DAET, Camarines Norte--In the unfinished social hall of Camarines Norte State College, Budget Secretary Rolando Anday Jr. told hundreds in this province that the country was weathering the effects of the global economic recession because of efficient fiscal policies, including the restructuring of value added tax system. Andaya, the designated cabinet officer for regional development (CORD) for Bikol and former Camarines Sur representative, was in this province on Thursday for an information campaign on the global economic crisis.

This is a reaction to the news in which Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decides to allot P25-M in solving and preventing political killings. Mrs. Arroyo is obviously passing the buck on solving political killings to Congress. This is an aspect of Gloria’s maneuver to clear her bloodied name, but what is more insidious though is that it is the apparent mastermind of the political killings that is the one offering the reward to get the mastermind.

This is a reaction to the news article titled “Flash floods cause evacuation in Camarines Norte capital” last May 2. It is sad to say that this is just the tip of the iceberg because as of this writing, 19 have already died and 15 are still missing in the region. Barangays in Catanduanes have been cut off due to flooding, major thoroughfares in Sorsogon and Camarines Sur are no longer passable and Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda is about to declare the province under a state of calamity. Farmers and fisher folk have already been ordered to evacuate as a preventive measure against more flash floods and land slides.

NAGA CITY—Daet Mayor Tito Sarion said on Thursday that the national government should declare several provinces and regions, including Bikol, as calamity-prone areas. Sarion said there was a need to institutionalize a system on how to address disaster preparedness and response.

KUN PAG-AATID -ATIDOON, pinarà kan pagbukas kan SM City sa Naga an mga honâ-honâ kan mga interesado sa pag-aadal nin lenggwahe na mawawaran nin lugar an tataramon na Bikol sa laog kan mall. Hinona kan kadaklan na Tagalog an mangongorog na lenggwahe, huli naman sa nagkakapirang dahilan. Saro na digdi an paghiling na Tagalog an maninigong gamiton na lenggwahe tanganing magkasinarabotan sa laog kan mall, kaiba naman sa mga rason na ini an katotoohan na an SM nagpoon sa Manila. An subuot na pagkapara kan tataramon na Bikol sa mga komersyal na establisimiyento sa Naga, sosog sa antropologong si Tito Valiente na kolumnista man sa peryodikong ini, saro sa mga signos nin pagpalya kan kulturang Bikolnon sa mga inaatubang kaining agyat—nagpapahiling na kinakakan kan bisitang kultura an kulturang presente sa sato.

I had been writing week after week for this column, and then one day I realized it had been over two years already. So just before Holy Week, I asked for a break. It was also time to retreat, rethink, and envision again the reason and purpose of this weekly piece “for Bikol and the World.”

It is welcome news indeed that the operations of the Philippine National Railway or PNR are set to re-commence by the middle of next year. The reopening of PNR's Manila-Bikol line may yet provide an economical and efficient transportation alternative for travelers who remain at the mercy of bus operators. For the latter appear oblivious to several oil price rollbacks and maintain fare prices set when oil prices reached an all-time high.

UNITED NATIONS, May 8 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called on Member States to uphold press freedoms and support the work of independent media. Speaking at a United Nations Headquarters event in observance of World Press Freedom Day, marked annually on May 3, Ban said a free press contributed to democracy and stability.

LEGAZPI CITY, May 7 (PNA) - The Philippine National Railways (PNR) management announced Wednesday that construction of new central station in Naga city to serve as railway terminal in Bikol is expected to be completed before the end of 2009. Nicolas Beda Priela, Private Sector Consultant to the PNR, told members of the Regional Development Council (RDC) during the full council meeting that repair and rehabilitation of rail tracks and bridges were on-going.

MANILA, May 8, 2009 - Now that Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada is under the Senate custody again, the money raised for his supposed bail bond will be donated to other inmates in need.