The Ilocos Times

  By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The city government here is appealing to all health professionals who are bona fide residents or trace their roots in this city from here and abroad to lend their expertise pro bono in transforming the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) from a health institution on the verge of bankruptcy to a truly earning economic enterprise. In their regular session, the Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved a measure sponsored by the committee on health appealing to all health professionals to elevate the present economic status of the city hospital. Laoag councilor Jaybee Baquiran, who sponsored the measure, said the present administration was shocked to discover the hospital’s present condition. The 10-year-old city hospital was earlier announced as “a noble and economically feasible” as it was declared to be an economic enterprise. Mr. Baquiran, who chairs the committee on health, explained the present administration discove

By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—As various schools in this city gear up for distance learning under the new normal, some riders here have signified their intent to distribute learner’s modules for free. In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between the Department of Education Laoag City and the Motorcycle Philippines Federation 128, Inc., both parties agreed that the modules, which teachers developed, the riders will distribute and retrieve for free to the city’s barangay village, including other municipalities if applicable. Dubbed as project “Volunteer Riders Organized for Optable Module” (VROOM) Delivery, Gary D. Ronquillo, the motorists’ federation provincial coordinator said in an interview that as partners for education in the “new normal”, they are offering their services for the welfare of children in Laoag and Ilocos Norte. “Over the years, we [riders] had been used to public service. This is the least we can do for our children during this time

  Laoag City —Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc has committed to the opening of the "Northern Luzon Tourism Corridor," an initiative of chief executives and tourism councils in Northern Luzon to cushion the impact of COVID-19 across tourism industries. Preparing for the resumption of tourism by rolling out a rehabilitation plan, the provincial governments of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan, and the city government of Baguio have collaborated to prioritize the livelihood rehabilitation of their constituents while guaranteeing the overall safety of tourists and spurring again tourism-related economic activities.   "We started discussing the 'Tourism Bubble' concept together with 'the Department of Tourism (DOT) and counterparts in Region I and Baguio City, as well as other tourism officers in the country because at that time, very early in May,   there was no clear reference about how to address the impact of the pandemic,

  The Philippines and China are traditionally good neighbors with a long history of exchanges and friendship. Ilocanos and the people of North Luzon are friendly, and usually greet Chinese people with 'Ni Hao'. With the deepening of China-Philippine communication and cooperation, the enthusiasm of Filipinos to learn Chinese is increasing. However, there has been a shortage of native Chinese language teachers for years in the northern part. In order to cultivate a group of talents proficient in both languages and cultures of two countries, the Chinese Consulate in Laoag set up a scholarship to support local students to study in China since 2016. The consulate and local government jointly selected outstanding candidates. Melody Allado, a student from Paoay National High School, is one of the winners. In June 2020, Melody successfully graduated from Minnan Normal University in Fujian Province. Recalling the amazing experience in China, Melody said, "I am very gratefu

By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The city’s Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) federation president and ex-officio Sangguniang Panlungsod member alleged that Laoag SK federated vice president Juan Carlos Tabios III is moving to oust her from her current position. Laoag SK president Anzhelyka Faye Lao, in a privilege speech delivered during the city council’s August 14, 2020 regular session, said she is disappointed to learn that Mr. Tabios has allegedly circulated a manifesto against her. She added that Mr. Tabios had been allegedly meeting with other SK officials in this city one by one to sign the manifesto. Ms. Lao disclosed that other SK officials in the city have approached her and said that Laoag councilors Roque Benjamin Ablan and Jaybee Baquiran were allegedly “pressuring and persuading” them to sign the manifesto. She stressed that those who approached her did not mention Mr. Tabios as the one allegedly pressuring them. She added that she considers Mess

Consulate of the People's Republic of China in Laoag Consula and Head of Post Zhou Youbin and MMSU President Shirley Agrupis opens the China corner at the Batac university. (FIle photo)   By Zhou Youbin Consul and Head of Post, Consulate of the People's Republic of China in Laoag 2020 is destined to be a special chapter in history. Due to the impact of the pandemic, people's daily life has been disrupted. The world is facing tremendous changes. October 1 st of this year marks the 71 st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and it also happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival) in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. Though we could not celebrate the festivals together in person like usual, I have still received greetings from many Filipino and Chinese friends. The warmth of the festivals are shared among friends. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with President Xi Ji

  Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc and Marcos town mayor Antonio Mariano lead the inauguration and blessing of the newly-constructed isolation facility. The area is located near a mountainside at Brgy. Lydia, Marcos, Ilocos Norte with 13 rooms available for quarantine. (Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc) By Leilanie G. Adriano ( Staff Reporter) Marcos , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here inaugurated a 13-room modern and spacious isolation facility at Brgy.   Lydia, in this town. Worth PHP6 million and sourced from the government’s “Bayanihan fund” with a counterpart from the municipal government’s development fund, Marcos mayor Antonio Mariano said they will use the newly-constructed multi-purpose building as a quarantine site for returning residents. During a simple inauguration ceremony attended by provincial and municipal officials, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc lauded Marcos town officials led by Mr. Marian