Monthly Archives: July 2009

MANILA, Philippines—The National Competency Assessment Tool, a standardized test for aspiring business process outsourcing practitioners, is scheduled to be piloted in several schools and universities this year.

This is a response to Bea Colores’ letter which claimed that Ferdinand Gaite could not legitimately lead the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage), a national organization of government employees. (Inquirer, 6/18/09) As affiliate unions of Courage, we feel that we have the duty to answer her.

Philippine – Advocates of “Saudization” are again pushing for a cap on the hiring of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, the biggest employer of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani, leader of the “Saudi Arabia is only for Saudis” campaign, told Arab News that the Labor Ministry should strictly enforce Article 3 of the…

BALANGA City, Bataan: The office of Rep. Albert Garcia of Bataan’s Second District has recently initiated the Information Hub, or iHub project providing 18,620 high- school students and 769 teachers maximum use of information and communications technology (ICT) and build an ICT-enabled community in 14 public high schools.

THE cargo and passenger shipping industry contracted in the first four months of the year due to the global financial crisis and the Influenza A(H1N1) scare, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said.

The Department of Trade and Industry told local auto parts makers to look into offering more diverse products to make the industry more competitive.

BSP says more leeway to cut interest rates CONSUMER prices in June increased at their slowest pace in over two decades due to the continued drop in the price of fuel and food, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said on Tuesday.

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 – Philippine consumer prices rose at their slowest in 22 years, giving the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) more leeway to cut its policy rate to a record low of four percent this week to spur economic growth.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s gross foreign exchange reserves reached $39.6 billion in June, charting a new record high that would support payments for imports and maturing debt.

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)