The Ilocos Times

  Briefing about the current peace and order situation of Ilocos Norte. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Officials and residents here enjoy a generally peaceful community with no monitored threat from the insurgent New Peoples’ Army (NPA). Lt. Col. Charles Castillo, the newly-installed commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 81st Infantry Battalion confirmed this during a joint Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council Meeting held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Session Hall, Provincial Capitol, this city. Since January up to present, Mr. Castillo reported they have not encountered or monitored any enemy activities in the province amidst threats from Ilocos Norte’s neighboring provinces such as in Apayao, Abra, Ilocos Sur and Cagayan. Effective January this year, Mr. Castillo replaced Lt. Col. Eugene Osias. The army assigned Mr. Osias to the 7th Infantry Division of Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nu

BISHOP  Renato Mayugba leads the groundbreaking ceremony in front of the St. Anne Parish in Piddig, Ilocos Norte. ( Lei Adriano) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Piddig , Ilocos Norte—When Father Lorenzo Torreflores witnessed the closing of baroque-style St. Anne parish church on September 14, 2014, the parish priest said he got emotional as it was his first time to see an old church closed due to structural problems and deemed unfit for occupancy. The residents felt same feeling of the historical town of Piddig as they knew their ancestors had put in their blood, sweat, and tears to build the 207-year-old church. But four years later, restoration works began and it includes its bell tower and perimeter walls as well as retrofitting of buttresses and roofing. On March 22, Laoag diocese Bishop Renato Mayugba, along with National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) representatives and some Piddig officials led the groundbreaking ceremony an

Former Piddig mayor, now consultant, Engr. Eddie Guillen, P/Sr. Supt. Adolfo Rafanan, P/Supt. Jojie Del Prado and P/Supt. Jay De Guzman. ( Berong Ver) By Bernard Ver Contributor Piddig Ilocos Norte—The Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional and Provincial Offices with the Piddig government led by mayor Georgina Salazar-Guillen, consultant Engr. Eddie Guillen and Piddig police officers led by P/Sr. Insp. Jephre Taccad administered the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a new police building in the town on April 5, 2018. Mrs. Salazar-Guillen, in her speech, said that “the LGU is very thankful for the opportunity handed over by the PNP that aims to protect the lives and properties of Piddigeños.” Mr. Guillen, for his part, said that, “It’s a long due, but, the wait is over and we will be having our new police station here.” Also gracing the occasion were P/Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula representing PNP regional logistics director P/Sr. Supt.

By Bernard Ver Contributor Piddig , Ilocos Norte—Former Piddig mayor, now consultant to the local government unit Engr. Eduardo “Eddie” G. Guillen shared his town’s best practices during the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-central office forum on convergence initiatives. The forum aimed to showcase the practices and leanings of the convergence strategy implementation in the country held March 14, 2018. Mr. Guillen highlighted the support of the stakeholders on their hands-on training, entrepreneurial-planning and value-adding on products in this town. Also gracing the occasion were DSWD Usec. Maria Lourdes Turalde-Jarabe, DA assistant director Edna Samar, NAPC convergence model director Ferdinand B. Hombrebueno, former DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, UP associate professor Ebinezer R. Florano and DSWD director Christian Thomas R. Deloria. Earlier, Piddig became national champion for convergence initiative for sustainable rural developm

Successful back-to-back marketing efforts position Suzuki Philippines higher on sales charts   MANILA—Suzuki Philippines (SPH), the country’s pioneer compact car distributor, finishes the first quarter of the year with flying colors, posting the highest year-to-date (YTD) vehicle sales increase in the entire local automotive industry. Achieving 21.4 percent YTD sales growth in March, SPH strengthens its presence in the market and sets its sight on continued uptick in the months to come. It hopes to continue moving up the industry sales charts after taking the top 6 position in local automobile sales, a step up from its seventh rank in the first quarter of 2017. The initial phase implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law slowed down the auto industry in recent months, with sales in nearly all auto categories declining. Suzuki Philippines cushioned itself from the negative impact by strategically deciding to keep its 2017 price list for a

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—The Dept. of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Ilocos Norte 2 nd Engineering District allocated PHP44 million to relocate electric posts along the Manila North Road (MNR). DPWH-INED2 information officer-designate Chona dela Cruz said this will happen after the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DPWH and the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC). Earlier, DPWH and INEC personnel conducted a joint inspection of the MNR to determine which posts are affected. The project is part of road-widening plans along the MNR/ The joint team later determined that 358 posts are affected on the MNR spanning San Nicolas to Badoc. For its part, INEC officials said they are only waiting for the National Electrification Administration’s authorization for the MOA signing. Ms. Dela Cruz said the proposed agreement states that the relocation project should conclude within six months after its start.

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Motorists’ assistance stations in Ilocos Norte are now in place along the national highway starting March 28, 2018 to ensure smooth travel and provide reliable assistance to travelers going to the provinces. District Engineer Mathias Malenab of the DPWH Ilocos Norte’s second engineering district said in an interview that they have deployed a team to man these stations round the clock or until the holiday rush is over. Dubbed as, “Lakbay Alalay”, the DPWH has revived this program to assists vehicle owners while on the road. The motorist assistance station team is composed of an automotive mechanic who could troubleshoot in case of any vehicle breakdown; emergency responders in collaboration with the search and rescue team of the Philippine National Police and the village officials for ambulances in case of any vehicular accident within the area. Mr. Malenab said they also organized a team to help monitor the strict implementation of inst