Monthly Archives: February 2011

Takeaway: Deb Shinder takes a closer look at cybercrime trends to explain why it is seeing double-digit growth and what is being done to counteract this expanding industry.

The non-performing loan ratio of universal and commercial banks to total credits fell to 2.96 percent in December, the first time it dropped below 3 percent in 13 years, Bangko Sentral said Friday.

MANILA, Philippines – A survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that more and more companies are planning to expand their operations and hire more workers in the Philippines this year after the country posted its strongest economic growth in 34 years last year.

MANILA, Philippines – In a bid to spur investments in less developed regions in the country, the national government is looking at creating an ecozones for local enterprises that will exempt locators from paying business tax.

Remember when the Philippines was No. 1 in Asia and our Asian neighbors could only look on in envy and learn from us? That golden age can be ours again if we just learn to value excellence, according to a licensed clinical psychologist.

More views against the RH bill are pouring in. Apparently they have not been considered by the Lower House Committee before the bill was endorsed to the entire body for approval in the plenary session. Hence for the enlightenment of our legislators and the entire citizenry, presented here are some more of these views, one…

MANILA, Philippines – Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo David Jr. urged yesterday Congress to find funds to finance the unpaid pension benefits of retired soldiers.

Standing along the Mekong riverbank in Vientiane, Laotians can clearly see Thailand’s blistering prosperity compared to their own, with high-rise apartment buildings coupled with concrete housing standing along the river on the other side.

The outsourcing industry is ever volatile and can be subject to the political and economic whims that threaten a country. While sometimes unrest in a country may have little effect on a call center services outsourcing hub, as when unrest in the Philippines made headlines last year and its current state now, it can also…

ANILA, Philippines – The reproductive health bill has caused major uproar from many citizens in the country, especially those who believe that it goes against religion.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s trade deficit narrowed last year as exports rose faster than imports, the National Statistics Office reported on Friday.

LUIS Calingo Jr recalled how he almost got himself kicked out of engineering school at the University of the Philippines. Enjoying his first wind of freedom, cutting classes to join demonstrations and hanging out with his fraternity brods, his grades plummeted and he lost his scholarship. The timely intervention of a fatherly professor, who pulled…

GLOBAL WARNING TO ‘green the MTPDP’ in an open letter Dear President Aquino: It is our interest to support your administration in its pursuit for reforms particularly in light of your social contract with the Filipino people. We see the utmost importance of a well-crafted Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP 2011-2016) in clearly defining…

The Philippines is known for having the most expensive electricity in Asia, second only to Japan. Yet our per capita consumption of electricity is less than a fifth of Japan’s, and our per capita income much lower—a mere 4.4 percent.

A conference of vital importance to Filipino households and the entire economy was held January 22 to 25 in San Mateo, Rizal, on the theme “Unmasking the true costs of electricity in the Philippines.” Organized by consumer groups under the umbrellas of the Freedom from Debt Coalition and the Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc.,…

June 2011 marks the tenth year of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or Epira. This Asian Development Bank-sponsored project had two categorical promises to the Filipino consumers—reliability of power supply and lower electricity rates.

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union is awaiting the Philippines’ official confirmation on its expression of interest to engage in serious negotiation for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy is projected to expand by five percent in 2011 with the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry expected to play an important role, according to the World Bank.

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union’s new ambassador is urging the local media to highlight positive news even as he acknowledges the importance of exposing unsavory developments in the country, particularly in government.

President Benigno Aquino III has named three business tycoons as members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation—Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC). The appointments of Teresita Sy-Coson of the SM Investment Corporation, Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company, and Jay Yuvallos of the furniture manufacturing and exportation business in Cebu was…

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – Some 134 Filipinos are now out of Libya and on their way home while 13,000 more will be repatriated in light of escalating tensions in the North African state, the Department of Foreign Affairs said today.

The number of credit cards in use in the Philippines rose to 6.5 million as of February this year, prompting Bangko Sentral to respond to growing complaints against abuses in the use of these cards.

Philippine imports surged 26.9 percent in 2010 from a year earlier on strong demand from local manufacturers of electronic inputs, raw materials and other intermediate goods, government data show Friday.

Karl Marx was correct in his observation that ownership is indivisible to one’s interest. Thus, if the capitalists have their interest on their capital to freely use it to create wealth, the same is true to the workers on their right to sell their labor to determine how much their services would cost in the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Muntinlupa City council has remanded an Ayala Alabang ordinance banning sex education and the sale of contraceptives back to the barangay council after finding some of its provisions contrary to existing national laws, an official said yesterday.

CATHOLIC residents of Ayala Alabang have passed a village ordinance banning sex education, condoms, pills and other birth control devices in their posh subdivision, triggering a constitutional challenge from their equally rich but more famous neighbors such as former President Fidel Ramos, Senator Pia Cayetano, former Health secretary Esperanza Cabral, and Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon.

A BILL backed by the Liberal Party has been filed to “democratize the power of the purse” by giving civil society groups equal footing with lawmakers in crafting the national budget.

After Tuesday’s 20,000-strong march in Bacolod City opposing the passage of the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill, Church and pro-life groups are gearing up to hold more street protests this weekend in the Eastern Visayas cities of Tacloban and Ormoc.

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa City is now requiring people who buy condoms to present a doctor’s prescription.

Five government agencies have set up special windows to expedite the processing of documents and requirements for the visa of Taiwan-bound Filipino workers amid the rift between Manila and Taipei.