Monthly Archives: May 2010

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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The government plans to negotiate a free trade pact with the European Union despite a growing demand from local businesses to review two similar agreements already in force which are the Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) and the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa).

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Every time my wife and I go malling, I always see uniformed salesgirls standing behind counters—on high heels—for eight to nine hours each day. I ask them if they are even given a break. They tell me that sure, they are given a 30-minute break for lunch and an opportunity to go to the comfort…

The May l0 elections were neither honest nor peaceful but the Filipino people should be praised for their determination to exercise their voting rights and keep democracy alive, according to a foreign team that for two weeks observed the country’s first automated polls.

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned the Philippines and other developing countries of a possible asset bubble due to a sharp rise in capital inflows and the appreciation of currencies in the region.

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is battling for a macro-view management of river basins in the country, as it emphasized the need to strengthen preservation of watersheds, forest mangroves and river systems to combat climate change.

Those who were leading in the surveys on preferences for senator won as expected. Even their election rankings were almost similar to the results of the surveys. There were no surprises there. Not so in the race for congressional seats, where a number of notable upsets were recorded.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is unlikely to meet its target to raise at least P10 billion from the privatization of state-owned assets by the end of June given new setbacks it is facing in its bid to sell its stake in PNOC-Exploration Corp.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has noted an increased competition among universal and commercial banks by lowering their margins on loans to top corporations and large middle market enterprises.

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended a labor arbiter for six months while he is under investigation for alleged misconduct and dishonesty.

MANILA, Philippines – Social Security System (SSS) president Romulo Neri has offered to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) the use of the unified multipurpose identification cards as voter’s IDs.

MANILA, Philippines – The government sold P5.34 billion worth of Treasury bills (T-bills) in an auction yesterday, less than the offer of P8 billion as the auction committee decided to settle for partial awards for the 91- and 364-day debt paper.

COTABATO CITY, May 18 — The country’s reproductive health advocates are calling on President-in-waiting Sen. Benigno “Nonoy” Aquino to remain firm on his pro-reproductive health stance and never allow too much religious interference in his governance. This call from RH advocates was raised Tuesday amid warnings from some Catholic leaders on Aquino’s stance on RH.

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MANILA, Philippines—Investors see the outlook for the economy after the elections as positive as the presidential candidates considered by the business sector as capable of moving the country forward are leading in the surveys, according to a paper by the Standard Chartered Bank.

Now that elections are over, at least except for the formalities, it’s time to buckle down to work. The incoming national administration, if it is to make good on its lofty promises, must as early as now figure out which of the country’s numerous pressing problems it must tackle first, and most intensely.

The Philippines improved in the yearly World Competitiveness ranking of the Swiss institution IMD to 39th of 58 countries from last year’s 43rd but remained as a doormat in the Asia Pacific region as all of its neighbors also climbed in the ranking.

It’s not over for groups who fail to meet the required 2 percent of the total number of votes in the May 10 polls, as they still have a chance to get one seat if the winning groups cannot fill the more than 50 seats in Congress.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino will have hard days with the Catholic Church as far as the controversial reproductive health bill is concerned.

Labor groups expect the next president to personally lobby American lawmakers to pass a bill that would enable the freer entry of Philippine-made garments into the highly lucrative US market.

Exporters want the incoming administration to put in place an annual export fund and amend the mandate of the Philippine central bank to help the sector.

Davao City: The World Bank (WB) has rated the antipoverty program in Mindanao as satisfactory. This came after the WB team reported recently here the result of its month-long assessment of the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP).

HONG KONG: More than 90 percent of gay men in the Asia-Pacific region don’t have access to HIV prevention and care services, as levels of the disease soar to “alarming levels,” a United Nations report said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – The agriculture sector shrank by 2.84 percent in the first quarter as a result of the prolonged drought.

Employers sometimes put up as a defense in illegal dismissal cases, abandonment or refusal to return to work by the employee. To establish such defense however, employers must show that they have complied with the requirement of notice. This is illustrated in this case of Lucy.

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MANILA, Philippines–The cost of doing business in Asean is expected to lower and trade-related transactions to become simpler as the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga), one of the region’s landmark economic agreements, entered into force Monday, May 17, the Asean Secretariat said.

MONEY sent home by Filipinos working abroad grew by 7% to $4.3 billion in the first quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday reported.