Monthly Archives: July 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – Fifteen states have crossed a painful threshold: 10 percent unemployment. More states, and the nation, likely will follow, one of the biggest dangers to an economic recovery.

PHUKET, Thailand – Southeast Asian officials on Sunday were finalizing an unprecedented regional human rights body which has sparked criticism from activists that it will be toothless.

A relative came up to me recently feeling helpless and depressed. He had just been laid off and was wondering what else was out there beyond the more challenging world of employment. Honestly, I was tongue-tied and at that instant did not know what to say considering that I have neither been out of a…

Like black and white, war and peace, abundance and famine — greed and poverty is another inexorable, radical contrast of epic proportion and karmic relation. The world has seen the face of corporate avarice in the Enron debacle. It has witnessed greed’s aftermath, head bowed with eyes downcast in shame and disgrace, as the 150-year…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines needs to do a lot more of spade work to stop it from slipping to the ranks of the least competitive nations on earth.

MANILA, Philippines – Exporters should create competitive products and utilize the free trade agreements (FTA) the country enters into in order to penetrate non-traditional markets outside the United States, a top trade official said. 

JUST like you, I’ve visited many comfort rooms of various shapes, sizes and smell. Some are exclusively reserved for executives, while the rest are for the general public—employees and customers alike.

The Board of Investments (BOI) and domestic auto industry will be crafting a new Motor Vehicle Development Program (MVDP) “that is attuned to the times” by yearend, the Trade department said.

HSBC warned of asset bubbles developing in the Philippines and other Asian countries due to excess money borne out of interest rate cuts and the current economic slowdown.

MANILA, Philippines—A Filipina maid who bore bruises and scars from suspected physical abuse is urged to file charges against her former employer.

World Bank worried about US slowdown   Remittance flows to developing countries, including the Philippines, were expected to fall sharply this year because of the impact of the US economic and construction sector slowdown, a new World Bank report said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) reported that its revenues has reached the $5 billion mark this year, beating last year’s $4.5 billion.

As we climb the corporate ladder, sooner or later, we will have people reporting to us. Delegating is a vital career skill to get more things done and free us with more time for strategi matters. How do we do it?

More than 40,000 Filipino employees lost their jobs during the last several months. This figure does not include roughly 7,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who met the same fate and 30,000 more who are sharing jobs in a shortened work week. A few thousands more accepted early retirement but look forward to reemployment. Some 500,000…

PARIS — Swine flu has swept the globe at “unprecedented speed,” the World Health Organisation said Friday, as a study warned the pandemic could tip the world into deflation and delay the economic recovery.

DAVAO CITY – War in Mindanao is “like an anchor” pulling the entire Philippines down, according to US Ambassador Kristie Kenney.

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino numbers aces won 27 medals in the 10th World Youth Invitational Mathematics Intercities Competition held recently in Durban, South Africa.

FATHER Amado Picardal, who’s been fighting for the last 10 years to put a stop to summary executions here, should have been ecstatic at the arrival of hundreds of students at the launching early this month of “You Can Die Anytime,” a book published by the New York-based Human Rights Watch that details the operations…

Buhay party-list Rep. Irwin Tieng is batting for greater independence for persons with disabilities even as he laments that many PWDs today remain confined in their homes, greatly dependent on the help and generosity of their relatives.

CEBU, Philippines – Four weeks of work stoppage over the suspension of seven leaders of the Paul Yu Workers Association ended last week with the workers accepting the management’s offer of separation.

CEBU, Philippines – About 3,000 poor families from 10 barangays of Cebu City yesterday received financial assistance from the national government so they can continue to send their children to school despite their hardship.

MANILA, Philippines – While the global crisis is reducing consumption across nations and social classes, causing massive unemployment and constricting the world economy to a precarious extent, other sectors are cashing in on some of its unexpected beneficial effects.

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines—Business leaders in the Visayas remained optimistic of continued economic growth because of the vibrant tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries in the region.

MANILA, Philippines – Although a boon to the economy, the call center industry has its share of difficulties.

AS OF MAY THIS YEAR, THE GOVernment had spent P579 billion against revenue collection of only P456 billion, leading to a deficit of P123 billion. The government has already revised its deficit target twice this year, as the original full-year target of P102 billion had been exceeded in just the first four months of the…

MANILA, Philippines – Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto said the government’s successful global bond offer last week reflected strong investor confidence in the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines – Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the country’s biggest lender, expects the Philippine economy to make a “slow, steep climb” in 2009, although ending at a marginal 0.25-percent growth rate for the whole year.

MANILA, Philippines – About 1,400 Filipino workers in Cebu City are now assured of job security after their employers became recipients of the Special Visa for Employment Generation from the Bureau of Immigration.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Local leaders in Sulu want more government investments in infrastructure and livelihood projects in areas where the Abu Sayyaf operates instead of amnesty for members of the notorious bandit group.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Energy (DOE) task force wants to determine if oil companies could be held criminally liable for not reflecting true oil prices.