The Ilocos Times

Recognizing the urgency to tackle impacts of climate change on rice production, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) conducted the Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and rice production training, April 22-26. Forty-seven high school teachers from across the country were trained to teach crop production in the next academic year. The key aim of the training was to integrate lessons on climate-smart rice agriculture in the curriculum of the participating schools. The training was under PhilRice’s Infomediary Campaign, a youth engagement in agriculture initiative. “This is the third year that we are focusing on climate-smart agriculture and rice production,” said Jaime A. Manalo IV, campaign team lead. Climate-smart rice production technologies such as controlled irrigation, use of the leaf color chart (LCC), and the minus-one element technique (MOET), and use of drought and submergence-tolerant rice varieties were tackled by PhilRice experts. Controlled ir

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By Jonarex Morella Contributor The tradition of excellent innovation continues! As it ignites the flame of its name as the lead division in ICT integration, the City Schools Division of Batac spearheaded the second ICT Congress held at Plaza Del Norte Hotel and Convention Center on March 12. Aside from the teachers, administrators, and division personnel of CSDB, participants to the event were educators from the divisions of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City, and Candon City. The congress was designed to offer a revitalizing experience to the attendees in terms of instruction, research, extension, and governance. Opening program The congress was kicked off by a message from Batac Schools Division Superintendent Vilma D. Eda wherein she presented the accomplishments of the division in terms of ICT utilization. She also pointed out CSDB’s next targets for a higher quest of innovation. Mrs. Eda emphasized in her speech that the accomplishments of the division ar

With the recent educational shift to K-12, The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) featured Edukasyon.ph to help the 27,500 students and their OFW families in searching for the right Senior High Schools for their children. Edukasyon.ph is a free website platform that gives choice, convenience, and advice on education to career options around the Philippines.   “We understand how difficult it is for OFW parents to involve themselves in the education planning of their children especially now that there’s Senior High School (SHS). Through Edukasyon.ph #SeniorHighDreams component, they will no longer feel disconnected from their child’s education,” Edukasyon.ph Executive Officer Linartes Viloria said. This February, the CFO was able to circulate a memorandum addressed to the 40 PSO school principals based in 10 countries (Bahrain, China, East Timor, Greece, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) with enclosed tutorial kits for t

OFW Families from various OFW Family Circles (OFCs) in Pangasinan joyfully pose as they cap the Financial Wellness Seminar, organized by BDO Unibank Inc. in partnership with the OWWA RWOI, on February 18, 2016, at the SM Rosales, Rosales Pangasinan. By Justin Paul D. Marbella OWWA RWOI Through games and fun-filled activities, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) families in Pangasinan learned Financial Wellness in a gathering which aimed to empower them as OFW families. Organized by BDO Unibank, Inc. in partnership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Regional Welfare Office I (OWWA RWOI), the Financial Wellness Seminar at the SM Rosales, Rosales, Pangasinan was a venue to learn on financial literacy the fun and exciting way. A total of 320 OFW family members took part in the free seminar. They represented various OFW Family Circles (OFCs) from various towns in eastern and central Pangasinan namely Rosales, Villasis, Asingan, Santo Tomas, Binalonan, Alcala,

Lalaine Lucas carries her one-month old child, Leah, after she gave birth to it prematurely on January 14, 2016. (Reu Dawner A. Flores) By John Michael Mugas PGIN-CMO A normal birth delivery on a beautiful day in April was hoped for Leah Kristina Felice Lucas but instead, three months earlier, she gave birth prematurely on January 14, 2016. She was born weighing only 600 grams, 12 inches long and struggled for a month to be kept alive. Despite the circumstances, Leah is still considered as a miracle from above. With a month-long battle at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMHMC) in Batac City, Leah’s mother, Lalaine Lucas, recalled how she and her husband tried to exhaust all ways to be able to pay for the medical bill that kept on rising every day. Total medical expenses reached as high as PHP74,000 for the four-week hospitalization of Leah which included further observation in the incubator. Leah is the first child of La

City Links discuss how Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is implemented in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. By Jaymante Pearl B. Apilado DSWD “Pantawid works well and targeted well, at par with Mexico and Brazil,” World Bank Program leader Aleksandra Posarac said during the recent visit to Laoag City, Ilocos Norte on February 23, 2016. She added that it takes time to break the intergenerational poverty in the Philippines and it takes more than one generation in order for a family to move out from poverty that is why education and good jobs are needed. Ms. Posarac appreciated and was pleased with the implementation of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Listahanan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Field Office 1 (DSWD-FO1) that is why they selected and visited Region 1 for the production of their “Good Governance Campaign”. Further, she proudly announced that World Bank would continue supporting and funding the Pantawid Pamilya Program and Li