Monthly Archives: March 2010

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Education for All 2010 Report, the Philippine education system is one of the worst in the world in terms of primary school enrolment. The sad part is that our primary school enrolment numbers rank alongside countries such as the United Republic of Tanzania or Zambia…

MANILA, Philippines – Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said yesterday the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) should be given a free hand to review petitions for an across-the-board daily wage increase.

MANILA, Philippines – The country is in danger of losing investments as the business community expressed grave concern on the worsening power crisis in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from overseas Filipinos are forecast to grow by up to nine percent in 2010 as demand for Filipino workers remains strong, a report by First Metro Investment Corp. (FMIC) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UAP) said.

MANILA, Philippines – A child’s environment plays a crucial role in his or her growth. Kids’ rapid physical and mental growth makes them vulnerable to the physical and natural factors of their surroundings. Thus, it is important for parents to make sure that their homes are healthy and kid-friendly.

MANILA, Philippines – Ninety percent of examinees flunked the Civil Service Examinations (CSE), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced yesterday. Only 10 percent or 6,334 out of 62,389 individuals passed the tests that were conducted nationwide last November.

MANILA, Philippines – The entire Philippine grid – not just Mindanao – has turned out to be unstable, with power plants bogging down one after another. In a report, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said reserves in the Luzon and the Visayas grids normalized on Tuesday only to get depleted again yesterday.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Davao City (3 March) — Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) representative Raymond Mendoza filed a petition for a P75 cross-the-board wage increase in Region XI yesterday to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).

If I didn’t have my hands full with other pressing engagements last Monday, I would have been there at the Department of Health compound on Tayuman Street in Manila joining hands with women’s groups, non-government organizations, and people living with HIV/AIDS in support of beleaguered Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.

A 24-year-old Filipino programmer has won the Google Map Maker Global Competition, which encourages users around the world to map universities, schools and hospitals to help humanitarian organizations do their jobs better.

The last Commission on Elections (Comelec) list of senatorial candidates that I saw had 59 names in it. With only 12 Senate seats up for grabs, the candidacies of 47 of the listed candidates will be unsuccessful. Who will end up in the 12-candidate winning circle will depend upon a trio of factors.

Contentious defense pact between RP, US constitutional THE Supreme Court (SC) affirmed with finality on Tuesday the constitutionality of the controversial RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), allowing American and Filipino soldiers to conduct joint military exercises on Philippine soil.

MANILA, Philippines – The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and the Kabataan party-list yesterday called on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to impose a tuition increase moratorium.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) appealed yesterday to overstaying Filipino workers in Oman to avail themselves of the amnesty program being offered by the Omani government for foreigners with expired work permit.

MANILA, Philippines – The power deficiency in Mindanao has doubled, raising fears of longer blackouts as well as massive business disruptions. The surge in Mindanao’s power deficiency to 578 megawatts (MW) came as electricity supply in Luzon and the Visayas started to normalize yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) yesterday said a P75 across-the-board wage increase in Metro Manila will hamper the job creation process and will only help a small fraction of the population.

MANILA, Philippines – The mining sector received a total of $2.8 billion in investments following the implementation of a revitalization program for the minerals industry during the term of President Arroyo.

MANILA, Philippines – Makati City may still be the country’s financial hub, but it is fast losing its luster as a business process outsourcing (BPO) center.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) urged exporters to hedge their dollar inflows against the fluctuations of foreign exchange rates in order to boost their competitiveness and survive in the global market.

MANILA, Philippines – Crop damage due to the ongoing drought has climbed to P11.19 billion as of March 1 from the P7.02 billion reported as of Feb. 22, according to the latest report prepared by the Department of Agriculture’s Central Action Center (DACAC).

MANILA, Philippines – The consortium between corporate titan Manuel V. Pangilinan and businessman Reghis Romero III is hopeful that the ongoing labor dispute at the Manila North Harbor will soon come to an end, allowing them to formally take over the country’s busiest but inefficient terminal.

MANILA, Philippines – Exporters expressed dismay yesterday over the plan of the government to issue bonds specifically for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

TUCP cites constant rise in prices of oil, fares MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) yesterday asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for a P75 across-the-board daily wage increase for workers in Metro Manila.

MANILA, Philippines – “Joseph Ryan,” a former call center agent who contracted the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), asked the public not to judge his previous profession.

(Fourth of a series) MANILA, Philippines -To help voters make an informed choice in May, The Philippine STAR has started a series of interviews, in no particular order, with candidates for president.

eJeepneys provide free, green transportation around Makati The Electric Jeepney, or eJeepney, is touted as a cleaner alternative to the diesel-powered jeepneys in Metro Manila. According to Bong Cruz of Philippine Utility Vehicles (PhUV), manufacturer of the eJeepney, the vehicle is environment-friendly because it does not create noise or produce harmful exhaust emissions like carbon…

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the National Economic and Development Authority’s (Neda) expectations that economic growth will be within targets, economists said the government still has to deal with a bigger problem—increasing poverty as a result of the difficult years from 2008 to 2010.

Discrimination refers to distinguishing illicitly among people, not on individual merit, but on the basis of prejudice that leads to harmful or negative impacts on the interests of employees. Refusing employment because of membership in a group or certain characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, physical ability, sexual orientation and age is…