Monthly Archives: April 2009

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said it is seeing early signs of economic growth as the US, the Philippines’ major export market, showed slower contraction in the housing and manufacturing sectors.

THE Philippines cranked up spending on infrastructure projects to stimulate economic growth, data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed.

GASOLINE is overpriced by as much as P8 a liter, Economic Planing Secretary Ralph Recto said yesterday.

Dear PAO, Just a comment on your citation of Article 39 of the Family Code that “the action or defense for the declaration of absolute nullity of marriage shall not prescribe.” You must have overlooked the continuation; i.e. “however, in the case of marriage celebrated before the effectivity of this Code and falling under Article…

PERMANENT Plans has decided to stop selling pre-need plans because it “no longer believes in the viability” of the pre-need industry given the tough times, its president and chief executive said yesterday.

News from the Department of Education is dismal.

NEW YORK CITY: More than eight years after revealing its report on perceptions of Asian Americans, the Committee of 100 (C-100) released a new report, indicating that despite a positive trend in attitudes toward Asian Americans, racial discrimination and suspicions persist.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine economy grew at a slower pace of 5.2 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier due to weak exports and rising food and energy prices, government data showed on Thursday.

THE Supreme Court ruling that will add 32 party-list seats to Congress would cost P2.5 billion and push the number of lawmakers past the 250 limit allowed by the Constitution, House leaders said yesterday.

Dear Ms. Rissa, I am an avid fan of your column; ever since I was in high school, I was a regular reader. I just want to ask if there are any topical ointments or lotions available on the market for varicose veins that are not too costly. I am just a 20-year-old college student…

MANILA, Philippines – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a nuclear body sanctioned by the United Nations, will help the Philippines in the establishment of a nuclear regulatory council, the country’s top energy official said yesterday.

The global economy is set to decline by 1.3% in 2009, in the first global recession since World War II, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says.

MANILA, Philippines – Nations worldwide are set to celebrate Earth Day today with the theme “Green Generation: Towards Low Carbon Development for Survival Against Climate Change.”

MANILA, Philippines – Nineteen party-list groups that lost in the 2007 elections can now enter Congress after the Supreme Court (SC) voided the two-percent threshold in the distribution of party-list seats.

Washington (ANTARA News) – Regularly eating meat cooked at a high temperature, to the point of charring, could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 60 percent, according to researchers.

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino families consider themselves “mahirap” or poor, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

MANILA, Philippines—Children and parents from anti-child pornography groups gave white roses to lawmakers to press for the passage of a law against child pornography.

MANILA, Philippines—Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may soon be provided with compulsory insurance to cover monetary claims or damages awarded to them in the course of doing their jobs.

The World Bank said Tuesday it would triple its social safety net investments to 12 billion dollars over the next two years to help developing nations weather the global financial crisis.

MANILA, Philippines – Senators Loren Legarda and Manuel Villar Jr. cautioned yesterday members of the House of Representatives against reducing the proposed pay increase for teachers.

MANILA, Philippines – More and more Filipinos are leaving the country either for work or leisure despite the global financial crisis, official records show.

MANILA, Philippines – It shouldn’t be raining in summer, and the intermittent rains could be an indication of climate change, the chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – After the 25-point cut in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ rates last week, Treasury bill (T-bill) rates fell across the board yesterday with the benchmark 91-day rate falling to an average of 4.287 percent.

More than 10 years since the Skyway opened in the late 90s, the second segment of the Skyway that will connect Bicutan to Alabang started this year. This was the original design of the Skyway system to connect Makati to Alabang, which is the segment with the heaviest volume of vehicles during rush hour. Given…

President Arroyo says economy and people of Bicol will benefit from this very positive development.

MANILA, Philippines — An increase in the hiring of casual workers is seen among companies exercising cost-saving measures to combat the global financial crunch, labor experts and economists said on Tuesday.

President Gloria Arroyo has ordered a ban on the deployment of Filipino sailors for commercial ships that travel in the Gulf of Aden in order to prevent more of them from being held hostage by Somali pirates.

The proposal of the government to stop the deployment of Filipino seafarers shipping vessels that pass through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden is ridiculous, the head of a local maritime group said Monday.

INACTION on the part of legislators is one of the reasons some parts of the Philippines outside Metro Manila remain waterless, NEDA officials said Monday.

Europe’s top aid official yesterday admonished developing Asian countries such as the Philippines to improve governance and not to rely on foreign support, saying not one country has been able to rise from poverty through financial help alone.