Monthly Archives: July 2009

BAGUIO CITY—At lrast 1,000 former employees of a state power firm failed to qualify for work at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, which acquired the country’s power transmission grid, a former union leader of the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) said.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would impose stricter requirements for the filing of certificates of candidacy by party-list groups.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) vowed yesterday to strictly screen the applications of groups seeking accreditation for next year’s party-list elections.

MANILA, Philippines – The local recruitment industry yesterday warned of a massive drop in the hiring of Filipino workers in the Middle East with the implementation of a stricter regulation on the deployment of low-skilled workers abroad.

In a new encyclical released yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Catholic Church discusses the challenges of a global economy. He notes that workers’ ability to form a union and bargain is at risk and makes it clear it’s a matter of moral imperative to preserve that freedom.

CEBU CITY – Trade Union Congress Party-List (TUCP) Representative Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza called for stronger cooperation between communities and the Philippine National Police to promote peace and order in the country.

L’AQUILA, Italy (AFP) – G8 leaders gathering here Wednesday faced deepening crises in Iran and China and a warning that the worst political and social effects of the global economic downturn are still to come.

L’AQULA, Italy – Britain and the United States may see room for more stimulus. Germany is worried that it has done too much already.

We may not see them, but they’re all around us, ready to pounce on us anytime. We shudder at the mere mention of these microorganisms — viruses and bacteria. But let not the (H1N1) pandemic scare turn you into a germaphobic or a modern-day Howard Hughes Jr., the American aviator/industrialist/filmmaker, who was one of the…

July is Nutrition Month, and what better way to celebrate it than to start with a practical discussion on how to eat a healthy diet. As important as it is to learn about the latest on food science or breakthroughs on nutrition research, I realize that our readers sometimes have more pressing concerns, such as:…

MANILA, Philippines – Consumer spending ground to a near-halt in the first quarter of this year but data from the central bank showed that during this time, bank deposits surged 14.8 percent to P3.1 trillion.

MANILA, Philippines – The Financial Stability Board (FSB) held its inaugural meeting in Basel last month, noting signs of improvement in the global macroeconomic outlook and in some financial markets, especially funding markets.

An expert on nuclear power said that the country should open itself up to the technology lest it be left out by competition from its neighbors.

BAGUIO CITY:  Ma. Cristina Corona, president of John Hay Management Corp. (JHMC), is set to face Eugene Galicia today at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) here after the latter filed a case of constructive dismissal charges against her on June 22.

Even with the global financial crisis, some companies remain committed to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

Editor’s note: The first part reported on the apparent haste to push through with P52-billion Laiban Dam project in Rizal province, potentially the biggest infrastructure projects to be launched by the Arroyo administration.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joins French President Nicolas Sarkozy in this Alpine town Monday to prepare for the G8 and agree on new efforts to stem the flow of migrants.

The total amount of discounts members and pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) have availed of under the pension fund’s medical discount program has already reached P206.3 million to date.

Washington – The Obama administration is planning to use the National Security Agency to screen internet traffic between government agencies and the private sector, the Washington Post reported.

VEHICLE parts makers assembling electric jeepneys are seeking government incentives to make more of them, an official said over the weekend.

Strategic Conference on Social Welfare and Protection 06-07 July 2009, Manila A Trade Union Perspective UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PROTECTION: KEY TO RESTORING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH By Atty. ALEJANDRO C. VILLAVIZA, Vice President Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)

POEA tightens deployment control of OFWs MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has expanded the category of “low/semi skilled” to include 44 overseas jobs, effectively tightening its control over overseas Filipino workers leaving for these types of work abroad.

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The Philippines is teh 14th happiest place on earth, according to a survey by a British non-governmental group.

MANILA, Philippines – The global economic crisis is pushing more people into poverty, and the picture is even more grim in developing countries like the Philippines, according to the Asian Development Bank.

WE’VE HEARD it said that the Philippines is a rich country pretending to be poor.

TOKYO, July 6, 2009 (AFP) – A Japanese court on Monday ordered the state to pay 76 million yen (800,000 dollars) to the family of a former US military base employee who died of lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos.

French bank forecast MANILA, Philippines—Paris-based investment bank Calyon sees the Philippine economy growing by only 1 percent this year but avoiding the recession seen in most of its neighboring economies.

CEBU, Philippines – Concerned members of the Salcon Power Independent Union expressed that they are “increasingly disappointed” with the present activities and directions of their own union leaders.

Businessmen urge council to hasten review of Ordinance 007 that prohibits genetically modified organisms. BACOLOD CITY: Plans of expansion  in both the swine and poultry industry in Negros Occidental has been deferred pending a thorough review of the anti-genetically modified organism (GMO) law that the province of Negros Occidental has recently implemented.