By Paulo Papa and Bicol Mail News Team The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Naga City has recommended the filing of formal charge for grave misconduct against eight policemen who were members of the police composite team involved in a search warrant operation, which led to the death of drug suspect Dino Dañas on Feb. 26, 2021. Lawyer Clarissa M. Traje, city superintendent of the Naga City PNP IAS, in an interview told Bicol Mail that h

By Jason B. Neola Due to escalating number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases that reached an average of 20 infections daily, the city of Naga along with Iriga City and nine towns in Camarines Sur were classified as “high risk” by the Department of Health (DOH) Bicol regional office. This was bared by DOH Asst. Regional Director John Ferchito Avelino in a meeting called by the Bicol Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Diseases (BIATF) with the mayors of

By Mavic Conde Two activists from Camarines Sur have been cleared of murder charges filed by the police and the military for lack of probable cause. “The complainant and their witnesses failed to show pieces of evidence against the respondents to warrant probable cause for their indictment,” according to the resolution dated Feb 26, 2021 from the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Camarines Sur. Prosecutor Sean Paulo M. Dumalasa also noted that the identification of the r

By Jason B. Neola The Naga City government and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have warned all mall owners and managers in the city to “double check” the background of businessmen who are applying to be affiliates in their establishments. The call to adopt stricter measures on traders planning to rent a store or a space inside a mall was made by the local government unit (LGU) and the trade department in the hope that it will stop the illegal business practice in

By Mar S. Arguelles Police BGen Jonnel Estomo, the new Bicol police regional director, on Monday, Apr. 26 laid down his program called “SAFE,” a strategic plan that would ensure the safety, protection of communities against criminal elements including insurgency. Estomo said his program was the marching orders given by Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Debold Sinas to ensure that the national police comprehensive program be efficiently delivered and respecta

By Ana-Liza S. Macatangay The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) -Camarines Sur chapter has started its Covid-19 saliva RT-PCR testing on Friday, Apr. 23 with six initial clients at its collection site in Panganiban Drive, Naga City. PRC’s first six clients booked their appointments via online and were given individual codes. The collected specimens were transported in the afternoon of the same day to the PRC Molecular Lab located in Port Area, Manila. The test results were sent th

By Mar S. Arguelles The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it already sent investigators to assist the bereaved family of Froilan Oaferina III on what legal action to take against police operatives who were involved in the death of gthe barangay councilor during the course of a search warrant operation. Lawyer Aileene Alangco, CHR Bicol regional director, said the family and CHR investigators during the initial talks have agreed that the statements and testimonies from

By Mar S. Arguelles Human rights alliance Karapatan has denounce the killing of Froilan Oaferina III, a village councilman of Buhi town, who according to the group is the normal practice of the police in pursuing Duterte’s Kill, Kill, Kill marching order aimed to silence critics of the administration. Nida Barcenas, secretary general of Karapatan Bicol, in a statement has urged the public that advocates for human rights to be strong and to intensify its campaign to oppose an

The Sun continues to shine in Partido. In the heart of Tigaon, once a laid back humble town in the East of Camarines Sur, a college now waves its flag with shades of red, white and grey, being ordained as God’s loving servant to bear witness to “Excellence in Truth in the Service of God and Country”: the Shepherdville College standing strong and proud. Despite the threats of covid-19, the Shepherdville College has continued to serve the community through its programs from bas

Tall and thin poles now dubbed as a gadget for home WiFi are sprouting like mushrooms in remote villages. They cater to the needs of students caused by the internet scheme to meet requirements for online studies. The gadget is more popularly known as piso WiFi. At first impulse the initiative looks a welcome development. Children find a substitute opportunity to develop a brighter future for being internet savvy, notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic that is hounding the ent

I have often wondered what is up with the national and local governments’ responses with this Covid-19 crisis which has brought us to what they call the “new normal”. Apparently, the “new normal” nowadays is a daily case ranging from 8 to 10 thousand. When we reached that milestone, that was a big shocker. Now, we have become desensitized that it seems “normal”. Oh, well. I have been telling you about this person who was sent home by the company doctor because he/she had sho

Ngonyan na tapos na an Semana Santa mabilang kita nin anom na bulan o kabangang taon na sana ma-plantear na nin certifico de candidatura an mga aspirantes poon Presidente kan Pilipinas, Vice-Presidente, senador, deputado, gobernador, bokal, alkalde sagkod sa pinakahuring konsehal nin mga banwaan asin ciudad asin partylist patin mga nominees ninda. Sabay na kan panahon nin pista ngonyan na Abril asin Mayo an pagpasiring sa mga baybayon tangarig magpa-fresco, masibot na an m

When the Community Pantry in Maginhawa Street, a street that runs from Teacher’s Village to UP Village and was, in pre-Covid days, noted for its row of sophisticated and unusual eating places, became popular, other communities followed. There was no time to ask about the meaning of the word; the example was enough – a cart or table filled with vegetables and other basic commodities and the announcement everything was free to everyone. There was no registration; no recording o

Last April 21, I received an email from a friend in the Philippines. With his permission, I am sharing through this column excerpts from his email that describe the current situation in the homeland. My friend is a small business owner, but like many of the Filipinos, he is not exempt from the hardships caused by the current dispensation. Below are excerpts from my friend’s email. Glad to hear of the good news from your end. Not so good on our end. After one year of continuo

By Fr. Roy Cimagala I DON’T mean the Integrated Access Devices like the smartphones, though they are very much related to what I would like to bring up here. I am referring more to the Internet Addiction Disorder that is becoming a big, albeit silent, menace in our society today. Initial statistics regarding this matter already indicate an alarming rate of people affected by this disorder. This is now a huge worldwide challenge to face, and it would be good if we start with o