Pili, Camarines Sur - Ngonian na aldaw an nakatalaan na pagsikad kan 2008 WWA World Championships na gigibuhon sa Camarines Sur Watersports Complex sa laog kan Capitolio Provincial. Nag-aabot man sa labi sa 300 na mga wakeboarders an mapartisipar sa nasambitan na event na madurar hasta sa petsa sais kan bulan na presente. Gikan pa man sa 35 mga naciones an kabarali na mga partisipantes sa pamosong world championship sa wakeboard competion. Labi man sa 50 mil dolyares an nakatayang premyo sa mga manggagarana sa man-iba ibang event. Mientras tanto, sa 2008 World Wakeboard Championships bako sana man magiging tampok an mga bistadong wakeboarders sa bilog na kinaban kundi magkakaigwa pa man nin free concerts asin legendary C-Dub party. An CWC an makonducir man kan pinaka-primerong Airsports Demonstration sa panginginot kan Ozone Team gikan sa U.S.A.. An mga myembros kani an mapaheling nin man-iba ibang demonstrasyon sa parachuting asin base jumping na siertong ngangalasan kan mga paradalan.

Naga City -- Padagos pa man ngonian na matumal an bentahan nin sira sa laog kan merkado publiko kan ciudad nin Naga. Ini sa ibong man kan naging pahayag kan mga nanunungdan gikan sa Department of Health asin kan Bureau of Fesheries and Aquatic Resources na salbadong kakanon an mga sira na gikan sa kadagatan kun saen nadukayan man an bangkay kan mga pasahero kan naglubog na barko kan MV Princess of the Stars duman sa Romblon. Magigirumduman na magpoon sana kan igwang marecover na mga bangkay sa kadagatan kan Pasacao, Libmanan, Bula, anas sa Camarines Sur; Burias asin San Pascual sa Masbate, bibihira na man magbakal nin sira an publiko huli sa pagkatakot na baka nagkakan nin lawas kan tawo an mga sira sa kadagatan. Huli kani, grabe an pag-agrangay ngonian kan mga parasisira huli sa haros mayo nang nagbabakal kan saindang nadadacop na sira. Nanotaran man na tilapya asin bangus na sana an pinagbabakal kan mga kustomer asin naging mabenta man ngonian an karneng manok asin orig.

Pasacao, Camarines Sur - Personal na pinagbisita kansoogma ni Vice President Noli “Kabayan” De Castro an probinsiya kan Camarines Sur partikularmente sa banwaan kan Pasacao tanganing aramon an mapapadapit sa ginigibong search and retrieval operation sa mga nadukayan na bangkay sa kadagatan kan nasambitan na lugar na gikan man sa naglubog na MV Princess of the Stars sa Romblon. Kaibahan man ni De Castro sa pagsungko igdi sa probinsiya iyo si DOTC Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Elena Bautista kung saen saro man na halipot na programa an isinagibo sa Pasacao Port. Kasumpay kani, naipaabot man sa bise presidente an mga problema asin pangyayari sa retrieval operation. Nagpromisa man nin tabang an opisyal sa LGU na iyo an nagtatabang para marecover asin maidara duman sa Cebu an mga nasapod na bangkay.

MANILA, Philippines - The 50 bodies spotted off Burias Island in Masbate province have not been recovered,Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo the spokesman for the Philippine Navy clarified Wednesday. It was earlier reported that 50 bodies, believed to be from the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars, have been retrieved at 17 nautical miles off Burias Island.Arevalo said although Navy personnel have already been sent to the area, there is no word yet if the bodies have already been loaded to the Navy ship.Arevalo said he was informed by officials of the Naval Forces Southern Luzon about the presence of at least 50 bodies in the area, or 20 more than previously reported by the US P3 Orion.He however confirmed that three bodies have been retrieved at Palana Point and seven in San Pascual town, also in Masbate province.Earlier in the day, an Air Force official said 32 bodies recovered also in San Pascual town have for the past two days have been buried to avert a possible outbreak of disease.Air Force Col. John Estuesta said that residents of San Pascual town retrieved 19 bodies on Tuesday and 13 bodies the day after, citing reports of local officials.Estuesta, also a commander of the PAF tactical operations group IV, said the bodies have been buried in a mass grave to prevent disease since the corpses were already decomposing.

MANILA, Philippines - An organization of Rapu-Rapu Island residents has demanded the pullout of South Korean investors from the controversial Lafayette Phils. mining site, saying they want no mining operations on the island, which is part of Albay.LG International and Korean Resources Corp. (Kores) gained majority control of Lafayette last April 2008 and took over the operations of the company.Residents slammed Lafayette's Rapu-Rapu polymetallic mining project, saying it is "bankrupt, controversial and environmentally-damaging." Mr. Antonio Casitas, spokesman of the Sagip Isla Sagip Kapwa, a local organization that opposes any mining project in the remote island, have said that therte is no point in continuing the operations of Lafayette since it has already brought so environmental destruction, community displacements, human rights violations and livelihood loss to the local people in its three-year operation in the island.Lafayette was found liable by the Philippine government in November 2005 of contaminating the waters in Rapu-Rapu with cyanide and was fined P10 million. Apart from this, two mine spills, a landslide and several fish kills happened during the operation of Lafayette from June 2005 to October 2007.The project on Rapu-Rapu Island carries debts of more than $270 million and A$65.6 million due to operational difficulties and inter-company loans. It was met with continuous and strong protest actions at the local, national and international levels.Casitas reiterated that the Rapu-Rapu mine should be closed for good instead of being sold off to other investors.The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) had previously ordered Lafayette to pay P134 million to ensure that the environment around the mine site is restored and rehabilitated in case the project is abandoned. There is no confirmation if the company had complied.

MANILA, Philippines - A Catholic bishop has confirmed the existence of a 'miraculous,' "growing" stone in Catanduanes which bears the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is said to heal illnesses.Virac Bishop Manolo A. De Los Santos said that the stone has been in Barangay Paloway in San Andres town, Catanduanes for over a century now. According to a story told to him by a certain Mr. Antonio—who is now 90 years old—a young boy found the stone while playing along the shores of San Andres."The small stone bore a faint drawing of a part of the Virgin Mary's face. When the boy reached his home, he experienced a terrible pain in the stomach. To alleviate the pain, the boy rubbed the stone and the pain immediately subsided," said the CBCP news report. The incident spread around the village and since then, residents acknowledged it as "miraculous."The stone which has the image of "Our Lady of Sorrows" and is now locally called "Batong Paloway (Stone of Paloway)," is at the altar of the Our Lady of Sorrows chapel in Barangay Paloway in San Andres town. Based on the accounts of the residents, the stone originally only bore a part of the face of the Blessed Virgin.Now 3 inches in height, the stone has the full image of the Virgin Mary's face and "shows her finger pointing somewhere."Many devotees flock to the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in San Andres especially during Fridays where a mass is celebrated in the afternoon.According to the Bishop, the chapel has not been declared formally or canonically as a shrine although it can be said that it is a "de facto shrine."

VIRAC, Catanduanes -- Pedicab drivers had a field day ferrying passengers after nearly all of this capital town's 2,500 tricycle drivers and operators went on strike over the inaction of the municipal council on a pending fare increase ordinance.The tricycle is the main mode of transportation in this town, with multicabs (mini trucks), jeepneys and buses plying routes to other towns.According to Joel Sarmiento, president of the Federation of Virac Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (Fedvitoda) their sector was the worst hit by the recent series of oil price hike.Sarmiento said a tricycle driver normally consumes five liters of premium gasoline during eight hours of operation. Only those who ply their routes until as late as 9 p.m. bring home at least P200.Drivers who do not own their tricycles are even worse off, as they have to pay the vehicle owner a “boundary” fee of P120 per day, he said.Virac Mayor Santos Zafe and the Catanduanes provincial police command immediately deployed "Libreng Sakay" (Free Ride) vehicles, particularly along routes to the Catanduanes State Colleges and other schools with big student populations.The tricycle driver's group filed a fare hike petition in November last year but decided to withdraw this after oil companies rolled back fuel prices.The group then re-filed their petition after the series of oil price increase last February, but the municipal council have failed to immediately act on their petition.

LEGAZPI CITY-- Department of Health (DOH) Bicol had expressed concern after learning that the region had the most number of  rabies cases nationwide. According to Dra. Myrna Listanco, DOH 5 rabies provincial coordinator, the region was able to record 41 rabies cases last 2007 that had placed the region in the top spot nationwide. Listanco also explained that the region also recorded 17 rabies related death from January to May this year.

LEGAZPI CITY - After shedding tears of grief and sorrow for their lost after being rampaged by typhoon Reming last 2006, Albayano's now have replaced their saddened face with a smile. Albay provincial Government together with United States Agency for International Deveopment (USAID) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) have turned-over to the victims a total of 110 newly constructed homes. According to reports, 60 families from Mauraro,Guinobatan and 50 families from Tagaytay Camalig Albay were the receipient of the said homes.This brings the tally for the constructed houses for Reming's victims to 187.The said program is a part of the Albay's Recovery Program for the supertyphoon's victim that had struck the province in the year 2006.

NAGA CITY- Golden 7 Bank remains solvent thus depositors have no need to panic. This is the statement of Atty Lucy Torres, one of the Legal Counsel of Golden 7 Bank in an interview with Bombo Radyo Naga.The lawyer explained that its impossible for the bank to declare bankruptcy since it remains solvent, meaning, the bank have assets that could be readily dissolved to meet the needs of their clients. The lawyer also dispels the nasty rumors that spread thru text messaging stating the bankruptcy of G7 Bank. Atty Torres reiterated that depositors need not panic and stressed that bank transactions with their bank remains normal and it is "business as usual".It could be recalled that bank depositors had flocked to the bank yesterday after receiving the text message stating the bankruptcy of G7 bank.