Near Mt. Mayon’s crater, 15 rescuers dropped to find 4 survivors

By Rhaydz B. Barcia Despite unfavorable weather conditions LEGAZPI CITY --- As the clock ticks down to find the four missing passengers of Cessna plane that went down near the crater of Mayon Volcano on Saturday, disaster officials in Albay launched an aerial insertion mission on Tuesday and dropped 15 rescuers near the crater despite unfavorable weather conditions here. Cedric Daep, chief of Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office (Apsemo) said that the Philippine Ai

Search crew, drones deployed for missing plane

By Connie Calipay LEGAZPI CITY --- At least 218 personnel, 34 vehicles, 11 drones and four K9 dogs were deployed to Barangays Anoling and Quirangay in Camalig, Albay to beef up the search and rescue efforts for a missing Cessna aircraft and its two pilots and two Australian passengers. The Cessna 340 RP-C2080 went missing shortly after it took off from the Bicol International Airport at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday. In a statement on Sunday, Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr. said

Albay Sanggunian recommends closure of Small Town Lottery

By Manuel T. Ugalde LEGAZPI CITY --- Describing the extremely low remittance of the Small Town Lottery, the Albay provincial board has recommended the closure of the Lucky Fortune, the firm operating the STL in the province. The board members noted that the insulting low remittance of the STL operator collection to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is so disturbing, while the illegal jueteng operation is alarmingly getting stronger. The Senate reported that STL operat

NCIP to validate ICCs in Naga City

By Paulo DS. Papa THE regional office of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Bicol awaits the report of its provincial office in Pili, Camarines Sur on the indigenous cultural communities (ICC) in the 3 barangays of Naga City located near the slopes of Mt. Isarog. Agnes Salvino, NCIP’s provincial head in Camarines Sur, reported during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on December 6, 2022 the existence of agta or aeta in the barangays of Pan

GOLDEN GIRL

GOLDEN GIRL Grade 5 pupil Airrah Andie Q. Garcia emerges as one of the Universidad de Sta. Isabel’s best chess players. Airrah, who competes in the recently concluded Palarong Panlungsod (City Meet) conducted last February 18-19, 2023 at the Tinago Central School, was declared 2nd placer in the Chess Blitz Category (elementary girls) and 2nd placer in Chess Standard Category (elementary girls). Photo shows Airrah (2nd from right) and her parents, Fernando S. Garcia (leftmos

Nasaan ang Paninindigan?

Isa sa mga pinakamainit na isyu na pinag-uusapan sa ating bansa ngayon ay kung dapat bang imbestigahin ng International Criminal Court (ICC) ang Pilipinas dahil sa mahigit na 6,000 Pilipino, ayon mismo sa alagad ng batas, na pinatay o namatay noong madugong kampanya laban sa droga sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte. Ang hindi ko maunawaan sa ating mga mambabatas ay tila takot na takot silang imbestigahin ng ICC ang mahigit na 6,000 Pilipino na “nanlaban

Dozens of houses, 6 buildings damaged in Masbate quake- OCD

By Connie Calipay LEGAZPI CITY --- The initial assessment of roads and buildings in Masbate after the magnitude 6.0 earthquake on Thursday showed 61 houses, 15 schools and six buildings were damaged, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional office in Region 5 (Bicol) said. In an interview on Friday, Gremil Alexis Naz, OCD-Bicol spokesperson, said they conducted an assessment and monitoring of the damages and losses in the province immediately after the temblor. "As per the

LGU San Jose hails winners of Harana Festival 2023 float parade competition

By Ana-Liza Macatangay NAGA CITY --- JAIR Agri-Supply bested 28 other competitors after being adjudged as the over-all Champion in the recently concluded Harana Festival Inter-Barangay, Inter-Agency Float Parade Competition 2023 spearheaded by LGU San Jose, Camarines Sur. San Jose Mayor Jerold B. Peña decided to revive the Harana Festival, after years being at the backseat due to the COVID-19 restrictions. A total of 29 participants signed in for the competition held February

ERB to evaluate Naga’s 3,900 voter applications

By Paulo DS. Papa THE Election Registration Board (ERB) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the city is set to conduct a hearing on Monday, March 6, this year, to evaluate and approve the 3,900 new voter applications. Atty. Maico Julia Jr., head of Comelec-Naga told Bicol Mail that these voter applications were registered during the series of voters registration conducted from December 12, 2022 to January 31, this year. The registration was part of Comelec’s preparati

EDITORIAL: Changing The Constitution Must Follow A Process

Some members of the senate and the house of representatives have taken interest in the issue of amending the constitution. Some are suggesting of changing the 1987 constitution from unitary to federal. While this is a welcome development for people who have been advocating for real change in our over-centralized system of government. Changing our constitution from a unitary to a federal system is not within the power of politicians to decide, it is an educated choice of an en

Pray vs Pray

I remember when an esteemed senator suggested to change the last couple of lines of the national anthem. It was not long before the public was all over him. To the credit of the good senator, he did not insist further on the idea. The common public sentiment then was the lack of relevance and necessity of the proposition, especially in consideration of the nation’s more pressing social problems. If we think about it, would there be a time when lyrics of national poems wou

More Instead of Less

I spent Ash Wednesday morning imposing ashes on our sisters and brothers at the Hall of Justice in the City Hall Compound. I have been a lay minister for more than twenty years, and this commitment at the beginning of the Lenten season has always been meaningful for me. Traditionally, the Lenten Season begins on this Holy Day and ends on Holy Thursday. The so-called Easter Triduum begins on Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday. As I grow more advanced in years, the meaning o

Arquitectura Mestiza

Ancestral houses scattered across the Philippine archipelago reflect the hybrid styles of the Bahay na Bato, essentially Austronesian-Spanish-Chinese-designed houses. For a house to be considered as an ancestral home, according to Collins dictionary, it has be in the family for a long time both the property or the land. It has to be at least fifty years old by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ standards and has a significant importance, to qualify as a He

Buhay Sa Kantong Putikon

Kantong Putikon, bako man talagang yaon sa kanto kundi yaon sa bungad kan SM asin bako man talagang putikon, medyo igua sanang botogon asin maduros na kaulay alagad tunay na maogmag pag tiripon nin mga Naguenio na ang kada saro iguang ikim ikim na istorya o pang intriga. Nakakamundo sanang pag isipon na igua nang mga personalidad an dai na nahihiling sa kantong putikon ta igua nin nag humali na dara kan helang asin dara nin kagurangan. Ang kantong putikon garo man sana saro

Earthquakes, Cessna, Quarrying and Ash Wednesday

For Ben Ginto (not his real name), the horrible events happening now, in almost quick succession - earthquakes, missing planes, flooding, the Pandemic, wars, recession -- are signs that the end-time is near. A period of anxiety and catastrophe is pushing more people to believe that the destruction of the world is soon. So now is the time to pray more to prepare. I talked to Ben this morning as I write my column. He is a friend, an inventor, and a happy-go-lucky person who is

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