Monthly Archives: July 2009

The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC), which is composed of the biggest foreign trade groups in the country, has asked the Arroyo administration to take forceful and effective action against corruption as it said the corrupt remain “invulnerable to prosecution” under Mrs. Arroyo’s dispensation.

MANILA, Philippines – Senior citizens above 70 years not receiving any pension are set to get a P500 monthly stipend from the national government.

The government has moved its balanced budget target to 2013 in line with the recovery of the global economy, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said.

The government will likely splurge on tax breaks to projects that would be listed under the proposed Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) of the newly signed Republic Act 9593 also known as the National Tourism Policy Act of 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines lags behind its regional neighbors in terms of good governance and anti-corruption efforts, a World Bank (WB) report said.

Two Filipino university students won the Best of the Best award and a Business Development Fund of HK$100,000 in the regional competition for the HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards 2008-2009.

As three more light-industry factories are scheduled to close shop before the end of August 2009 thereby threatening the livelihood of 2,500 more workers, the Partido ng Manggagawa is already sounding a call for a “workers’ bailout” package that includes subsidy to and health coverage for displaced workers, refund of income tax paid by wage…

New investments in tourism-related projects will likely enjoy more incentives from the proposed Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.

TOKYO: Japan’s business executives have become more confident for the first time since 2006, the country’s central bank has said, supporting hopes the worst recession since World War II is easing.

ManilaAsia’s recession appears to have touched bottom and the region is likely to be the first to climb out of the global economic slowdown, the Asian Development Bank’s chief economist said Thursday.

The threat of Influenza A(H1N1) in the workplace and elsewhere has caught the attention of everyone.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to compel large firms employing more than 500 workers to promptly submit their “preparedness plans” in dealing with the spread of Influenza A(H1N1).

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Domestic workers in the UAE often face abuse and poor conditions, activists say DUBAI, 2 July 2006 (IRIN) – On an almost daily basis, immigrant domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), face mistreatment and sometimes physical abuse, according to human rights activists.

View the file in PDF format

View the file in PDF format

The Philippines continues to be an attractive site for outsourcing as several business process outsourcing (BPO) firms have expressed plans to move their operations to the country.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recorded a $1.4-billion decline in the country’s foreign debt burden to only $52.5 billion at the end of the first quarter from $53.9 billion at the end of December last year.

Say Spanish archeologists  ATAPUERCA, Spain—The remains of the “first Europeans” discovered at an archaeological site in northern Spain have revealed that these prehistoric men were cannibals who particularly liked the flesh of children.

MANILA, Philippines–Environmentalists called on the government to fast track the phaseout of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in large transformers and voltage regulators in the power sector.

An Act Banning the Importation, Manufacture, Processing, Use or Distribution in Commerce of Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products. Bans asbestos and asbestos containing materials in 4 years to protect workers, their families and the public against the hazards of asbestos and help minimize the occurrence of incurable asbestos related diseases. Download the text in PDF format

MANILA, Philippines – Soon-to-be displaced workers of Triumph International yesterday rejected the government’s offer of financial grants to help them put up their own undergarment business in case they can’t immediately find jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the peso is not performing exceptionally worse than its regional peers and has actually begun to perform better at the end of the first semester.

MANILA, Philippines – Guam is opening its door to at least 25,000 foreign workers including Filipinos over the next five years, a ranking official said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has overtaken Japan as the country with the highest electricity cost in Asia, a party-list congressman said yesterday.

The current global financial crisis continues to hurt currencies in the region as risk aversion remain high but depreciation of the Philippine peso is less against other units in the region.

Two workers of the Korean shipbuilding giant firm Hanjin Heavy Industries Co., based in the freeport town of Subic in Zambales province, were killed while 19 others were seriously injured when their service vehicle lost its brakes while traversing along Cabangaan Road, Barangay Cawag, Monday morning.

THE Philippines lags behind its Asian counterparts in terms of global information and technology performance due to higher tariffs and poor access, the World Bank said.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority(MMDA) has started rehabilitation of the medium-rise tenement buildings in Vitas, Tondo, to decongest Metro Manila of informal settlers.

Tens of thousands of hectares of deforested land in the Philippines has been handed over to farmers in a novel job-creation and reforestation program, the government said Tuesday.