Monthly Archives: April 2011

MANILA, Philippines –  Two lawmakers have proposed that the minimum monthly pension of retired private sector workers from the Social Security System (SSS) be increased to P7,000.

MANILA, Philippines –  Following persistent requests for a similar government subsidy, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala yesterday disclosed that farmers and fisherfolk have been included in the fuel subsidy program.

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MANILA, Philippines –  Filipino household service workers (HSWs) employed overseas may soon enjoy higher pay. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday reported that the government is looking at the possibility of raising the minimum salary rate of HSWs deployed abroad.

MANILA, Philippines –  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) urged yesterday member states and development partners to support access to reproductive health for women.

One of President Aquino’s allies in the Senate finds credibility on a possible public unrest caused by falling rice production and rising prices which was reportedly contained in a National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) report submitted to President Aquino.

These last two week, I have been in Italy to preside over graduation ceremonies of the Ateneo School of Government in Milan and Rome. In the last three years, the ASoG (of which I am Dean) has been implementing, with partners, a Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Training Program for migrant Filipinos in Italy. We have…

Last week former President Gloria Macapagal rroyo—in one of her first TV interviews after leaving the Palace—publicly expressed her doubts that she would get fair treatment from the Aquino administration.

THE World Bank on Monday identified the Philippines as one of nine countries suffering from multiple forms of political and criminal violence that have kept thousands of their people poor and unemployed.

MANILA, Philippines – Many children from Sarangani Province, Iloilo City, Surigao del Sur, and Batangas are never at peace. They recalled that the lullabies that put them to sleep are often gunshots.

THE Aquino administration has released nearly half of its entire budget for the year during the first quarter to shore up economic activity.

THE Department of Labor and Employment really needs to reinforce the protection of workers against rampant labor-only subcontracting.

MANILA, Philippines – The Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO) has signed a five-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the 12,000-strong Banco de Oro Employees Association (BDOEA), an affiliate of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE).

MANILA, Philippines – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its inflation forecast for the Philippines to 4.9 percent instead of 3.9 percent this year amid the escalating global oil and food prices but retained the country’s economic growth forecast.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced yesterday that almost half, or P800 billion, of the P1.645-trillion budget for this year has been frontloaded in the first quarter, an exercise which top economist Benjamin Diokno said cannot be reconciled with the low spending level shown in the state data for the period that showed…

Malacañang yesterday reiterated its warnings to militant transport groups anew who are reportedly set to launch mass protest actions today to express their utter dissatisfaction over President Aquino’s P450-million worth fuel subsidy program.

Intel body cites threat to national security MANILA, Philippines—Rising costs of basic commodities and services in the country and a shrinking rice supply have become a national security concern, according to a report by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

THE labor sector, through the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP), filed a P99 wage hike petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas.

ASHINGTON – As many soldiers and police were killed last year in the Philippines as communist rebels and Muslim insurgents, the US State Department said.

Manila, Philippines – Another Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has declared a “supervening condition” that could pave the way for the grant of a salary increase in other areas of the country.

Amid confirmed reports from the Department of Health (DOH) that two patients were transfused with blood tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the AIDS Soceity of the Philippines (ASP) reminded the public to have themselves properly tested for HIV if they suspect infection.

UNESCO’S Irina Bokova believes that quality education can be acheived through adequate and capable teachers. MANILA, Philippines — Education, they say, is the great equalizer. The United Nations (UN) certainly believes in same thing, as it included the attainment of universal primary education as one of its Millennium Development Goals (MDG). And as the 2015…

Studies have shown that autocratic managerial styles and aggressive techniques do not result in productive workers. What motivates workers is a working environment where those who supervise them work with them; give them clear instructions, full support and encouragement. This is what the ILO in Cambodia is working to achieve, as Maeve Galvin, Communication and…

MANILA, Philippines – The soured loans ratio of universal and commercial banks continued to improve and is now below three percent as loans grew while non-performing loans declined on the back of the country’s resilient economy.

HEAVENLY Lord and Father, I pray to you as I have never prayed before, even more than the days when armed, ruthless and powerful enemies threatened our family. That is because now, not only is my beloved brother’s future at stake, but also his very soul and the well-being of our nation.

MANILA, Philippines – Japanese-owned Nomura International (HK) Ltd. sees inflation rising fastest in the Philippines, peaking to 15.4 percent in the second quarter of next year in case commodity prices rise 10 percent this year and by five percent next year.

MANILA, Philippines – There has been an increase in the production of exporters in Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) areas despite fears the twin disasters in Japan will result in a slowdown of exports, a top investment official said.

A PLAN by Social Security System (SSS) to increase the contribution rate of employers and their employees has struck a raw nerve among workers’ groups—and for good reason.

MANILA, Philippines – The electronics industry will likely grow by a slower eight percent this year due to the impact of the twin disasters in Japan, the Semiconductors and Electronics Industry of the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) said.

MANILA, Philippines – Credit card receivables of banks operating in the Philippines increased 4.7 percent last year amid the country’s stronger than expected economic growth, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported over the weekend.