The Ilocos Times

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—A multi-sectoral group composed of various stakeholders of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) gathered at the Plaza Del Norte in Ilocos Norte to complete the fourth and last league of discussion on the proposed Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10692 or the so-called PAGASA Modernization Act of 2015. Finally approved in November 2015 after it was proposed back in 1996, PAGASA-DOST acting administrator Vicente Malano said the internal public hearing attended by almost a hundred public and private stakeholders representing national government agencies, local government units, research institutions, academe, public and private organizations among others aims to gather all concerns and suggestions to further improve the IRR of the PAGASA modernization act. First conducted in Davao, followed by Bohol, National Capitol Region and Ilocos Norte, Mr. Mal

LAOAG CITY—Drought-stricken farmers in this part of northern Philippines thank heavens for the amount of rain it poured for the past few days here. “It’s a blessing for us to have this much awaited rainfall. I don’t think La Niña will have a significant impact on us (farmers). It’s more of a favorable weather as we can now start planting,” said Angel Padron, chairman of the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Ilocos Norte who is also a seed grower in the province. Unlike in previous years where the impact of El Niño was not significantly felt by farmers here, he said that this year’s prolonged drought affected their source of income. “We were not able to plant (high value crops and vegetables) this summer because of drought,” Padron said citing this was further aggravated by still not repaired irrigation system by the National Irrigation Administration at Brgy. Salsalamagui in Vintar, Ilocos Norte, which is affecting the north main canal such as in Vintar, Baca

ASSOCIATION  president Gary Andres, 29, and Armando Vizconde, 64, at the mushroom growing house. (DSWD) By Iryn D. Cubangbang DSWD AT Barangay Suyo in Dingras, Ilocos Norte, 20 simple mothers and farming-fathers turned into co-owners of mushroom production which now earns at least P600 to P1,000 for a 4-kilo harvest a day in the last six months. This was made possible through DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program’s (SLP) Cash Building for Livelihood Assistance (CBLA) in the amount of Php 200,000.00 which provided training and Cash for Work. Through this, the Mushroom Producer Farmers Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (SLPA) was organized from the 20 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. Aside from learning the technology from TESDA, camaraderie was developed among the members since the preparation of fruiting bags with saw dust and other materials. “Naragsak kami ta adda tulong iti Sustainable Livelihood Program ken iti munisipyo [We are happy of the assist

Experts at the Philippine Rice Research Institute urge farmers not to burn rice straws, locally known as dayami , for environmental and economic reasons. Burning of rice straws, generally practiced during the harvest season, causes air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and Sulphur dioxide. If continually done, it will decrease soil’s nitrogen, 25% of phosphorus, 20% of potassium, and 5-60% of sulfur. The practice also damages food resources of beneficial insects in the rice field. The Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) and Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 prohibit open-field burning, including burning of rice straws. Alternatives Our country produces 15.2M tons of rice that leave 11.3M tons of rice straw every year. To minimize postharvest waste, rice straws can be used by farmers as organic fertilizer and primary material for mushroom production. According to experts, rice straw and other biomass from farm by-products can hel

LAOAG CITY—A young Japanese volunteer Masatoshi Koido will be living in Ilocos Norte for two years. Fresh from a two-week training course of getting-to-know this agricultural province and its people, he can now speak and understand some Ilocano language, enjoys singing “Pamulinawen”, an Ilocano folk song where Laoag derived its city festival, eats pinapaitan and fishball among others. Feeling ‘at home’ in the province for barely few days stay, Koido, 26, is one of 10 young professionals deployed last week to work with key industries in the Philippines under the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Science and Engineering major in social and economic sciences of the University of Tsukuba, one of the oldest and most comprehensive research universities in Japan, Koido is in Ilocos Norte to work with the officers of Agrarian Reform Cooperatives (ARCs) here. As a premiere

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter LAOAG CITY—Rice farmers in this province started to set-up a three-hectare rice demonstration farm planted with hybrid super rice courtesy of the Peoples Republic of China. Edwin Cariño, head of the Special Projects Office of the Ilocos Norte government said at least five tons of the hybrid super rice were donated recently by the Chinese Consulate Center of Ilocos Norte to help local farmers here increase their yield. In cooperation with the Provincial Agriculture Office, the project is being monitored by agriculture technicians here to ensure proper planting and management of these seeds. According to Mr. Cariño, the Chinese rice seeds can yield about 12 to 15 tons per hectare if properly taken cared of. In Ilocos Norte, at least 250 farmer-beneficiaries were given the chance to try the Chinese rice variety which is expected to boost the agriculture sector. With a favorable weather conditio

By Alfredo C. Garvida, Jr. Contributor Amid the cries of Bongbong's quarters and a disinterested civil society group, led by Mr. Boy Saycon, that the vice presidential race in the just concluded elections was marred by cheating, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo was proclaimed on May, 30, 2016 as the elected vice president of the Philippines by Congress. That Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz, Bongbong's national spokesman, has stated gamely that the Ilocano senator's camp will respect Leni's proclamation—although they will protest her election on the ground of fraud—defines clearly what the senator's breeding is all about. For the good of the country and those who doubt the integrity of the vice presidential election however, this column hopes that indeed the election was not tainted by fraud, contrary to Mr. Saycon and company's serious allegations that it was. If Mr. Saycon and/or Bongbong will succeed in proving that the Ilocos Norte senator indeed he was ro