Monthly Archives: July 2009

MANILA, Philippines – Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro outlined his roadmap for the country’s sustained economic growth anchored on lasting peace specifically in southern Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been known as a traditional exporter of coconut products particularly coconut oil, copra, desiccated coconut and copra meal; fresh fruit products such as pineapples, bananas and mangoes; as well as fishery products led by tuna and prawns.

MANILA, Philippines – Will the Philippines go into recession? This is a question that economists from both government and the private sector continue to debate on.

MANILA, Philippines – No less than the Philippine Constitution recognizes the vital role that information and communications play in nation building.

MANILA, Philippines – A wash with cash, investors swarmed yesterday’s Treasury bill (T-bill) auction, prompting the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) to increase the size of the awards for all three tenors.

MANILA, Philippines – Another broadcast journalist was killed yesterday in an ambush by unidentified gunmen who shot him shortly after his radio program in Surigao del Sur.

MANILA, Philippines – Passing the controversial reproductive health bill may be an uphill battle, but the leadership of the House of Representatives is determined to approve the measure that influential Catholic bishops have continued to block.

However, Anna was informed by her United States employer that her H1B petition was denied. The reason for the denial was reportedly because she did not possess a master’s degree and a license to practice. It was also cited that she did not have a social security number and was not physically present in the…

MANILA, Philippines – Subsidies disbursed by the National Government to government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and state-owned agencies hit P6.981 billion from January to June, 90 percent higher than the P3.67 billion released in the same period last year, latest data from the Department of Finance (DOF) showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The Clark Freeport zone is proof that President Arroyo made good her promises during her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year, Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President Benigno N. Ricafort said.

While most of the focus today is on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, many of the people who should be accountable for the true State of the Nation will be more concerned about their seating arrangement, how they’ll look and what they will be saying during the ambush interviews post SONA.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Belgium urged undocumented Filipinos to avail of the Belgian government’s new migration policy for the regularization of undocumented migrants.

Iloilo City — Groups opposing the use of genetically modified organisms are calling for the compulsory labeling of products containing GMOs as a guide to consumers.

Senior Chinese officials will hold meetings with their opposite numbers from the Obama administration this week.

The government expects continuing demand for Filipino workers abroad as a result of hiring agreements forged between the Philippines and other countries that hire foreign labor.

Editor’s note: Following is the continuation of the second and last part of a report on the President Gloria Arroyo’s final State of the Nation Address, which will be delivered today. The first part of this series reviewed the President’s 10-point agenda, and part two began by looking at her administration’s claims of fast growth.

Today President Gloria Arroyo will deliver her valedictory State of the Nation Address (SONA). The act is the highest level of public accountability for the president that is mandated in the Philippine Constitution—for the country’s chief executive to report to Congress, the bureaucracy, and the Filipino people on the state of the nation.

PARIS: Euphoria on global stock markets might give the impression that the financial crisis is a thing of the past, but for unemployed workers or idling companies the effect of the turmoil is still keenly felt.

The president is on time. Her purple gown is big and wraps her shoulders like a protective gear. She is flanked by sunglass-sporting escorts and piña-clad lawmakers. The carpet is red and waiting.

More than 1.2 million Filipino families, representing two in every five households, do not have electricity in their homes. One in five families also has no access to safe water supply.

(Second of two parts) RAPID economic growth in recent years, perhaps one of President Gloria Arroyo’s few and widely acknowledged achievements amid the steady slide in her popularity ratings, could turn out to be as debatable as her devotion to good governance and anti-corruption.

MANILA, Philippines – The non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of thrift banks stood at 7.71 percent as of end-March 2009, up 0.55 percentage point from the previous quarter’s 7.16 percent, latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

MANILA, Philippines –  Claiming that Filipino-American Melissa Roxas is not a mere activist but once an armed rebel, two party-list representatives including former military general Jovito Palparan disclosed information that the ones who tortured her were not soldiers but her own comrades who were trying to prevent her from severing her ties with the communist…

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) expressed disappointment yesterday over the ASEAN rights body’s “lack of clear protection mandate.”

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will focus on bills that will help Filipinos be more resilient in the face of the global recession as it opens the third regular session of the 14th Congress on Monday.

WHILE the number of registered overseas absentee voters increased this year, it is still far behind the one million target for next year’s polls.

ILLEGAL immigrant workers of Filipino and other nationalities got a break from the Belgian government which last week approved a pact for the regularization of undocumented migrants.

GOVERNMENT intervention is needed to address market failures and inequities in the Philippine pharmaceuticals industry.

ACCESS to medicines is essential for health systems to function. Access means having medicines continuously available and affordable that are within one hour’s walk from homes.

IT’S business as usual. More than one year has elapsed and yet many medicines are still being sold at their usual price.