Monthly Archives: January 2009

Treasury bill rates fell steeply yesterday due to strong demand on the back of easing inflation and possible further rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral, National Treasurer Roberto Tan said.

The number of families considering themselves as poor stayed at 52 percent, the same as the September 2008 figure, according to the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey.

Economic growth in the Philippines remains unbalanced with Metropolitan Manila accounting for a third of the country’s economy, economists said Monday.

Starting this year, Japan would recruit Filipino nurses and caregivers for training and employment in that country under the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the Philippines (JPEPA), Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque announced Monday.

THE Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group and Federation of Philippine Industries will bond with 22 labor organizations in a precedent-setting move that sets aside political colors to support the government in its all-out war against rampant smuggling.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Barack Obama countered critics with an analysis Saturday by his economic team showing that a program of tax cuts and spending like he’s proposed would create up to 4.1 million jobs, far more than the 3 million he has insisted are needed to lift the country from recession.

The Board of Investments plans to give companies flexibility in their fiscal incentives to support them amid the difficult business environment.

A multi-million-dollar program to improve air quality in Metro Manila has been stalled after implementing agencies canceled most of its project components.

The military vowed yesterday to stop the New People’s Army from extorting “revolutionary taxes” from the public.

PLANS for massive infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy in 2009 have given hope for the beleaguered cement industry to make a rebound this year and achieve a modest 2-percent growth.

New York: The global economic crisis has made fears of unemployment the No. 1 concern, surpassing worries about poverty, social inequality, crime and violence, a 22-nation survey showed on Thursday.

SINGAPORE – Asia must act quickly to prevent millions of children dropping out of school to go to work as the global economic crisis worsens, a rights expert has warned.

The UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. In 2000, at the Millennium Summit, world leaders pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to cut poverty in half by 2015. The Country Director of…

Finance officials have thumbed down a lawmaker’s proposal to defer the implementation of the Lateral Attrition Law of 2005.

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest mining firm, has assured Philippine mining authorities that it is not pulling out its operations in the country.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) “made concrete strides toward its goal of sustainable development of the environment and natural resources” in 2008 and sees 2009 as a promising year for the country.

Herman Malonzo, his lovely wife Angie and their talented daughter Mariah are good friends of mine. They have a beautiful house and Herman’s got a very stable job. As he took me and my family along the Las Vegas strip during our annual family vacation he shook his head slowly and said, “My friends from…

What is the more frightful horror movie or story you recall?

Workers nationwide may soon be required to work only five days a week or even less as part of government efforts to cushion the impact of the global economic crisis.

Malacañang submitted to the House committee on appropriations yesterday an P11.9-billion supplemental budget for the automation of the 2010 elections.

Job and small business creation are now one of the priotrities of the government to help Filipinos especially returning overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) that have lost their jobs as a result of the global financial crisis, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

THE Asian Development Bank has given a satisfactory rating to its operation in the Philippines last year, an improvement from previous years when many targets were not achieved.

THE automotive industry sold 124,449 units in 2008, posting a 5.6-percent growth from 2007 despite the impact of the global financial crisis.

Asia’s policymakers should view the global economic crisis as an opportunity to expand investment in “desperately” needed public goods, economist Jeffrey Sachs said.

Rice prices are likely to rise sharply for the second straight year in 2009 as the global economic slowdown hits farmers and consumers alike, the International Rice Research Institute warned Friday.

Camp Crame hierarchy yesterday ordered a stop to the practice of using police vehicles to escort politicians, especially local government officials such as mayors and governors.

THE Philippines, Southeast Asia’s second-biggest sugar exporter, lowered its output forecast by about 11 percent, after heavy rains curbed production of cane milled to make the sweetener, a government official said yesterday.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has asked the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to first explain the rationale behind its plan to implement a mandatory five-year college course for all students in the country, before its implementation.

The province of Albay has posted the highest number of reported cases of Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) in the Bicol region as of last month, a non-government group that monitors the state of the region’s reproductive health yesterday said.

Malacañang released yesterday the list of holidays for the year as a guide to all of the country’s workers and employers.