of the patriarchs, prophets and other prominent characters in the Bible were of a similar situation. Without looking for God or unhappy with God ’ s call, they were called just the same, and even pursued as some of them tried to run away. The prophet Jonah is a perfect example. St. Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah to describe this phenomenon: “ I have been found by those who did not seek me. I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. ” (Rom 10,20) Truth is, whether we are lo

By Alfredo C. Garvida Jr. Contributor President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III took the occasion of the 30 th anniversary commemoration of EDSA to lambast survey-leading vice presidential aspirant, Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr., for the oft-repeated "excesses" of his father's martial law regime, which the senator has steadfastly refused to apologize for in response to their political enemies' self-serving demand for Bongbong to do so in this year's political campaign. The issue about President Marcos' martial law has been debated on for the past 30 years, with yet no substantive, clear-cut judgment by history if the late dictator's ouster from power did more good than bad for the Filipino people. The debate continues to rage on in the face of the Marcos family's return to the political mainstream, heightened, it now appears, by the looming threat that the late strongman's only son could become the nation's vice pr