Monthly Archives: June 2010

Perennial problems hound public and private students from both in the elementary and secondary levels return to their respective schools today, marking the start of the 2010-2011 school year.

An anti-graft and corruption group on Monday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to refund at least P3.7 million worth of filing fees paid for 37 unresolved electoral-protests cases filed since 2007. In a statement, the Center for Anti-Graft and Corruption Prevention Inc. (The Center) said that the law obliges the Comelec to return the…

AFTER the controversy surrounding the introduction of “sex education” to elementary and high-school students, the Department of Education is mulling on replacing the word “sex” in sex education to “gender” or “sexuality” to avoid clashing with the Roman Catholic Church. According to Education Undersecretary Franklin Sunga, he will be making such recommendation to Education Secretary…

CEBU, Philippines – Only a few private schools nationwide have applied for tuition fee increase this school year.

CEBU, Philippines – An official of a plastic recycling factory in barangay Cotcot, Liloan town said neighbors who are demanding for the shutdown of the factory should also consider the interests of the more than 90 workers who would lose their jobs once it closes down.

CEBU, Philippines – The Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is optimistic that the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board will grant its request for additional wage in Central Visayas after salary of workers in Metro Manila was increased recently by P22 per day.

BENEFICIARIES of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) remittances cut down on their savings in the aftermath of the worst global financial crisis in decades. In its latest Consumer Expectations Survey, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said that the percentage of households that allocated portions of their remittances to savings went down to 38 percent in…

It may be hot in Manila, but last week, the mercury soared in Stockholm, as members of the international community were locked in a burning discussion of the day’s headline-making issue: preparing a legally-binding treaty on mercury. With this in mind, our man in Stockholm, Manny Calonzo, reports that waste and toxic watchdog EcoWaste Coalition…

Many countries are bracing for a second wave of swine-flu infections that could sicken millions of people and hospitalize thousands, including many children and young adults. While flu viruses are notoriously capricious, making firm predictions impossible, a second wave could hit some countries and lead to major disruptions in schools, workplaces, and hospitals, according to…

15 June 2010: The ITUC and TUAC will hold a press briefing on Tuesday 15 June from 13.30-14.30 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva (Room XI – interpretation: English, German, French and Spanish) to release the Global Unions’ Statement to the G8/G20 Ontario Summits. Speakers will include Michael Sommer, President of the Confederation of German…

GENEVA: European and US interest rates are unlikely to rise before next year so as not to hurt a global economic recovery that is being weakened by Europe’s debt crisis, the world’s top central bank body said Sunday. “In the United States, federal funds futures and options suggested that the first rate hike was not…

MANILA, Philippines – More than 50 renewable energy (RE) projects are currently being evaluated by the Department of Energy (DOE) to potentially add to the country’s power needs.

MANILA, Philippines – More beneficiaries of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are shifting to investments and other major purchases such as the acquisition of motor vehicles, a ranking official of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

MANILA, Philippines – The United States is looking  at forging a trans-Pacific partnership with Asian countries including the Philippines after the proposed ASEAN-United States multilateral agreement failed to gain ground.

MANILA, Philippines – The real estate industry has unveiled a four-point wish list for the new administration, including a more proactive move to support the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) because this can bring in an additional $1 billion worth of investments in the industry.

The Department of Energy said interest in renewable energy projects remain strong, as it pointed to as much as 50 proposals awaiting its approval. Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said these “40 to 50” contracts include solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal and other green power projects.

DESPITE a recent wage hike order, the Philippines’ full-year inflation is likely to be lower on the back of easing oil prices and recovering domestic food supply, according to Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. In its latest research note, Metrobank said its sees inflation easing to 4.7 percent this year from an earlier forecast of…

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday reported that 344 foreign investors from 39 countries availed themselves of the agency’s job visa program since April last year.

DOMESTIC auto parts makers want the government to grant perks to assemblers that would source their components from the Philippines. In a position paper submitted to the Board of Investments, Antonio Gimenez, Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP) executive director, said both the government and the local automotive industry should aim for…

Justice delayed, they say, is justice denied. If that is the case, then our justice system is in dire need of reform. It is not uncommon for the resolution of a case to be pending for years on end.

MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is considering to file legal actions against the Department of Education’s move to teach sex education in public schools, an official said.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Edgardo Angara is refiling in the 15th Congress the Philippine Respiratory Therapy Bill in response to the rising health concerns involving the respiratory system.

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MANILA, Philippines – President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III urged fellow Filipinos over the weekend to do their part in helping regain the nation’s greatness. Aquino said the fight for the country’s true freedom still had a long way to go.

In our presidential system of government, the authority to appoint is one of the President’s foremost powers. It is exercised either exclusively or with the consent of the Congressional Commission on Appointments (CA) or upon recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

Policy positions differ in the trade union movement, both at national and international levels concerning the use of temporary work agencies. Views vary from total bans on such agencies, to partial bans, to strict regulation. There are also differences as to on what basis workers should be covered by collective bargaining agreements. However, there are…

Talks between China and Taiwan to complete the free trade agreement between them appear to have stalled—because the negotiators are “stuck” over some “items,” Taiwan’s prime minister said in a statement. As a result, it now doesn’t look like the two economies would not be able to conclude the agreement during this month.

MORE than 3,000 inmates have been released since 2008 under a Supreme Court-initiated project to declog court dockets and decongest jails, Chief Justice Renato C. Corona said on Friday.

CEMENT PRICES in the Philippines are among the highest in East Asia, Board of Investments (BoI) data showed. The data were made public late on Friday, a week after the 2010 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) was unveiled with provisions granting incentives to new entrants into the cement industry which the state agency said would encourage…

Rising prices, global recovery cited; value of Q1 output up 28% THE PHILIPPINE MINING INDUSTRY could be headed for a good year given higher metal prices and the prospect of more investments, officials and analysts said.