Monthly Archives: November 2009

MANILA, Philippines – After consulting with local and international health experts, the Department of Health yesterday recommended the banning of aerial spraying of pesticides, saying that this is harmful to humans and the environment.

Women do a larger part of agricultural work in developing countries Women in developing countries will be the most vulnerable to climate change, a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.

The offices of London’s carbon trading companies are a little quieter than usual. The firms – many based in the City – buy and sell one of the world’s newest commodities: carbon dioxide.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of ILO Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining. While much has changed since the Convention was adopted in 1949, collective bargaining remains a fundamental right, an important tool to improve incomes and working conditions, and advance social justice. ILO Online spoke with Susan Hayter,…

THIS IS a reaction to the news item titled “Pay for climate change, RP to urge rich nations.” (Inquirer, 11/06/09). The report stated that “Secretary Heherson Alvarez, presidential adviser on global warming and climate change, has been tasked by President Macapagal-Arroyo to lead the delegation from the Philippines to the climate change summit in Copenhagen…

MANILA, Philippines—Stunned by the vehement rejection of migrant workers rights’ advocates, recruiters on Tuesday said they are withdrawing their proposal to Congress for mandatory insurance coverage for overseas Filipino workers.

SAYS INITIAL RESEARCH MANILA, Philippines—Family expectations, money, relationship with employers, and food and religious beliefs in host country are five of the most common causes of stress among women overseas Filipino workers.

The Philippines should immediately pursue a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU), as the country lags behind most of its Southeast Asian neighbors in negotiating for similar agreements, a think-tank of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said. “Philippine business cannot continue losing out on trade and investment opportunities…

While most economies and peoples worldwide are going through hard times, there’s no stopping Manila’s rich and famous from enjoying the good life, a new survey shows. “Affluent consumers in Manila continued to spend despite the recession in the past year,” according to the findings of the 2009 PAX survey conducted by market intelligence firm…

MANILA, Philippines – Police filed criminal charges against the kidnappers of two Chinese working in a plywood factory who remain in captivity in Basilan.

MANILA, Philippines – Small oil players Eastern Petroleum Corp., Unioil Petroleum, Flying V, and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines fired the first volley of oil price hikes yesterday after the lifting on Monday of the government-imposed price cap on petroleum products.

MANILA, Philippines – Small sugarcane producers aligned with the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) are appealing to the government to delay lowering the tariff cover on sugar to give sugar sector more time to adjust to trade liberalization.

The imbroglio over Malacañang’s attempt to put a cap on petroleum product prices may be over but the debate on how to handle the industry isn’t. Senators and congressmen will try to win brownie points as they advocate the repeal of the oil deregulation law. People who want this to happen don’t realize the implications…

THE annual meeting of the Philippine Economic Society (PES) held last week ended with a panel discussion on the outlook for the Philippine economy, now a regular feature of the organization’s yearly gathering. The panel—composed of PES past presidents Dondon Paderanga, Arsi Balisacan and yours truly, along with incoming president Art Corpuz—focused on three key…

A HOUSE panel yesterday approved a bill that seeks to ban the importation, manufacture, processing and use or distribution in commerce of asbestos and asbestos-containing products.

MANILA – While everyone else was cutting expenses and beefing up savings amid the economic downturn, affluent consumers in Manila were on a spending binge, according to a survey by global market intelligence company Synovate.

NEW YORK—All United Nations member-countries, including the Philippines, have agreed over the weekend to a new mechanism to monitor and implement a global treaty to fight corruption.

Wellness for multitasking working A HAPPIER WORKFORCE YIELDS greater productivity and creativity in the work environment. Aware that the modern-day woman leads a stressful life now more than ever, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) developed workshops tailored to the concerns of today’s multitasking woman.

The Apec summit, now starting in Singapore, brings together leaders from dozens of nations and major world powers. As the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey has been finding out, behind all the economic talk lies a deeper search for meaning.

Say Migrant advocates MANILA, Philippines—The proposed mandatory insurance for all overseas Filipino workers will benefit recruiters principally and OFWs only incidentally, the Center for Migrants Advocacy said Monday, opposing a move in Congress to legislate it.

44% for Aquino, says Pulse Asia in recent survey If the elections were to be held today, the Liberal Party tandem of Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd and Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd would win by big margins, results of a recent survey showed. Based on the results of the survey conducted by Pulse Asia last…

MANILA, Philippines – If there’s a way to help revitalize local coffee farming — considering the many solutions this can generate for farmers, their families and the economy — it can be done best through a solid and well-planned partnership with the private sector, according to Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap.

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Education has noted an improvement in English proficiency of students in public schools as the department continues to invest in teachers training to further improve student performances in English.

MANILA, Philippines – Labor unions representing some 300,000 banana farm workers in various support industries of the Philippine banana industry hit yesterday what they perceived as smear campaign against banana growers in Mindanao who have accused them of non-existing health risk regarding the aerial spaying of banana plantations in their localities.

MANILA, Philippines – Gays and lesbians cannot be considered marginalized in society because they are already “overly represented” in Congress, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said yesterday.

In 2007, Ang Ladlad, a group fighting for the welfare of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders was denied party-list accreditation by the Commission on Elections on the grounds that it didn’t have national representation. The Comelec required proof that there were lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people across the land. The denial, based on technicality,…

The militant Left was livid in rage as soon as it learned of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales’ new posting in concurrent capacity at the Department of National Defense (DND), a post that he held as caretaker two years ago.

The Commission on Election (Comelec) is harnessing cellular phone text messaging linked to online social networking sites—Facebook, Friendster, Tweeter and Plurk—as a medium for concerned citizens to report to it and the rest of the world possible attempts of cheating during this country’s synchronized national and local elections this May 10,2010. The functionality forms is…

AUTO industry players have asked the Board of Investments (BOI) to clarify certain provisions of the proposed policies laid out for the revised Motor Vehicle Development Program (MVDP). “There are many questions that must be clearly answered, such as definitions, incentives and criteria, among others,” an official of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the…

35% NOW LIVE BELOW POVERTY LINE MORE people slipped below the poverty line this year, making it almost impossible for the country to attain the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by 2015, economists claimed.