Monthly Archives: November 2009

With some 10 percent of the world population living with disabilities – the current global economic crisis is cause for concern. People with disabilities are often excluded and marginalized, and are particularly vulnerable in times of crisis. This week, Academy Award winning actress Marlee Matlin and a panel of experts will address the impact of…

GENEVA (AP) – In its first study of women’s health around the globe, the World Health Organization said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44.

Filipinos continue to shop at large department stores even at the height of the global economic crisis this year, but spent less on cheaper items that can be bought from bazaars, tiangge and other informal retail outlets.

Asbestos kills and you and your family are in danger! Unseen asbestos fibers penetrate deep into the lungs when inhaled, causing incurable and deadly diseases. Fibers come from asbestos products in houses, buildings, workplaces and materials used as roofing felts, cement roofing and flat sheets and plywood substitutes, among other things. There were people with…

MANILA—Contract for overseas work over a five-year period benefited more rehired land-based overseas Filipino workers, government data reveal.

When landing what may seem to be a lucrative job abroad, most people tend to lose focus on the essentials when preparing to leave.  They get so excited at the prospect of striking it rich and how much money they will be sending home that they totally disregard the rights that they should know.  Forget…

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) The Philippines has become better at controlling corruption, and in promoting political and civil rights, as well as public accountability, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said Tuesday, citing the Control of Corruption indicator, which showed an improved ranking from 39 down to 33.

About 70 percent of the detainees have been facing immigration-related charges and would be “deported after serving their brief sentences,” said DFA spokesman Ed Malaya on Tuesday.

The protracted standoff between Customs, immigration and quarantine personnel at Naia and Mactan International Airport on one hand and the Board of Airline Representatives on the other over the issue of overtime pay may come to a head sooner than expected. Airlines, both domestic and foreign, still refuse to cover these employees’ overtime pay despite…

President Gloria Arroyo motored to Rizal yesterday to visit flood victims who were rescued from danger zones and brought to housing units payable on installment for P200 a month.

EMPLOYMENT in major industries, particularly manufacturing and mining, fell for eight consecutive quarters in the April to June period this year, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said. In a statement, the agency said the employment index dipped by a faster 8.8 percent in the second quarter this year compared with the 7.2-percent drop in…

MANILA, Philippines–Hearing labor woes straight from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) themselves, a team of lawmakers is considering recommending a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers in the Middle East.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should conduct an inventory of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in jail and to set more frequent visits to monitor their situation and ensure their protection, a group that helps OFWs in distress urged.

WASHINGTON DC, United States—President Barack Obama will put his new doctrine of engaging friends and foes alike into action next week, at the inaugural US summit with Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar.

MANILA, Philippines — The youth plays an important part in helping stop the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country, the Dangerous Drugs Board said on Tuesday.

Despite the string of typhoons that visited the country in the last two months, sales of new cars continue to rise by 1.3 percent to 106,146 units from January to October from 104,757 units in the same period last year.

The number of Filipino nurses that indicated their desire to seek employment in America by taking that country’s nursing licensure examination plunged by 21.38 percent in the nine months to September this year, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) reported recently.

Why do gas prices in Cebu vary so much from other regions? That’s the question Cebu businessmen and the local government want oil companies to answer.

Oil firms have shown that they are willing to work with the government and have proposed different packages of relief for victims of recent calamities after protesting government’s freeze on fuel on oil prices, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said yesterday.

Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced yesterday the creation of the Coordinating Committee of Decentralization (CCD) tasked to address problems and issues concerning the implementation of the government’s decentralization program.

Five members of the Dutch Senate, who belong to various major parties, raised last week questions aimed at upholding the rule of law and the rights of exiled Filipino communist leader Jose Ma. Sison.

Supply of imported fuel products would only last for two weeks as oil firms continued to take a hit from Malacañang’s grip on fuel prices, Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes said Monday. During an industry meeting, Reyes cited projections made by the Department of Energy (DOE) that the supply of imported petroleum finished products, which constitute…

VICTIMS SAY NOYNOY’S SECURITY AIDE HAD SHOT THEM Workers of Hacienda Luisita are seeking the reopening of the House of Representatives’ investigation into the frustrated murder case of three farm hands of the sprawling Tarlac estate after the victims’ co-workers yesterday said they were willing to testify that it was a security aide of Sen.…

From a high of 60 percent, it is now down to half or 30 percent. While maintaining his lead over other presidential aspirants in the latest survey conducted by The Issues and Advocacy Center, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s popularity is seen to be on the decline which the Center described as a “stationary dive.”

You’ve had a bad day. You’re feeling cranky and lonely. What to do? Aside from finding ways to fix your problem, try these comfort foods to make you happy. The secret is in choosing foods rich in omega-3 fats, folic acid, selenium, and vitamin B12. These nutrients can lift your mood, so let’s check them…

Final-G20 2009_communique_standrews download here

Cancer cases linked to mineral rise sharply MONTREAL — An aggressive cancer linked to asbestos is killing more Canadians than ever before, even decades after the end of a boom that saw buildings stuffed with the toxic substance.

Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines representing Akbayan The migrant worker experience is one that is increasingly typical. Let’s start with myself. I am now back in the Philippines, but I spent nearly 20 years as a political exile in the United States during the Marcos dictatorship. During that time I survived…

MANILA, Philippines—Since around Israeli aircraft dropped some 100 bombs on the Gaza Strip in December last year, less than a hundred Filipinos have come home, mostly wives and children of Palestinian residents. No caregivers have come home from Israel.

MANILA, Philippines – Albay Gov. Joey Salceda warned yesterday that the government’s much-vaunted massive reconstruction effort could fail as the special public-private commission created for the purpose did not turn out as originally envisioned.