Monthly Archives: February 2010

MANILA, Philippines – A severe El Nino weather pattern this year could cut the Philippine paddy rice harvest by more than 800,000 tons, a senior official said on Tuesday, which could mean more rice imports.

FOR BLAMING BABY BOOM FOR HACIENDA WORKERS’ WOES Four of the biggest rural-based organizations in the country yesterday assailed the sisters of Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer in the forthcoming presidential elections, Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III for blaming the lack of family planning among tenants and farm workers of Hacienda Luisita as the reason…

Transmission fiasco feared with 5,000 signal jammers Alarmed by reports that 5,000 signal jammers have been imported into the country, possibly to disrupt transmission of the election data on the scheduled polls date, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez expressed fears on prospects for their use yesterday, but nevertheless assured the public that the Comelec…

Korea Electric Power Corp. has estimated the rehabilitation cost of the mothballed 600-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in Morong, Bataan at around $1 billion, a government official said Monday.

I won’t go through the rest of the litany of the Arroyo administration’s supposed achievements. I will just talk about a few that caught my eye.

SENATOR Manuel Villar Jr. is statistically tied with Senator Benigno Aquino III in the race for the presidency, according to the latest Manila Standard Today poll conducted Jan. 20 to 27.

Taxpayers would have to cough up another billion dollars to rehabilitate the mothballed Bataan nuclear power plant, according to a study commissioned by the government.

After a long delay, the two houses of Congress have finally approved a consolidated version of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act that would exempt elderly Filipinos from the 12-percent expanded-value added tax (EVAT) allowing them to enjoy the full 20-percent discount on goods and services.

When I met Cerge in October 1992 he was a Cebuano with capital C and Cebu was the center of his universe. I remember telling him that there are many other nice places in the Philippines but he insisted that there was no place like Cebu. A couple of years later he scolded me when…

I’VE been watching most of the presidential debates on TV. So far, I don’t think any one of the candidates has ever been asked about the traffic problem, or that traffic has been mentioned as a problem at all. Well, it is. And if it’s not on the radar of the candidates, it should be.

The Department of Health (DOH) together with some senatorial bets of different parties expressed their concern over the sudden increase of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the country.

Hitachi is looking to expand in the Philippines, where it plans to tap Filipino talent in production and design, executives of the Japanese conglomerate said during a media briefing on Monday.

Experience and solid work is not enough in getting a promotion. The required qualification standards must still be met. This is the ruling in this case of Ben.

PETTY, POPULIST: The title “Le coeur d’un homme, le cerveau d’un cochon” of the CTalk column yesterday of Cito Beltran may have sounded Greek (it was French) to some readers, but I do agree with him when he said:

MANILA, Philippines – The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) yesterday said the sugar situation in the Philippines is “better” than that of other countries because there is no shortage of production.

MANILA, Philippines – Health officials blamed yesterday online social networking for the rise in the cases of HIV/AIDS in the country last year.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday expressed concern over the reported arrival in the country of some 5,000 jammers of mobile phone signals.

MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III continued to top the list of presidential candidates in the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), but Nacionalista Party bet Sen. Manny Villar has further narrowed the gap to just seven percentage points.

HERZILIYA, Israel (Reuters) – International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday urged the United States, Britain and other countries to cooperate on new policies and regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) is proposing what it calls “a seamless transition” from bank closure to liquidation thus eliminating the 90-day period of rehabilitation after bank closure.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is expected to post a 25-percent growth in revenues this year to around $9.1 billion from an estimated 2009 topline of $7.3 billion, but government has expressed concern the country’s foremost sunrise sector may be facing a huge risk.

This is not about the 1998 Bruce Willis-starrer/action thriller where Willis plays an undercover FBI agent tasked to protect a nine-year-old autistic boy who’s being pursued by assassins for cracking a top secret government code. It’s about the rising mercury wastes in our midst. From your high school science subject, you’ve probably learned that mercury…

Imagine receiv-ing a call saying that a family member is sick. What should you do? What’s the first aid in this situation? During emergencies, it pays to be knowledgeable in basic home remedies and first aid. Let’s look at nine common problems:

MANILA, Philippines — Australia’s Work and Holiday Visa Program, also referred to as the “Working Holiday Maker Visa Program, offers young professionals from other countries the great chance to have a holiday vacation while being employed there.

Manila (25 January 2010) – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) vowed to continue its services on Reproductive Health (RH) and Family Planning to all its union members and non-union members at the workplace .

An Act Strengthening the Workers’ Right to Strike, Amending for the Purpose Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines Authorizes a group or representative of workers to file the notice of, and to go on strike, and removes dismissal and imprisonment as penalty in violation of orders,…

An Act Strengthening Union Organization and Disallowing Cancellation of Union Registration, Amending for the Purpose Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines

An Act Allowing Aliens to Exercise their Right to Self-Organization and Withdrawing Regulation of Foreign Assistance to Trade Unions, Amending for the Purpose Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines Extends the right to self organization to aliens in the Philippines, and withdraws the prohibition of foreign…

An Act Limiting the Power to Assume Jurisdiction over Labor Disputes Involving Essential Services by the President of the Philippines, Amending for this Purpose Article 263 (g) of Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines Restricts intervention now by the President only to essential services providing power,…

An Act Establishing an Efficient System to Strengthen Workers’ Right to Self-Organization and Collective Bargaining, Amending for the Purpose Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines Removes the requirements for the registration of local chapters, promotes employee free choice and makes it easier for workers to join…