The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte—To speed up the processing of passports, the Dept. of Foreign Affairs Consular Office (DFA-CO) in this town announced applicants may now prepay their processing fees through authorized payment centers. “In our effort to simplify and speed up passport processing applicants, we have just launched the DFA ePayment system in Manila,” said Edison Ipac, DFA-CO in officer-in-charge. The DFA said there is an additional PHP50 convenience fee for the ePayment on top of the current PHP950 for regular and PHP1,200 for expedited processing. Applicants will only be able to secure a confirmed appointment after paying at the various payment centers around the province. When seeking passport renewal, applicants, including those who are working abroad complain about the difficulties in getting appointment through the DFA’s online facilities. In a media conference, Mr. Ipac explained the agency’s central office i

BATAC  Mayor Albert D. Chua lead the ceremonial opening of the gate valve fire hydrant at Sitio Turod, Brgy. Baay. This project is an expansion project of Batac Water District in partnership with the Batac City Government which aims to cater to the potable water needs of households of the said sitio. Joining the mayor are several members of the city council and Batac Water District officials. ( Dominic B. dela Cruz)

PIDDIG'S  flood control dam at Brgy. Abucay holds back flood waters from the torrential rain in Piddig. (Berong Ver) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon left three deaths and around PHP282 million in damages, the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported. Based on its latest situation report, the PDRRMC said the biggest damage was recorded on infrastructure particularly on unfinished construction of national roads and bridges including flood control projects at PHP226.7 million. Floodwaters submerged rice fields and other high value crops in some areas of the province due to torrential rains over the past days, reaching damage of more than PHP3.5 million in crops, PHP1.5 million in fisheries and around PHP779,000 in livestock. The PDRRMC also reported 12 houses were partially damaged in the low-lying barangays of Carusipan in Pasuquin; Cabulalaan in Bacarra; Ablan,

By Bernard Ver Contributor Sarrat , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here is ready to fully implement its zero-waste management after the completion of its advanced sanitary landfill. The landfill is located at Brgy. 20 (San Jose), this town. Sarrat Mayor Remigio B. Medrano said that the project is worth at least PHP8 million., which they sourced locally. He said they are still waiting for additional funding from the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, which becomes the department’s counterpart for the funding. Mr. Medrano added that their landfill is equipped with a materials recovery faciliy. The said recycling machine converts recyclable waste into bricks and paper blocks, with the remaining organic waste converted into fertilizers. The advanced landfill project is first in the province. As part of the general public’s responsibility, they should segregate their wastes at the source before collection. A municipal ordinance on waste m

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—As it heads towards an effective and efficient delivery of basic services to its stakeholders, the Schools Division of Ilocos Norte (SDIN) initiated a one-stop-shop to speed up the downloading of maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of government-run schools in the province. Unlike in previous years when a school takes a long time to get its monthly share of MOOE due to voluminous process of documents, the SDIN led by schools division superintendent Vilma Eda set an appointment schedule during the MOOE downloading day of every month for school heads to submit their liquidation reports to the finance section. Once the submitted documents are complete, the cashier will immediately release the check ready for cash deposit on the same day. “This started in our ISO journey. We saw there’s a lot to be improved so we initiated some reforms for our continuous improvement,” said Ms. Eda in an interview. Durin

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Solsona , Ilocos Norte—The Department of Trade and Industry unveiled another Negosyo Center to cater to residents of easternmost town of the province. This is now the 10 th Negosyo Center in the province, which DTI expects to boost economic growth and development among its business stakeholders. Other Negosyo Centers in the province are located in Laoag, Batac, Burgos, Bacarra, San Nicolas, Badoc, Dingras, Piddig and Banna. Led by DTI regional director Florente Leal and Solsona Mayor Alexander Calucag, a simple launching program and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on September 6, 2018 at the Solsona Public Market where they established new center. According to Mr. Leal, it is the department’s aim “to bring government services closer to its people” and one way of doing so is to establish more Negosyo Centers in the Philippines. Under the Go Negosyo Act, micro, small and medium enterprises will have a better ease of doi

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC), Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), and the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office III (DA-RFO III) are intensifying pests field control this wet season through the Oplan Iwas Peste: Ang madiskarteng magsasaka, mataas ang ani at kita recently launched in Nueva Ecija. Leonardo Marquez, crop protection expert at PhilRice, said the campaign aims to educate farmers on preventing pest infestations through simplified steps. The recommended practices include synchronous planting, use of resistant rice varieties, conserving beneficial insects, judicious use of insecticides, and proper application of fertilizers. The senior science research specialist said that managing pests and diseases starts with synchronous planting, which according to Mr. Marquez, breaks the pests’ life cycle as it inhibits their continuous food supply. The practice entails the farming community to