The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—The province of Ilocos Norte has intensified its efforts to protect the province from African swine fever (ASF) by requiring hogs and chicken suppliers to register with the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) here. Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Domingo Ambrocio, chair of the committee on agriculture, said the move is meant to keep the province protected from the highly infectious and contagious disease that has been affecting the hog industry since it entered the country in August 2019. As one of the three remaining provinces in mainland Luzon that is free from the viral disease, Ambrocio said there is a need to implement more stringent measures and help stabilize exorbitant pork prices. " Viajeros [traders] and their partner buyers shall be both responsible for anything related to each and every hog shipment. Both partner and viajero , when found in violation of any or part of the ordinance, or any guidelines and pro

By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY – The offices of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan were placed on lockdown effective Feb. 22, 2021 as its more than 100 employees and officials underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Dr. Josephine Ruedas, Ilocos Norte provincial health officer, in a telephone interview, said these employees are considered “primary contacts” of one of the secretaries of a provincial board member who was confirmed positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Feb. 20, 2021. “Should they test negative or not, all of them have to complete the 14-day quarantine period,” Ruedas said, noting the life-saving importance of self-quarantine when a person was exposed to a person who contracted the virus. It was learned that IN-C767, a 62-year-old provincial government employee from Brgy. 29, Santo Tomas this city, was previously exposed to IN-C759, who is her daughter-in-law. Both patients are symptomatic and current

Over 10,000 public officials and students across the Philippines participated today in Microsoft Philippines’ largest-ever public sector cloud summit to date, " Asenso Pilipinas : Building Digital Resilience”. The Feb. 2, 2021 gathering aimed to enable stakeholders across the Philippine government and broader public sector to accelerate digital transformation on a national scale. These support the Philippine government’s ambitions to reignite economic growth in 2021 and beyond and return the Philippines to the ranks of high growth developing economies. "We confront the same challenges in 2021 that we did 2020,” said Microsoft Philippines Country General Manager Andres Ortola. “Management of the COVID-19 public health crisis will drive daily agendas for months to come. Meanwhile, as access to vaccines becomes more prevalent, the transition to economic recovery will be the top concern for governments across the world, including the Philippines. We at Microsoft seek to serv

  Unveiling of the Malasakit Center By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—A one-stop shop “Malasakit Center” for patients in need of medical and financial assistance is now open at the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital, or more popularly known as the provincial hospital, to ensure that government health services should be accessible for all Filipinos. With an initial fund of PHP5 million, with the check personally turned over to Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong" Go and his party who arrived in the city for the launching of the country’s 101 st “Malasakit Center”. “ Ang requirement lang po dito sa ‘Malasakit Center’ ay basta Pilipino ka. Walang pinipili ang center na ito ,” Go remarked. “ Kami po ay nandito upang makapagbigay ng kaunting tulong sa mga pasiente. At kung may pasiente kayo na hindi kayang operahan sa inyong hospital , willing kaming tumulong sa Maynila pati pamasahe ay sasagut

As more savers opt to keep their money in banks, more deposit accounts in the Philippine banking system continue to benefit from deposit insurance provided by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) up to the maximum deposit insurance coverage (MDIC) of PhP500,000 per depositor per bank. Latest data released by the state deposit insurer showed that as of September 30, 2020, 96.7%--or 76.1 million—of the 78.7 million total deposit accounts maintained in 537 banks nationwide are fully insured by PDIC. The total number of fully insured accounts was 11.8% more compared to the 68.1 million recorded in the same period in 2019. In terms of amount, 11.6% or PHP1.7 trillion of the PHP14.3 trillion total deposits is fully covered by deposit insurance and represents an increase of 11.3% from the PHP1.5 trillion insured deposits in the same period in 2019. The PDIC reported that the double-digit growth in the number of fully insured accounts year-on-year mirrored the double-digit

(From left) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 6 Regional Director and Lead Convenor for Fisheries Management Area 11 Remia Aparri, Acting USAID Environment Office Director Paul Seong, USAID Fish Right Program Chief of Party Nygiel Armada, RMN Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Erika Sanchez, and RMN Chairman and President Eric Canoy formally launch the USAID-RMN partnership on marine conservation. Manila —The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) Foundation formalized a media partnership to promote marine conservation in the Philippines.   The partnership will target coastal communities that rely on radio as a source of information and entertainment in the Visayan region, the country’s seafood capital and home to more than 140,000 small-scale fishers.   USAID, through its Fish Right project, and RMN, will produce and distribute messages on biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries manag

Zyrill Ianna Pauline D. Pe Benito, Ph.D., Ed.D.  (Contributor) Saving lives amid the pandemic. A mobile bloodletting activity was held recently at Brgy 38-A Mangato East in Laoag City upon the initiative of Paraiso ni Aniben, a resort located in the said barangay. The activity, carried out with the Philippine Red Cross-Ilocos Norte (PRC-IN) chapter and barangay officials, was coordinated by Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Pe Benito. Edna Orcino, chapter administrator, expressed joy that in the middle of the pandemic, blood donation efforts continue with the strict observance of Covid-19 protocols. “Our desire to help should be over and above our fears,” Orcino stressed. She considered it heartwarming that private citizens, like the management and staff of Paraiso ni Aniben, “unselfishly take the lead in recruiting and gathering volunteers in order to maximize community participation.” From the activity, a total of 46 bags equivalent to 20,700 ml were collected. From the targeted 5,000