Monthly Archives: February 2009

MANILA, Philippines — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has downplayed the bleak economic forecasts made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and US-based rating agency Standard and Poor’s for the Philippines.

(Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday will unveil the Obama administration’s plans for using the remaining money in the $700 billion financial bailout program approved by Congress in October.

MANILA, Philippines — An official of the World Health Organization urged Filipinos yesterday to practice a healthy lifestyle to prevent cardiovascular diseases amid the rising number of people with heart problems in developing countries like the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines — The administration will hold a multisectoral summit at Malacañang today to help workers and employers cope with the impact of the global financial crisis.

The Philippine mining sector stands to benefit from a new Indonesian law imposing stricter requirements on investments in the Indonesian mining sector, Mines and Geosciences Bureau director Horacio Ramos said.

Ask anyone over the age of 25 and they will tell you that the youth today are different, that they aren’t like what they used to be back in the old days. Ask anyone under the age of 25 and they will tell you the youth of today are different and that things aren’t what…

Task Force Usig reported that there were no recorded cases of killings of militant party-list members, militants or journalists in the first 38 days of 2009.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has expressed alarm over the increasing number of cases of domestic violence and other forms of abuse of women and children in the country.

More than 60 civic organizations have signed the Citizens’ Statement for Consumer Protection against Toxic Chemicals in a bid to change the way toxic chemicals are produced and used.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will spend some P31.7 million for the implementation of the government’s employment and livelihood programs to help Filipinos here and abroad displaced as a result of the global economic crisis.

Foreign companies in the country are seeking a flexible holiday arrangement to help them cope with the economic slump as well as preserve jobs.

Dear PAO, My husband is working in Jeddah, K.S.A. At first, we did not have any problem with our communication and with his remittances. However, since 1993, he cut his communication with us and his remittance became irregular. He came home once in 2008 but he stayed with his parents and he did not inform…

DIRTY, with stains of dried rugby on his nose, too small for his oversized shirt touching the ground, bald, thin, with a rag on one hand and a bottle of household glue tucked under his large shorts, sleepy eyed. That is Del.

HE walks the street barefoot. He is an aggressive boy and has a quick temper.

A STREET child is neither a child nor an adult. Or, to say it differently, he/she is both a child and an adult.

SNIFFING glue takes away hunger pains. We all see it and do nothing about it: street children inhaling liquid glue from a plastic bottle or bag clear enough for us to know what it is all about.

IN 2005, a research project “University and Drug Use/Abuse: Local Studies” was launched by the Center for Coordination of Research of the International Federation of Catholic Universities based in Paris.

THERE are about 1.5 million children in Philippine streets. Half of them have, at one time or another, inhaled and may actually be inhaling household glue (more commonly known by the popular brand name rugby).

Can we stop climate change? Or global warming? The answer is a big no We cannot stop climate change and therefore we cannot prevent global warming. It is all right to be so passionate and emotional about these issues but not to the point of being irrational.

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate and the Office of the President have in their possession an explosive study whose disclosure could very well result in the permanent shuttering of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and end moves in Congress to reopen the facility, according to environmentalist Nicanor Perlas.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. employers slashed 598,000 jobs in January, the biggest monthly loss in 34 years, and the jobless rate soared to a 16-year peak, putting pressure on lawmakers to act quickly to counter a deepening recession.

The total global deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) surged to more than 1.376 million in more than 190 host destinations worldwide in 2008, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today reported.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic senators agreed on Friday to cut their hopes for a larger economic stimulus package and support a $800 billion compromise that would give President Barack Obama an important but narrow victory.

Vice President Noli de Castro proposed yesterday to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment to implement a selective deployment ban in Iraq, Lebanon and Nigeria.

A new movement in search of 10 million voters who will support reform-oriented, pro-good governance candidates in next year’s May national and local elections was formally launched February 3.

Several “junior” miners have assured the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) that they are proceeding with their mineral exploration activities even in the face of a global economic slowdown.

The government must categorically require users of the P330 billion economic stimulus package to buy locally made products and use Filipino contractors, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) said.

MANILA – ELECTRONICS company Amkor Technology has laid off 1,500 workers from its two plants in the Philippines due to declining orders, a company official said on Friday.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Federal Express (FedEx), the world’s largest cargo delivery service company, has started transfering its entire Asia-Pacific hub operations from the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) to a new hub facility in Guangzhou, China.

Total sales of the country’s pre-need companies fell 18.56 percent last year to P15.3 billion, according to latest data released by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Non-Traditional Securities Department.