Monthly Archives: May 2011

Based on the statements originating from the different Malacañang spokespersons and from P-Noy himself, the only things clear at this stage about their stand on the RH bill are: that the government wants to give “complete and accurate information” on the natural and artificial methods of family planning but would not prefer one over the…

MANILA, Philippines – Government agencies have joined hands to ensure accessible clean drinking water for all.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported yesterday that hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is expected to decline in the coming months due to recent developments in various host countries.

MANILA, Philippines – Prices of school supplies such as pencils, notebooks and pens have gone up by five percent as the demand increased weeks before the school opening.

The piracy level on personal computer (PC) software remains at a high 69 percent in the country but the cost from the copyrights violation rose from $141.7 million in 2007 to $278 million in 2010, according to the Business Software Alliance’s (BSA) recently released 2010 Global Software Piracy Study.

According to the ILO’s new global report on discrimination worldwide, the challenge for enhancing the employability of people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS is significant. Promoting the rights of vulnerable groups, such as workers with HIV/AIDS or disabilities, is therefore among the major areas of focus of the ILO. A good example is its Opportunity for…

Manila, Philippines – Malacañang defended yesterday its record in solving unexplained killings and ensuring that the human rights in the country are safeguarded.

MANILA, Philippines – On Anda Street in the old walled city of Intramuros in Manila, 10 teams of “graffiti crews” battled it out on Saturday in a street art contest to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos to human health.

BAGUIO CITY—Doctors have started an audit of the country’s rate of maternal deaths after discovering alarming discrepancies due to different measurement standards used by government and private hospitals.

FRANKFURT/ATHENS (Reuters) – Despite bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, Europe’s debt crisis may yet spread to core euro zone countries and emerging Eastern Europe, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

If labor-only contracting is a new shade of slavery, then this new form of exploitation promises to be more cruel and painful for it seeks to effectively destroy the current system of employment. The conventional mode where the workers are free to find employment under the open labor market system, and employers equally free to…

THE wage board in Region 8 has approved a new wage order increasing the daily minimum wage in Eastern Visayas by P8 .

I was aghast at Party List Representative Neri Colmenares’ stunning revelation that the minimum SSS pension as it stands now is P1,200/month! I think many of us do not know this, but the Bayan Muna representative said, in a most recent interview in the business section of our TV show Business & Leisure that this…

I KNOW only too well that freedom of speech is a hallmark of a robust democracy, and we are most fortunate that our country’s mass media currently enjoy this freedom to a remarkably high degree. I must say, however, that some of our national TV networks have lately been carrying this freedom of expression too…

YEARLY in the run-up to Labor Day, various groups representing workers clamor for higher minimum wages. As we saw, the same thing happened recently, and the calls seem to resonate more with the government given the concerns about the President’s falling survey ratings and skyrocketing fuel costs. The pressure to raise wages is a perennial…

Manila, Philippines – Close to 300 colleges and universities in the country will hike tuition this year, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced yesterday.

Manila, Philippines – President Aquino yesterday issued a stern warning against anti-reproductive health groups encouraging civil disobedience by espousing nonpayment of taxes, saying it is a “very serious offense” that can make them liable for sedition or rebellion.

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Manila, Philippines – Boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is the new and only billionaire in the House of Representatives.

Human rights abuses persist under the administration of President Aquino while hundreds of cases of rights violations committed under the previous administration remain unresolved, London-based Amnesty International (AI) said in its latest Report 2011.

President Aquino appears to have increased his wealth by more than P39 million in just one year.

MANILA, Philippines—The Aquino administration is taking steps to curb human rights violations, Malacañang said on Saturday.

I don’t know why the DOTC Usec/spokesman even dared to appear on TV Patrol last Tuesday evening if he cannot explain his department’s position on the proposed MRT fare increase. He also looked so pathetic as he failed to explain on a live nationwide newscast why DOTC is proposing to give a private sector company…

Manila, Philippines – The inflow of foreign portfolio investments or “hot money” almost tripled in the first four months of the year on the back of strong investments in shares listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and peso-denominated government securities, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

CIGARETTE smoking is costing the Philippines P148 billion a year in economic losses due to illness and death,” the Health Department said Thursday.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – New People’s Army rebels ambushed the security guards of a mining firm in Pantukan, Compostela Valley yesterday morning killing one guard while another one is reportedly missing.

THE Philippine economy grew by a faster 7.6 percent in 2010, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario is President Benigno Aquino III’s richest Cabinet official and Education Secretary Armin Luistro is his poorest, their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth show.

Manila, Philippines – Workers in Metro Manila will be granted a P22 cost of living allowance (COLA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines — Consistent with his promise for the Court to protect the rights of every man, woman, and child, the Corona Court directed the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to conduct appropriate investigative proceedings to identify the perpetrators and determine the other circumstances surrounding the 2007 abduction and disappearance of Jonas Burgos, son of…