Monthly Archives: January 2011

CEBU, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress Party expressed its vehement objection to the start of the wholesale Electricity Spot Market in the Visayas on December 26 last year.

Last of Two Parts MANILA, Philippines – The harsh realities of our tangled Philippine situation are starting to become more starkly pronounced, and with greater urgency for their resolution is emerging in the corridors of public opinion. Elected leaders — numero uno of whom is, inescapably, the President of the Republic — are expected by…

MANILA, Philippines–Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has rejected proposals that would exempt large-scale investors from complying with labor laws and standards, including minimum wages for workers.

MANILA, Philippines—In the power sector, non-oil sources of energy will account for 70 percent or more of power generation, especially geothermal, natural gas, coal, biomass, hydro, wind, and solar.

Net inflow of foreign portfolio investments or ‘hot money’ stood at $4.52 billion two weeks before 2010 ended – almost a dozen times larger than the $388.02 billion in the same period in 2009, said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Uncertainty of economic survival after losing one’s job is the underlying reason why the government opted to adopt stringent laws on job security, or “security of tenure” as we know it here. The Constitution clearly guarantees that, and so does the Labor Code.

MANILA, Philippines – The Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations (FASA) remains cautiously optimistic on the shipping industry despite its recovery in 2010.

Sec. de Lima should reverse dismissal call, says PAO head DESPITE supposed lack of civil-service eligibility, according to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta and her deputies can stay at their posts and they need not even take the Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) examinations.

Next week is already the Sinulog Week for Cebu (how time flies, indeed) and I asked Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to be my special guest on our talk show “Straight from the Sky” so we did the taping in the new mayor’s office in Cebu City, which is now located at the ground floor…

RP’s neglected nutrition security problem Millions of children throughout Southeast and South Asia are not getting the nutrition they need for proper physical and mental development during childhood or to maximize their productivity as adults. To help fight this, the European Union has just announced a 20 million euros grant to Unicef to tackle undernutrition…

THE Makati Business Club (MBC) on Friday lauded the government for Moody’s improved rating outlook on the Philippines and the completion of the country’s second global peso bond sale, saying these developments reflect renewed confidence in the economy.

With the rapid technological advances seen in recent years, Sen. Edgardo Angara urged the government to integrate computer lessons into the basic curriculum of all public and private schools.

The Philippines yesterday reiterated that the government-enforced ban in Lebanon will not be lifted until the working conditions for Filipinos in the Middle East state is improved.

The Philippines got a $4.97-million World Bank grant to help farmers cope with the effects of climate change, the multilateral lender said in a statement released on Friday.

WASHINGTON – The US economy may finally be hitting its stride even if growth remains too weak to put a real dent in the nation’s jobless rate, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday.

A Philippine-sponsored resolution pushing for interfaith dialogue towards global peace and development has been adopted by the United Nations (UN). The Philippine mission to the UN said that the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to spur global efforts for comprehensive peace and development.

MANILA, Philippines –  Workers in Metro Manila and other regions are unlikely to get a salary increase anytime soon despite the expected rise in transport fares and other commodities.

MANILA, Philippines –  Communist rebels want issues on the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), human rights and political prisoners tackled during preliminary talks with the government in Norway this month.

MANILA, Philippines –  Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima bared yesterday that the administration of President Aquino is contemplating on privatizing the headquarters of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Quezon City to further pump prime the economy.

MANILA, Philippines –  President Aquino assured Filipinos of a “better life” this year under his administration, notwithstanding the challenges and uncertainties faced by the nation.

MANILA, Philippines –  President Aquino is set to convene his entire Cabinet on Monday to discuss which of the 188 pieces of legislation submitted by officials and foreign business groups would comprise his administration’s priority programs.

MANILA, Philippines –  Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman yesterday expressed support for the Reproductive Health Bill.

JAKARTA (Xinhua) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made great contribution not only to the regional order, but also international cooperation, an Indonesian envoy said on Thursday.

JAKARTA, Jan 6 (Bernama) — Indonesia Thursday said it was promoting a people-centred Asean during its chairmanship of the regional association this year.

VIGAN CITY, Philippines — Minimum wage workers in the private sector in Region 1 will receive an increase of between P5 and P8 in their daily basic wage after the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-I approved Wage Order No. RB1-14.

The Philippines Contact Center for the past two years is practically recession-proof industry and is emerging as one of the most important contributors to its economy. In 2008, output of the outsourcing industry increased to S$ 6.1 billion from US$ 4.5 billion in the preceding year. Overall, the BPO sector accounted for 3.5 percent of…

January 7, 2011 press release prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Gilberto G.B. Asuque met ranking officials of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) to discuss the protective measures for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) under Republic Act (RA) 10022, otherwise known as the Amendatory Law on the Magna Carta for Migrant…

Filipino young trade union leaders demand decent work “We should not spend a lifetime dreaming of decent work, we should go out and work for it,” young trade union leaders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, called for targeted, responsive and increased investment on decent employment and genuine participation of youth in decision-making processes. The program,…

(This blog was originally published on The Asia Foundation’s blog, In Asia. Reposted with permission.) New Year in the Philippines comes in literally with a bang – with vigorous fireworks (derived from Chinese traditions) reaching a crescendo at midnight. While each year the media dutifully record the toll of injuries, Filipinos love the boisterous noise…

CAVITE, Philippines – Officials in Cavite are strengthening their battle against HIV-AIDS by boosting the protection and awareness program following a report from the Department of Health (DoH) that the prevalence of the disease is high in the province.