Monthly Archives: January 2009

MANILA, Philippines — The year 2008 has been good for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino voters are almost unanimously for poll automation, which they believe is the best defense against fraud, results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s elections chief is confident of getting at least P8 billion for poll automation in 2010.

More than 60,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were hired in various countries abroad in the last month of 2008 despite the financial crisis, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported yesterday.

LONDON (AP) – US and European stock markets fell sharply Wednesday amid fresh worries about the US labor market following a grim jobs survey and the announcement aluminum producer Alcoa will slash jobs.

Mineral investments for 2009 are estimated to reach $800 million to $1 billion, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Director Horacio Ramos said yesterday.

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said the 2008 budget deficit is likely to fall below the P75-billion program, because of higher-than-expected royalty payments from the Malampaya natural gas project.

Sales of the local automotive industry grew by six percent last year despite the slowdown in vehicle sales seen in other markets like the US and Europe, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (CAMPI) said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) closed on Thursday two more rural banks—this time in Pampanga—after they declared a bank holiday.

Nearly five in 10 Filipinos are afraid of losing jobs this year because of the global financial crisis, an international research firm reported.

MORONG, Bataan: The Bataan nuclear power plant stands as a monument to the greed and corruption of the years the Philippines spent under strongman President Ferdinand Marcos.

The central bank governor said Thursday that remittances growth is likely to slow down to single digits this year, but he was optimistic about maintaining the country’s credit ratings.

Govt challenges UN report, calls for data review   The Philippines ranked No. 1 in Southeast Asia as the country with the most number of drug users based on the 2008 World Drug report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Amid a troubled global economy last year, the local automotive industry managed to pull off year-on-year sales growth but missed its official growth target by a hairline, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association said.

MORONG—The Bataan nuclear power plant stands as a monument to the greed and corruption of the years the Philippines spent under strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

January 9-10, 2009 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Trinoma Mall Trinoma Activity Center Quezon City, Philippines

One hundred thirteen middle level managers of the Department of Education (DepEd) had undergone management and leadership training with the Meralco Management and Leadership Development Center (MMLDC) funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

A massive evacuation of Filipinos and other foreigners from the Gaza Strip was called off yesterday upon the advice of the Red Cross due to intense fighting, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The Philippines is vulnerable to the global financial crisis, but less so than other countries in the region as its banks and external financial position are sound, Fitch Ratings said yesterday.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) vowed it will implement ways to support industries specifically the automotive industry in light of the slowdown in the global demand.

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. expects to post a flat sales growth for this year after experiencing a decline of 17 percent in 2008.

The government plans to spend 60 percent to 80 percent of its P1.415-trillion budget for the year during the first semester as part of plans to pump-prime the economy, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Ralph Recto said.

Upon reading all the columns these days, there is nothing but bad news about 2009. Not that I disagree with many of the views, but I think things will be different. The Philippines will be far better than many other countries. Here are 10 reasons why I think we should be happy in 2009.

NEW YORK (AFP) – The nightmarish stock market performance in 2008 erased some 17 trillion dollars in share value worldwide, a Standard & Poor’s report said Tuesday.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza yesterday recalled the agreement his department forged with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in 2006 on the issuance of environmental permits and clearances.

With 17 more months to go before the May 2010 presidential elections, coffee shops and board rooms are already debating over next year’s presidential polls, speculating on its possible outcome.

Employees of the Philippine Airlines have lost their bid for a court order to compel the Lucio Tan-owned airline to pay them P600 million in salary differentials for the 15-year period from 1989 to 1995.

A special team from the Department of Labor and Employment will be dispatched in countries where there are large concentration of Filipino workers to determine if they can hold on to their jobs in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

HONDA Cars Philippines remains upbeat over its prospects despite difficult business conditions. It even sees sales growing by 10-percent this year from a decline of 17 percent last year.

THE Environment Department yesterday took over control of Subic following protests over its officials’ plan to cut down 300 mature trees and their alleged violation of environment laws.