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Vol. 27 Issue 09 18-24 July 2009

Frontpage News

Reapportioning to gerrymander province, says mayor
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

NAGA CITY-Mayor Fermin Mabulo of San Fernando, Camarines Sur said the proposal to carve a new district out of the first district of Camarines Sur was a political move meant to accommodate Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya and Representative Dato Arroyo.

"I am not against any effort to reapportion the province of Camarines Sur or to create new districts. I am only questioning the motive," said Mabulo.

Bikol News

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

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.

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

LEGAZPI CITY July 24 -- Health Secretary Francisco Duque III gave Albay province various types of medicines to be used for medical missions in areas considered as high risk zone once the 2,760 meters high volcano erupts.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda expressed his gratitude to Secretary Duque for the medicines to be used in medical missions in five towns and three cities surrounding Mayon volcano.

Bicol Fish Catch
PNA
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

LEGAZPI CITY, Jul. 22  -- The economic growth in Bikol Region posted a moderate 4.3 percent in 2008 as a result of massive implementation of government programs and projects in the region.

Based in the National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) regional office report, the industry sector was the strongest performer with a 7.5 percent expansion.

Bikol Region was one among five regions of the country recording growths higher than the national average, NSCB report stated.

The service sector, which held the biggest share in the region's output at 43.1 percent, grew at a decelerated rate of 4.2 percent from 6.1 percent in 2007.

Except for government services, growth in all sub-sectors slowed down.

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

CANAMAN, CAMARINES SUR -- CONSTRUCTION FIRMS QUALIFIED TO BID for the P 1.3-Billion "Skyway Bridge project" that will link the first district town of Libmanan to the second district locality of Canaman have conducted a series of site inspection in the past weeks, the First Engineering District Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cam. Sur, here had revealed.

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

SIPOCOT, CAMARINES SUR - - ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE CITIZENS ARMED FORCES GEOGRAPHICAL UNIT (CAFGU) was shot dead by suspected communist rebels along the road side at Sitio Tractora, Bagong Sirang, Sipocot, Camarines Sur, the local police in this town reported last July 20.

Sipocot MPS, Police Sr. Insp. Noel Pauyo Aquino had reported that the victim was identified as Rodel Austria Baesa, 22 a resident of Barangay Lubigan Jr. and assigned at the 9th Infantry Division, PA detachment at Barangay Samay, Ragay town.

PNA
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

LEGAZPI CITY, July 24 -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in Bikol is targeting at least 85 percent coverage of the region's population with health insurance protection.

Orlando Iñigo Jr., PhilHealth Bikol regional vice president, said the agency is geared towards ensuring all Bikolanos be covered by social health insurance.

This in accordance with the principles of universality and compulsory coverage as mandated by RA 7875 or The National Health Insurance Act of 1995 and RA 9241.

Features

Mighty Pharmaceutical
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

MANILA - Sen. Mar Roxas is raising hell about the alleged collusion between the Arroyo government and the pharmaceutical industry to delay if not derail the implementation of Republic Act 9502, or the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008," which was signed on June 6, 2008. Among the provisions the multinational pharmaceutical companies are reportedly blocking is the setting of the maximum retail price for 22 essential medicines. To sweeten the deal between the Arroyo government and pharmaceutical firms, Pfizer allegedly offered five million "sulit" discount cards to President Arroyo for distribution to indigent patients around the country. (Remember the distribution of PhilHealth cards in 2004?)

Church News

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

NAGA CITY-Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi says the current situation of the country does not call for priest-turned-Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio to run for President.

"There are many qualified candidates among those who declared their intention to run for the presidency," said Archbishop Legaspi in an exclusive interview this week.

"Nagdududa ako kung Diyos nga ang tumatawag sa kanya na kumandidato sa pagkapangulo." (I doubt if it is really God who is calling him to run for the presidency.)

Priest
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

MANILA, July 22, 2009-Followers of the Presidential candidate Governor Ed Panlilio has affirmed support through formal launching of the Kilos Na! Movement last July 18, 2009 at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Auditorium in Quezon City.

Kilos Na! seeks to support candidates who focus wholeheartedly their plans and actions to the best interest of the greater majority.

The movement, composed of concerned people from various sectors of the Philippine society, continues to believe that democracy is at work and the government can serve the people as it should.

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

MANILA, July 22, 2009- Many priests are being pushed to run for public office in forthcoming national elections, a Catholic Church official affirmed Wednesday.

Fr. Francis Lucas said some of them are almost enticed to enter politics because of intense pressure from the parishioners seeking for reform in governance.

"I'm sure many priests are being encouraged to run for government posts and (some of them) are getting forced to do it," he said.

National News

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

MANILA, July 24 -- In his quest to clinch the presidential nomination of the ruling coalition, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Friday formally took his oath as a member of the merged Lakas-Kampi-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrat) party.

Party president and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita administered the oath on Teodoro at the party headquarters along Ortigas-Edsa, in San Juan City.

Teodoro's wife, Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro, also took her oath as a member of the newly-merged ruling party.

PNA
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

MANILA, July 25 -- The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill abolishing the payment of documentary stamp tax and premium tax on all life insurance policies.

House Bill 6017 filed by Reps. Liwayway Vinzons-Chato (Camarines Norte) and Exequiel Javier (Antique) grants the much-needed tax relief to the life insurance industry.

World News

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

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.

"All countries need to make an effort based on common but differentiated responsibilities," Janos Pasztor told reporters.

Viewpoints

Editorial Logo
Sunday, July 19th, 2009

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?

Kakampi Mo Ang Batas
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

IGLESIA NI CRISTO TURNS 95: President Arroyo's declaration of July 27, 2009 and every July 27 of every succeeding year as "Iglesia Ni Cristo" day, is well-founded and should be hailed by all Filipinos.

July 27, 2009 represents the 95th year that the Iglesia shall have been in existence in the Philippines and in the whole world.

For Bikol and the World
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

On Monday, July 27, GMA is set to deliver her State of the Nation Address or SONA. Many would rather pass this one up given her utter lack of credibility now. But one thing is clear: this SONA will be her last. Otherwise, any Con-Ass for her term extension would plunge the country into chaos.

Touring Germany
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

It is summer time in Germany. June and July are the hottest months here in central Europe and gradually all the German countries have entered their summer break. Some, like Niedersachsen, Thüringen and Sachsen-Anhalt started it on June 26 already and Bayern being the last country in the line will be off duty after August 2.

Sato Ini
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Carnival

Other than the lack of history and meaning, parading with wooden guns is the most pathetic thing in the parade, according to anthropologist and Naga City Mayoral Awardee 2009 Tito Valiente. Further, the use of toy guns is carnivalesque. There is nothing wrong with real soldiers marching with real guns, according to him. But there is really something ridiculous with non-soldiers parading non-guns during a non-military event.

Signos
Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Is there a man on the moon? On July 20, 1969, there was a man on the Moon. In fact, there were two men on the moon. The first was Neil Armstrong and the second was Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

It was a national holiday, I believe. The government then thought everyone should have the chance to witness over the radio the landing on the Moon, with astronauts doing the first moonwalk.

Opposite Poles
Monday, July 13th, 2009
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.
Mayon Limited
Sunday, June 28th, 2009

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.

God's Global Household
Friday, July 3rd, 2009

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