The Ilocos Times

(From left) U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Ambassador Sung Kim; Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez; and U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Ambassador Atul Keshap at the launch of the yearlong celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and the United States on 26 March 2021 at the Philippine Embassy in the United States, Washington, D.C.   Washington , D.C.—Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez and U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Ambassador Sung Kim officially launched today a bilateral campaign to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America. “Some say 75 years is indeed a long time to stay as friends, partners, and allies, but

By Dominic B. dela Cruz  (Staff Reporter) Laoag City —The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)-Laoag City/Ilocos Norte district office emerged the on top of collection of taxes for CY 2020 in the entire Region I, revenue district officer Ramos Navarro announced. Despite of the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in March of last year, the local BIR here never stopped in the collection of taxes, though a series of extensions were also granted to taxpayers. Upon assuming as the new RDO in February last year, Navarro was immediately challenged as the January 2020 Laoag City-Ilocos Norte district office was recorded as number one in collection efficiency and it lasted until December 2020. Due to a good response, Laoag City-Ilocos Norte was again number one this January 2021, with Ramos hoping it will continue for the rest of the following months. However, Navarro expected a little problem that may arise because the annual income tax return to be filed this year will be from March 1

By Noralyn Dudt “God is great , God is good and we thank Him that great-grandma Rosalina is here with us to share this feast in this difficult Covid times.” Louie Samuel Vaughan, age 10 That was our 10-year-old grandson Louie Samuel Vaughan saying grace as we sat down for a meal on a recent cold January day in our home in North Bethesda, Maryland just 12 miles from downtown Washington DC. That great-grandma is Rosalina A. Onto, my octogenarian, soon to be a nonagenarian mother. This “feast” was a little more than elaborate than usual, but by no means a feast in the Filipino sense of the word. My mother is one daring woman who braved the 14 hour-flight from Manila across the vast Pacific to San Francisco, California to visit my sister's family and to see (aka inspect) her house that is being leased. I say "daring" because I cannot imagine myself, much younger than she is, having a double-mask and a plastic cover over my face for 14 hours! But daring she has always be

Laoag City —The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and the city government of Laoag will soon establish a nipa plantation in the city of Laoag. In a resolution, certified as urgent by Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon, and unanimously approved by the city council sponsored by the committee of the whole led by Laoag councilor Juan Conrado Respicio as movant, MMSU and Laoag City will enter a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the said purpose. Respicio, who chairs the committee on ethics, rules and regulations, said the nipa resource establishment supports the “Expanded National Greening Program” and the production of bio-ethanol, a climate change mitigation and a source of livelihood. The nipa, which is a mangrove species, has been shown by MMSU as a promising source of bioethanol to augment the shortage of locally produced bioethanol as required by RA 9367 known as Biofuels Act of 2006 and reduce the country’s dependency on imported fossil fuels. “The valuable economic and ecologi

Dingras Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Engr. Erdio Valenzuela (seated left) and   SB member Charles Tadena (standing right) discuss the purchase of additional CCTV cameras for the municipality of Dingras while other SB members listen in the discussion. Doms Dela Cruz   By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter) Dingras , Ilocos Norte—Members of the Sangguniang Bayan here approved an urgent resolution authorizing Dingras Mayor Geoffrey Saguid to negotiate with various lot owners for the purchase of lots for the expansion of the public cemetery at Brgy. Bungcag, this town. Dingras Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Engr. Erdio Valenzuela announced that the measure was unanimously approved by all members present. SB member Joey Apostol authored the resolution but it was later manifested that it be sponsored by the committee of the whole. Valenzuela admitted that this has been one of the problems during his time as mayor in Dingras having lack of space for the decea

Laoag City --The city government here is set to grant financial relief to displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are registering new business here. The approved measure was sponsored by Laoag councilor Handy T. Lao in connection with RA No. 11494 also known as the “Bayanihan Recover as One Act ” which provides that “the State shall establish mechanism to reduce the adverse impact of COVID-19 ion the socioeconomic well-being of all Filipinos through the provision of assistance, subsidies and other forms of socio-economic relief”. According to Lao, there are several OFWs from Laoag who lost their jobs, work or employment abroad during the COVID-19 either through “end of contract”, termination, resignation, dismissal, or other mode of termination that needs financial relief in registering new business during the year 2021. The urgent measure further states that the displaced OFWs shall submit proof of work or employment abroad, notice of termination or any proof of terminat

  LAOAG CITY—The provincial government here is eyeing to increase its share in tobacco excise tax with strengthened monitoring this trading season. In partnership with authorities from the provincial government, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, the National Tobacco Administration (NTA), and the Philippine National Police, the transport of tobacco outside the province will be monitored in border checkpoints to ensure that tobacco grown in Ilocos Norte are properly documented. Recently, the monitoring task force representing these four agencies convened a meeting at the NTA in the City of Batac to familiarize themselves with the legal basis for the issuance of NTA trading rules and regulations, as well as the rules and regulations in the implementation of regulatory activities. Luzviminda Padayao, NTA officer-in-charge, said during the orientation that the subjects of inspection include traders, vehicles carrying tobacco as well as its volume and capacity, among o