Monthly Archives: March 2009

IN AN EFFORT TO MITIGATE rising unemployment, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph G. Recto is pushing for the quick deployment of retrenched overseas Filipino workers to countries that are not as severely affected by the global financial crisis.

BANGKOK – The Philippines and Indonesia will be the only economies in Southeast Asia to record growth this year but that growth will be sharply slower than in previous years with Indonesia hit by falling prices of commodities, the bulk of its exports.

Edited version of address at the Employment and Social Policy Committee, International Labour Organisation, 17 March 2009.

President Arroyo, who staked her claim for a mandate through the fraud-ridden 2004 elections by capturing the votes in the Visayas and Mindanao, is now overwhelmingly rejected in both regions with a net rating of net negative 33 in the Visayas and a net negative 40 in Mindanao, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey…

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manny Villar welcomed yesterday the results of a survey conducted by University of the Philippines students where he topped the list of presidential contenders.

MANILA, Philippines – Fresh college graduates will have jobs to look forward to as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced yesterday the availability of over 50,000 local jobs.

This is a case which explains why dishonesty in the government cannot be totally eradicated. Even if dishonesty is a grave offense that calls for dismissal from the service, there are still instances when the government employee is not dismissed because of “mitigating” circumstances like in this case of Marcos.

Burmese rubies and jades are famous for their quality, and sold all over the world.

As job opportunities dry up in the US and the rest of the western world due to the brutal financial crisis, some Filipino executives, who left early on for greener pastures, are returning home in search of work.

MANILA, Philippines – The leadership of the House of Representatives yesterday vowed to act swiftly on the bill extending the Rent Control Act once Congress resumes session next month.

MANILA, Philippines – The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on the Philippine government to strengthen its investigation and prosecution of unexplained killings in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – More than half of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the performance of Mrs. Arroyo, giving her a “bad” net satisfaction rating of negative 32 percent, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS).

MANILA, Philippines – Toyota Auto Parts Philippines Inc. (TAP), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), is planning to reduce the output in transmission plant due to the slowdown in the global demand for automobiles.

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) went down slightly by 0.1 percent to $1.260 billion in January from $1.264 billion a year ago as Filipino workers abroad began to feel the pinch of the global economic crunch, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

They say you know you’re getting old when everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work.

Q. I’m 28 years old. I injured my knee while playing basketball.   There   is pain in my right knee that doesn’t go away. Can I take glucosamine supplements for my knee?

If you met an accident and were bleeding heavily, you probably wouldn’t think twice about seeking immediate medical care. The same goes if you suddenly doubled over with stomach pain or felt severe pressure or pain in your chest that wouldn’t go away. But what happens when you experience symptoms that don’t seem quite so…

THE global economic turmoil is taking its toll on the Philippine shipping industry as shown by the contraction in passenger and cargo growth last year.

SEN. Edgardo Angara over the weekend stressed the need to immediately amend certain provisions of the Labor Code to increase national productivity and employment.

The Social Security System (SSS) announced Monday that it is offering an emergency fund for workers who lost their jobs because of the global financial crisis.

Senator Mar Roxas is batting for a two-year moratorium on the mandatory premium contributions of all workers to the Pag-IBIG Fund.

SYDNEY—Australia will cut its annual skilled worker migrant intake by 14 percent in an effort to preserve jobs for Australians after a spike in unemployment, the government announced Monday.

The government will start implementing the Unified Multipurpose Identification, or UMID, system by August to members of the Social Security System (SSS) and later to other government agencies, including the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the registered voters.

THE European Parliament has urged the Philippine government to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of extra-judicial killings in the country, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Alistair McDonald said Monday.

BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is examining old lease sites of a mining company in Benguet after it was found dumping untreated asbestos insulation panels in Mankayan town.

HONG KONG (AFP) — Japan on Wednesday posted a record trade deficit and Hong Kong said its economy would shrink by up to three percent in 2009 as recession woes deepened across Asia.

MANILA, Philippines – In an attempt to further encourage entrepreneurship, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that it will implement the automatic renewal of business name registrations even without applications for renewal.

The Philippine economy is “not so free” because of pervasive corruption, a weak judicial system, restricted foreign investment, and a limited regulatory environment.

(1st of 2 parts) I have been receiving quite a number of e-mails requesting an analysis of contracts for the development and maintenance of business websites. Two young entrepreneurs, one from Silliman University and the other from Canada, emphasized the necessity for some degree of clarification on the matter.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)- Malaysia has slashed its work permit approvals for foreign workers by almost 70 per cent so far this year, faced with the twin threat of layoffs and recession, according to a report Sunday.