Alaminos City (12 May) -- Giving flesh to its vision for better and massive food production to benefit its constituents and hedge them from any rice crisis, the city government here will launch on Tuesday its full subsidy program for rice seeds for 2008.

Pangasinan (8 May) -- Proponents of the Tri-City Ferry System will meet again on May 12 in San Fernando City to further discuss mechanics of the project to make sure that it will really succeed.

Director Martin Valera of the Department of Tourism, who is involved in crafting the mechanics of the Tri-City Ferry System, said the three mayors will hear the presentation of one of the private companies interested to operate the project.

Judging from the insipid Philippine observance of Earth Day last April 22, it appears that again the same official band-aid approach predominated in calling people's attention to care more for Mother Earth. The overall result—from this senior citizen's viewpoint: not much impact; not much action.

I thought it would be fun to write about succession today. You know it as the laws on inheritance, or mana. Let us be precise, so you will know. Testate and intestate succession is one of the ways ownership to property is transferred. Testate means that the person who died left a will; intestate means that he died without leaving a will. 

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine annual inflation jumped to a near three-year high of 8.3 percent in April, putting pressure on the central bank to raise borrowing costs despite the risk a tightening could dent economic growth.

Critics say policies of the Roman Catholic Church are to blame for condemning many to poverty. Clerics say poverty is the culprit. 

Critics lay some of the blame on the family-planning policies of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has sided with the church in its campaign against any form of artificial birth control.