Bicol Integrity Network

DAVAO CITY — Sat with his pile of newspapers and tape recorder with its peeling sticker, 69-year-old Mang Eliseo Francisco looks just like any old grizzled journalist who has been assigned to cover a news forum here. But it turns out he isn’t a reporter – at least not a traditional one. This World War II veteran is just somebody who avidly follows and records daily events – especially those that involve public money.

For this lanky fellow heavily dependent on his pension to buy over the counter medicines to quell increasing illnesses, “public money” is quite simply “a public trust.”

Amid an increased risk of radiation from a new explosion at the quake-hit nuclear power plant in Japan, Philippine authorities maintained Wednesday there is very little chance the radiation could reach the Philippines.

In a radio interview, Science Secretary Mario Montejo also downplayed the need to scan incoming Filipinos from Japan for radiation, at least at this time.

“Napag-usapan namin sa ating nuclear scientists kahapon (Tuesday), even in a worst-case scenario ... halos walang aabot [na radiation] sa atin, especially with the wind pattern na palayo sa atin. Sa Japan lang talaga. Sa atin, almost nil, wala, wala," Montejo said in an interview on dwIZ radio.

(philstar.com) Updated March 15, 2011 02:01 PM

 
MANILA, Philippines - At least 200 villagers in Irosin, Sorsogon, were evacuated after lahar and mud from Bulusan volcano flowed before dawn Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a report that the lahar flow occurred at Barangay Patag, around 1 a.m., following heavy rains Monday night.

The NDRRMC said three houses were partially damaged by the lahar flow and 50 more were reached by mudflow.