Monthly Archives: July 2010

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CMP) on Monday scored the Catholic Church for its “extremist view” against the exploitation and development of the country’s natural resources. In a statement, Nelia Halcon, the executive vice president Chamber of Mines, expressed disappointment over the letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to…

Water faucets in Metro Manila’s west zone or those serviced by Maynilad Water Services Inc. may end up dry in the next two months should the rains continue to miss the Angat dam in Bulacan. Herbert Consunji, Maynilad Water officer-in-charge, said in a press conference Monday that this is the likely worst-case scenario facing the…

HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong on Saturday passed its first minimum wage law, a controversial issue that has divided the city’s business sector and labour groups for more than a decade.

MANILA, Philippines – Health Secretary Enrique Ona yesterday met with a group of doctors and medical professionals to discuss the issues confronting the health sector.

MANILA, Philippines – A group advocating climate change preparedness has urged President Aquino to undertake “immediate and full-scale changes” in the Climate Change Commission amid the possible diversion of a P10.5-billion French loan without its knowledge.

Echoing the guiding principle of President Aquino that the Filipino people are his boss, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said all schoolchildren, whether in public or private schools, are his boss.

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s satisfaction rating improved in her final three months in power but remained negative as it was in the last six years of her nine-year governance, a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

President Obama today called on the U.S. Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the pay gap that leaves women earning only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. He says the Paycheck Fairness Act is a common-sense bill that will help ensure that men and women who do equal work receive…

A friend scoffed, a bit haughtily I thought, when he read about how the President’s newly formed Communications Group (I know, the name sounds so generic and so nonspecific although it does have a businesslike ring to it) intended to use Facebook and Twitter as communications platforms to bring Malacañang and P-Noy closer to the…

It’s a big deal when children reach the age of seven. Here in the Philippines, a more festive than usual birthday celebration greets a seven-year-old boy or girl. Old folks say that it is upon the seventh year that a child becomes less vulnerable to sickness or any other external threat.

NEW YORK (AP) – Economists say the US recovery continued during the second quarter of this year with more businesses hiring workers and fewer cutting jobs, but the pace of growth has slowed, a new survey shows.

VIENNA (AP) – World leaders lack the political will to ensure that everyone infected with HIV and AIDS gets treatment, the head of a meeting dedicated to the disease said Sunday.

ATLANTA (AP) – Poverty is perhaps the most important factor in whether inner-city heterosexuals are infected with the AIDS virus, according to the first government study of its kind.

The Philippines is a nation serious about its commitments and which harmonizes its national interests with its international responsibilities.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture’s high value commercial crops program (HVCC) seeks to expand rubber production and entice more foreign investors by opening up new areas in Palawan.

MANILA, Philippines—-The value of private-sector construction projects in the first quarter of 2010 jumped 59.5 percent year-on-year to P47.3 billion, according to the National Statistics Office.

DAEJON, SOUTH KOREA—The crippling financial crisis in Asia more than a decade ago was said to have turned from bad to worse because the governments in the region were forced to adopt the wrong foreign policies.

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry is positioning its yet-to-be-finalized guidelines for the growing franchising industry as more voluntary than mandatory.

Illicit list? Arroyo’s 977 ‘midnight’ appointees LAWYERS at the Palace have been burning the midnight oil scrutinizing nearly a thousand appointments made by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in various government agencies, including state-run corporations, from January this year until she bowed out of office on June 30.

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Thousands of Filipino domestic helpers are still getting jobs in Jordan despite a two-year-old deployment ban there for such occupation, a Philippine Embassy official said.

MANILA, Philippines – The vice-chairman of the Climate Change Commission on Monday warned that using foreign loans or grants dedicated to climate change to plug the budget deficit could undermine the entire Philippine climate mitigation and adaptation strategy.

The 18th International   AIDS Conference started this Sunday, July 18, 2010  in Vienna. Over 20,000 people working in the area of HIV, including policymakers, legislators, researchers and people living with HIV from 190 countries are joining the conference. The theme for this year’s conference is Rights Here Rights Now, which emphasizes the central importance of…

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Mainstream media have followed up PeNoy Aquino’s announce-ment of his Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) privatization plan with massive propaganda. Their argument is that since any game of chance is immoral and unproductive, and since Pagcor, the largest gambling operation run by government, is riddled with corruption, that state-owned enterprise needs to be privatized.…

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) raised its forecast for exports and imports growth this year on the back of the better-than-expected expansion in the first quarter. BSP Deputy Gov. Diwa Guini-gundo told reporters that exports would likely grow by 15 percent, up from an earlier forecast of 12 percent.

The change at the top of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) offers new hope for thousands of past and present state employees. Under various computerization programs instituted by Winston Garcia, GSIS president and general manager from 2001 to last month, grave problems have hampered services and pension payments to countless fund members.

Dear PAO, I am an employee of an agency deployed in a company to which the former has a contract with. Accordingly, the contract of employer-agency will not be renewed by the company where I am deployed. Apparently, all of us deployed employees will be absorbed by the incoming agency.

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Amilitant transport group has expressed optimism that the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd would be more open in addressing issues hounding the transport sector, particularly repeal of the oil deregulation law and permanent junking of the controversial Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) of the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng…