

Bicol Int’l Airport to open Dec 2021
By Mar S. Arguelles The long wait is over, as the much vaunted Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Daraga, Albay, the flagship project of three Presidents is now a reality. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in Bicol said Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade, in a recent project site visit,has announced that the airport will start operation by December. Agnes Espinas-Tolentino, NEDA Bicol regional director, said that civil works at the BIA is 83 percent compl
DOH: Delta variant patient from Bicol not a local case
By Connie Calipay The Department of Health (DOH) said the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant case reportedly from Bicol is a Bicolana actually residing in Metro Manila. To recall, the DOH national office recently reported 12 new Delta cases in the country, one of whom is from Bicol. “DOH Bicol clarifies that the said case who is Bicolano is currently working in the National Capital Region (NCR),” it read. It noted that the patient is a 27-year-old female from
Police arrest woman selling Covid drugs
By Mar S. Arguelles Police operatives nabbed on Friday, July 23, a person selling anti Covid-19 drugs in an entrapment operation in a commercial building in Naga City, a police report said. Major Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson, identified the suspect as Cecilia Catacutan of Barangay Concepcion Pequeña who was a subject of a surveillance operation for selling Covid-29 drugs without a doctor’s prescription. The report said the suspect was caught while sellin
Barangay exec tells folk not to be vax choosy
By Paulo DS. Papa The president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Naga City called on residents not to be choosy in the brand of vaccines to speed up the vaccination program of the government. Bagumbayan Norte barangay chief Antonio Beltran, president of the Naga City Liga ng mga Barangay and ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, made the appeal in view of numerous reactions after the two-day NagaVax Express sponsored by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the


Naga’s pool of inoculators and the limited supply of vaccines
By Jason B. Neola Notwithstanding the inadequate supply of vaccines coming in Naga City, the city government keeps a pool of inoculators ready to serve anytime a vaccination is going to be conducted. The city’s database of more than 100 doctors, medical interns, nurses, nursing graduates, and midwives was prompted by the need to expedite the drive that aims to immunize at least 147,000 residents equivalent to 70 percent of the city’s 209,000 population. Authorities from the


PNP organizes its tourist police unit in Naga
By Jason B. Neola The Naga City Police Office (NCPO) has recently activated its tourist police unit to anticipate the influx of tourists who will be visiting the city, now with fewer movement restrictions under the general community quarantine (GCQ) status. Col. Marlon Catan, NCPO chief, said the unit activation is also a part of NCPO’s preparation for the possible conduct of civic and religious activities that will highlight the celebration of the month-long Peñafrancia fies
Mobile vaccination teams inoculate seniors, PWDs
By Cet Dematera Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) were thankful to the Legazpi City Health Office (LCHO) mobile barangay vaccination program as teams of health workers conducted inoculation activities in areas near their homes. LCHO chief, Dr. Fulbert Gillego, said that more than 40 percent of the 18,000 seniors and PWDs have been vaccinated already as most of them were inoculated through vaccination held in barangays to avoid congestion at the assigned vac


EDITORIAL: Embrace Civility
The remarkable efficiency and speed posted during the recent two-day massive vaccination efforts (Naga Vax Express) of the Department of Health, LGU Naga, the Office of Vice President Leni G. Robredo, and volunteers that saw the inoculation of more than 6,000 individuals with the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine sends very loud messages. Having at least 70 percent of the national population vaccinated in a much expeditious manner is attainable. It is a matter of ad


Scare them Straight
We were walking down a quiet subdivision street when my companion was called by a woman from one of the houses along the road. The woman seemed like someone from the barangay government. My companion was given a stub for the vaccination which would be on the next day. Of course, she wasn’t a senior citizen. I guess one of those checklist entries that she must have checked qualified her to be among those who have comorbidity. Well, whatever the case may be, thank God for t


Ending July, Beginning August
I never could remember July as a month of strong wind. Dry, yes but not windy. But the world, it seems, has shifted its axis. This morning, the 27th of July, the trees in front of my place, shook. My grandmother would have said: bring the rains and this is already a storm. The wind continued till noontime. The birds – quite a few of them every morning – had all but disappeared, except for the brown ones who were on the ground, pecking. The common birds, we call them. But, as


KBP Accreditation
Haradit an mga broadcasters ngonyan ta karampanyahan na asin madali na an eleksyon pero an iba mayo pa nin KBP acreditation. Sa lindong kan pagboot kan Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas dai pwede an maski siisay sana magtaram sa aire lalo na sa radyo bilang anchorman, komentarista o maski field reporter na dai nakapasar sa accreditation exam na itinatao kan KBP. Haro-halawig nang panahon na an representante kan KBP haling Manila dai nagdidigdi sa Naga tanganing magtao
Sex with a Twelve-Year old is Legal in the Philippines
By Shay Cullen The greatest shame of the Philippines is the fact that it is legal under the old 1930 Penal Code for a 50-year-old man to have sex with a pre-pubescent 12-year-old child and get away with it if the man can convince a court that the child “gave consent.” Soon, that will change and justice will be done for thousands of child-victims.At present, many child-victims that are under the power of parents and their abusers are forced to stay silent when sexually abused

The “Global Health Crisis” President
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivered to the Filipinos more than three hours of his 6th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, July 26. This SONA is supposed to be his last as his term of office is ending this year. Unlike the State of the Nation addresses of past Presidents before the joint session of Congress, this time it was on a blended platform (live and via zoom call), and by invitation to designated members of the House and the Senate, and some guests inclu


The end for DU30’s catastrophic rule,the start for people-driven governance
Sorsoganons are coming together to end President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal and incompetent administration. The people’s clamor in the province for a truly just, humane, and participatory government is bound to expose the usual lies expected in Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. The Duterte administration ran on promises for “change.” But the last five years have proven it was a change for the worst, especially for the basic sectors that have long bee


MNWD tips to boost water pressure
One of the most common problems that consumers are experiencing is the low water pressure in their homes. This is usually caused by the high demand for water, especially in this time of pandemic when most people are staying at home for school and work. In addition, is the need for regular household sanitation and extreme heat due to global warming. Water pressure is the force that is exerted on water to push it through pipes. The Metropolitan Naga Water District (MNWD) utiliz