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IROSIN, Sorsogon-Alicia P. Balasta, 61, of this town, lost his son Jonathan three times.

The first time was when Jonathan worked in Manila after dropping out of college. The second time was when he joined the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The third and last time was when he was killed in the bloody firefight that also took the lives of eight of his comrades last September 25.

He was 29.

NAGA CITY (30 September) - - CARETAKERS OF THE 60-HECTARE Romualdez Ranch situated in barangays  Tambo and Del Rosario in Pamplona, Camarines Sur has sought police protection after illegal settlers had threatened with violence the ranch employees.

The Police Provincial Office (PPO) here reported that earlier, two ranch security guards of the SunStar Security Agency, a certain Rolly Arandia and Ading Padilla, were pelted with stones and hurled empty bottles by the squatters, prompting Arandia to fire his 12-gauge shotgun on the attackers.

Camarines Sur (2 October)-More than 1,000 couples walked down the aisle in the "Kasalan sa Ngalan ng Diyos" church mass wedding held at the St. James de Apostle Parish church, Libmanan under the sponsorship of the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur here October 1-2.

The two-day affair tops the spot as the biggest mass wedding ever conducted under the Kasalang Bayan Program held at various municipalities in Camarines Sur with some 526 couples sealing their wedding vows during the first day and at least 600 on the second day.

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Oct. 2 --Governor Joseph Cua today ordered the evacuation of families from different coastal baranggays and other low-lying areas in the province as typhoon "Pepeng" started to dump heavy rains.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC)was convened after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) declared that "Pepeng" would affect the province.

The Disaster Operations Center was also set up on a 24-hour basis.

Diliman, Quezon City- The Bikol literary circle and the avid supporters of this artistic renaissance in the region has another reason to celebrate in the winning of Kristian Sendon Cordero in the Maningning Miclat Poetry Prize (Filipino Category) last September 24, 2009 at the Abelardo Hall of the University of the Philippines.

Cordero, a graduate school student of Ateneo de Manila University, joins other two winners, Mikael de lara Co for the English and Chen Liang from Fujian Province for the Chinese category respectively.

LEGAZPI CITY (2 October)-The municipal government of Vinzons, Camarines Norte ordered the preemptive evacuation of residents living in the town's coastal villages.

PAGASA hoisted storm signal number 2 over Camarines Norte after Typhoon "Pepeng" had threatened the northernmost Bikol province.

As of 11:00 am today, 500 persons have been evacuated to Vinzons Pilot Elementary School in the town proper from the affected villages. The number is expected to rise, according to Michael Narido, planning officer at the Mayor's office.

IRIGA CITY ----  Students of the high school department of the University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) have dominated the 2009 Student Technologists and Entrepreneur of the Philippines (STEP) division competitions held Sept. 16-17 at the Zeferino Arroyo High School here.

Six UNEP contestants bag nine awards during the Division of City Schools' STEP skills development and competition participated by private and public schools that had for its theme, "Upgrading Skills, Improving Lives."

NAGA CITY (30 September)  - ONE OF THE EARLIEST RELIEF DRIVE for the victims of tropical storm "Ondoy" in Metro Manila, dubbed as "Tabang kan Bicol," started in this city where some 4,000 members of the Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCI) and 10  other adjacent towns have started to appeal for food donations, clothing, other basic necessities for typhoon-victims since September 27.

MNCI president, Abet Bercasio, said the Plaza Quezon in Naga's old commercial district has become the base of the relief drive where they are accepting relief donations until October 2.

There is something absurd and even narcissistic about Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte’s TV ad which has been airing for awhile in local television.

Last September 27 was election Sunday and all Germany was called to vote for the new Federal German Parliament (Bundestag). The political landscape has changed much in the last decades and the number of parties running for parliament has increased. Back some 20 years ago Germany had two main parties, the Conservatives on the right wing, being CDU/CSU and the Social-Democrats, SPD, on the left.

Mar has accepted Noynoy's offer to run for vice president under the Liberal Party. But this is anything but definite. It was actually the only logical thing to do for Mar after he gave way to Noynoy in a purely internal affair within the LP. And I maintain that to push through with such an exclusive tandem would be a tragic blunder for 2010.

MABOSONG SINDANG NAGRARATAK sa mga konstituwenteng pinabayaan nindang dai nag-aaram huli ta pinag-imotan ninda nin impormasyon. Mabosong sindang nagpapaabaw-abaw sa paagi nin bilyon-bilyon na kuwarta mantang an mga tawo nagtitios. Mabosong sindang magagayon an mga harong mantang an mga tawo inaabisuhan na bayaan na an saindang mga erokán huli suboot ta malalantop nin tubig an banwaan.

The city will wake up on Monday with the streets suddenly quieter. Till the next festival. Till the next fiesta and till the next Traslacion that perhaps will also end in a riot. For that was how GMA-7 presented the land procession that opened this year's nine-day devotion to the Lady of Peñafrancia.

Till the next media bias and dumb reporting.

MANILA - As expected, the revived proposal to impose a tax on text messaging is generating controversy and broad opposition. What surprised some people perhaps are the strong statements from telecommunication companies (telcos). They called the plan "anti-poor," "oppressive" and "one of the worst anti-consumer legislations ever made."

Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias was within his first decade of priesthood when he changed the course of history.  His story is a classic example of how a man's personal convictions can influence 300 years and a world beyond his wildest dreams. His life's work is a perfect proof of the wisdom of God's ways.

In the middle of dishonesty, fraud and cheating that plague the present national government, I long for sincerity and truthfulness. Amid extravagance and squandering by government officials from the illegitimate president and her cabinet  to the congressmen and women down to the barangay captains, I long for decency and prudence. In the midst of self-enrichment and wealth accumulation of politicians, I long for simplicity and self-sacrifice.