The Ilocos Times

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter City of Batac —Local officials here enjoin all government offices, private institutions and all concerned to use “City of Batac” as the official name of Batac and not “Batac City’’. In a resolution approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, it calls for the use of City of Batac as its official name as based on Republic Act No. 9407.   Being classified as fourth class municipality in 1987 then becoming a first-class municipality in November 2005, Batac hurdled all requirements needed to become a city on 2007 under the administration of former Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta. On June 23, 2007, Batac was proclaimed as component city by virtue of RA 9407, “An act converting the municipality of Batac in the Province Ilocos Norte into a component city be known as the City of Batac”. In November of 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines heard a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines declaring the Cityhood Law (RA 9

By Bernardo B. Ver II Contributor Senator Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos said Senate sports committee chairperson Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go must get to the bottom of the numerous foul-ups in hosting the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) that are embarrassing the Filipino people even before the biennial sports event has begun. Ms. Marcos added that she backs Mr. Go’s promise to conduct a probe and that he would be the best person to do so, to prove that the government does not cover up anomalies committed by those close to the President. “If Senator Go will really conduct an investigation, and I hope he does, he would prove that the government is not afraid to go up against President Duterte’s allies,” Ms. Marcos said. House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who chairs the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee ( Phisgoc ), and Philippine Sports Committee chairperson William Ramirez have come under fire for various logistical blunders exposed in mai

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter City of Batac —The city government here is urging all utility companies to remove or fix dangling and jumbled wires within the city’s boundaries. The Sangguniang Panlungsod specifically passed a unanimous resolution asking a cable and internet provider company to initiate this directive. The previous sanggunian has also passed a similar resolution. Batac councilor Christopher B. Lagmay, the movant of said resolution, said they noticed that the dangling and jumbled utility wires have been increasing in volume, especially in the city proper. He stressed that those wires are now not only “eyesores” but dangerous as they could cause accidents. In view of this, the city government here noted that it will continue to use its power for the promotion of the general welfare of its people. On October 31, 2019, utility companies and other utility agencies expressed their willingness to comply with this request. Some of the

By Dominic B. dela Cruz Staff Reporter Batac City —Sangguniang Panlungsod member Violeta Daradar-Nalupta distributed at least 15 wheelchairs from Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in this. Mrs. Nalupta requested the said wheelchairs through a council resolution, which the body approved unanimously. All council members also co-sponsored the said measure. Mrs. Nalupta said she personally delivered the wheelchairs to PWDs who could no longer walk far, including Splendor Pitpit of Brgy. Payao this city. She also disclosed that only seven local government units in the country received wheelchairs from the senator. With the help of the social works office here, the 14 wheelchairs were given to PWDs who are “less fortunate”, or indigents. “ Babaen iti daytoy, addan gundaway dagiti adda rangkap na aglalo dagitay saan a makapagna a makapasyaren babaen iti wheelchairs nga inted ni apo senador ket napalalo iti pinagyaman da iti d

In time for the planting season, farmers under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program had started receiving certified rice seeds during the program’s first distribution in Balungao, Pangasinan, October 28, 2019. About 1,500 bags of certified seeds are given to 600 farmers in the 4th class municipality bordering Nueva Ecija to the south. “You’re lucky to be the first beneficiaries of this program. The government gives this support for you to be more competitive so I urge you to do your part for you to gain more from farming amidst challenges,” Maria Theresa Peralta, town mayor said. Ms. Peralta encouraged farmers to plant the certified seeds as this can increase yield by 10 percent. “Please do not sell what you have received. The grain from this bag might lead you to prosperity,” she said. Under the program, farmers who are listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) of the Department of Agriculture can receive 20-80kg

By Bernardo B. Ver II Contributor Senator Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos denounced the plan of the Philippine International Trading Corporation to import rice in behalf of local fast food chains, grocery stores, and small supermarkets. Ms. Marcos expressed dismay that a government-owned corporation under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would prioritize imports over local produce when rice farmers nationwide have been selling their harvest at depressed prices or even at a loss. “The announcement of Secretary (Ramon) Lopez is insensitive and ill-timed. Cheaper imported rice is not worth a breakdown in the livelihood of Filipino rice farmers,” Ms. Marcos stressed. The DTI chief announced the plan to import rice for select businesses at an international rice conference in Makati earlier this month and also said that as many as 300 containers could be shipped to the country in the next few months. “Where is our conscience and what got into the heads o

Laoag City —As fulfillment of Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc’s campaign promise “to improve, to equip, and to better staff” district hospitals and health units in the province, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Provincial Public Employment Service Office (PESO) reopens the application for the first batch of “Saguip Nars” Program starting on December 2, until December 13, 2019. “Saguip Nars” was introduced early in 2014 with the objective of providing work experience to new Ilokano registered nurses who lack professional clinical experience. However, the program was put on hiatus in 2018 due to budgetary constraints. “To address the scarcity of nurses and healthcare providers as well as to encourage our nurses to work for our province, Governor Marcos Manotoc sees the need to bring back the ‘Saguip Nars’ since one of his top priority programs is the improvement of our health sector,” information officer II Rhona Ysabel Daoang exp