We share a short video taken in one of our visits at the shoreline of Sabang in the town of Calabanga. It took some time before we had the juice at putting together the video which at one occasion was thought to be of no good use. While we took […]
The Department of Social Welfare and Development is seen to continue supporting its 4P’s beneficiaries maybe beyond 2019. This information was confirmed Monday by the agency belying rumors that Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is set to end in 2019. Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo clarified the misconception and pointed […]
Many Bicolanos are either living dirt poor, pay check to pay check, do not have money left to put up a bank account, or do not have confidence in the Philippine banking system. Either one of the above could be true. Take a look at the recent finding based on […]
Lost in the din of national conversation mostly dominated by the regime of murderous anti-drug drive, “unabated” extra-judicial killings, and corruption of public officials, is the silent menace in suburban areas brought about by sex tourism. Prior to the expulsion of US military in Philippine-hosted American bases in 1991, children […]
The execution of Overseas Filipino worker Jakatia Pawa in Kuwait reflects the general sorry state of cold treatment from the Philippine government these ‘heroes’ receive in return. Pawa’s execution by hanging was pushed through on Wednesday by the Kuwaiti government. The hapless OFW is the sister of Air Force Col. […]
This morning, we wake up with a reality check, the stunning news of how eight of the world’s richest men own approximately the same amount of wealth as the entire poorest half of the world population. You read it right, only eight men own that much. These billionaires are identified […]
Filipino Joselito Zapanta who was convicted for the murder of a Sudanese national over a rental dispute was executed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Zapanta, 35, was convicted for killing Sudanese Imam Ibrahim, with robbery, on April 13, 2010 by the Riyadh Grand Court. […]
An estimated 11 million children are at risk of hunger, disease and lack of water in eastern and southern Africa as a result of a strengthening El Nino, which is also causing droughts and floods in parts of Asia, the Pacific and Latin America, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) […]
Street families, indigenous people and victims of disaster belonging to 203 families are the first batch of beneficiaries of the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development who received prepaid cards of the Land Bank of the Philippines. Through the prepaid cards, beneficiaries of MCCT […]
In the know: Cam Sur’s Camaligan most densely populated town in Bicol. The tiny teeny town of Camaligan in Camarines Sur registers the highest in terms of population density among all the 107 municipalities and 7 cities in the region. It has a total land area of 4.68 square kilometers […]
Ten towns comprising the fourth congressional district of Camarines Sur, also known as Partido area, is being eyed as future food production hub that could serve the entire Bicol region. Government regional offices led by the Department of Agriculture are working for a convergence initiative by agencies with functions involving […]
LEGAZPI CITY — Official government data revealed that there are 187,673 Bicolano households which do not have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, according to the Department of Social Welfare. The provinces of Masbate, Camarines Sur and Albay posted the highest incidences of households with no access to […]
Here’s a look back on the list of Filipinos who made it in Forbes world’s richest billionaires in 2013, four of them, listed in top 500. Rank Name Net Worth Age Source 68 Henry Sy & family $13.2 B 89 diversified 248 Lucio Tan & fmaily $5.2 B 79 diversified […]
In the midst of excitement and confusion attendant to the just concluded political exercise was the incident that happened in the vicinities below Batanes islands, but more specifically in the Balintang channel involving foreign fishermen and the Philippine coastguard personnel. We will not delve into the details and legalities of […]
We get it, legalized gambling in the country is more like a deep well of none-drying, endless resource of wealth. With the government agency Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the forefront of gambling, can we ask for more? Proof that there is so much imaginable wealth the government agency […]
Bicol has the highest underemployment rate among the regions in the country, according to the latest survey conducted by the National Statistics Office. About 33.5 per cent of workers or employees express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or […]
The most wonderful thing about our government agencies is that they are full of talking heads. Information, misinformation, half-truths and the blatant attempt to deviate attention out of the prevailing true state of the rice supply, its availability and the predicament of farmers, also become part of the job.
The Commission on Population (POPCOM) Bicol regional office reported that early pregnancy and lack of knowledge in FP are main reasons behind its over 5.1 million population.
The Social Weather Station survey from March 4 to 7, from sample respondents of 1,200, revealed that 20.5 percent of respondents or about 4.1 million families say they went hungry at least once in the past three months.
No Filipino goes out of the country with a death wish. When the 122 others on death row and more than 7,000 in jails abroad left, they were full of hopes and dreams to provide a better future for their families. Fifteen million overseas Filipino workers left the country to seek greener pastures abroad in the absence of jobs, livelihood and decent living conditions in the country.
The open-walled Octagon building of Calabanga is a constant venue of people on the move. Poor and deprived residents of the town’s different barangays pour in mass on a scheduled day, converge, queue on long hours, and associate with the assigned personnel of the LGU/DSWD for paperworks. They are prospective beneficiaries of the national government’s conditional cash grants program.
The revised PH methodology pegs the official poverty threshold, or the amount supposedly necessary for a tolerable standard of living, at just PhP46 per person per day in 2009. This is lower than what would have been a national poverty line of PhP52 according to the old methodology, and effectively reduces the number of poor by 5.32 million without really improving the poverty situation.
A walk by the breakwaters of Sabang on a Saturday morning is an exercise of inhaling almost seafresh air. What caught the attention of this passerby was the rickety-raggedy nipa structure with kids playing cards. I offered to take a photo of the group as one boy retreated to a corner, and back of the camera.
Research group IBON calls on lawmakers deliberating on the budget for the controversial Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program to look into the resulting additional debt burden that Filipinos will shoulder to repay the program’s loans.
During the initial days of the new administration, many were shocked (sic) on how voluminous the past government imported rice from other Asian countries. The issue was heightened when some National Food Authority warehouses were found with rotting stockpiles of the commodity.
The threat of eruption of Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon and its possible challenges to the surrounding populace has one immediate positive effect, if we can qualify it as one. The provincial unit of the rebel movement in the province has made known their declaration of a unilateral suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) in areas near the volcano.
In time of domestic rice shortages, to whom the Philippine government rely more often than not. Or at least, for the immediate past year? No, not the Filipino farmer, are you kidding me!
The past days and more to come, many of us get the kind of “high” feeling because of jubilation and things happening about the neighborhood or pretty much everywhere. But away from the maddening crowd of people celebrating fiestas and other festivities, away from the euphoria of highly charged atmosphere […]
Mang Jaime lives at a make-shift nipa shack across our house by the creek. On farmers market days, he would get up early and harvest fresh shoots of kangkong and sell at Calabanga’s only public market. A bundle of the aquatic vegetable would earn him about five pesos (one peso is equivalent to US $0.0223 at the current exchange rate). Whatever money he gets from the sale of his bundles, he would buy bread and food for his family.
The world has divided into rich and poor as at no time in our history. The richest 2% own more than half the household wealth in the world. The richest 10% hold 85% of total global assets and the bottom half of humanity owns less than 1% of the wealth in the world. The three richest men in the world have more money than the poorest 48 countries.
While the combined local and national election brings a cacophony of promises from candidates addressed to all the voting and non-voting people of the land, I wondered what promises are hollowed ideas and concepts that may just fade in thin air once elected.
A boat ride is one way in getting to the city of Masbate and the island province of Masbate from the Bicol peninsula.
The great divide between the poor and the rich in the country is nowhere more clear than when one goes to the rural areas. In the seaside village of Sabang, more than many nipa houses abound and inhospitable for people to live in. Dilapidated. Frail. Not safe for human habitation. Inadequate.
The short film “Chicken a la Carte” by Ferdinand Dimadura, was made in 2005, beat some 3,600 entries when it won the 56th Berlin film festival award for short films in 2006.
No Filipino goes out of the country with a death wish. When the 122 others on death row and more than 7,000 in jails abroad left, they were full of hopes and dreams to provide a better future for their families. Fifteen million overseas Filipino workers left the country to seek greener pastures abroad in the absence of jobs, livelihood and decent living conditions in the country.
The past days and more to come, many of us get the kind of “high” feeling because of jubilation and things happening about the neighborhood or pretty much everywhere. But away from the maddening crowd of people celebrating fiestas and other festivities, away from the euphoria of highly charged atmosphere […]
A boat ride is one way in getting to the city of Masbate and the island province of Masbate from the Bicol peninsula.
The Commission on Population (POPCOM) Bicol regional office reported that early pregnancy and lack of knowledge in FP are main reasons behind its over 5.1 million population.
The threat of eruption of Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon and its possible challenges to the surrounding populace has one immediate positive effect, if we can qualify it as one. The provincial unit of the rebel movement in the province has made known their declaration of a unilateral suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) in areas near the volcano.
The Social Weather Station survey from March 4 to 7, from sample respondents of 1,200, revealed that 20.5 percent of respondents or about 4.1 million families say they went hungry at least once in the past three months.
We get it, legalized gambling in the country is more like a deep well of none-drying, endless resource of wealth. With the government agency Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the forefront of gambling, can we ask for more? Proof that there is so much imaginable wealth the government agency […]
The revised PH methodology pegs the official poverty threshold, or the amount supposedly necessary for a tolerable standard of living, at just PhP46 per person per day in 2009. This is lower than what would have been a national poverty line of PhP52 according to the old methodology, and effectively reduces the number of poor by 5.32 million without really improving the poverty situation.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development is seen to continue supporting its 4P’s beneficiaries maybe beyond 2019. This information was confirmed Monday by the agency belying rumors that Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is set to end in 2019. Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo clarified the misconception and pointed […]
Lost in the din of national conversation mostly dominated by the regime of murderous anti-drug drive, “unabated” extra-judicial killings, and corruption of public officials, is the silent menace in suburban areas brought about by sex tourism. Prior to the expulsion of US military in Philippine-hosted American bases in 1991, children […]
The most wonderful thing about our government agencies is that they are full of talking heads. Information, misinformation, half-truths and the blatant attempt to deviate attention out of the prevailing true state of the rice supply, its availability and the predicament of farmers, also become part of the job.
Bicol has the highest underemployment rate among the regions in the country, according to the latest survey conducted by the National Statistics Office. About 33.5 per cent of workers or employees express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or […]
Many Bicolanos are either living dirt poor, pay check to pay check, do not have money left to put up a bank account, or do not have confidence in the Philippine banking system. Either one of the above could be true. Take a look at the recent finding based on […]
We share a short video taken in one of our visits at the shoreline of Sabang in the town of Calabanga. It took some time before we had the juice at putting together the video which at one occasion was thought to be of no good use. While we took […]
A walk by the breakwaters of Sabang on a Saturday morning is an exercise of inhaling almost seafresh air. What caught the attention of this passerby was the rickety-raggedy nipa structure with kids playing cards. I offered to take a photo of the group as one boy retreated to a corner, and back of the camera.
The Commission on Population (POPCOM) Bicol regional office reported that early pregnancy and lack of knowledge in FP are main reasons behind its over 5.1 million population.
Filipino Joselito Zapanta who was convicted for the murder of a Sudanese national over a rental dispute was executed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Zapanta, 35, was convicted for killing Sudanese Imam Ibrahim, with robbery, on April 13, 2010 by the Riyadh Grand Court. […]
The threat of eruption of Mt. Bulusan in Sorsogon and its possible challenges to the surrounding populace has one immediate positive effect, if we can qualify it as one. The provincial unit of the rebel movement in the province has made known their declaration of a unilateral suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) in areas near the volcano.
Bicol has the highest underemployment rate among the regions in the country, according to the latest survey conducted by the National Statistics Office. About 33.5 per cent of workers or employees express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or […]
This morning, we wake up with a reality check, the stunning news of how eight of the world’s richest men own approximately the same amount of wealth as the entire poorest half of the world population. You read it right, only eight men own that much. These billionaires are identified […]
During the initial days of the new administration, many were shocked (sic) on how voluminous the past government imported rice from other Asian countries. The issue was heightened when some National Food Authority warehouses were found with rotting stockpiles of the commodity.
We get it, legalized gambling in the country is more like a deep well of none-drying, endless resource of wealth. With the government agency Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the forefront of gambling, can we ask for more? Proof that there is so much imaginable wealth the government agency […]
Lost in the din of national conversation mostly dominated by the regime of murderous anti-drug drive, “unabated” extra-judicial killings, and corruption of public officials, is the silent menace in suburban areas brought about by sex tourism. Prior to the expulsion of US military in Philippine-hosted American bases in 1991, children […]
Research group IBON calls on lawmakers deliberating on the budget for the controversial Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program to look into the resulting additional debt burden that Filipinos will shoulder to repay the program’s loans.