Monthly Archives: December 2009

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) as both countries expressed general satisfaction in the overall achievements of the year-old trade agreement.

MANILA, Philippines – Police arrested yesterday the alleged leaders of a gang that employs minors to prey on shoppers in Divisoria, Manila. This developed as police doubled its patrols in the area following an upsurge in robberies and thefts reported by shoppers.

MANILA, Philippines – The workers’ union of the newly created Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the agency from appoint newly-hired consultants and outsiders into plantilla positions supposed to be given to former employees of the Air Transportation Office (ATO).

MANILA, Philippines – A Lebanese employer was convicted for abusing a Filipino domestic worker, the first conviction for employee abuse in the Middle Eastern country, the Philippine embassy in Beirut reported. Fayrouz Farez was sentenced on Dec. 9 to 15 days imprisonment and ordered to pay $34 in court fines, and $7,200 in compensation to…

La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines – Elderly people who wish to continue their studies can still go back to school with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Cordillera Region’s newest scholarship program.

Foreign countries still reeling from global financial crisis deliberately slowed down this year their demand for Filipino workers, according to data released by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

A Lebanese was convicted of beating up a Filipino domestic helper in 2006, the first in the history of Lebanon. Fayrouz Farez was sentenced last Dec. 9 by a Lebanese court to 15 days in prison for beating up Jonalyn Malibago, 29, a native of Quirino province.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the initiatives of Commissioner Nenalyn Defensor held a “Consultative Conference on Strategies for the Conservation of Normal Schools as Focused Institutions and Strengthening of Teacher Education Institutions” on December 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the HEDC Function Room.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is confident the economy would grow by at least 0.9 percent in the fourth quarter of the year, which would bring full-year growth to at least 0.8 percent, the lower end of the official target range of 0.8 percent to 1.8 percent.

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile supported yesterday the Debt for Climate Change Adaptation Swap, in which portions of the country’s payments for foreign debts will be used instead for reconstruction and climate adaptation measures.

NEW YORK – The November massacre of 30 media workers in the Philippines made 2009 the deadliest year ever for journalists, according to a report to be released today.

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Canada is set to adopt a law nicknamed after Juana Tejada, a Filipina caregiver who had fought hard to improve the situation of fellow foreign live-in caregivers, it was learned Thursday.

COPENHAGEN — The hour of truth loomed on Thursday at the UN climate talks where countries had to draw a line under procedural squabbles to nail down a deal ahead of one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history.

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipino workers were hired in various countries abroad despite the prevailing global financial crisis, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines – The government will continue to inject into the economy billions in stimulus funds possibly until 2012 to ensure the country’s full economic recovery, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The government will continue to inject into the economy billions in stimulus funds possibly until 2012 to ensure the country’s full economic recovery, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Eight out of 10 Filipinos or 86 percent said they will welcome the New Year with hope, the latest Pulse Asia Ulat ng Bayan national survey showed.

The country’s two largest telecommunications companies, or telcos, have expressed worry about the automated elections next year, because the technical requirements have yet to be issued by the consortium Smartmatic-TIM. Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. said that the terms of reference for the first fully automated elections in the country ware important to…

COPENHAGEN—If they fail to reach a climate deal in Copenhagen, world leaders flying in their private jets and huddling in five-star hotels will have little to show for their efforts beyond a big, fat carbon footprint.

The spouse of a high-ranking Israel official has reportedly been questioned by Israel’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor over an alleged illegal employment of a Filipina cleaner, an online news provider reported.

BEIRUT – A Lebanese woman has been sentenced to 15 days in prison after being convicted of beating her Filipina domestic worker, a rare verdict in such cases in Lebanon, the victim’s attorney said on Wednesday.

MANILA, Phlippines – If the government invests less on statistics, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) warned that there would be a higher chance that government programs and projects would suffer from poor targeting, which causes leakages and exclusions.

MANILA, Philippines – A man who admits to have worked as a child assassin for the powerful Ampatuan clan based in Maguindanao province came forward with “shocking” testimony of mass murders carried out by young boys in the service of the Ampatuan family.

The Supreme Court (SC) has thumbed down a claim by real estate developer Roxas and Co. Inc. (RCI) to have two of its Batangas properties exempted from the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).

REMITTANCES can generate inflationary pressures or cause a Dutch Disease, warned the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In a study titled “Remittances in Asia: Implications for the Fight against Poverty and the Pursuit of Economic Growth,” the Manila-based lender said remittances may have adverse consequences, having both economic and social dimensions.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said a preliminary report submitted by corporations on their casualty losses due to the recent massive typhoons showed that they suffered damages to the tune of about P21 billion as of December 10.

CEBU, Philippines – The Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig Fund) Mandaue Branch has noted a decrease of around 6,000 in membership this year because of the massive retrenchment among companies in Cebu, particularly in the Mactan Export Processing Zone at the height of the global financial crisis.

CEBU, Philippines – Starting January next year, all employees, whether permanent, temporary or provisional, all self-employed persons, regardless of trade, business or occupation with an income or salary of at least P1,000 a month will be mandated to apply as members of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig Fund).

CAIRO (AP) — The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nudged its 2010 forecast for global oil demand slightly higher Tuesday, a week before it’s due to meet, but cautioned that the pace of the global recovery may affect consumer appetite for its chief export.

MANILA, Philippines – There is no recovery in sight yet for the world airline industry as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revised its financial outlook for 2010 to an expected $5.6 billion global net loss, larger than the previously forecast loss of $3.8 billion.