The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. Dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The police here have turned up the heat in its battle against illegal drugs as the two ranked drug personalities were arrested. First to fall was Aileen Ganitano, 42 years old, married, residing at Brgy. 16 here, and ranked first in the police’s list of drug personalities in this city. Laoag police chief P/Supt. Edwin Balles said Ms. Ganitano’s apprehension was a result of a buy-bust operation. Ms. Ganitano was apprehended at about 2:20 pm on March 14, 2016 at A. Samonte St. this city. According to Mr. Balles, Ms. Ganitano was arrested after she sold 1 heat-sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu worth PHP 1,000. Also confiscated from the suspect were 8 medium heat-sealed plastic sachets containing suspected shabu; 1 piece marked PHP 1,000 bill; half pack of empty plastic sachets; 1 electronic weighing scale; cash money amounting to PHP 2,300.00; and three cellphone units. The police said the sha

Laoag's Gilbert Bridge. (Doms dela Cruz) By Dominic B. Dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The famous Gilbert Bridge is scheduled for major repairs and rehabilitation, the Department of Public Works and Highways project engineer Angelito Dian announced. Mr. Dian said the DPWH regional office through regional director Melanio Briosos has informed Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas formally on the repair, He disclosed that one side of the bridge will be temporarily closed for the rehabilitation. Among the processes to be used on the bridge include application of epoxy mortar and glass fiber reinforced polymer coat on top and below the bridge deck. To do this, he said one side of the bridge must be closed to all types of traffic. So as not to totally close the bridge to traffic, he said the concrete median will be removed. This, he said, is to allow traffic to pass through the other side of the bridge. In the project map, the bridge’s eastern portion wil

IT´S good that there is a growing sense of connectivity that is now palpable these days. One just has to look around and realize how the steady crawl of linkages among persons and entities in different levels of society is developing. Technology, for sure, has a lot to do with it. The mobile phone, the Internet, the social network systems, etc., are quickening the pace of communication. With them, we can get in touch with practically anyone in any part of the world. In a way, these modern means of communication have an equalizing effect on the people. That´s because even if there are several grades and levels involved, the fact remains that they have a much larger coverage than previously known. A lot more people are drawn into the communication loop now than before. Together with this technological angle is, of course, a growth in the sensitivity of people, especially the young ones and even the old, retired ones, toward the need to communicate. I´m amused to see both

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr. Contributor People treat the first day of April as April Fool’s Day—where you are empowered by tradition to pull somebody's leg with some untruthful news or story on a friend or someone else. This was not the case in Kidapawan, North Cotabato on this day of this year however, when the shocking news of the violent and deadly dispersal by the police, aided by the military, of protesting residents of this place filled the nation's airwaves. Three people were killed and 200 protesters injured in what appears to be an overkill by government troops upon peaceful citizens who were merely asking the government for assistance as they were suffering from extreme hunger done by their inability to farm their land because of the El Nino phenomenon. This horrible incident is flashing images of the massacred peasants in Mendiola during President Corazon Aquino's time. They were just protesting for justice, yet were violently dispersed by Cory's po

A battery of scientific researches concluded that climate change impacts, natural disruption for that matter, are increasing in frequency and scale. The social, environmental, economic and political consequences of improbable but high impact events to communities—the barangay in particular—are amplified by lack of funding, skills, capacity, technology, crisis management plan and network to mitigate, adapt, respond and bounce back from a piercing climate-propelled disaster.   The lack of concern for safety, current culture and perception of risk, the perceived lack of discipline and sincerity in disaster and emergency management drills magnifies potential vulnerabilities in the barangay. These gaps only elevate the impacts of “plain as the nose on your face” types of disasters such as earthquake, monsoonal flooding, droughts, vector-borne diseases, etc. Mapping the bigger picture, the number of casualties, the amount of damage and people affected have been piling up decade

Nicole Rudio and baby Kai By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—It took a new mom to realize the huge market potential for babies’ products when she gave birth to a cute baby boy, who is turning one on June.  Nicole Rudio, 36, started her home-based online business of making personalized and fashionable baby moccasins made of quality faux leather when she decided to resign from work and become a hands-on mom to Kai.  Nicole used to be call center agent, then a Casino dealer and later on she tried her stint in government service as she headed the Ilocos Norte Public Employment Service Office under the Provincial Government until she became a full-time mom.  For years, Nicole and her husband struggled to have a baby and when Kai finally arrived, the couple made it a point that the baby comes first.  With a basic sewing skills, she learned from high school, the fashionista mom was inspired to make baby “moccs” for Kai which is a fad in the United