Despite scattered killings and fears of fraud, Philippine officials say they expect congressional and local elections on Monday to be relatively peaceful after authorities took drastic steps to prevent chaos in one of Asia's most rambunctious democracies.

Five people were killed in separate ambushes in the volatile southern Philippines, police and the military said Sunday, and a radio reporter was kidnapped by armed men on the eve of mid-term elections.

More than 30 foreign observers are currently in the country to monitor the Philippines' midterm elections.

It is close to midnight and Imelda Marcos is dancing in a trademark pink butterfly gown at a small Philippine town fiesta with adoring voters who still revere her dead dictator husband.

One of the Philippines' most active volcanoes rumbled to life Tuesday, spewing room-sized rocks toward nearly 30 surprised climbers, killing five and injuring others that had to be fetched with rescue helicopters and rope.

The husband of a town mayor was killed and a bomb attack injured four people in separate incidents of violence linked to Philippine mid-term elections next week, police said Monday.

This creature has a humble moniker but it's part of the Philippines' wondrous wealth in marine life. It's called the “bubble shark” (because it can puff up to twice its size when threatened), and it's a brand-new species discovered only last year in the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor (VIPMC).

A Chinese fishing vessel that crashed into one of the Philippines' most famous reefs damaged almost 4,000 square meters of centuries-old coral, the marine park said on Saturday.

An former policeman on trial for murder in the Philippines escaped from jail on Thursday, then embarrassed authorities further by speaking to media outlets over the phone.

Another day, another accolade for the country's economic performance. The latest comes from Moody's Analytics, which, in a report released six days ago, called the Philippines “Asia's rising star” with the potential to become “one of the world's fastest-growing economies.” Its 6.6-percent growth in 2012 is “impressive,” said the report — a growth that “looks sustainable, as risks are low and most sectors of the economy are growing solidly.”