Monthly Archives: September 2010

MANILA, Philippines—A crisis involving the pension fund of military and police personnel is looming, with the government facing the prospect of forking out more money for the retirement benefits of soldiers and policemen than for the salaries of their comrades in active service.

I am back after a short absence, since I have retired from teaching and I am now working for an international development organization. I would like to publicize Ang Ladlad’s stand on separate toilets, an ordinance filed by a Provincial Board Member in Cebu.

THE FLIGHT Attendants and Stewards Association (FASAP) of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) has filed a notice of strike against the money-losing flag carrier because the airline refused to give in to their demands for more benefits. PAL has been losing heavily, as do most airlines—with the exception of some Middle Eastern airlines that are heavily…

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance is pushing the recall of the value-added tax exemption for senior citizens and suggesting that this be replaced by an increase in their discount on purchases to 30 percent from 20 percent.

POLICIES to lower the costs of parts and production are being considered by the government in a bid to entice more car assemblers into exporting, officials last week said.

Much media space and Congress energies have been devoted to the scandalously high compensation provided by the Arroyo administration to its officials in some GOCCs, especially for those in corporations perceived to have performed poorly like the SONA-mention-worthy MWSS.

THERE are 9 million Filipinos of the 67 million, or about 13 percent, who can only read and write but can’t make out the difference between prices of goods. They are called basically literate. The other 58 million, or 87 percent, can read and write and comprehend ideas as well. In other words, they are…

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday that downside risks to global recovery have intensified due to recent turbulence in sovereign debt markets and continued financial sector weakness.

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has completed its migration to the HP-Oracle database system from its former system supplied by an international computer giant that crashed frequently.

An alliance of trade unions over the weekend urged the Aquino administration to reconsider its proposal to raise Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) fares starting October, calling the move “harsh and unfair to minimum wage earners and other workers with fixed salaries.” “We consider the contemplated fare increases unreasonable and unnecessary,…

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu Contractors Association, Inc. (CCA) is calling on the government to act against the widespread existence of sub-standard construction materials in the market as it can negatively affect the growth of the industry.

THE number of functionally literate Filipinos rose in 2008, particularly with higher level of education, the government said. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO) survey, 58 million of the estimated 67 million Filipinos 10 to 64 years old are functionally literate. A functionally literate person is one who can read, write and compute, or…

MANILA, Philippines – A former military general tagged in the controversial “Hello, Garci” scandal and a relative of the alleged errand boy of the husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are among the top earners of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) listed by the Commission on Audit (COA) in its report in 2009.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Economists peddling dire warnings that the world’s number one economy is on the brink of collapse, amid high rates of unemployment and a spiraling public deficit, are flourishing here.

MANILA, Philippines – Net inflow of foreign portfolio investments surged by 385 percent in the first eight months of the year as more investors pumped in more money into the local government securities and equities markets in light of the stronger-than-expected economic rebound in the first half of the year, data released by the Bangko…

Recto says $400M can be invested in RP The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) should not invest an additional $400 million overseas after its initial investment of $600 million yielded a “mediocre” return on investment (ROI) of only 7 percent pegged in pesos and not in dollars, Sen. Ralph Recto said Sunday. He said that…

MANILA, Philippines – Countries including the Philippines are expected to gear up for new development goals, dubbed as Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Plus during the upcoming United Nations Review Summit on MDGs on Sept. 21, said UN resident coordinator in the Philippines Jacqui Badcock.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has decided to partner with a private firm in its effort to rid the country of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances.

The global economy faces increased risk to its recovery as growth slows in the US and China, and Japan battles the yen’s appreciation, South Korean Finance Minister Yoon Jeung Hyun said.

MANILA, Philippines – As Germany expands its labor market, it will keep its doors open to highly qualified migrants but strictly enforce the law on low-skilled labor illegally crossing its borders, sounding off a fair warning to migrants, including Filipinos. “If you are highly qualified, Germany wants you, especially in the healthcare and technology sector.

It seems the judiciary is in an affirmative action mode lately. Not only is it determined to protect the people from extrajudicial killings and disappearances though the issuance of a writ of amparo and a writ of habeas data, or interested in arresting the degradation of the environment through the issuance of a writ of…

MANILA, Philippines – In many countries, terminated employees are suing their former employers.  They cite laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, physical handicap, sex, age or union activity.  The aggrieved employee can win the court battle, be reinstated, receives back pay and sometimes damages for emotional injury.

City of malolos—the fireworks industry in Bulacan is now revving up for the big demand of its products for the coming New Year’s Day celebration and most of its manufacturers and dealers have started their daily operations.

FILIPINO workers of transnational corporations (TNCs) share the fate of fellow TNC workers in five other countries, a study by insurance firm MetLife Inc. subsidiary revealed. “General access to affordable health care, the prevalence of chronic disease, and a growing aging labor force are all factors that today’s multinational employers must consider as they develop…

Recruiters have expressed concern over reports that several overseas Filipino workers bound for Hong Kong have been canceling their employment contracts following the August 23 hostage tragedy in Manila where eight tourists from the Chinese region were killed.

In a sudden reversal of fortune, the former ruling Lakas-Kampi coalition of the past decades has become the minority in the House of Representatives almost immediately upon the ascension to the presidency the Liberal Party’s President Benigno Aquino 3rd. His hold on the lower chamber of Congress is being facilitated by former Mayor Feliciano “Sonny”…

SPEAKER Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. always topped the list of outstanding congressmen when he was a member of the House in the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Congress. And this is not his first time to be head of the House.

The House of Representatives of the Fifteenth Congress is proving to be, in the two months and two weeks that it has been in existence, more democratic than the House of the Fourteenth Congress and less disturbed by factionalism than the Palace.

MANILA, Philippines – Insular Life Assurance Corp. said the growing optimism in the Philippine economy is boosting the sales forecast of the country’s life insurers. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by an impressive 7.9 percent in the first six months of 2010, with the life insurance industry posting strong growth.

Getting fired from one’s job is one of the most traumatic circumstances any employee can ever experience. No doubt. it is extremely painful and a blow to one’s ego. It causes uncertainty, depression, anger, feelings of inadequacy and momentary fear of the future.