The Ilocos Times

  In Celebration of the 73rd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China By Sun Weidong, Acting Head of Post & Consul Consulate of the People's Republic of China in Laoag October 1 st , 2022 is China’s National Day, the 73 rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Over the past 73 years, China has made great achievements in the development of various undertakings and China-Philippines cooperation has achieved fruitful results. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate in Laoag, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our warm greetings and good wishes to people from all walks of life, overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded enterprise personnel, Chinese students and Chinese communities in the consular district.   New achievements in China's development In 2022, with the complex and ever-changing international situation, the human society has faced challenges continuously and consistently. Even so, under the stro

  BBM's INSPIRATION. President-in-waiting Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits the grave of his father former President Ferdinand E. Marcos on Tuesday (May 10), a day after the national elections that show him winning by more than 16 million votes over his nearest rival. The young Marcos is grateful to the Filipino people for giving him the landslide victory and to his father who  have  been his inspiration throughout his life and taught him the value and meaning of true leadership. (Photo: BBM Media Bureau) By Noralyn Dudt Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the newly-sworn in president of the Philippines won the presidency by a landslide. To some people in the United States, countries in Western Europe, and Japan, this is difficult to imagine as the only "news" they have been receiving from the mainstream media and social media have been that of a dictator, Imelda's shoe collection, and martial law. To the majority of Filipinos, especially to those 31 million voters who voted for him, F

By Noralyn Dudt Conclusion The Augustinian friars   must have been a very dedicated group of apostles. Such dedication is exhibited in the   still standing churches of the Ilocos region. The friars would build a church in one town and then use that as a center for evangelization of the surrounding area.   Visitas or peripheral missions they were called. The church in Bacarra was such a center --to reach the most   northwestern tip of Luzon Island : Bangui, Burgos,   Vintar. Pasuquin, Adang ( the current Adams) Banban ( now a barrio of Bangui) and Vera ( its new name unknown). The Batac church served as the center of the Visita to Dingras and Paoay. While the San Agustin Church in Paoay has been completely rebuilt and had made it to the World Heritage List,   it took some time to convince and motivate others to help with renovating the seriously-damaged   St. Joseph Church of Dingras. My good friend and former dorm mate Evita Castro de Alban wrote a piece about the St.Joseph Chur

(First in a series) By   Noralyn Dudt Of the four that are categorized as baroque earthquake churches in the Philippines and are  in the UNESCO World Heritage list,  two of them are in the Ilocos region: the San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte and the Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur. Both the Paoay church and Santa Maria church were built in portions throughout a century, started in  1694 for Paoay; and the Santa Maria in 1618. Father Antonio Estavillo, a friar and an architect incorporated many Baroque features in the design and made sure these structures would withstand the elements. The San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte  The Augustinian friars were the founders and first apostles of the Catholic faith in the Philippines. They were instrumental in establishing the first Catholic missionary settlements throughout the archipelago especially in Northern Luzon. The missionaries were led by the navigator and Augustinian friar Andres de Urdanet

By Noralyn Onto Dudt Ooh... la... la ! The masks are off, the planes are full, restaurants and resorts are packed. The world is humming again. And BA.5 comes marching in, spoiling a bit of fun and dashing the hopes of millions. The latest Omicron offshoot called the BA.5 variant is now making its rounds and risk of infection is growing, signaling the world that the coronavirus is still around. The arrival of subvariant BA.5 should be a reminder that the finish line in this race is nowhere to be seen. As of now, BA.5 and a closely related variant, BA.4, account for about 70% of all infections in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). The rapid spread of the BA.5 omicron subvariant is a window into what the future with this coronavirus looks like. We've seen this pattern before. The original omicron variant was more contagious than the delta variant before it became quickly dominant last winter. After a brief lull, that strain was

By Noralyn Onto Dudt The advent of Molecular Biology and the Human Genome Project has dramatically increased our understanding of the mechanisms of human disease. As the underlying molecular causes for many diseases have been elucidated, it is now clear that the mechanism of a disease is influenced by genetics, environment, and life habits. For example, even though the causes of Parkinson disease are still a mystery, it is believed that about 15% of people may have a genetic mutation that puts them at risk. Head injuries or exposure to certain environmental toxins may play a role as well. Similarly, research studies indicate that 15 to 20 % of those with AMD ( age-related macular degeneration) have at least one first-degree relative ( like a sibling or parent) who suffers from it. Another example is when   people may pick up a virus or a bacteria but only a few of them   may contract a certain disease. Research shows that genetics play a role: some genes are switched off in so

City of Batac —To keep Ilocanos informed and empowered, a PTV transmitter station will soon rise at the MMSU campus in this city. People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI) and Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at Brgy. Quiling Sur, this city on June 14, 2022. , PTNI General Manager Ms. Katherine Chloe S. De Castro and MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis led the program, at the 500 square-meter lot where they plan to build the PTV tower. Joining them were Ilocos Norte government officials led by Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecilia A. Marcos. De Castro said the PTV Ilocos Norte station, which they expect to be operational by December this year, will soon cater to over 400,000 residents in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and Apayao. It will broadcast relevant information and updates about national and regional development projects, especially highlighting that of Ilocos Norte. “With this station, we will be bringing government informa