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PILI, CAMARINES SUR (13 March 2010) - The current cloud seeding operations being conducted by the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) under the Department of Agriculture (DA) is costing the agency some P2.5 Million, according to an official report of the DA regional office here on Friday (March 12).

Intended to mitigate the effects of the worsening dry-spell in Bikol region, the BSWM's cloud seeding operations targeted the worst-hit areas in the island province of Masbate, in Camarines Sur and Albay.

"The Board . . . heard of your resignation after your term had ended [and] when it really had no intention of re-electing you."

This was the statement contained in the letter written last March 1 by Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU) President Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J. which responded to Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo's resignation from the Board of Trustees of the said university.

MASBATE CITY, March 10  - Candidates vying for local elective positions and leaders of contending political parties in Masbate vowed to shun violence and vicious political rivalry as they forged a covenant of peace for honest and credible national elections in May.

The signing of the peace covenant was the highlight of a multi-sectoral mobilization of civil society organizations in Masbate on Tuesday dubbed "A Walk for MY HOME" (Masbate Yearning for Honest, Orderly and Meaningful Election).

DAET, CAMARINES NORTE  (13 March 2010) - THE GOVERNOR of this province has denounced the interference of Camarines Norte lone Congresswoman, Liwayway Vinzons Chato in the affairs of the provincial government, particularly in the proposed P 300-Million loan with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to finance the establishment of a provincial "garbage recovery facility" that will service 12 towns; a centralized evacuation center; and tourism-infrastructures at Bagasbas beach.

LEGAZPI CITY, March 10 -- The provincial legislative board on Tuesday has placed Albay under a state of calamity due to El Niño phenomenon or dry spell which has affected close to 6,000 hectares of agricultural land in more than half of the 15 towns and three cities of the province.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) declaration was a disaster mitigating measure to curb the negative effects of the dry spell that would affect the agricultural sector, including the health conditions of the community.

LEGAZPI CITY, March 10  - Increase of tourist arrivals in Albay province is expected starting last week of March this year in connection with the 2010 Magayon Festival.

Jose Briones of Albay Tourism Office said the formal opening of Magayon Festival is on April 5.

LIBON, ALBAY - A FEMALE MEMBER OF THE NPA, locally called "AMAZONAS" had surrendered to government trooper after a 10-minute firefight between communist rebels and soldiers of the 2^nd Infantry Battalion, PA, about 1:30 P.M. last March 7 at the hinterlands of South Tagbac, Macabogot, Libon, Albay, a spokesman of the 9^th Division Phil. Army reported on Monday (March 8).

Dr. Bernadette Gavino-Gumba, a columnist of Vox Bikol and a faculty member of the Ateneo de Naga University, was selected to participate in the Follow-up Workshop to the "Training Programme on the Equal Status and Human Rights of Women in South East Asia" which she had attended in Cambodia last 5-16 October 2009. She was one of the five participants selected from the 2009 batch, to join others from batches of 2007, 2008A and 2008B.

Competing students from the University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) dominated the annual Regional Association of Bicol Business Students Congress held February 26-28 at the Ateneo De Naga University.

The confab was sponsored by the Ateneo Business Summit of the College of Business and Accountancy under this year's theme "Education in Business: Partnering with Industry to ensure a bright future for business students."   The summit also aims to mold business students towards being effective catalysts of change.

If the City Government of Naga were to be asked, one man's trash is another man's treasure indeed.

The local government recently signed a joint venture agreement with an energy group for the construction of a power facility using trash from the city's landfill in Brgy. Balatas.

According to Oscar Orozco, head of Naga's Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), the newly signed agreement would facilitate the establishment of a gasification facility in the city landfill that could generate energy to augment the needs of local electric cooperatives.

NAGA CITY - A MEMORANDUM ORDER from the PNP regional office in Camp Simeon Ola, Legazpi City had alerted all Provincial Police Offices in Bikol to search for Swedish national, Patrik Akessen, after his family had reported to Philippine authorities the disappearance of the said foreign national since February this year.

The Camarines Sur Police Office reported that the Office of the Swedish Vice-Consul had sought the assistance of the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame to check on the possible whereabouts of Akessen in Bikol.

Finally, the Magna Carta of Women has been signed into law last August 14, 2009. It is the Philippines' concrete action toward the implementation of CEDAW or the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in the country. CEDAW is an international human rights standards set up by the United Nations in 1989, specially designed for women.

Kun ako periko, tano ta nagdadangog kamo?

Last year in July, I wrote here about the possibility of an Erap 2. At that time, Erap seemed to still enjoy more popular support than the presidentiables then and he was the only one who appeared clear on what he wanted to do for the country like securing peace and order in Mindanao. But that was before Cory died on August 1, and Noynoy had not yet joined the race for president.

Sinasabat an mga aldaw sa syudad, kan mga nagtiripon-tipon

na mga langaw sa mga ati na nagpakuriyat sa mga kripot na tinampo.

Nagbarasay-basay sindang mga langaw sa nasulong merkado-

Nag-oorolay kan mga bagong kalansay na nakutkot

sa natad kan simbahan; kun siisay an bagong sambay

kan mga dayong paratinda sa Plaza ni Rizal;

kun nabisto na si hawak na daing tabay na nag-aanod-anod

sa salog na iyong pinakadakulang kali, karigosan kan gabos na ati-

Mantang nagkakape-kape an pamusong alkalde asin nagbabasa

We, members of the Philosophy Department of the Ateneo de Naga University, take exception to the accusations made by Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo in his resignation letter dated 1 February 2010.