LEGAZPI CITY, July 21 -- Mayon Volcano seismic activity continue to show signs of complex restive state hampering volcanologist to issue a clear eruptive stage of the volcano. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the volcano is showing signs of high and low seismic manifestation giving the agency difficulty in giving advisory about the volcano's eruptive condition.

Anthropologists have been wont to say that holidays (in our case, fiestas) reflect a culture's values. When our fiestas are being turned into an enormous sales event, what exactly does that say about our culture? When our religious feast like the Peñafrancia Fiesta is persistently being viewed and employed as an occasion to draw in "tourists" and corporate sponsors alike, and literally "cash in" on them, what does this say about officials of our local government and business institutions, our media practitioners, and yes, our religious leaders? What does it say about us as a people?

MANILA, July 18, 2009- Catholic priest-turned Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio has ended months of speculations by announcing today he will stand for the presidency in next year's elections.

DAET, Camarines Norte-Representative Liwayway Vinzons-Chato of the lone district of Camarines Norte said Saturday that the House bill proposing to reapportion her province into two districts was "being held hostage" by the House bill that also seeks to reapportion Camarines Sur into five districts.

NAGA CITY--Classes in all levels at the Ateneo de Naga University will not be suspended despite one confirmed case of a student contracting the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.

There is almost revivalistic or nativistic about the news that the trains will run once more to Bikol. It has the feeling of the Second Coming. For me anyway. The major papers carried already photos of the coaches, some being refurbished and some just needing some cleaning. I can picture these trains passing by towns and villages that have died temporary deaths when the trains stopped running.

Orihinal na sinurat ni Italo Calvino an halipot na osipon na ini sa tataramon na Italyano asin Binikol ni Kristian Cordero. Igwang sarong nasyon na an gabos parahabon. Pagbabanggi, minaluwas sinda gabos sa saindang mga harong, winawalalat ining bukas, dara an saindang mga susi asin mga ilawan tanganing habonan an kataid nindang mga harong. Mabalik sinda sa pagsirang na kan saldang, dara-dara an saindang mga hinabonan asin mahihiling ninda an mga harong ninda nahabonan naman.

MANILA, July 15 -- Candidates seeking national and local positions in next year's polls are given only 11 days to file their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). This as the poll body released on Wednesday the calendar of activities for the May 10, 2010 national and local elections.

UNITED NATIONS, July 16 (PNA/Xinhua) -- Industrialized and developing countries must rectify their "formidable differences" if the climate talks in Copenhagen are to bear substantive results, said the director of the UN climate change support team here on Wednesday.

MANILA, July 15 -- Freed International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worker Eugenio Vagni left for Italy Wednesday morning following his release over the weekend from Abu Sayyaf bandits. Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said Vagni took the KLM flight 804 at 10:45 am at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) bound for a stopover in Amsterdam and then fly to Italy.