The Ilocos Times

By   Noralyn Onto Dudt A year has passed since most of the world populace was told to stay in place; to stay put or they may end up "killing" each other. A year of uncertainty, a year of wearing masks, a year of physical distancing, a year of not visiting parents, grandparents and friends. A year of no touching and no hugging each other. It has been a year that had almost all of us gripped with fear as we watched others become critically ill and were rushed to fill hospital beds. As the kings and queens of centuries past, with their "coronas" (crowns) on their heads, wielding power that put fear into their subjects’ hearts, the coronavirus has been wielding its power and our hearts have been terrified.   And with this fear gripping us, the way we carry on with our lives has been changed forever. As the virus was proving to be so deadly and with so many people dying, businesses collapsing, and people losing their jobs, the government of the United States went into

By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY–Army Brig. Gen. Audrey L. Pasia, the commander of the army’s 702 nd Infantry Brigade in the Ilocos Region urged all sectors of the community including government workers to be more discerning with the so-called “long-time virus” which is deadlier which is deadlier than the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In time for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) 52 nd anniversary on March 29, 2021, Pasia said the insurgency issue has continuously infected various sectors and the government sector is no excuse. "All sectors—including government employees, media, church, professionals, and laborers among others have already been targets. So please, let us all be discerning. We may not know it, but they may already be in government that is bent on destroying us,” he said in a virtual presser on March 29, 2021. Out of the 12 identified municipalities in Ilocos Sur that were earlier reported to b

LAOAG CITY—Small farmers in rain-fed farmlands of Ilocos Norte will now have a chance to grow high-value crops even during summer by harnessing the power of the sun as alternative energy. Tapping the sun's energy is the new craze at Brgy. Lang-ayan in Currimao, Ilocos Norte, where a solar-powered irrigation system with at least four solar panels was installed near a communal food garden where its residents can grow off-season fruits and vegetables. Funded by the province’s share from the tobacco excise tax, there are four units of this kind of small-scale irrigation project being pilot tested in the second district of Ilocos Norte where water is scarce during the summer months of March to May or even longer due to prolonged El Niño phenomenon. The other units are located in the rural Barangays of Camguidan and Camandingan in Batac City and Barbar, Pinili town. The solar-powered irrigation system worth PHP486,250 per unit may be a bit costly for small farmers but in the long

By Leilanie G. Adriano  (Staff Reporter) LAOAG CITY—Another batch of 1,000 farmers received a soil fertility package covering 250 hectares last week in the continuing soil restoration program of the Ilocos Norte government. For every hectare, the local government provides at least 20 sacks of organic fertilizer, urea (nitrogen fertilizer), and gypsum (soil conditioner) to help rehabilitate farmlands and boost production efficiency. Soil experts say agri-gypsum is a good source of calcium and sulfur and improves soil characteristics. It helps soil better absorb water and reduces erosion. “This is enough to restore the soil fertility if we get the appropriate measure for every hectare. That is why we are asking our farmers to do their share,” Edwin Cariño, head of the Sustainable Development Center, said during the March 16, 2021 ceremonial distribution at the Rizal Park here. Cariño said the soil restoration program started during the term of then-Ilocos Norte Governor and now

(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