(Homily delivered by Monsignor Gilbert A. Garcera, Bishop of Daet, during the Mass after the fluvial procession, on the theme "Pagbabahagi ng Kinabukasan ng may Pag-asa." (Sharing the Future in Hope) held at the Peñafrancia Basilica Pavilion, Naga City, September 19, 2009 at 6:00 in the evening)

MANILA - As expected, the revived proposal to impose a tax on text messaging is generating controversy and broad opposition. What surprised some people perhaps are the strong statements from telecommunication companies (telcos). They called the plan "anti-poor," "oppressive" and "one of the worst anti-consumer legislations ever made."

MANILA - Who believes the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) when it said that Corporal Guerrero Hannival Mosura Mondido of the Marines was not conducting surveillance but merely undergoing a training session on intelligence work when he was caught spying on the house of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera at 6 a.m. of Sept. 17?

Look around these days, and see all the people roaming the place. How different they all are, what various places and backgrounds they all come from; Nagueños and Bikolanos, but also Filipinos from other regions, young ones and elderly ones, kids and adults, men and women, priests, laymen, famous and ordinary people, ones are excited, others are cool, still others are serious or contemplative and again others are loud and shouting. The peoples' postures, their hair black or grey, and skin smooth or frowned, tell the story of an individual life, all these eyes have faced different demands and fates.

The city will wake up on Monday with the streets suddenly quieter. Till the next festival. Till the next fiesta and till the next Traslacion that perhaps will also end in a riot. For that was how GMA-7 presented the land procession that opened this year's nine-day devotion to the Lady of Peñafrancia.

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 19, 2009-The local Church in Catanduanes is up in arms in opposition to the proposed mining operations in the province claiming the activity will lead to environmental destruction.

MANILA, Sept. 18, 2009─Some 300 priests nationwide are expected to gather next month for a three-day assembly to discuss their prophetic role in the Church and Philippine society.

NAGA CITY, Sept. 20, 2009-Thousands of devotees, armed with rosaries, lighted candles and white handkerchiefs lined up the opposite banks of Naga River from midday to early evening yesterday shouting "Viva La Virgen!" and "Viva Divino Rostro".

NAGA CITY - An army corporal was shot dead by one of his militia man in Barangay Calagascas in San Fernando, Camarines Sur early evening on Saturday, police report said on Sunday.

ROME, Sept. 15, 2009-- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told L'Osservatore Romano this week that religion, and concretely the Catholic Church, as "a crucial role in the development" of nations and is always oriented towards achieving the common good.