The Ilocos Times

San Fernando City , La Union—“ Ang pagtulong sa kapwa ay hindi nasusukat ng kahit anong halaga. Masarap sa pakiramdamdam na nakakatulong sa iba lalo na kung sa panahon ng sakuna ,” shared Eduard C. Vilog, 28, from Brgy. Biday, this city. Eduard is one of the 165 volunteers in La Union in repacking Family Food Packs (FFPs) at the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 1 (DSWD FO 1) Regional Warehouse in Brgy. Biday, City of San Fernando, La Union. He consistently and selflessly offers his time for DSWD Relief Operations since the past typhoons in the last two months.    “ Iniisip ko ang kapakanan ng mga taong nasalanta ng bagyo kaya naman hindi ako naghihintay ng anumang kapalit ,” he added. Though DSWD gives one FFP in exchange of the eight-hour disaster duty of the volunteers, Eduard insisted not to receive his and even exceeded the required number of hours. DSWD FO 1 considers volunteers as partners in responding to typhoon victims.   Eduard s

Laoag City --The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) recently resumed its “Share-a-Book” Program, a program first launched five years ago, aiming to distribute information materials to all public and private high schools around the province. According to provincial education department officer-in-charge Matilde M. Nery, this initiative is a “continuing program” and is intended to reach even the far-flung areas of Ilocos Norte. “We are happy that we received again materials from the Human Development Index (HDI) through the initiative of Governor Imee R. Marcos. We have started distributing back in 2013, and we will continue until all of our secondary schools receive their shares,” she stated. Despite difficulties in reaching far-flung schools, Mrs. Nery reassured that they will find a way to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) for the information resources to reach the designated schools. “Before, schools were requested to come and get the books. Ho

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Batac CITY—To keep abreast with the educational changes and student needs, a business processing outsourcing (BPO) company at least 10 advanced computer units to learners of the Baay-Bungon National High School in this city on August 22, 2018. The Batac public school is the latest beneficiary of the continuing distribution of computers to schools in the province courtesy of Alorica Teleservices Inc., a BPO company based in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. The computer distribution program is in support of Ilocos Norte’s full-swing implementation of its provincewide information and communication technology project, enabling more learners to have ultimate access to various learning materials available in the world wide web. Of the four provinces in Region 1, Ilocos Norte boasts of its high literate rate of 98.2 based on the latest statistical record of the Department of Education. Public schools in the province are now starting to

AT  least 271 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at BJMP Laoag undergo the moral values formation facilitated by Pastor Gary Zaldy V. Galvez, training and development director of the Fellowship of Christian in Government, Inc. at the BJMP Divine Mercy Chapel.  (Doms dela Cruz)

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Completing the third and final tranche of a PHP4 million for a Chinese garden in this city, the People’s Republic of China turned over on August 22, 2018 a total of Php777,000 to the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte. Represented by Wang Jianqun , consul and head of post of the Chinese Consulate in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, she handed the check to provincial officials of the province led by Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo M. Barba in a simple turnover ceremony held at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall. The establishment of a Chinese garden near the Malacañang of the North is just one of the special cooperation projects between the Chinese government and Ilocos Norte. The Chinese garden installation in Laoag began in January 2017 with the Provincial Engineering Office here implementing it. The development of a Chinese garden is in preparation for tourism cooperation between two provinc

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—As Ilocos Norte was still recovering from weeklong monsoon rains, typhoon Mangkhut (local name Ompong) pummeled the province leaving PHP3.2 billion in agriculture and infrastructure damages. Provincial officials immediately placed Ilocos Norte under a state of calamity in a Sangguniang Panlalawigan special session on September 17, 2018. The SP members unanimously passed Draft Provincial Resolution No. 2018-09-265 declaring the province under state of calamity. The extent of damages in agriculture amounted to more than PHP1.88 billion with most of damages on rice affecting 48,229 hectares, livestock worth PHP78 million, high value crops, PHP24.7 million and at least PHP20,000 for fisheries. The estimated damages of PHP1.37 billion in infrastructure cover flood and river control projects, roads, bridges, irrigation facilities and tourist centers. Damaged schools Mangkhut , which the Joint Typhoon Warnin

A celebration of love and new beginnings. Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Farinas solemnizes the union of 47 couples for the city government’s mass wedding program on August 8, 2018 as part of the “A Cause for August” event. (Alwin Formantes)