A Vibrant Democracy

On June 30, 2022, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. shall be sworn in as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines, not only winning by a majority vote that is unprecedented in Philippine electoral history since 1986, but also bringing forth the message of reawakening the former glory of his father’s regime. Beside him as Vice-President of the Republic shall be another symbol of autocratic leadership- Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. It was th

The University of Nueva Caceres, School of Graduate Studies: Breaking Boundaries, Creating Possibili

Redefining Instruction Through PROBE The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) of the University of Nueva Caceres is breaking boundaries and creating possibilities. Under the stewardship of the SGS Dean who is the concurrent Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) Dr. Romeo M. Sumayo Jr., together with SGS Assistant Dean, Prof. Michel P. Basister, UNC SGS is exploring more uncharted territories with PROBE. SGS is using the Problem, Research, Outcome-Based Education (PROBE) as i

“Entrepreneurship”: what people do to survive

A young girl, pale and demure with a pair of sad eyes looking up at me, sat in a corner beside the ATM booth near the parking lot far from the main road of Panganiban. The sun’s searing heat was unbearable, so she had to seek cover. She looked tired and weary. In front of her was a small green plastic basin with three bunches of ripe green bananas that she said were still unsold before she could hurry back home. I pointed to the car parked nearby and told her to approach the

CamSur farmers get P300K kits for organic veggie production

By Connie Calipay The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Camarines Sur provided P300,000 worth of starter kits to a farmer’s group to help its members establish sustainable organic vegetable production. Felipe Vargas, DAR agrarian reform program officer, said the Burabod Farmers Agrarian Reform Organization (BFARO) in Calabanga town received assistance under the DAR’s Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPaHP) program. The program aims to sustainably reduce

Food safety app, site to be introduced soon

By Ma. Cristina Arayata A locally developed android app will soon help food businesses ensure their products are clean, unexpired, and safe to consume, while a website will guide the public on some of the government’s food safety programs. Developed by a startup software company, the Food Safety Self-Assessment Tool (FSSAT) android app was funded by the Department of Science and Technology in Calabarzon (DOST-4A) for P210,000, Francis Barquilla, DOST-4A’s Management Informati

THE WORD OF THE LORD

7th Sunday of Easter Ascension Sunday Gospel: Lk 24:46-53 Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led th

Naga launches 2-year preparation for 100th year of Our Lady of Peñafrancia’s canonical crowning

By Yara De Guzman The Archdiocese of Caceres on Sunday launched a two-year preparation to mark the centenary of the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. The launching was highlighted with a Mass presided over by Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Naga City. Pope Benedict XV authorized the canonical coronation of the image on May 13, 1920, in response to the petition of Bishop John Ber

Caceres Mission Aid Program celebrates 25 years of sending missionaries

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Caceres Mission Aid Program or 25 years of sending Caceres diocesan missionary priests outside the Archdiocese of Caceres, a Thanksgiving Mass will be offered on May 27, 2022, 9:00 A.M. in Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, Goa, Camarines Sur. The Presider and Preacher will be the Archbishop of Caceres, Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria Tirona, O.C.D., D.D.. It was on May 27, 1997, 25 years ago, during a monthly assembly of priests, when

Laudato Si Week celebrated with tree planting

March 22-29 is Laudato Si Week in this year 2022. It’s the Seventh Year when Pope Francis gave his Encyclical Laudato Si, Care for Our Common Home. The Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph in San Jose adopts the Green Patio Project of the Caceres Ministry on Ecology in view of greening the patio and promoting native tree species. Mass of Creation was celebrated by Fr Louie Occiano with Fr Eric Bobis as Homilist and Fr Misael Quindo as concelebrant. Fr. Bobis emphasize

13 LGUs in Bicol now ASF-free

By Connie Calipay The Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) reported recently that more local government units (LGUs) in the region with previously confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF) are now free of the pestilence and have been removed from the quarantine list. In an interview, Emily Bordado, DA-5 spokesperson, said 10 municipalities and three cities in four provinces of the region are now ASF-free and have been upgraded from “red” to “pink” zone. “Red” zones ar

Local gov’t units urged to step up strategies vs new Covid-19 variant

By Connie Calipay The Department of Health in Bicol (DOH-5) is calling on local government units (LGUs) to step up their strategies against the possible local transmission of Omicron BA.2.12.1, a mutated strain of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. In a statement recently, DOH-5 said a multi-sectoral combined action is needed to prevent the spread of the new subvariant, which is said to be easily transmitted. DOH-Bicol also urged the public to follow the prevention, detect, isolat

Health workers receive Covid-19 compensation

By Connie Calipay The Department of Health in Bicol (DOH-5) reported on Monday, May 23, that a total of 1,120 health workers in the region have received their Covid-19 compensation. In a statement, the agency said the compensation is granted to all eligible public and private healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs in health facilities who contracted Covid-19 and/or died in the line of duty. “A P15,000 was awarded to each mild and moderate case, P100,000 to severe or critical,

SK Reform law ‘gift’ to new admin - Salceda

By Connie Calipay Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Sarte Salceda on May 17 thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act No. 11768 or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Governance Reforms and Compensation Law, calling the new measure a “gift” to the next administration. “The law will provide the SK with a framework for reimagining the role of youth governance in skills development, youth employment, and learning,” Salceda said in a statement. Salceda, chair of t

DBM assures workers gov’t has funds for night differential pay

By Joann Villanueva Government agencies have the funds for their employees’ night differential pay but if they lack financing this will be sourced from the national budget, an official of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said. DBM Organization, Position Classification, and Compensation Bureau Director Gerald Janda, during the Public Briefing aired over PTV4 recently, said government agencies need to get the funds for this expense from their Personal Services budg

P13-M PAGASA hub to improve services in Bicol, Samar areas

By Cet Dematera A newly inaugurated P13-million worth one-stop building hub equipped with state-of-the-art facilities is anticipated to significantly improve the forecasting services of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Bicol, Samar and other provinces in Southern Luzon. During its inauguration recently, PAGASA officials said that the Southern Luzon PAGASA Regional Services Division (SLPRD) two-story building houses th

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