Monthly Archives: June 2009

TOKYO: Sixteen Asian workers on training schemes in Japan have died within 12 months of health conditions linked to “overwork,” triggering concerns of widespread labor exploitation, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Malacañang conceded on Tuesday that there was cause for concern over a World Bank prediction that the Philippines would slip to “outright recession” this year, even as the Finance secretary rejected the idea.

CEBU, Philippines – The Salcon Independent Union has agreed to withdraw its notice of strike after meeting with the management in a talk brokered by Governor Gwen Garcia yesterday.

CEBU, Philippines – More than 300 workers of Paul Yu were suspended for 30 days starting yesterday for participating in the work stoppage last week in support of their seven leaders who were earlier suspended by the management.

MANILA, Philippines—The Italian Senate should reject legislative proposals that would impose criminal penalties on undocumented migrants and provide a national framework for vigilante groups, Human Rights Watch said in a statement released from Milan.

TOYOTA Motor is projecting this year’s industry sales to decline by 5 percent from last year’s level as buyers postpone purchases following fears that economic recovery still far off.

MANILA, Philippines – Domestic helpers and other lowly paid overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are actually sending home more remittances than the highly paid ones.

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from the US declined by 10 percent in the first four months of this year and if this continues for the rest of the year, total remittances could post the first decline since the country started sending workers abroad.

If you are diabetic and reading this article, chances are your blood sugar is not controlled. Having a slightly elevated blood sugar level is not good for you. Should you be worried? Yes. Should you go for changes in your life? Yes, because new studies have shown that your pancreas get damaged even with borderline…

MANILA, Philippines – After issuing an executive order banning firms that could cause pollution in any form in Manila, Mayor Alfredo Lim directed officials yesterday to evaluate and inspect all existing industries in the city to ensure that their operations do not violate anti-pollution laws.

This is in response to the June 9 column of Marit Stinus-Remonde, “NPA injustice in N. Samar.” The column scores the New People’s Army (NPA) for the civilian casualties in its May 30 raid on a military detachment in Catarman, N. Samar. There are also allegations, without any credible proof offered, that the NPA supports…

IT is a good thing indeed that the A(H1N1) virus that hit the Philippines is not deadly. As of last Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) has reported 428 A(H1N1) cases in the country. Not one of those so far infected has died, thankfully, because the A(H1N1) cases that were transported and readily transmitted here…

The migration of youth from the provinces [promdi] to urban centers could threaten further the country’s food security as most of them come from farming communities,” a party-list lawmaker said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank (WB) expects the Philippines to hit “outright recession” this year with domestic production declining by half a percent before recovering to a 2.4-percent growth in 2010 and 4.5 percent in 2011.

NEDA official disputes World Bank warning   The World Bank predicted on Monday that the Philippines was likely to slip into “outright recession” this year because scenarios for recovery of the global economy remained uncertain, but a top Filipino economic manager belittled the warning.

LOCAL medicine makers and distributors expect sales to grow 12 percent this year despite the global financial crisis following the entry of more generics, an official said yesterday.

When Canadians are asked for examples of Canada playing a pivotal role on the world stage, we talk about how our country helped bring about a ban on land mines and create UN peacekeepers.

After delays brought on by A(H1N1), the virus about which a good portion of our student population had kindly thoughts about, particularly for its capacity to grant a reprieve from the onslaught of schooldays, classes on the collegiate level have commenced. Once more, instructors and professors work on syllabi, on course and class objectives and…

MANILA, Philippines – A local waste and pollution watchdog yesterday criticized some waste management companies for undermining the true intent of the Clean Air Act (Republic Act 8749) through what it called “greenwashing.”

MANILA, Philippines – Bank regulators said they expect some deterioration in the asset quality of the banking sector but not to the extent that would pose a systemic risk.

MANILA, Philippines – A businessman expects the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow over two percent this year despite the measly 0.4-percent economic growth in the first quarter.

MANILA, Philippines – The country posted a consolidated public sector surplus of P32.3 billion in 2008 or 0.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), marking the third consecutive yearly surplus for the public sector, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported during the weekend.

“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described Bernie Banton as a “great Australian hero” for his tireless campaigning for justice for asbestos victims. But despite serious warnings from scientists and risk assessors that carbon nanotubes could pose similar risks to asbestos, the Rudd government is refusing to bring in new regulations to ensure we don’t repeat…

The renewable energy industry has grown steadily over the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

MANILA: Nuclear power is emerging as an option key source of “green energy” for most developing Asian countries, in order to stem the spike in greenhouse gas emission which came along way with the region’s economic success, experts who participated in a Manila forum said.

THE energy needs of Asia and the Pacific implies a rising trajectory of carbon dioxide emissions.

TOKYO — Talks to expand the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) are already underway to increase the deployment of Filipino workers and the export of more Philippine products, six months after the free trade agreement took effect, President Arroyo said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Backyard poultry growers are holding back on expansion plans, while big corporate growers such as San Miguel Corp. (SMC) are expanding in the face of the forthcoming implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA).

Japan’s Diet has passed a new measure that would give more protection to Filipino seafarers particularly those deployed in vessels plying the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.

An international group of lawyers, judges, jurists and law students has criticized the Arroyo government for its alleged refusal to seriously investigate human rights abuses and to prosecute State security forces widely perceived to be behind these abuses.