Monthly Archives: March 2007

Govt realigns 2006 savings to fund antipoverty programs ALMOST eleven thousand new jobs are created by the ongoing projects of the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB), a government official said Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the much-publicized efforts by the Arroyo administration to curb corruption, foreign businessmen perceive the Philippines to be the most corrupt economy among 13 countries and territories across Asia.

SINGAPORE—The Philippines is perceived as Asia’s most corrupt economy, with Thailand and Indonesia ranked second, a survey of 1,476 expatriates showed.

MANILA, Philippines — A woman cannot be fired from her job because she is pregnant, according to the Supreme Court.

The United States Senate is set to start an investigation into hundreds of unexplained killings in the Philippines.

DAVAO CITY — A member of the Bayan Muna (People First) party-list who testified during the recent investigation by United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Philip Alston was shot dead in front of her family in Misamis Oriental Saturday afternoon.

“The Philippines shall transform into a vibrant services-oriented economy driven by the enlargement of a well-educated broad middle class.” This is the supposed Arroyonomics vision verbalized by Joey Salceda some months ago. Joey couldn’t have been clearer in declaring manufacturing all but marginal in his game plan, as the country focuses on a services sector…

Malacañang took as “constructive criticism from an ally” the human rights report of the United States government describing the Philippines as being under a climate of impunity as far as the issue of unsolved killings is concerned.

CEBU CITY—Sustainable fiscal reforms, regulatory capture and low investment rates were among the issues and concerns raised during Thursday’s opening plenary for the fourth Philippine Development Forum (PDF) held in this city.

WASHINGTON – The cases of unsolved and unpunished killings have contributed to a “climate of impunity” in the Philippines, according to the US State Department.

MANILA, Philippines — Unlawful killings and the murder of journalists by various groups went unsolved and unpunished last year, contributing to the climate of impunity in the Philippines, the US State Department said in its annual global human rights report.

THE United States government has criticized the communist New People’s Army for killing local government officials and ordinary civilians and for using land mines, which are banned by the United Nations.

BAGUIO CITY—Migrant workers and members of the Gabriela party-list group picketed the office of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration here on Thursday to demand that the government finally allow 18-year-old women to seek jobs abroad.

The government reported a discrepancy of at least P61.5 billion in the amount of tax incentives granted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the claims reported by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The military on Thursday briefed Asian diplomats on the wave of unsolved political killings after two damning reports implicated the nation’s top commanders.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wants the special criminal courts to start trial of summary killings of activists and journalists.

BAGUIO CITY—Researchers of a Baguio hospital have started looking into medical problems that appear to be common among employees of call centers and other business process outsourcing (BPO) facilities operating at the Baguio City Economic Zone.

PHILIPPINE stocks fell by the most in nine years as Tuesday’s plunge in the Chinese stock market triggered a global equities selloff. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Bank of the Philippine Islands slumped.

US Embassy officials met with the Task Force Usig on Wednesday and discussed the US government’s offer of assistance to find a solution to political killings.