The Ilocos Times

The DPWH first engineering district leads the road clearing operation along Rizal Street, Laoag City as per order of President Rodrigo Duterte. The Laoag police and the city’s barangay officials also assisted in the clearing operation. (Doms dela Cruz)

  By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Permanent gov’t employees with outstanding loan obligations with lending institutions may wish to avail of a one-time loan balance-transfer and debt-consolidation program of the state pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). In a press conference held at a hotel in this city, Lord A. Bico, GSIS Laoag Branch manager reported that at least nine local government units and one national government agency in the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur have already signed a memorandum of agreement to enable their employees to enjoy its benefits of lower interest rate of 6% per annum and longer repayment term of six years. These are the towns of Pagudpud, Pasuquin, Dingras, Vintar, and Burgos in Ilocos Norte and the towns of San Emilio, Banayoyo, Lidlidda, Sta. Catalina in Ilocos Sur, including the Department of Agrarian Reform. The GSIS financial assistance loan (GFAL) 1 was originally offered to teachin

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff Reporter LAOAG CITY—Ilocanos who wanted to expand their horizon and learn basic Japanese language attended a free orientation seminar on October 11, 2019 at the Ilocos Norte Capitol auditorium. Anne Marie Lizette B. Atuan, head of the Provincial Public Employment Service Office of the Ilocos Norte government said the orientation was open to all interested individuals aged 18 to 39 years old who are fit to work, either high school, college level or college graduate. According to Ms. Atuan, “this is a wonderful opportunity to Ilocanos who are planning to work in Japan or those who are engage in business tourism in the Philippines who are dealing with Japanese guests and tourists”. In partnership with the KRT International Training Center, Ms. Atuan said the Ilocos Norte government hopes to developed well-rounded Ilocanos to boost employment here and abroad. After the orientation, a Japanese training course was also offered to the appli

Manila —"The Anti-Subversion Act is a relic of the Cold War era," Senator Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos said, reacting to a call among military and police supporters to fight insurgency by reviving the law that makes it a crime to be a communist. "It is not ideology but criminal acts that should be punished," Ms. Marcos stressed. The senator explained that "updating and upgrading the country's anti-terrorism law"—the Human Security Act of 2007—would provide a "stronger legal instrument than the Anti-Subversion Act of 1957 to punish crimes committed in the name of ideology, religion, politics, or economic gains." Ms. Marcos earlier filed Senate Bill 630, known as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019, to increase the liability of crimes listed in the Human Security Act, providing for a possible death penalty for rebellion, insurrection, coup d’état, arson, kidnapping, and hijacking, among others. Other violent or premedi

Green chili and pechay for sinigang , eggplant for torta , and lettuce for your samgyupsal are just some of the vegetables you can literally grow even in a small living space. Yes, space and resources are not limitations in having your own harvest. How? Reuse plastic containers  Try container gardening! Reuse empty plastic bottles, baskets, tetra juice packs, cans, and basins as containers in cultivating edible plants, instead of growing directly on the ground. Apply waste as organic fertilizer For starters, commercial mixtures of garden soil and organic materials are usually the first option. However, this will cost you more especially when you are planning to expand your garden. You don’t have to buy soil all the time. It is wiser to convert your waste into organic fertilizer. Wastes from kitchen such as vegetable and fruit peels are fast decaying matters. Other sources may just be around your neighborhood. Rice hulls from ice stores, coco peat or coco coir dust,

Laoag City —The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN), through the Provincial Education Department (PED), opened the Competency Assessment Assistance Program (CAAP) for 350 senior high school (SHS) Technical–Vocational–Livelihood track graduates.   The CAAP will finance the assessment fees of beneficiaries as aid in applying for Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Assessment and Certification. “ Sa mga SHS natin, kung gusto nilang magkaroon ng National Certificate II, the Provincial Government can fund that,” Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc stated during his “First 100 Days Report” on October 8, 2019. Matilde Nery, PED officer-in-charge, also explained: “ Napagalaman kasi natin na ang national certificate ay napaka-importante pala para sa mga senior high school upang maging eligible sila for work. Sabi ni governor na ‘urgent matter’ ito [CAAP] at gusto niyang ma-implement agad-agad . “However, benefits vary. D

Tallo a traktura ken uppat a hauling truck ti naibunong kadagiti agrarian reform beneficiaries organization babaen ti Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program ti Department of Agrarian Reform-Ilocos Norte. Indauluan ni Engr. Leandro M. Caymo, baro a regional director ti DAR Region I, ti pannakaibunong ti tallo a traktura ken uppat a hauling truck kadagiti agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations wenno ARBOs iti Ilocos norte. Inpalgak ni provincial agrarian reform program officer II Vic M. Ines a dagiti ARBOs a naikkan ti tractor ket dagiti sumaganad: San Cristobal Multipurpose Cooperative ti Sarrat; Bomitog Multipurpose Cooperative ti Banna; ken Sansa Nagcamarinan Irrigators Association ti Burgos. Dagiti met recipient ti hauling truck , kuna ni Mr. Ines, ket ti Catangraran Agrarian Reform Cooperative ti Solsona, Tambidao Multipurpose Cooperative ti Bacarra, Namnama ARBs Multipurpose Cooperative ti Piddig ken Catuguing Multipurpose Cooperativ