RAIN OF FIRE

Cesar G.Bonilla
Easing unemployment

LAOAG CITY -- The visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Egypt was a goodwill mission between the Philippines and the hub of the Arab world.. The Arab Republic of Egypt is the first African and Middle East country to establish relations with the Philippines.

History reveals on July 23,1952, a group of young army officers under Gen. Mohammad Naguib executed a successful coup against King Farouk. The famous city of Cairo comes from the Arabic word, El Qahira, meaning "victorious city.”

Egypt is the intellectual, religious, and educational center of the Arab world, the seat of filmmaking, journalism, and book publishing, virtually the only place where political debate is lively and foreign policy is bold and far-reaching. Mecca is the religious center of Islam, but the seat of intellect is Cairo. The oldest continuously operating university, according to our world history, is the Al Azhar located in Cairo.

Egypt and the Philippines signed a bilateral friendship treaty on Jan, 1955.It marked the start of several other bilateral agreements for cooperation in various fields, such as education, culture, science, technological assistance, agriculture, civil aviation, and media. It is our pride to get in touch with one of the oldest civilizations of the world with our President as representative of the Filipino people sharing economic reciprocity and strengthening diplomatic ties for peaceful co-existence with other African and Asian countries in the world.

The job fair initiated by town officials of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, in coordination with concerned agencies like Department of labor and Employment, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the ABS-CBN turned out to be a productive activity to solve the unemployment problem of the province where Reidemor Bumanglag, a government official of the town said this was the most memorable gift during the birthday celebration Mayor Alfredo Valdez, Jr. which is May 5.

The support of several well-known companies with their representatives made the affaor successful. These included Cathy Balino of Mart One, Sid Milton Surray of DOLE, Osborne de la Cruz of Addessa Corp., Gheniegil Alcon of Crystal Dew Bottling Corp, Myrna Savellano of Laoag Amianan Realty and Trading, OIC Shane Emboltura of Infinity Contact Solutions Int., Melvin Sabado and Kristian Michael Matias of the Gravity Outsourcing Solutions Int., Marites B. Badua of 5 Star Recruitment Manpower Corp., Ms. Chato Cudal Guillermo of Greenworld Placement, Tucker Lumpias and Mark Rayne Bilagot of Sitel Academy Baguio, Rosabel L. Acosta, OIC Director of Ilocos Norte Science Community and Estrella Calixto, former director of CHED Zonal Research Center.

Bumanglag said although the town had been considered as one of the smallest when it comes to land area, it continues to attracts attention because of the innovativeness and ingenuity of the people where business establishments are very much visible. The introduction of Robinsons Mall is another good business endeavor.

The municipality under Mayor Valdez, Jr. has just finished the artistic draft of the kiln (pugon) for the Damilians to showcase the pot-making industry of the town. The people of San Nicolas are innovative and industrious. There is no doubt that in the years to come, San Nicolas can be one of the best municipalities not only in Ilocos Norte but in Region 1.
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Palazzo de Laoag Hotel celebrated its 12th anniversary on May 8..I wrote about the hotel when I interviewed the late Manuel "Nonong" Ablan, the brilliant banker and economist, who talked about the good reputation of the hotel making tourists visit Palazzo de Laoag.

Many showbiz personalities like Vina Morales and Viva Hot Babe Jennifer Lee experienced the grandeur and hospitality of the Palazzo de Laoag. I was given a chance to know them personally. There will be a holy mass, motorcade, and brunch at Pizza Garden as an expression of thanksgiving and generosity of the Ablan family for all the blessings given by God. Truly, the Palazzo de Laoag is highly recommended for all visitors and tourists from different parts of the globe to visit.