The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Batac City —The city government here came up with a PHP508 million proposed budget for 2018. The 2018 budget proposal is at least PHP34 million more than this year’s PHP474 million annual budget. Batac mayor Albert D. Chua personally made the announcement after they collated all budget proposals from all the city government’s concerned offices. Mr. Chua explained that the proposed budget is based on the estimated income for next year. He added that the budgetary increase is due mainly to the city’s increased revenues as well as its internal revenue allotment (IRA) share. The mayor also disclosed that he and his staff worked closely with the local finance committee to study the budget proposals. In their deliberation, Mr. Chua said all department heads presented and then justified their respective budget proposals. Mr. Chua, however, revealed that the budget proposal total did not include the city’s RA 7171 share, or

LAOAG CITY—The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is offering scholarship grants to budding Ilocano film makers in Region 1. As part of their program to promote the local film making industry, Wilma Isleta, FDCP education and cultural engagement officer, said the scholarship is open to all schools in the region which had earlier participated in the basic workshop on film making held at the Teatro Ilocandia, Batac City on October 7-8, 2017. With a theme: Planting Seeds: The Future of Philippine Cinema, over 200 students and teachers from the different schools of Ilocos Norte and its neighboring provinces in Region 1 attended the two-day activity. Backed by the Ilocos Norte government and the Mariano Marcos State University, the FDCP is reaching out to the young Ilocanos to promote film education and to help local students develop their knowledge and skills on film making industry. Due to limited slots, Ms. Isleta said the FDCP may accept at least two sch

LAOAG CITY—Personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)here conducted a simultaneous operation called “Oplan Galugad” to all prison cells in the province. Based on a memo from the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office led by provincial police director Jose Melencio Nartatez, the surprise search operation aims to search for guns, drugs or any other prohibited items inside the jail. Authorities deployed law enforcers along with K-9 dogs at the Ilocos Norte and Laoag City Bureau of Jail and Management Penology to search for these items. But before the actual search operation, they subjected inmates individual body searches. At the BJMP-Laoag, P/Chief Insp. Rommel Ramos of the Laoag City police said they searched 226 male and 28 female inmates; the police later then sent out of their prison cells to accommodate the entry of the operation team. Aside from a pointed object like a scissor and a cigarette butt, the sea

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) encourages its member-overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) or their qualified dependents in Ilocos Region to take advantage of its scholarship program on technical-vocational skills development. The OWWA Skills for Employment Scholarship Program (SESP) aims to provide training assistance to OFWs or their qualified dependents who desire to enroll in any tech-voc courses in any training institute accredited by the TESDA. The SESP provides Php 14,500 educational assistance to scholars as they complete their TESDA-accredited tech-voc courses leading to their acquisition of a National Certificate (NC) II or NC III related to their skill. Qualified to apply are OFWs who are active OWWA members, or their qualified dependents namely spouse or child below 24 years of age for married OFWs; or sibling below 24 years of age for single OFWs. The scholarship applicant must have at least finished high school. In Region 1, among the

Piddig , Ilocos Norte—Town mayor Georgina Salazar-Guillen announced that a new portable water system will soon be operational. The project is part of the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat (Salintubig) program. Mrs. Guillen said her husband, former Piddig mayor Eduardo “Eddie” G. Guillen launched the program during his term. The current Piddig administration has continued the progress. Mr. Guillen now serves as “consultant” for the Piddig government. The mayor added that the project is a “fulfillment of Piddigeños’ desire to have a water system”. “These projects aim not just to drip-off households in town, but, a continuous process to fight global warming, too in the near future,” Mrs. Guillen added. As per a report, Engr. Cris Jacinto told the mayor’s office that the on-going potable water system (PWS) project at Brgy. Tonoton in this town is 47% completed. The water dam that will serve Brgys. Maruaya, Tangaoan, Dupitac and Estancia, on the ha

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT FIRST JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 12, LAOAG CITY IN RE: PETITION FOR THE CANCELLATION/CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE BIRTH RECORD/ CERTIFICATE OF MARK JEEEV UBA GURUNG IN THE OFFICE OF THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF BACARRA ILOCOS NORTE ON THE ENTRY OF THE DATE OF MARRIAGE OF HIS PARENTS FROM JANUARY 28, 2006 TO NONE OR N/A OR NO ENTRY; AND THE PLACE OF MARRIAGE OF PARENTS FROM PASUQUIN, ILOCOS NORTE TO NONE OR N/A OR NO ENTRY. MARILYN UBA and BISHNU PRASAD GURUNG, represented by JUNELYN BARUT, FOR AND/OR IN BEHALF OF THE MINOR MARK JEEV UBA GURUNG, Petitioner, -versus- THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF BACARRA, ILOCOS NORTE, THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL, MANILA, Respondents. SP. PROC. NO. 17089-12 FOR CANCELLATION/ CORRECTION OF ENTRIES x-----------------x O R D E R           This is a verified amended petition filed with this Court for the cancellation/correction of entry in the birth record/certific

LAOAG CITY—A Japanese car manufacturer prefers hiring Ilocano graduates of automotive technology servicing. Amelito J. Cardenas, Marcos Agro-Industrial School administrator this as the manufacturer based in Sta. Rosa, Laguna had been accommodating on-the-job trainees from Ilocos Norte for over two years now. For this year, Mr. Cardenas said they sent about 10 trainees to Laguna to render their services for a period of five months.  Each trainee, according to Mr. Cardenas also enjoy the opportunity to earn by at least 75 percent of a regular worker’s salary during the training period plus an employment opportunity after graduation. “Since 2015, we have already dispatched three batches and they keep on coming back to us for more. The Ilocano workers distinct characteristics are very diligent and industrious. Perhaps, it is the reason why they are highly preferred by employers,” Mr. Cardenas opined. Aside from this manufacturer, a South Korean conglomerate also hires high