The Ilocos Times

LAOAG CITY—To complement the aggressive tourism campaign efforts of the provincial government to lure more tourists here, hotel owners and managers are expected to organize themselves as a federation. By doing so, Aianree Raquel, head of the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) said, will enable tourists and visitors to enjoy quality service and avoid operation of fly-by-night accommodation facilities, which are not accredited by the Department of Tourism. Over the past four years, Ilocos Norte’s booming tourism industry created a lot of opportunities to its residents. However, with the increasing number of un-accredited budget tour operators, transients and home stays particularly in the vicinity of Laoag, Raquel said this is causing a problem among licensed hotel and resort owners here. “We really need to have a solid stand on regulation—to standardize rates with the cooperation of private stakeholders so can control prizes,” he said as he cited the spillover of tourists visi

San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The Department of Health (DOH) regional office has awarded the Municipality of San Nicolas a Plaque of Recognition for their commemorative performance, commitment and active involvement in the promotion of voluntarily blood donation towards the achievement of National Blood Services. Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office officer Ryan Rollaine Simon received the award in San Fernando City, La Union on December 2, 2016. San Nicolas Mayor Alfredo “Boying” Valdez Jr. said the award was given in connection with one of his pet projects, the “Sandugo Program.” The said program enjoins groups here to hold bloodletting activities. The mayor said the town’s tricycle association, teachers’ group, the 4Ps beneficiaries as well as barangay officials are constant joiners of the program. San Nicolas is a past national awardee also for the same program. ( Dominic B. dela Cruz )

FROM MUHAMMAD Ali to David Bowie to Prince to Allan Rickman to Craig Sager and to, most recently, George Michael and Carrie Fisher, 2016 has terribly become a year of deaths.   Closer to home, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “war on drugs” have so far yielded 6,206 deaths—as per Rappler account. Of the total, 2,157 were killed in police operations while 4,049 were killed vigilante-style. But 2016 proved to be not just a year for literal death; it displayed more so the death of sensibilities, morality, common sense and empathy. We cheer the deaths of illegal drug trade suspects—both alleged users and pushers; while we also gnaw at our fingernails hoping and praying that we and our loved ones are spared from either being collateral damage or simply being suspected then killed. We nonchalantly spew thoughts that those who died deserved their violent deaths; yet we feel the chill of understanding that we—or our family members and friends—may be next. We continue to supp

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter PASUQUIN, Ilocos Norte—The Philippine Coastguard (PCG) is set to construct a ₱3 million building of in the coastal barangay of Davila here. Pasuquin Vice Mayor Pedro Rex Aguinaldo confirmed this as he reported that the town council is set to approve the budget in the form of a donation from the Philippine Coastguard through the Department of Transportation and Communication. Apart from the building, another ₱ 10-million is being eyed for the establishment of a lighthouse here to guide fishers while at sea. In Ilocos Norte, the main station of the Philippine Coastguard is located in Currimao in the second district of the province. To speed up delivery of services particularly in search and rescue operations and enforcement of maritime laws, the proposed PCG station in the first district of Ilocos Norte is needed. For the meantime, the PCG has set up a temporary station in this town to monitor the illegal fishing activities her

LAOAG CITY—As the nationwide “war on drugs” shifts to higher gear, the police here arrested a Bacarra school teacher on December 3, 2016 for possession of illegal drugs and ammunition. Using a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Philip Salvador, elements of the Laoag police implemented the operation against Jemcefen G. Luis, a.k.a. “Kawatog” and “Mistro” at his Brgy. Barit (55-A) residence. Mr. Luis is 39 years old, married and a public school teacher in Pasiocan Elementary School on Bacarra, Ilocos Norte. As the search warrant operation was being implemented, Mr. Luis suddenly displayed heart attack symptoms and was rushed to the Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital. He was in stable condition. Seized during the said operation were 5 live ammunition for caliber .38 pistol; 8 pieces of small heat-sealed plastic sachet containing suspected shabu; 1 medium sized plastic sachet containing suspected marijuana; and 1 roll of aluminum foil.

Engr. Vic M. Ines, OIC Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, explains that the credit management seminar prepares the agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations to become credit conduits of the Land Bank of the Philippines. ( Jopo Guerrero) Under its Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), the provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Ilocos Norte recently held a credit management and capacity-based lending seminar. It was attended by the officers of different Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the province, particularly the Bacarra Norte Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative, Sanjera de Padual Irrigators Association of Sarrat, Madamag River Farmers Irrigators Association of Dingras and Camanga Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Badoc. The two-day activity aims to train ARBOs on credit discipline and financial management and instruct them on how to save, pay loans on time and to better handle their finances.