Monthly Archives: February 2011

Nairobi/Brussels, 21 February 2011 (ITUC OnLine): – A green economy can mean higher overall employment and better jobs, and is not just a luxury for wealthy countries, reveals the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in its Green Economy report released today. Supported by concrete examples from around the world, and a thorough macroeconomic analysis, the report…

PARIS—World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned leaders of the top global economies Saturday that the world is reaching a danger point where soaring food prices threaten further political instability.

THE PHILIPPINES should be wary of proposals exempting poor countries from cutting their fishery subsidies at the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) talks if it wants to secure global stocks, international advocacy group Oceana said last week.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) believes it has a better chance of passing its proposed “Save our Industries Act” bill, which has been refiled in the US Congress recently, as the new bill presents a more comprehensive strategy to justify its passage.

A lawmaker has urged the country’s banks to open hedging facilities that would enable overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families to convert their US dollar remittances into pesos at pre-set exchange rates.

Mindanao may suffer from power outages should some power facilities in the region break down, the Energy Department said Sunday.

Nurse Salva (not his real name) is harried and hungry as he inspects a patient’s intravenous line in the surgical ward of a government hospital in Quezon City. It is almost 10 a.m. and doctors are winding up their rounds. He has been up since 4 a.m. but his exacting eight-hour work shift rarely gives…

New Delhi/Patna, 3/2/2011: Addressing a press conference at Indian Women’s Press Corps, Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar said, “We have not given permission to the asbestos factory.

MANILA, Philippines – Investment bank Barclays Capital expects the strong growth in the amount of money sent home by Filipinos abroad to be sustained this year on the back of the steady demand for skilled workers as well as the continued recovery of the global economy.

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations agency that promotes the integration of developing countries into the world economy called for cheaper ways for migrant workers to send money back home and maximize its economic impact.

CATARMAN, Northern Samar ,Philippines  – Siblings Danhill and May-ann Donoga have long acquired their licenses as nurses but jobs have been elusive for both of them.

MANILA, Philippines – Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje has directed all regional directors of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB) to refrain from accepting and processing new mining applications.

2011 is the International Year of Forests. Foresters the world over should be rejoicing that the global community is recognizing the importance of the world’s forests and what they can give us, but the Philippine professional foresters are united in their stand against the total log ban (25 years in the Senate Bill proposed by…

How do I describe the times? I say, this generation is a time-starved generation where every single precious minute has to be carefully planned or people will fall into the “lack-of-time” sickness trap. There’s just too many things that need to be done, but with so little time available.

MANILA, Philippines –  A women’s group yesterday decried reports that certain parishes have imposed “communion” ban on Reproductive Health (RH) bill advocates.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—The human rights group Migrante-Middle East slammed the Philippine embassy on Wednesday for advising a Filipino worker to amicably settle a rape charge she filed against her manager.

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES, including delayed bidding, weak local government participation and policy flip-flops, reduced the use of aid from foreign donors last year, according to an annual report the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) released yesterday.

AS MANY AS 29 electricity cooperatives could be taken over by the government due to overdue obligations or risk being cut off from their power sources, officials of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) have warned.

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – A local Catholic parish drafted a statement that they will refuse communion to parishioners who support a controversial reproductive health bill in Congress until they renounce the bill.

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has obtained about $20.4 million (about P890 million) in grants from the Global Fund to boost its not-so successful campaign to halt the spread of the dreaded HIV-AIDS disease.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is lagging behind other Asean countries in forging free trade agreements (FTAs) with total of 12, while Vietnam, Brunei and Indonesia have 14, 14 and 17, respectively.

MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila rose 16 spots last year to become the 59th most expensive city in the world for expatriates after an economic rebound and a stronger peso made leases more costly, consultancy firm ECA said in its annual Accommodation Report.

The debates on whether to amend the 1987 Constitution are expected to start in the Senate soon, after majority of constitutional law experts supported a revived move for Charter change (Cha-cha).

A 44-year-old Malabon City housemaid has filed a complaint against her former Chinese employer and two others who were allegedly responsible for her 11-day detention at the police station over a crime which she did not commit.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said government investigators have been tasked to go after recruiters for employment abroad who are being used as fronts for transnational criminal syndicates which use Filipino workers a drug couriers.

AUTOMOTIVE production in the Philippines jumped by more than a fourth last year, although the domestic output was lower than in other Asean countries, industry data showed.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday warned prospective overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and OFWs already deployed abroad, not to accept offers or requests from individuals or groups to carry luggage for them during their travel as it may contain substance such as illegal drugs.

MANILA, Philippines (PNA) -– The debates on whether or not to change the 1987 Constitution is expected to start in the Senate soon after majority of the majority of constitutional law experts supported a revived move for Charter change.

A US-BASED intellectual property alliance has asked the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to place the Philippines in the Priority Watch List of piracy hot spots.

MANILA, Philippines – The business community cautioned Congress yesterday against the “disastrous” effects of granting a legislated wage increase for all workers nationwide.