Monthly Archives: March 2011

MANILA, Philippines – House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II on Tuesday assured that the Reproductive Health (RH) bill is a priority measure of the House of Representatives.

HIV infections in the Philippines are “increasing at an alarming rate” especially among adolescents and this has been attributed to their increasing use of social media, according to the latest report of the Department of Health (DOH).

MANILA, 8 March 2011 (PlusNews) – Newly reported HIV infections among young people have increased 10-fold in the past three years in the Philippines, one of only seven countries worldwide where overall infections continue to climb, according to the government.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The debate between natural and organic products has risen in recent years with the increased popularity of organic products.

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MANILA, Philippines – New York-based think-tank Global Source Partners warned that the full-year inflation target of between three percent and five percent set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for this year could be breached due to the continued rise in global oil and food prices.

MANILA, Philippines – The government sold P10.3 billion worth of 91, 182 and 364-day Treasury bills (T-bills) in an auction yesterday as investors scrambled for government debt papers.

MANILA, Philippines – The government incurred a budget deficit of P314.4 billion in 2010, P4.4 billion higher than the preliminary figure of P310 billion, mainly because of higher spending, the Department of Finance (DOF) announced yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The United States Trade Representative (USTR) office is doubtful that the Save the Industries Act, the bill touted to save the ailing Philippine garments industry, will be passed because the Philippines has labor and intellectual property rights issues, the Board of Investments (BOI) said.

THE Philippines’ world ranking on competitiveness in the travel and tourism industry fell eight notches this year mostly because of concern on safety and security, according to a World Economic Forum (WEF) study released on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is pushing for the passage of a measure that would consolidate and rationalize investment incentives to promote investments and growth.

Edgar Yu of Bagong Pilipino, a concerned consumer, sent us an e-mail hoping to enlighten readers on the “much-hyped and pushed CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) that are very dangerous to health but they are not saying.”

CREDIT RATES: Concerned consumers, meanwhile, are asking the House committee on banks and financial institutions to focus on making the terms more equitable for credit cardholders reeling from high prices and costly credit.

MANILA, Philippines – The government will not impose price controls despite the rise in the prices of basic commodities.

Year 2011 is fraught with immense challenges to the Aquino administration amid developments unfolding in the global landscape and the industrial relations area. Employers, for their part, are hounded by various issues that pose challenges to Philippine businesses. Some of the major concerns of employers are job creation, labor law reforms and greening businesses.

While we were not looking, a future epidemic was fast developing and threatening lives, especially of the adolescents. A recent report released by the National Epidemioloy Center reveals that HIV, or what is better known as auto-immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS, has increased tenfold in the last four years. In 2006 only 44 Filipinos were…

Brussels, 7 March 2011 (ITUC OnLine): Women are facing higher unemployment, underemployment  and reduced working hours as a second wave of the global economic crisis impacts female employment, reveals a new report issued by the ITUC today, International Women’s Day.  The report, “Living With Economic Insecurity: Women in Precarious Work” http://www.ituc-csi.org/living-with-economic-insecurity.html  shows that while the…

CEBU, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) will file a petition before the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board tomorrow for a P100 across-the-board wage increase in the Visayas.

MANILA, Philippines – Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has filed for a P75 across-the-board wage increase in Metro Manila, citing the string of increases in oil and food prices as well as utility rates and fares.

THE purpose of Philippine Foreign Policy is to secure the national interest in our dealings with foreign nations, regional organizations and international bodies. This has been done through its three long-established pillars, namely: 1) promoting national security; 2) enhancing economic diplomacy; and 3) protecting the rights and welfare of Filipinos overseas. In terms of a…

MANILA, Philippines – Unrest is hounding Philippine Airlines anew after its employees on Monday filed a formal notice to go on strike due to management’s refusal to bargain.

THE PHILIPPINES remains near the bottom of a list of areas rated yearly on having policies conducive to mining investments.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is looking at removing from the Board of Investments (BOI) the power to grant incentives and instead give this right solely to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

WASHINGTON – Employers hired in February at the fastest pace in almost a year and the unemployment rate fell to 8.9 percent – a nearly two-year low.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines emerged as the world’s fourth biggest recipient of remittances in 2010, behind India, China and Mexico, according to a report released recently by the World Bank (WB).

The Department of Energy (DoE), true to form of its being labeled as giant oil companies’ mouthpiece, yesterday said oil prices may increase anew this week due to the Middle East political turmoil.

Everybody’s talking once again about high gas prices. So far, service stations’ pump signboards have shown as much as P5 per liter increase since the start of the year, and Filipino consumers are animatedly talking about how this is hurting their spending.

Joey Sarasola, a former PNR general manager, sent me further clarification on the role of Japanese assistance to PNR during his watch.

The events of the past weeks, from the turbulence in the Arab world to the earthquake in New Zealand, have clearly driven home the message that government has to be better organized to serve the OFWs better. The finger pointing and blame throwing we hear in the evening newscasts can’t do anybody any good.

In the government hierarchy, it does not necessarily follow that those higher in rank are brighter, more sensible, more competent and qualified than those occupying lower (or lowly) positions especially the elected ones. Some Barangay councilors may deserve to be in Congress much more than some of those now sitting there who may really be…