Isabela

The tray harnesses the sun’s energy, providing a renewable and eco-friendly heat source for drying Thai tea leaves. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO CORDON, Isabela (August 12, 2023)—The Multipurpose Solar-Powered Speed Drying Tray is a groundbreaking innovation that is transforming the way Thai tea or the "Chiang Mai" tea leaves are processed. Adopting the use of this technology is the Amancio Nicolas Agri-Tourism Academy (Amancio) in Cordon town in Isabela province which has become an institution of sustainable agricultural practices. According to the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), the Amancio has also now become a hub for aspiring farmers who desire to be horticulturists. The DoST calls this ingenious device "Portasol...

I-CORN COMPLEX Sen. Mark Villar (second from right) leads the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed I-Corn Complex on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at Barangay Marana 1st, City of Ilagan, Isabela. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO CITY OF ILAGAN (August 9, 2023)—A one-stop shop agriculture commercial center for corn farmers called I-Corn Complex will be built here soon. The P107 million allotted for the project will come from the budget of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 2. The I-Corn Complex, considered the first of its kind in the country, will house the processing and post-harvest facilities for feeds and food to ensure the quality of corn-based products. On Monday, August 7, Sen. Mark Villar, who heads the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Ent...

Necrosis on cassava roots infected with Cassava Brown Streak Disease ( CBSD-infected). PHOTO BY IITA BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA, The Correspondent SANTIAGO CITY (July 15, 2023)—The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Cagayan Valley has been intensifying an information drive among cassava farmers and advised them to pull out the cassava crops immediately if they have been infected by witch broom disease or phytoplasma disease. The announcement came after the witches' broom damaged about 440 hectares in Quirino and Isabela provinces last month. Regional Crop Protection Center chief Mindaflor Aquino, in a recent announcement over the DA radio program, said the witches' broom is difficult to treat since it was first discovered in the region from 2015 to 2016. However, preventive measu...

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 2 headed by Region 2 Director Mario Ancheta (on the rostrum) leads representatives of mining companies in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) in a three-day “Mining Exhibit” at Robinsons Place in Tuguegarao City from June 23 to 25, 2023 to showcase the best practices of four mining companies operating in the region. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO SANTIAGO CITY: With the booming mining industry in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 2 said miners and stakeholders will converge in a forum in this city on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, to showcase their responsible and sustainable mining operations in the region. The Cagayan Valley region is host to at least four mining companies namely the Australian O...

BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA CAMP MELCHOR F. DELA CRUZ, Gamu, Isabela (April 1, 2023)—The Communist Party of the Philippines–New People's Army–National Democratic Front (CPP–NPA–NDF) has been declared as persona non grata in Caglayan, Conner, Apayao, the military here said on Friday. Maj. Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division spokesman and public affairs chief, said the persona non grata tag was approved through a joint resolution passed by the Sangguniang Bayan and Liga ng Barangay of Conner and was signed by Mayor Jorico Bayaua. In the resolution, the council members said that for 54 years, the CPP-NPA-NDF has reportedly been imposing atrocities, instilling fear in the community, killing government forces and innocent individuals, and other terrorist activities. "The residents now ...

BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA SANTIAGO CITY (April 1, 2023)—At least 1,126 beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program received P4.504-million payout at the Rosario Community Center in Barangay Rosario in this city. The beneficiaries rendered 10 days of community work through cleanup and beautification of public roads and public facilities in their respective villages. The Department of Labor and Employment Isabela Field Office (DoLE-IFO) and the Office of Isabela Fourth District Rep. Joseph Tan led the two-day payout. In a message, Tan expressed his gratitude to the agency for "the continued support and response to the needs of the displaced and marginalized workers of the city, helping them recover and be able to provide for th...

BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA CAUAYAN CITY (March 26, 2023)—The newly refurbished health center of the barangay government of District 1 in this city was formally turned over by the SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) in collaboration with Uniqlo Philippines at the barangay hall compound on Mabini Street on March 23 late afternoon here. The upgraded District 1 Health Center is a part of the foundation's Health and Wellness Program launched in 2001 in an effort to have social good collaboration with partners, said Connie Angeles, SM Foundation for Health and Medical Programs executive director. Angeles lauded barangay frontliners for providing "quality health care despite the pandemic and natural calamities." The foundation did not disclose the amount spent. Once a dilapidated warehouse, the bui...

CLOSURE TO A TRAGEDY Members of retrieval teams arrive at the crash site in Isabela to retrieve the bodies of the pilot and the five passengers of a Cessna plane that went missing almost two months ago on Jan. 23, 2023. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA CAUAYAN CITY (March 26, 2023)—Six investigators and mechanics from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) have wrapped up their field investigation in the crash site of the Cessna 206 plane with tail number RP-C1174 in Barangay Ditarum, Divilacan, Isabela, the local Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) officer said. Engineer Ezikiel Chavez, Divilacan DRRM officer, told reporters here that the CAAP probers completed the field investigation and were safely back to the village proper after their sortie wit...

Comelec chairman George Garcia (fourth from left) is joined by Cagayan Valley election officials during his monitoring of the resumption of voters’ registration in the towns of Luna and Cabatuan and the City of Cauayan in Isabela. Also in the photo are Atty. Manuel Castillo, Isabela provincial election supervisor; Atty. Ederlino Tabilas, Cagayan Valley election regional director; Atty. Jerbee Anthony Cortez, assistant election regional director, and election officers Rose Ann Rodriguez and Dennis Sanchez on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. PHOTO BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA LUNA, Isabela (December 14)—The number of registrants for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections is expected to balloon in the coming weeks. This is the projection of Commission on Elections...

Soprano Soloist Aneglica Licudan. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA GAMU, Isabela (December 14)—Soprano soloist Angelica Licudan of Isabela will represent the Philippines in the vocal solo competition at the 26th Annual World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in Anaheim, California, USA in July 2023. Licudan, a 33-year-old music teacher and vocal soloist, said her inspiration for joining the audition was perked up by her dream to represent the country. "I am starting to achieve this dream. This is my chance and I will continue my quest for victory," she said as she will be competing against bets from around 70 countries. "My dream is within reach, I believe. I did not go there just to pass the audition because I prepared very hard and I was able to get one slot...