LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — This province is celebrating its 208th founding anniversary starting Monday, Feb. 2.
Gov. Cecilia Araneta-Marcos will lead the opening ceremony at the provincial capitol here.
A month-long celebration will be held and more than ₱95-million worth of assistance, projects, and services to boost community welfare will be distributed and benefit around 2,800 community members, frontline workers, and stakeholders from various livelihood sectors.
Marcos said the distribution of aid reflects the provincial government’s development thrust, particularly in strengthening agriculture and fisheries through the provision of farm tools, livestock, and production supplies.
Disaster risk reduction initiatives will also be boosted with the turnover of equipment and service vehicles to local government units across the province.
The opening program will feature the presentation of the Little Provincial Officials, highlighting young Ilocanos as symbols of future leadership, and the preview of a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas commemorative coin honoring Tan-ok ni Ilocano, the province’s flagship cultural festival.
From Feb. 4 to 20, the provincial government will roll out “Pasyar: Open Ilocos Norte Tours for Pupils,” a new educational initiative that will allow students to visit government offices, heritage sites, and key tourism destinations. The program will pair northern municipalities with southern towns to encourage cross-provincial interaction and deepen students’ appreciation of local governance, history, and culture.
The celebration will culminate on Feb. 28 with the staging of Tan-ok ni Ilocano: Festival of Festivals, which brings together the province’s various local festivals in a major cultural showcase.