Does it really matter that for the Japanese typhoon is a mere strong wind? Or that our word for typhoon comes from Japanese language? For a long time, we had been naming typhoons after women, with the sexist notion that storms were like women's mind that changed and shifted direction every now and then. The unpredictability of the storm led policy-makers to then call storms after women's name.

MANILA, Oct. 7, 2009-The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has formally appointed its new head. Jose Cuisia, Jr., a prominent businessman and a member of the Opus Dei, was recently appointed as Chairman of the independent poll watchdog.

Notwithstanding the typhoon season, 899 volunteer faith-educators gathered and celebrated the Archdiocesan Catechists' Day (ACD) last September 28, the feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila - their patron Saint.

LEGAZPI CITY, October 6, 2009--The Filipino community in Kuwait will celebrate the third annual feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia on Friday, October 9, at the Vicariate Apostolic of Kuwait's Holy Family Cathedral Parish, Kuwait City.

The Archdiocese of Caceres will have another parish on October 18, 2009 with the canonical erection of St. Peregrine of Laziosi with its seat at Sto. Domingo, Calabanga Camarines Sur. This will be the 79th parish of the archdiocese. The parish will be composed of barangays Sto Domingo, San Bernardino, Pagao, Dominorog, Balatasan, Punta Tarawal, Balongay, Carigsa and San Lucas, all within the municipalities of Calabanga, Bombon and Magarao CS.

In my years of teaching Asian civilization, I got particularly interested in China's ancient kingdoms, particularly those actively involved in the region's trade. It helped me appreciate how the Chinese jars, beads, and plates were able to reach the Cordilleras. These Chinese artifacts, now in the possession of Igorot elders, are favorites among the tribesmen, who call these "tawid" (heritage). These items are passed on from one generation to another either during community marriages or when the ascendant owner bequeaths it to his or her descendants when death is near.

Twenty-eight (28) contingents coming from private and public schools from all over the region gathered at the vast UNEP ground on October 1, 2009 and paraded towards the main thoroughfares of Iriga City, all hopeful that they will take the top prize this year. Eighteen (18) of them came from public schools while the remaining contingents came from private universities. This, as the whole Rinconada community commemorates the annual holding of the Army ROTC Activation Day now on its 47th year of existence.

PILI, CAMARINES SUR - THE HIGHLY PRIZED YELLOW FIN TUNA, locally known as "Kiyawon" and traditionally considered as the best quality of the four "Bangkulis" or tuna fish specie found particularly in Lagonoy Gulf in this province, has been reported by a monitoring office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to have dwindled in number based on the August and September catch by fishermen in the Nato, Sangay and Sabang, San Jose towns.

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 8 -- A total of 150 naval reservists successfully completed the five-day training program on disaster response and mitigation cum humanitarian mission, sponsored by the Philippine Navy (PN) Naval Forces Southern Luzon.

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 8 -- At least 302 hectares of private lands in Sorsogon are planted with trees, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office in Bicol based in this city. Some of the trees were planted as early as 1940, like the 39 narra and five dao trees in the 0.75 hectare-lot owned by Domingo Bayan in Barangay Pamurayan, Sorsogon City.