Monthly Archives: September 2010

A RECENT survey conducted by the European Union has shown the need for further education and training on human rights from the ranks of the military.

MELBOURNE, Australia—Civil society representatives from more than 70 countries wrapped up a UN forum Wednesday with an urgent call to action to improve the health of millions of people worldwide and step up efforts to achieve the globally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

MANILA, Philippines—In Valenzuela City early this year, fourth graders were given a Math quiz in Filipino while sixth graders took the same quiz in English. Who fared better? Surprise, surprise: The fourth graders who had taken the quiz in Filipino scored higher marks.

P.Noy’s commitment to extend the basic education cycle from 10 to 12 years has provoked adverse comments from activist groups, self-proclaimed “pro-poor” politicians, media commentators, and even some academics. It is time to step back and set the premises upon which people of goodwill can base the search for common ground.

MANILA, Philippines – A senior member of the British Parliament has taken important steps to further improve the working condition of Filipino nurses in the country.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The Aug. 23 botched hostage rescue operation that left at least eight Hong Kong Chinese tourists dead, with eight injured, and more traumatized by the incident, has cast a “very dark cloud” over the image of the Philippines in the eyes of the international community, a European Union (EU) official yesterday said.

Every Congress opening, the RH bill is re-filed and its proponents and supporters always come out with statements that it will surely be enacted into law this time around because more and more legislators are supporting it, particularly the leadership in both Houses. Yet at the closing of every Congress, said bill still remains un-enacted.…

The alleged human rights violations committed during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not be the priority of the new chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights. Newly-installed CHR chief Loretta Ann Rosales said she will let critics of the previous administration file the charges, which they deem necessary. “The CHR is an…

MANILA, Philippines – Aside from pilots, the country is suffering from a severe shortage of highly skilled information and communication technology (ICT) workers.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said yesterday that they will be going after industries that have cartel-like operations to bring down the prices of goods and protect consumers.

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved yesterday a $400-million loan for the Philippines to support the expansion of its conditional cash transfer program known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

As of July 2010, the Philippines is the 12th most populated nation in the world with an estimate of 99,900,177 next to Mexico, according to the CIA World Factbook.

MANILA, Philippines- The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is another one of the Aquino government’s band-aid solution to widespread poverty and hunger in the country. It is a symptom of the many problems of the Filipino workers and people, among which are the high cost of education and health services. It also shows that the real…

MANILA, Philippines—Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez is seeking the abolition of at least 36 “underperforming” government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and government financial institutions (GFIs).

MANILA, Philippines—Former top officials of the Social Security System (SSS) received not only per diem allowances and directors’ fees but also millions of pesos in profit share from a private bank where the pension fund has a substantial investment, the Senate finance committee Wednesday said.

Employment effects of the recent global economic crisis have differed significantly across countries. An active public debate currently focuses on external shocks and the role of labor market policies as a driver of those differences. In this note, we analyze the roles of integration into the global economy and different labor market institutions during different…

The government needs to place more importance in the role of research to successfully implement programs and projects that would alleviate poverty. This was emphasized in a press conference of the Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) held yesterday to highlight the issues related to poverty reduction.

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Enrique Ona has expressed support for a provision in the reproductive health bill that calls for giving couples access to information on all forms of contraception and the right to choose which of these contraceptive methods would be most appropriate for them.

MANILA, Philippines – Couples should be free to choose modern family planning methods such as condoms and other artificial means to prevent pregnancies, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona said on Wednesday.

(Editor’s note: Without appropriate control by legislation more deaths from accidents will follow as noted by the author.) The death of five more PUB passengers in Pagbilao, Quezon, won’t be the last in the remaining months of 2010. We have hundreds of unexamined, untouched, and uninspected PU buses/jeepneys all over RP.

MANILA, September 2, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Philippine government is implementing a new marketing scheme developed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to push contraceptives on the largely Catholic population of the country.

The Cagayan de Oro (CDO) archdiocese in Mindanao has launched two books on natural family planning (NFP). CDO Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said this is part of the Catholic church’s promotion of NFP as an alternative to the artificial contraceptive methods.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is pushing for intensified language training for Japan-bound nurses and caregivers to give them a better chance of passing the difficult licensure examinations there.

BEIJING — Reports about labor shortages, wage disputes, and wage increases for migrant workers in China have abounded of late. They naturally raised concerns, or expectations, that China’s labor-cost advantages may be disappearing.

WEAK targeting systems that result in significant leakages in government antipoverty programs, as well as high inflation and the recent crises, are likely to worsen the country’s poverty situation, according to an expert from the state-owned think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). The situation is leading to rising numbers in the so-called transient…

Freedom House: When we weaken unions, we weaken the entire democratic fabric MANILA, Philippines—Communist-run nations around the world have been striking down workers’ rights and repressing labor unions, an international human rights watchdog revealed.

AT the current pace of progress in the country’s aim to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said there are more than 10 indicators and targets that will not be met in five years.

President Aquino’s economic team yesterday earned the ire of opposition lawmakers as Budget Secretary Florencio Abad tried to hide a big portion of the 2011 national budget from congressional scrutiny.

ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has resumed the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project or PEEP which aims to eliminate the use of incandescent bulbs and switch to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) as part of its National Residential Lighting Program. As many as 68 million incandescent bulbs are believed being used in the country today,…