The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—As one of the cultural communities in the province of Ilocos Norte, the municipality of Nueva Era has integrated Tingguians’ traditional “Oggayam” in Nueva Era National High School (NENHS) curriculum. NENHS senior high school coordinator Geralyn Nabaysa said the Oggayam is now being taught in all high school levels of the said school. Ms. Nabaysa said the Oggayam integration in their curriculum helps preserve their culture. She disclosed that Tingguians, an indigenous peoples (IP) group in this town, comprise at least 80% of their school population. She added that the integration was based on a study made on the students, and which was presented last year in the first Singapore Institute of Multidisciplinary Research Festival held in Taguig City The Ilocos Times learned that of the 150 studies presented, the NENHS-owned research entitled “Effectiveness of Simulation in Developing the Student’s Ski

Worst pollutants. Volunteers gather the cigarette butts they collected from the Badoc beach.  (Photo courtesy of Radz Bismonte) By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter Badoc , Ilocos Norte—A group of youth volunteers from Ilocos Norte and neighboring Ilocos Sur jointly conducted a coastal clean-up on Sunday at the La Virgen Milagrosa cove in this town, picking up 4,538 pieces of cigarette butts and at least 238 kilograms of non-biodegradable wastes. While encouraging everyone to learn to protect the environment, Patricia Dacanay-Diaz, president of the Movement Against Plastic Pollution (MAPP) in Ilocos Norte has reminded beach goers to dispose of their garbage properly. According to Ms. Diaz, most of the collected non-biodegradable trashes came from picnickers and smokers who are apparently careless about the world they live.   In time for the Earth Day celebration, the MAPP mostly composed of young environment activists together with the Amianan Outd

Lingayen , Pangasinan — OFW [overseas Filipino workers] Family Circle (OFC) leaders and representatives in Ilocos Region are now capable in responding and providing first line assistance in case of emergency and disaster after they went through an intensive four-day training on water safety search and rescue (WASAR) held on April 10-13, 2019 at Narciso Sports Complex, Lingayen, Pangasinan. The Pangasinan Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), headed by Maricar D. Palang, Argie B. Gattoc and WASAR trainers Mario R. Lopez, Rigor C. Demoral and Jimmy M. Pastor, acted as learning service providers on the aforementioned training. WASAR training is the second part of the “Basic Life Support and Disaster Preparedness” that OFC leaders need to undergo to empower them to respond in their areas in times of calamities. The first part was the Disaster Preparedness, Risk Management and First Aid or Basic Life Support-CPR Training held on October 19-20, 2018

By Leilanie G. Adriano & Bernard B. Ver Laoag City —The Ilocos Norte Tourism Office said the province welcomed an estimated 483,778 domestic and foreign day visitors during the Holy Week. The INTO figures represent a 5.3% increase in tourist arrivals compared to the same period last year. A Few weeks before the Holy Week, tourism stakeholders in various parts of the province has already beef up their supply for the expected influx of tourists. Report from the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) showed a total of 483,778 visitors. These were monitored by tourist aides assigned in more than 42 tourism destinations of Ilocos Norte. “Our tourist arrivals for the Holy Week is another blockbuster considering other new destinations that we promoted this year,” said provincial tourism officer Aian Raquel referring to the sunflower farm in Piddig and the newly-inaugurated Siwawer Eco-Tourism Nature Park in Vintar which features extreme sports adventure and the

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff reporter Laoag City —The Vintar road construction in this city is now 90% complete. This was announced by construction section chief Engr. Romeo Bartolome of the Department of Public Works and Highways-1 st Engineering District. Mr. Bartolome explained that the project, which began in 2018, was delayed until this year because of heavy traffic and the rainy season. The 700-meter Vintar road project starts from General Luna Street to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building and includes the replacement of a bridge. The project was funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) by the national government with a PHP25 million amount. The said project also includes 16 solar lights. Mr. Bartolome appealed to the public to be more cooperative due to traffic congestion brought out by the construction. The Ilocos Times learned that this road has been a perennial problem for motorists due to its destroyed conc

Like a dizzying maze So complex, so paradoxical Hard to figure Where it's going Never an easy way out Does she really want out Or rather find her safe haven Inside, whereby she can curl up Like an unborn child Safe in tacked In her mother's womb Where nothing can go wrong Sometimes she wants to scream To the God of the Universe Why me, why me Don't you think I had enough But she won't dare For He has been kind She keeps her faith Unbroken and stalwart She would rather weep Hoping her tears reach the Heavens She's a Rock But she opted not to fight Instead she embraces death Her choice to escape The chaos of the mind and heart She welcomes impugning energies To freely run through her being Thrashing deep She preferred to bleed Allowing everything to flow Till she's drained and empty Purging every grain of memories To a deep slumber Perhaps never to wake Her untended heart A runaway, she

  Seated, from left to right: Supreme Court Associate Justices Rosemari Carandang, Andres Reyes Jr., Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Antonio Carpio, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, Associate Justices Mariano Del Castillo, Marvic Leonen, Alexander Gesmundo, and Amy Lazaro-Javier.  Standing, from left to right: Court Administrator Midas Marquez, U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) Technical Advisor Felix Camerino, U.S. DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) Senior Digital Investigative Analyst Daniel Ogden, CCIPS Cybercrime Lab Director Ovie Carroll, OPDAT Resident Legal Advisor David Bragdon, and OPDAT Legal Specialist Guia Montealto. Manila —The United States of America embassy in the Philippines, through the US Department of Justice (US DOJ) Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), coordinated with the Supreme Court Sub-Committee on Commercial