DOLE teaches parents on child labor dangers

By Connie Calipay The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bicol is conducting seminars for parents and guardians to educate them on the dangers posed by child labor on their children’s welfare and education. As part of DOLE’s initiatives, 13 parents of child laborers in Camarines Norte were educated late last month on Republic Act (RA) 9231 or “An Act Providing for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor and Affording Stronger Protection for the Working Ch

EDITORIAL: Boon or Bane?

Conceptually speaking, computerization of the electoral process is expected to yield positive outcome. As events continue however, that contention is debatable. While it may appear to be of great help in the speedy determination of the voting results, modern technology gave birth to negative developments. Among those that suffered is the well-intended ban on a very lengthy campaign period, which basically is an aftermath of setting a very early deadline for the filing of cer

Policies without Policing

I woke up early today; earlier than usual. I woke up early like a kid who’s excited to go to the beach or to a big Christmas party. I’m not a senior citizen. I don’t have any sort of comorbidity, so I know I won’t be accommodated as priority. My plan was to be there at the time when one of the people on the priority list to withdraw, or one of their names be called and no one answers, I would be volunteering my bare arm as a willing recipient of that shot. When I got to

Voyeur History, Part III: God Led Them to Gold

Following the conquest of, or surrender to, or acceptance of peace from the Spanish invaders (we could not really know) by the people of Cainta and Taytay, as documented in the book, Lucban (A Town the Franciscan Built), Juan de Salcedo began his expedition to the Paracale Mines. If we are to believe the chronicles from Spanish sources, this expedition proved to be a daunting one, which only underscored the “heroism” (quotation marks mine) of “the brave young Juan de Salcedo.

Ka-Fuerte vs Anduyog

An durulak ni Presidente Duterte asin Senador Manny Pacquiao politika sana, panu-pano nin drama asin pagsaguin-saguin. Apuera ki Duterte si Pacquiao iyo na an pinaka-popular sa mga nakatukaw sa pwesto na politiko ngonyan. Makuarta pati asin pigtutubud kan mga Pilipino bako lang kan mga DDS kundi mga Yellowtards. Kaya bakong imposible na mag-aspirar an pambansang kamao para presidente kan Pilipinas. Sa isyung korapsyon na pigdadaklag niya sa gobyerno ni Duterte aram man kan ga

Magis’ Magic

NOTE: Peter Ivan Guballa, a member of the Ateneo de Naga High School Batch 1977, wrote a review of my latest book, Magis – What Matters Most in Life, which I am sharing with the readers of Bicol Mail. Special thanks to my high school classmate Ernie Verdadero, who invited me to write for Bicol Mail years ago, where some of the articles in the book have appeared. Thanks as well to Nilo Aureus, Bicol Mail publisher, for his continued support. For orders in Naga/Bikol, contact D

500 Years of Christianity: Battle of the Sword and Cross in Mactan, Part 12

“Communion is not the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners. This is why [Jesus] exhorts us: ‘Do not be afraid! Take and eat.’” – Pope Francis The brouhaha that precipitated consequent to the vote of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to explore a Church policy to deny the Holy Communion to certain politicians who support abortion. The vote to create guidelines on the meaning of the Eucharist was suspicious for its timing and was clearly aimed at Joe Biden, the curr

44 families receive land titles in Legazpi

By Cet Dematera Some 44 landless families have finally received recently the titles of the land they have been occupying for more than 50 years under the government’s “Handog Titulo” program. The distribution was led by officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bicol and the Legazpi City government. Present during the hand-over of land titles at the covered court of Barangay Sabang in Legazpi City were: Mayor Noel E. Rosal; DENR Bicol Region

Amnesty given to tricycles with expired franchises

By Cet Dematera The Legazpi Sangguniang Panlungsod has passed a resolution granting amnesty to the tricycle operators with expired franchises from one to three years ago on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. Councilor Al Bariso, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Public Utility, said he authored the amnesty resolution in order to spare the operators of the cancellation of their franchises as their tricycle units were not allowed to operate under stricter community q

PSO adopts corrective approach in MECQ protocol enforcement

By Jason B. Neola The Public Safety Office (PSO) of Naga City will continue to strictly implement the protocols under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) but its personnel are ordered to observe humanitarian considerations in their implementation. This was stressed by PSO chief Renee Gumba who said PSO enforcers should be more compassionate towards individuals who violate the protocols in view of the ill-effects of the pandemic on everyone. “When one uses his

Can glove interpreting sign language actually benefit the deaf community?

By Mavic Conde The innovation that uses gloves to interpret Filipino sign language into speech has earned praises among fellow Filipinos online. Many of them take pride in replicating the technology for Filipinos. Media site Sagisag PH features the thesis of college students from Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) which uses “trainable gloves that can interpret Filipino sign language and convert it into speech.” Since it was posted on Facebook five days ago, it has rec

Albay launches Covid vax jab

By Rhaydz B. Barcia The Albay provincial government and the Legazpi City local government unit (LGU) have started vaccination of their constituents to attain herd immunity in order to bring back normalcy in terms of socio-economic activities in the province. Bichara said that the provincial government is vaccinating more than 1,000 individuals a day at the Albay Astrodome for several days now to attain the target of 70 percent of the population. He said that the provincial

Police operatives nab three rape suspects in Minalabac, Del Gallego and Calabanga

By Paulo DS. Papa Police authorities in Minalabac, Del Gallego, and Calabanga towns in Camarines Sur have arrested three rape suspects who were hiding from the law in separate operations. Maj. Ryan Bagasala, Minalabac police chief, identified the suspect as Nestor Llagas, 59, of barangay San Jose, who was arrested at around 9:00 AM of July 1, after 18 years of hiding from the law. In an interview, Bagasala told Bicol Mail that the crime of rape was committed by the suspect s

Mission Office conducts Balik Bayan Program

The Office of Mission and Evangelization conducted Balik Bayan Program for returning missionaries last July 5-6, 2021 at the 11th Earth Resort, Nabua, Camarines Sur. Balik Bayan Program is a welcoming or re-entry program for returning missionaries in the Archdiocese of Caceres. It provides integration of the mission experiences with the present situation of the local church that welcomes the missionaries back. “The re-entry program includes vacation, recollection, physical c

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel novenary begins

For the second year of Covid19 pandemic, the Novenario and Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel will be held without the usual big number of pilgrims and devotees flocking to the Carmelite Monastery. The celebration of the novenary of masses in honor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at the Carmelite Monastery, Concepcion Pequeña, Pilgrim City of Naga formally began last July 7. The theme for this year is “Sharing the joy of faith through a life of prayer with prayer with Mary and St. Jos

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