Monthly Archives: October 2010

IN line with the new administration’s policy, the medium-term export plan will push the development of higher-value products and services, a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) official said. Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. told a forum last week that the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2011-2013 would focus on the value-added of the country’s export…

Philippine comic books have nurtured talent for international TV and animation blockbusters, but the once-mighty industry is fighting to survive as it comes up against the Internet and other new media. Comic books that dominated the Philippine publishing industry just a couple of decades ago are now largely relegated to photocopied titles sold in a…

THE Philippines along with Pakistan are projected to exceed their historical average economic growth over the next two decades, faster than other Asian countries, according to Asian Development Bank (ADB). In its study titled, “Economic Growth in Asia: Determinants and Prospects,” the Manila-based lender found out that the gross domestic product (GDP) projections for the…

MANILA, Philippines – Building and unveiling the Meralco Sibol School is one of the utility company’s major CSR projects. It is Meralco’s way of nurturing the dreams of children and families and building communities through the power of education. The Sibol School was launched as early as 2005 as a response to the need of…

MANILA, Philippines – Diversifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said it is willing to rehabilitate the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) and join all biddings for the government’s infrastructure projects specifically the ones included in the Private Public Partnership (PPP) list.

MANILA, Philippines – Mindanao-based distribution utilities and electric cooperatives said that the zero brownout that the island is enjoying right now is “only temporary”.

In our previous article, we talked about the race between nations to debase their respective currencies in order to spur domestic economic growth (see Currency War, Oct. 11, 2010). We have shown you how – as a result of these currency wars – the US dollar is losing its value. This has also precipitated a…

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is lukewarm to the proposal of legislators to regulate the interest rates imposed by credit card companies as this could unduly weaken the credit transmission power of monetary policy.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s largest labor group yesterday expressed strong opposition to a proposal to ease the workers’ right to security of tenure just to attract more investments into the country.

As P-Noy and the Catholic Bishops hold their dialogue on the RH bill, the violation of the principle of Church and State will surely be brought up anew. This is one of the mistaken notions persistently raised in this controversy simply because of ignorance as to its real meaning and intent; or because of the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Math whiz kids of the Philippines arrived home Saturday night after winning 19 medals in the 7th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for Primary Schools in Bali last week.

MANILA, Philippines – The head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) yesterday said the government is unlikely to be able to reduce extreme poverty incidence by half by 2015 although the poverty incidence is not likely to rise.

MANILA, Philippines- Credit cards give consumers the advantage of purchasing goods and services without carrying any money since they are a convenient substitute for cash or check.

MANILA, Philippines – Credit card companies extract charges estimated at some P24 billion a month from some 5.7-million cardholders around the country, making far more money than most banks make in extending loans to commercial borrowers.

Credit cards, we use them for the majority of the more spendy items we choose to buy. They work great for people who cannot pay right on the dime and are fully aware they will have the money at the date the amount is due. Sometimes we can make mistakes when we do not fully…

HA NOI — The 6th ASEAN People’s Forum (APF-6) wrapped up yesterday with a joint statement pledging to support the ASEAN Charter and the building of an ASEAN community.

MANILA, Philippines—The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights is preparing the drafting of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) for its next meeting in November in Thailand, it was learned.

How to tell when credit cards are out of control Credit cards are one of the easiest ways to borrow money, and this can be a problem. There are many related horror stories, and there is a real danger that credit card debt can grow faster than the borrower’s capacity to deal with it. But…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Prepared by John Kiff, Allison Holland, Michael Kisser, Sylwia Nowak,Samer Saab, Liliana Schumacher, Han van der Hoorn, and Ann-Margret Westin Key Points · Sovereign credit ratings have inadvertently contributed to financial instability. This is because ratings are embedded in various rules, regulations and triggers, so that downgrades can lead to destabilizing knock-on and spillover effects…

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The Tampakan environment office has sounded the alarm on the rising mercury content of the Pula Bato River, which could put in danger the health and safety of residents.

A BETTER Christmas this year; but with a fewer number of employed people.
That’s what economist Victor Abola predicted on Thursday, as he presented the Dun&Bradstreet Inc. business optimism index (BOI) showing a positive outlook for the fourth quarter by 260 companies.

MANILA, Philippines—In her jumbled English, 13-year-old Stella Mae Santos wrote her wish to the government: “I want to the poor people to have and dress and school requirements and money so that they have for buying foods.”

WASHINGTON—With the number of hungry people growing to more than a billion last year, the world is “nowhere near” reaching the objectives outlined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the latest Global Hunger Index (GHI) released last week.

MANILA, Philippines—The government should proceed with the expansion of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program but with due caution, a government think-tank said in a news release.

WILL two more years added to basic education equip high school students with skills to enter the world of work and or pursue a college degree?

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) sees substantive infirmities in the provisions of House Bill (HB) 6342. COMP pointed these out in a formal submission to the House of Representatives.

The Alternative Mining Bill (AMB), a.k.a. House Bill (HB) 6342, or the Philippine Mineral Resources Act of 2009, is a proposed policy to scrap the Mining Act of 1995 and introduce a new mining policy, which is anchored on land and natural resources management and human rights-based approach. The bill aims to regulate the rational…

The Philippines is considered the fifth richest mineral resources in the world with a mineral wealth worth more than $840 billion—equivalent to at least 10 times its annual gross domestic product (GDP) and more than 15 times its total foreign debt—remained untapped. Government data show the country to have substantial mineral deposits including copper, gold,…

IF House Bill (HB) 6342 is passed, all mining activities could halt. Is it the Aquino administration’s wish for Congress to pass the Alternative Mining Bill, or House Bill 6342? The bill, which is offered by its authors to replace the existing Mining Act of 1995, contains a provision that calls for a moratorium on…