to entice more guests to come. Laoag City has been named as one of the top tourist destinations in Region I and in the country. Transportation Laoag International Airport services flights to and from Guangzhou and Macau, as well as, domestic flights by Philippine Airlines. Foreign airlines offer direct charter flights to Laoag as part of travel packages with optional excursions to tourist sites outside of the city. Tourists can find travel agencies all over including ticket offices of several airlines in the airport terminal. Several large bus companies serve Laoag City making connections to major and minor Philippine destinations. These transportation services are provided by GV Florida Transport, Maria de Leon Bus Lines, RCJ Lines, Partas, Fariñas Transit Company and Dominion Bus. Laoag is from Manila. Mode of transport within the city includes taxi, jeepney, tricycle, and kalesa. Mini buses have daily routes to and from Pagudpud, Batac, and Vigan among others. Education As the provincial capital, Laoag is the center of social and economic activity with almost all major commercial and institutional establishments gravitating towards it. The importance of education in socializing its population is shared by both the local government and the private sector, which has invested heavily in the development of the academic infrastructure. The city is home to public and private schools offering elementary, secondary, and tertiary education programs. Current Philippine law requires free compulsory education to the general population from elementary to high school, as well as, subsidized tertiary education in state-ran institutions. Alternative private schools offering parallel programs to government schools are also found with additional programs to cater to students with various needs. These schools are an important component of the educational system and reflect the city's diversity as they include Chinese schools, Catholic schools, single-gender boarding schools, and military schools. Most of the lower-level schools are government-owned and are divided into three districts, comprising a total of thirty-three primary and elementary schools. Seven private elementary schools are also present, however, most are sectarian and run by religious organizations. In addition, there are eight private and six public high schools, and significant rise of integrated schools. In order to provide continuing education to sustain the economic momentum of the region, the government has established tertiary public learning institutions in the city: the College of Teacher Education (CTE) and the College of Industrial Technology (CIT) of the Mariano Marcos State University. In addition,