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"Who do the AkoBicol, Alliance of Bicolnon Party and the Oragon Party really represent? We are asking these groups to truthfully answer this question and reveal their nominees. We would also like to know who is funding their campaign particularly the ones who have a lot of air time both in television and radio, big billboards and a lot of vehicles?"

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Bikol (BAYAN-Bikol) has this query for so-called Bikol party list groups.

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 2- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bikol generated some P12.09 million last year from various permits, rentals and administrative fees.

Of the amount generated, P8.86 million were collected by the Land Management Service (LMS) while P3.23 million were collected by the Forest Management Service (FMS), according to the DENR 2009 annual report.

"I was a victim of oligarchic politics."

This was the revelation of former Naga City Mayor Sulpicio "Cho" Roco during a citizens' forum which invited some of Naga City's mayoralty candidates last 26 January at the Ateneo de Naga University.

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb. 5 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan has approved implementation of the P780-million project on the construction of seven evacuation centers in the province of Albay under the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The project which will cover the seven two-storey evacuation centers with 15 rooms per storey will cost about P60 million each.

PILI, Camarines Sur, Feb. 4 - The strength of the communist movement operating in Camarines Sur was cut down following the surrender of two ranking New People's Army rebels to Philippine Army (PA), the Army Bikol spokesman said on Thursday.

Those who surrendered were identified as Jolito Caneso, 33, his brother Benjamin, 34, all native of Bula town in Camarines Sur.

Army Maj. Harold Cabunoc, 9ID Spokesman, said that two rebels surrendered to the 42nd Infantry Battalion, PA based in Nabua, Camarines Sur, on Wednesday morning.

CASTILLA, Sorsogon, Feb. 4 -- Bloody encounters between government troops and communist guerrillas in Bikol marred the approach of the campaign period among bets for national posts in the coming May 10, 2010 polls.

The never-ending quest for advancement through digital modernization spreads even through the nooks and corners of traditional libraries.  Literacy innovations became an aim, not just for educators but also for librarians.  They challenge themselves to make this comprehension available in every information alley.  The digital distribution of information became a must ---- and libraries are not spared from this.

MANILA, Feb. 5 -- Inter-agency cooperation among the Philippine Navy and local authorities in Bikol resulted to the recovery of 400 flitches of illegally cut logs and capture of a vessel engaged in illegal fishing, it was reported Friday.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said Diesel Fast Craft 321 (DF 321) with a SEAL team and intelligence operatives on board recovered the logs seven kilometers off Dalahican, Quezon while being towed by two separate vessels early morning of Wednesday.

The LGU Guarantee Corporation recently granted Philippine Veterans Bank a P1.0 Billion Automatic Guarantee Line (AGL) for Qualified Local Government Unit Debt Instruments. The AGL will be used initially by PVB in its recently arranged LGU bond and loan facilities to attract prospective co-funders.  LGUGC and PVB are working further to enhance its cooperation and partnership in order to strengthen the credit market for the LGUs. 

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) registered strong business volume and revenue growth in 2009.  Full year unaudited income rose to P8.5 billion, 33% higher than 2008 and equivalent to a 13% Return on Equity and 1.3% Return on Assets.  Correspondingly, net income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was 7% better than 2008.

In the said forum, three mayoralty candidates of Naga City were invited, namely Roco of Aksyon Demokratiko, Atty. Adan Botor of the Nationalist People's Coalition, and City Councilor John Bongat of the Liberal Party (LP).

Oh, we know our place. We know almost every corner, every tree and wall, every neighbor and dog in the place we live. We know every move and sound; we even know the smell of mornings and evenings. We know our place so well that we no longer see what all is so special about it, as it has already become something regular, something granted.

Part 1 of 5. This is a five-part lecture delivered on 28 January 2010 on the occasion of the Ateneo de Naga University's Philosophy Week: Philosophy and Philippine Politics.

MY FATHER is a constant cynic when it comes to personnel. It hurts me, because primarily, I work with and for media-although indirectly. I teach Media Studies in a university.

A few days ago, I received an email from Doods Santos of De La Salle University. For those who know Doods or Dr. Santos (formally to many), she is a Bikol literature scholar always looking for manuscripts and compiling them under titles and rubrics. Poems about Bikol, works about Bikol and the storms, etc. The email last week simply announced that she found a poem of mine from an old compilation.

On Tuesday, Feb. 09, the campaign period for president and other national officials will formally begin. Of course, our aspirants have long been campaigning already. But what matters now is that each of us who will cast our votes must be a discerning voter.

I NEEDED A TAXI to go from Makati City to the domestic airport.  Before I could sit comfortably at the back seat, the driver told me that I had to pay 250 pesos.  I told the driver that I was getting off the car if he would not use the taxi meter.  When the meter was flagged down, I felt more at ease.