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MANILA, July 15 (PNA) -- The Bikol Region will eventually get its own international airport that promises to spur and accelerate the region's economic development.

The new Bicol International Airport will be developed on a 140-hectare prime land straddling areas of Daraga and Camalig towns. The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOT) has recently transferred to the Albay Provincial Government P85 million to pay for the property.

The new airport site is deemed safe from the risks and threats entailed when the majestic Mayon Volcano erupts.

VIRAC, Catanduanes, July 15- Gilbert Ebo, a former New People's Army (NPA) commander, became a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) of the Philippine Army (PA), but he confessed killing last February a man and a woman after robbing them of their cash and valuables in the nearby San Miguel town.

Presiding Judge Lelu Contreras of Virac Regional Trial Court (RTC) sentenced Ebo and Ricky de Mesa, who is also a former NPA rebel-turned CAFGU personnel, with 20 years straight imprisonment.

PILI, Camarines Sur, July 15 (PNA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) has declared malunggay (moringa oleifera) as among the banner crops of Bikol as its Regional Field Unit (RFU) maps out strategies to expand its production through new technologies and proper motivation.

Some 200 talented local dancers selected from state universities and colleges of the province will be awarded college scholarships by the provincial government of Camarines Sur as part of Gov. LRay's scholarship program for CamSur constituents.

Dubbed "Search for LRay Dance Scholars," the program is geared at assuring continuing college education for currently enrolled college students as well as for those graduating high school scholars under the aforementioned scholarship program with talent and potential in dancing.

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.

The Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday afternoon that the student was already discharged from the Bicol Medical Center and being closely monitored by health workers.

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.

"The bill already has been passed in the committee level. But its passage in the plenary level is put at risk by the opposition of a similar bill seeking to reapportion Camarines Sur," said Vinzons-Chato.

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.

In a nine-page resolution, the Comelec said the candidates can file their COCs for all elective positions, whether national or local, from Nov. 20 to Nov. 30, this year.

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.

The Filipino community in Florence, Italy has prepared a Thanksgiving Mass for Vagni.

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?

PEP COALITION BACKED BY SEN. ROXAS AGAINST PRE-NEED COMPANIES? The "Unang Hirit" Channel 7 Wednesday appearance of Philip Piccio, the leader of a group calling itself "PEP Coalition," was preceded by a frenzy of text messages sent to officials and plan holders of Phil Asia Care Plans, Inc. a day before, warning that Piccio will touch, although indirectly, about the Phil Asia problem.

During the second year of our preparation for the Tercentenary of our devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Archbishop invited the Archdiocese of Caceres and the devotees to a communal discernment within the context of the theme: Renewing Our Faith Through Ina.

The Archbishop also explained the process of renewal, namely: communal discernment, period of purification, strengthening and deepening of faith.

Discernment is the first step towards making a moral decision. It includes 1) searching, 2) thinking, 3) consultation, and 4) prayer.

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.

The German word for voluntary work is "Ehrenamt," which literally translates to "honorary post." It is a highly valued "post" which is done by a volunteer and is not geared towards payment. It is carried out for a period of time and it is focussed on the common good. Ordinary people actively and voluntarily get involved in efforts of achieving a common goal.

A few days ago, I chanced on Erap being interviewed on ANC's "Strictly Politics." My attention was caught by how he was deftly answering Pia's pointblank questions and in straight English. He had some grammatical lapses, but these were negligible.

If we recall, Erap's 1998 campaign was packaged to capitalize on his masa appeal.

Flaunting their bodies and flesh on stage under the glare of spotlights  in front of a crowd of strangers, is probably one of the shallowest aspirations that women could ever have. Beauty pageants, as universally accepted as they are, do nothing but insinuate that women's primary goal in life is to make themselves beautiful, sexy and attractive - with voluptuous body, large breasts and hips, small waist, long and shapely legs, smooth skin, shiny hair, white perfect teeth - so that when the day of judgement comes, they will be pronounced the most beautiful of all. Pageants promote the petty, small-minded belief that women should beat other fellow women in their physical looks, and therefore perceive fellow women not as allies for a greater cause but as competitors of their temporal youth and beauty. Women should get the attention of the judges, most of whom are men, and some women who believe the same way.

LAST WEEK, THIS PAPER featured four articles on the Church’s rejection of the secular celebrations, military parade, and other civic activities during the Peñafrancia week. Take note that I used ‘week’ instead of the ecclesiastical term ‘novena’ which is a little more than a week.

MAPPING THE FUTURE is actually envisioning the future in visual terms.  James Canton's book, the Extreme Future (Penguin Group 2007), that gives a picture of the top trends that will reshape the world in the next 20 years, has powerfully captured the need to welcome the extreme future prepared.  Canton writes: "Maps are so much revealing, though, when they're studied closely in the context of when and where they were