As a fitting tribute to the upcoming celebration of the 300 years of devotion to our most revered Ina, the Patroness of Bikolandia, the highly acclaimed performers of the University of Northeastern Philippines' Performing Arts Group, danced and offered every sway of their hands in a loving gesture of faith and devotion in one of their best performances.

GUBAT, Sorsogon, Sept. 17 (PNA) -- The Department of Energy (DoE) has recently awarded a coal operating contract (COC) to a private firm that offered a P15.20-million work commitment for the two-year exploration of the 3,000-hectare coal-rich property in this second class farming and fishing municipality.

Two stories for children, three essays, four short stories, one 1-act play and eleven collections of poetry are in contention for top honors in the 6th Premio Tomas Arejola para sa Literaturang Bikolnon.

GUINOBATAN, Albay, Sept. 16 - Suspected communist guerillas attempting to rescue a ranking Bikol communist rebel ambushed Wednesday a police convoy securing the rebel leader along the Maharlika Highway in said town in Albay.

NAGA CITY (September 17)- - THE POLICE PROVINCIAL OFFICE (PPO) here has directed the Tigaon Police investigators to probe an illegal numbers game-related violence that resulted to the killing of a known gambling lord and another jueteng henchman during a shooting incident at Barangay Poblacion, Tigaon, Camarines Sur in the evening of September 14. including two others wounded in a crossfire,

LEGAZPI CITY, Sept. 16 - The Albay Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) on Wednesday said that disaster preparedness action plan is now in place and ready for implementation in the event Mayon volcano's exhibits possible signs of an eruption.

NAGA CITY-Participants of the Bikol regional military parade competition missed either old friends or old foes. Several Catholic schools in the region, including the Jesuit-run Ateneo De Naga University, did not join the military parade this year because the parade was held within the nine-day festivities in honor of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

NAGA CITY-In a fiery homily before thousands gathered at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore grounds Saturday evening, Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera said television reports had sensationalized the story of the man who hit a priest during the Mass after the traslacion procession Friday last week.

We, the Catholic lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Caceres, are thankful for the efforts "to keep the Peñafrancia Novena days free from undue distraction." The Peñafrancia Fiesta is a time for us to re-commit ourselves to God through the Blessed Mother and to do this, we need an appropriate environment. We do not want activities that have nothing to do with spiritual growth and religious maturity. Such activities demean our devotion to Ina and disrespect the Peñafrancia Fiesta.

Last July, we criticized the Naga City government's plan of staging its own festival that was parasitic of the Peñafrancia Fiesta given that a joint agreement had been reached earlier. Even then, we feared that the City government's "Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia" exploited the devotees' cry of "Viva la Virgen" and sought to literally cash in on the Peñafrancia Fiesta to which it clearly alluded.