By Paulo DS Papa The Crime and Corruption Watch International (CCWI) on Thursday, May 14, filed complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte over alleged violations of procurement and transparency laws. CCWI chairman Carlo Batalla, a former provincial board member, filed the complaint against Villafuerte along with Janis Ian Regaspi-Cleofe, chairperson of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), and Hernanie Morales, head of the Inform

By Rhaydz Barcia LEGAZPI CITY --- The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned the public, local government units, and disaster officials to remain alert and prepared as Bulusan Volcano showed increasing activity, recording 442 volcano-tectonic earthquakes associated with rock fracturing over the past two days. In its latest bulletin issued today, Phivolcs said a total of 442 volcano-tectonic earthquakes have been detected by the Bulusan Volcan

By Ana-Liza Sapinoso Macatangay LEGAZPI CITY --- The Police Regional Office 5 (PRO 5) continues to provide humanitarian assistance and public safety services to thousands of residents affected by the ongoing unrest at Mayon Volcano, particularly in the towns of Guinobatan and Camalig, where frequent lava collapses have triggered Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs). Under the leadership of Acting Regional Director Brig Gen. Erosito Miranda, PRO 5 immediately mobilized its per

By Jason B. Neola ALARMED by the very low cervical cancer screening rate among women, the local government of Naga City has intensified its campaign to eliminate the disease through a multi-sectoral summit held on May 20. Led by the City Health Office I in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), and MSD Philippines, the Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit 2026 gathered health officials, barangay health workers, punong barangays, stakeholders, and partners at Summit Ho

By Jason B. Neola NABUA, Camarines Sur --- The Ako Bicol Party-list, in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and in partnership with the Rotary Club of Legazpi Central and the Metro Sorsogon Rotary Club, staged the awarding ceremony for the 11th Search for the Ten Outstanding Students of Bicol (TOSB) for School Year 2025–2026 on May 15, this year. The event, which was held at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges Auditorium, here, is an annual search ai

GUINOBATAN, Albay --- The Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) conducted a series of disaster relief operations for families affected by the Mayon Volcano eruption on May 8, 9, and 10 this year, bringing essential aid to hard-hit communities in Albay province. The massive humanitarian relief operation was conducted in Barangay Quirangay, Camalig, and Barangay San Rafael, Guinobatan in Albay, bringing food, water, and essential supplies to families affected by the recent

When institutions meant to uphold the law are perceived as shields against it, public trust erodes—not in dramatic bursts, but in a slow, corrosive drift. The recent protest staged by the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates outside the Senate captures a growing unease: that accountability in the Philippines is becoming negotiable, contingent on power rather than principle. At the center of the controversy is Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who reportedly sought refuge wit

One afternoon, we went inside a restaurant that serves good Italian food. Instead of taking our orders, the kind waitress told us that at around 4 pm, there would be a power outage, and we might want to consider leaving. What on earth? I’m not sure if it was due to hunger or some weird sense of human rights that drove us to insist to still take our meals. Some pasta and pizza later, no brownout bothered us. To the server’s credit, there really were two-hour brownouts in

I write this not as a political strategist, nor as a partisan defender of any camp, but as a Filipino in his eighties who has lived long enough to remember a Senate that inspired respect. I have witnessed generations of senators rise to defend principles larger than themselves. I have seen debates marked by intellectual rigor, patriotism, and a profound sense of duty to the Republic. That is why watching what is happening in the Senate today fills me not only with disappointm

(After DUROS 1 and 2 Multistakeholders’ Consultations on the San Miguel Bay Offshore Wind Project held on February 20 and May 15 successively convened by Tabang Bikol Movement, the Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation with the Ocean Center Philippines, the Central Bicol State University in Agriculture and the Bicol State College in Applied Sciences and Technoology and the LGUs and Fisherfolks’ organizations in Cabusao, Calabanga, Camarines Sur and Mercedes,Camarines Norte

The recent ascendancy of Alan Peter Cayetano to the Senate presidency, replacing Tito Sotto following a coup orchestrated by the supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte, has made him perhaps too confident and overly predictable. Given his proclivity to project himself as a deeply religious person, I cannot avoid anticipating what verses from the Bible he will use in giving speeches and justifying his actions as Senate President (SP). In his speech after taking oath as the n

May duwang estudiante nin kursong Development Communications kan Ateneo de Naga University ang nagbisita sako sa opisina asin nagkondusir nin interview para sa saindang subject. Manungod sa epekto kan El Niño sa sektor kan agrikultura ang saindang topic na napili. Hinapot na muna ninda ako kung ano ang personal kong pagkaintindi asin eksperiyensiya kan nasabing phenomenon. Pinaliwanag ko sainda segun sa nanudan ko sa mga nabasa ko asin hineras ko ang epekto kan init kan panah

Another student is gone, and once again a community is left with the same difficult questions we have yet to learn how to answer. The details will eventually fade from headlines. Names will be replaced by updates. Reactions will be replaced by silence. But what remains — if we are honest enough to face it — is a growing pattern we keep acknowledging without truly confronting. Something is breaking in the mental landscape of the young. It is tempting to look for a single expla

Atty., maray na aldaw po, may pinahiling na last will an samong stepmother. Nakasurat duman na gabos na ari-arian ni Papa saiya mapapaduman asin mayo kaming mga aki nin makukua. Valid daw po iyan? Salamat po Atty. ----- Dai man boot sabihon na may last will valid na an sitwasyon na ini, lalo na kung mga legitimate kamong mga aki na nawalat. Sa irarom kan batas kan Pilipinas, an mga aki pigkokonsiderar na compulsory heirs, boot sabihon igwa nin porsyon kan mana na nakatagama p

By Rhaydz B. Barcia LEGAZPI CITY --- A proposed 500-megawatt offshore wind power project in San Miguel Bay, Camarines Sur may pose risks to marine biodiversity, including the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, according to a University of the Philippines marine scientist. Dr. Lemnuel V. Aragones, professor at the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UP-IESM) and principal investigator of the Marine Mammal Research and Conser