Monthly Archives: August 2010

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Department of Health (DOH) rejected yesterday the proposal of a New York-based human rights group that abortion should be decriminalize in the Philippines to prevent desperate pregnant women from undergoing “unsafe abortions.”

MANILA, Philippines – Five in 10 Filipinos expect their lives to get better next year, a latest survey by Pulse Asia showed. Another survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations, showed that four in 10 Filipinos said providing livelihood programs and jobs as well as monitoring the prices of basic commodities are the primary issues…

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the Palace’s acknowledgement of Chief Justice Corona’s appointment by the previous Arroyo administration, her other last minute appointees to the judiciary may not be as lucky.

MANILA, Philippines – The government yesterday decided to pull out from mediation talks between flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) and its pilots, declaring that “the worst is over.”

PLANNED FARE HIKES for Metro Manila’s three light rail systems could take effect next month, the Transportation department yesterday said.

MANILA, Philippines – Less regular mealtimes and high consumption of caffeinated drinks and fast food characterize the diet of workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, a study by the University of the Philippines (UP) Population Institute revealed.

As a manager, the one refrain you don’t want to hear is, “It’s not my job.” If something is asked of you and it is either outside of your skill set or you really don’t have the time to do a bang-up job of it, then it’s okay to tactfully explain that to your boss.…

Despite a labor dispute that threatens to erupt into a crippling strike, the country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will still proceed with plans to close down three departments and outsource “non-core” positions, a spokesperson said.

The government’s 15-year strategy on slum eradication and urban upgrading in the National Capital Region failed to take off because it lacked the political will to take on the problem, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Senator Ralph Recto on Wednesday sought a probe on plans to hike the fares in Metro Rail Transit 3 and in the routes of the Light Rail Transit.

Some three years back, an engineer I knew sat me down at a small cafe at the place where I worked at the time, ordered popcorn, and told me he was going to give me an “important talk”. Advice of the unsolicited sort—actually, any kind of information—intrigues me.  So I sat and waited for the…

Pardon the pun, but the title of this column actually stems from an E-mail I received from a good friend, who works at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. No, no, it’s not a reaction to my column yesterday about the BSP and the Monetary Board’s penchant for importing banknotes despite the presence of the Security…

Wage boards have approved an increase in the minimum daily pay in four Mindanao regions, with workers in Davao provinces getting an extra P21 per day.

Seven workers of the Government Service Insurance System have been cleared of administrative charges for initiating a “red-shirt” protest within the premises of the agency five years ago.

The Commission on Elections expects to add 1.5 million new voters to its list during the 10-day listing period in connection with the barangay elections in October.

PHILIPPINE Airlines’ pilots are seeking a 10-percent increase in their pay to make them stop looking for better-paying jobs abroad, the head of a pilots’ union said Wednesday.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has fired more than 970 government officials appointed by his predecessor, saying their taking office violated a constitutional ban on new appointments during the election period that began on March 10.

PRESIDENT Aquino’s family has reached a settlement under which farmers in its Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) will be given the option to retain shares of stock in the corporation or secure parcels of land from a third of the 6,500 hectare plantation up for distribution, an HLI source said.

About 30 people were hurt Wednesday when armed men allegedly fired shots to disperse a group of protesting farmers in a ranch in Bukidnon, an official of a volunteer group assisting the farmers said.

Over 60 groups have joined the Philippine support program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Stops payment for P39M ‘ghost deliveries’ MANILA, Philippines—The new head of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has cancelled the bidding for P79 million worth of “irregular” purchases and stopped payment for remaining P39 million payables for an “irregular project, including ghost deliveries.”

MANILA, Philippines—After recent consultations with its tripartite partners, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is proposing the adoption of a two-tiered system of wage determination to do away with the negative effects of the current system of minimum wage setting.

THE COUNTRY’S total and per capita health spending grew in 2005-2007, but at a slowing pace in terms of both current and constant prices, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said in a statement yesterday.

A BUSINESSMAN on Wednesday asked the Ombudsman to immediately suspend three officials of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) for alleged partiality and conflict of interest in violation of Section 13 of Republic Act 3019, otherwise known as the Antigraft and Corrupt Practices Act.

PLANS TO unleash Mindanao’s development potentials will require economic and financial integration of its growth hubs with its less developed peripheries, as well as with key economic centers in Luzon and the Visayas and with select foreign markets, a study of the World Bank and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) said.

MANILA, Philippines – With renewed hope and optimism under the new Aquino government, fewer Filipinos now want to migrate to another country and live there, according to a new survey by Pulse Asia conducted early July.

“ACCESS [to electricity] is not just the ability to connect or access to service itself, as it also includes a pricing context. It is not accessible if it is too expensive.”

The government conceded yesterday problems deeper than what has been initially perceived may prolong the ongoing dispute between the management of flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) and 25 of its resigned pilots as Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the arbitration efforts of the government are not expected to produce results within the week.

THE ban for travel and labor deployment in Iraq “remains” even as various overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) groups call for the lifting of the ban because of the possibility of losing their jobs, an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. Esteban Conejos Jr., Foreign Affairs department undersecretary for migrant affairs, said…

MANILA, Philippines – This has reference to the column of Mr. Jarius Bondoc (Gotcha) entitled “How the budget racket operates” which appeared in the July 30 issue of The Philippine STAR.