By Connie Calipay and Samuel Toledo Investigators of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bicol (PRO5) are digging deeper into the shooting to death of two civilians identified as members of the progressive Anakpawis Party-list in Barangay San Vicente, Barcelona, Sorsogon last Jan. 15. In an interview on Jan. 18, Maj. Malu Calubaquib, PRO5 spokesperson, said the victims were identified as live-in partners Silvestre Erlano Fortades Jr., alias “Sanggatang,” 64, and Rosemarie

City officials led by Mayor Nelson Legacion and Vice Mayor Cecilia de Asis unveil the computer generated perspective of Pacol Satellite Market during the groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 14, 2022. (JBN/Ramil Herrera-CEPPIO)

By Mavic Conde "An opposition voice," and "one of the strongest" at that. "An indefatigable defender of human rights." These are the praises that Sen. Leila De Lima gets for being named as one of the “5 Sheroes of 2021” again. De Lima has been awarded the Women Heroes Award since 2016 by the RINJ Foundation, a Canada-based non-profit association of humanitarians. “I am deeply grateful and humbled to be included once again as one of the RINJ Foundation’s Sheroes of the Year. T

By Mar S. Arguelles Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero is urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to recall its policy banning unvaccinated individuals from riding public transport, calling the “no vax, no ride” directive discriminatory and without legal basis. Starting Jan. 17, commuters who are not inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines are prohibited from taking the public buses, taxis, jeepneys, boats, and commercial planes to, from, and within Metro Manila-based on the DOTr d

By Jason B. Neola The new acting chief of the Naga City Police Office (NCPO) vowed to strengthen and improve the peace and order in the city uner his leadership. Police Col. Nelson Pacalso, prior to his assignment as acting NCPO chief, headed the Logistics Support Service Division at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame in Quezon City. Pacalso, 51, is a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class of 1998. He is a karate expert a

By Mavic Conde The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released an advisory urging employers in the private sector to have a distinct and separate program for Covid-19 infected employees. Through the Labor Advisory No. 1, DOLE urged companies to implement an “appropriate paid isolation and quarantine leave program” on top of existing leave benefits. Eligible employees include confirmed cases, as well as close contact, suspect, or probable, as each needs to quarantin

A call for “bugkos” — a Bicolano term for unity in the upcoming elections through choosing better governance was depicted through symbols of a pink rose, ribbon, and different sectors in the community, in a recently unveiled citizen-led mural in Sorsogon City. The mural, titled “Bugkos” measures 5 feet by 31 feet and is featured on a gate of a compound in Barangay Balogo, Sorsogon City. The street painting was sponsored by private citizens living inside the compound in colla

By Mark A. Gomez The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Camarines Sur said on Jan. 14 that its medical cash assistance program will no longer be available starting February this year. Jobet Ramos, PCSO Camarines Sur chief, said their office will no longer give medical cash assistance directly to individuals, instead those requesting for it will be endorsed to government Malasakit Centers. Starting February, the PCSO will focus on giving cash assistance to instit

The provincial government of Camarines Sur under the helm of Gov. Migz Villafuerte, himself a new father with an infant daughter, saw to it that pregnant women beneficiaries in the different municipalities will be provided with pregnancy kits containing milk, prenatal vitamins and supplements, face masks, alcohol, and all other basic essentials to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy. jmts/rbmjr/pgommec01192022photos/data from fb_GovMigzVillafuerte/fb_ProvinceofCamsur

Ordinance No. 2022 -003, “An ordinance authorizing the closing of certain roads, use thereof for certain purposes , and defining prohibited acts , and providing penalties for violations to facilitate the orderly conduct of the 2022 Bar examinations at the University of Nueva Caceres, Naga City on January 23 and 25, 2022 ” of Naga City has been enacted on January 4, 2022 . It cites the importance of Naga City having been chosen as one of the centers of the Bar examination. Bu

I was trying to contact my cousin. He was not replying; so I sent a message to my aunt instead. She told me that he was down with the flu. One of my colleagues was not around at work. It turns out she was down with the flu. My immediate superior asked me to submit something and she told me that she came to work even though she was not feeling well; possibly due to a flu. She told me that she may have gotten it from a couple of her friends who coincidentally whom we also w

Our knowledge of Gainza comes from our memories of colonization, and those memories are, whether we like it or not, tinged with nostalgia. I say this as I grapple with the images that surface from the positions reached by Calacday in his research, as he looks at the documents and allows them to speak to him. As facile as it may sound, allowing the text to sound off means that the voice of the reader also is equal to the other voices ranging across centuries. There is therefor

Lunes-lunes minasugo ako nin mabakal nin Philippine Star sa centro kan Naga nganing mabasa ko sa nagririsik-risik na dyaryo, bakong sa FB o social media an column na Hindsight ni F.(Francisco Sionil Jose), an pinaka-paborito kong parasurat sagkod na magtalikod sa kinaban kan naka-aguing Enero 6, 2022 kan magpahingalo na an saiyang puso antes kuta siyang ipairaron sa angioplasty. Antes na mabasa ko an mga sinurat niyang nobela arog kan Poon, Pretenders, an saiyang librong may

Kanogon na “Historia de un Amor” sabi kan mga para entre cuatro kung padagos nang mawawara an mga sinehan sa centro kan Naga ta gulping istorya nin pagkamoot an nabilog kan magkasing irog sa saindang balcony arog kan mga sumpaan, kapangakuan, plano sa karasalan, fecha kan presentaran, numero nin mgiging aki, mga ninong ninang na pulitiko, asin kung ano ano pang kaniguan. Halawig na panahon na an madiklom na balcony iyo an pinaka exciting na lugar sa kinaban, daog an Pla

As the May 9, 2022 national and local elections draw near, a deluge of political surveys have begun to abound once again. Some political observers, however, believe that these “surveys” are initiated by candidates themselves with obvious bias for the candidates’ interests. Apparently, either paid by or expecting favors from the candidates, the survey initiators generally are attracted to candidates who are winnable. There are those who likewise opine that many factors affect