MANILA, April 7, 2010-The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) came out in the open Wednesday demanding the release of the 43 health workers detained by the military. In his strongest statement so far as CBCP head, Bishop Nereo Odchimar slammed the military for the seeming "lack of regard" for human rights and the rule of law.

MAKATI City, April 9, 2010- A coffee table book on the well-venerated patroness of the Bicol Region, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, was released yesterday during the launching rites held at the Yuchengco Museum, Makati City. Entitled "Ina: Little Stories of Faith," the 250-page book contains "stories of inspiration and the inspiration about and behind the stories."

NAGA CITY, Philippines (UCAN) - 8 April - The Archdiocese of Caceres is preparing to send three native priests to mission areas in May. Fathers Maysar Herrera and Emmanuel Mojica will leave for the Caribbean Grenadine Islands in late May, the archdiocese's mission director, Father Andrew Recepcion, told UCA news. A third priest, Father Edmundo Siguenza, will leave later for his mission in the Solomon Islands when his visa is approved.

MANILA, April 7, 2010-A Church official has warned the public to become wary of a "Catholic" group that endorses the use of condom. Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes has called on Catholics to be cautious of a Washington D.C.-based pro-abortion group called Catholic for Choice (CFC) which has given its full support to the condom distribution program of the Department of Health (DoH).

BACACAY, Albay, April 11, 2010-Celebrating the milestone of his sacerdotal ministry, Legazpi's Apostolic Administrator Emeritus Lucilo Quiambao marked his golden anniversary of priesthood with a thanksgiving Mass in his hometown together with fellow jubilarians Fr. Conrad Goullet, SSS, Fr. Joventino Romano, Msgr. Lucio Odiver and Msgr. Pastor Gotiangco of Ormoc, Leyte.

MANILA -Will your vote count? Can a new president and a new set of officials be credibly elected on May 10? With less than two months before the election, doubts persist as to whether the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is adequately prepared to make the first ever automated elections system (AES) in the Philippines reliable, accurate and trustworthy. Comelec Chairman Jose Melo, in a visit to Tacloban City, dismissed as "pure fantasy" these doubts and its possible end result, which is failure of elections.

The country is on the last leg of the presidential campaign but still, there is no indication as to how things would be different if any of the candidates bags the presidency. After suffering for nine years under the Arroyo administration - with the debilitating crisis, worsening joblessness and poverty, its outright puppetry to US interests, rampant corruption, and impunity in human rights violations - the Filipino people want change and an improvement in their lives. However, after two months of campaigning and with one month left till the elections, all the candidates for president have yet to give us an indication of the policy directions of his or her administration.

A cousin once came home breathless from school. He was telling us about this cheer leader who rallied everyone during an assembly. The cousin was telling us how they -first year students - were straining their neck to find out who this brave guy was. They could not him see, covered as he was by the bigger senior students. Then, like some scene from the Bible, the crowd parted and revealed this small guy, his legs spread as if straddling heaven and earth and yelling the old war chants against all other basketball teams who dared to challenge the tribe in Queborac.

For the past weeks, the public had been made witness again to the spectacle of mudslinging between and among national and local candidates to the May 2010 elections. In the national scene, contending presidential aspirants and their supporters have issued accusations against one another, especially in the cases of Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar and Liberal Party presidentiable Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Sen. Villar had been dogged by accusations of using his position to enrich himself further, with critics, notably Aquino's camp, persistently taking him to task.

The jam-packed gym of the University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) was filled with applause and praises after Former Defense Secretary Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro delivered his inspirational message to more than 300 graduates. This was the university's 62nd Commencement Exercise held April 6, 2010.