Monthly Archives: August 2010

At least seven girls, three of them minors, were rescued from forced labor at a bar in Palawan province following a raid there over the weekend.

AN official of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) on Sunday said participation in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) may be made mandatory to students of state universities and colleges (SUCs) as well as local universities and colleges (LUCs) nationwide.

Like many developing countries, the Philippines is in search of alternative energy supplies to ease its reliance on costly imported oil, gas and coal. A new government plan includes wind, solar, hydro, biomass and nuclear power among potential energy sources for the country.

AUTOMOTIVE GROUPS warily welcomed the Board of Investments’ (BoI) decision to review and possibly overhaul yet again the incentive program for the industry, but urged the state agency to move fast.

THE Congressional Committee on Science and Technology (Comste) has identified critical areas for public-private partnership ventures to jump-start the country’s competitiveness, including energy and environment, science-math-engineering education, health, agriculture and food, semiconductors and electronics, as well as information technology and IT-enabled industries.

RICE consumption was highest in the poorest  region of the Philippines, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Annual per capita consumption was 144.66 kg. This is according to a study by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS). “Soccsksargen ranked next with 136.5 kg. On the other hand, the least consumption was observed in Central…

VEHICLE SALES have remained brisk with the industry maintaining the first semester’s growth pace last month, data released during the weekend showed.

MANILA, Philippines—Daybreak is happy hour in a world turned upside down at a trendy bar in Makati City’s financial district, the clientele young and loud and with a vague California accent.

WHILE it is true that the Philippine economy did not contract amid the global economic crisis and the onslaught of Tyhoon Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, four regions, including the National Capital Region (NCR), experienced a contraction in gross regional domestic product (GRDP) due to the crisis and the typhoons.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia said Sunday it could not accept an Indonesian proposal on a minimum wage for its maids amid delays on a working conditions deal following a series of shocking abuse cases.

Good looks can kill a woman’s chances of snaring jobs considered “masculine,” according to a study by the University of Colorado Denver Business School.

MANILA, Philippines – Although risky sexual behavior is high among professionals in general, a study showed that the levels are slightly higher among call center workers compared to those who work for different industries.

A Delhi court on Saturday directed a man accused of employing seven minor children as bonded labourers to deposit Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 50,000 per child) with the Child Welfare Committee for their rehabilitation, while granting him bail.

Eduardo Climaco Tadem, Ph.D., is a professor of Asian Studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is currently a visiting researcher at the Kyoto University Center for Southeast Asian Studies. KYOTO, Japan—Jusuf Anwar, Indonesian ambassador to Japan, has bewailed the overly stringent Japanese national examinations for foreign caregivers and nurses. Out of the…

AUTO industry associations want the Aquino administration to expedite its review of the Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Development Program (CMVDP) so the country can catch up with its Southeast Asian neighbors. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio, who is also Board of Investments (BOI) managing head, said last week said that the government…

Among the natural attractions of the Philippines are its dive sites. Located in the so-called Coral Triangle, our country can lay legitimate claim to being at the “center of the center of marine biodiversity.”

The American ambassador ex-uded his trademark ebullience. “Today’s decision by the MCC Board of Directors, chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, marks a vote of confidence in the Aquino Administration and its commitment to confront corruption,” declared Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. “The MCC grant will support President Aquino’s efforts to reduce poverty, stimulate economic…

A commuter group has called on Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus to speed up the agency’s collection efforts against Metro Rail Transit’s (MRT) private contractors first before coming up with a fare increase on the said mass transit line. Elvira Medina, president of the National Council for Commuter Protection (NCCP), said it would…

Some 100 sugarcane industry stakeholders asked the support of the Department of Agriculture during a recent dialogue in providing the necessary equipment in the mechanization of sugarcane production for both sugar and ethanol. Sugarcane farmers, particularly members of sugar Mill District Development Committees (MDDCs), said that the government should help them acquire tractors, irrigation systems…

MANILA (AFP) – Daybreak is happy hour in a world turned upside down at a trendy bar in the Philippines’ financial district, the clientele young and loud and with a vague California accent.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) said that it has reduced flight frequencies to its several domestic destinations amid the exodus of its pilots and the onset of the so-called lean season in local travel. In a statement over the weekend, PAL said that it had submitted to the Civil Aeronautics Board a list of routes with reduced…

CEBU, Philippines – Could you believe that some farm workers in northern Cebu are paid only P50 in exchange for their eight hours of work per day?

MANILA, Philippines – The real lending rate in the Philippines went up in the second quarter due to the continued decline in the inflation rate amid the steady nominal bank lending rates, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported over the weekend.

MANILA, Philippines – Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) would appear like hit songs going up and down the music chart in the race to the top, but none ever staying long in that slot.

Filipinos can be proud of its strong support to the elderly. Not only do we have a set of laws for senior citizens that are the envy of many developing countries, our family support system remains positive, nurturing and appreciative.

There is no doubt that P-Noy means well for our country. But in a democratic country under the rule of law, extreme care must also be observed in taking steps towards the achievement of the needed and desirable reforms. A President under the system of government like ours really has more powers than most other…

There had been stories told about people who struggled and won against HIV/AIDS. And then, there are people who tell the story of how they continue living with HIV/AIDS. Such is the bittersweet story of “Stephanie” (not her real name) who has been living with HIV for 13 years now.

THE NEWLY APPOINTED head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Joel Villanueva, has ordered an overhaul of the agency’s school accreditation and scholarship program, citing the dismal 20-percent employment rate of Tesda scholars.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has launched a trialog that tackled workplace discrimination, including issues against women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexual (LGBT) workers.

BAGUIO CITY: Persons diagnosed here with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are becoming younger, according to a physician from the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC). Dr. Lorena Santos of BGHMC told reporters on Friday that the youngest person recorded by her unit having HIV is only 18 years old.