Monthly Archives: May 2011

Kids, are you ready to go back to school? I know, I know, you’re still on vacation — staying out late, sleeping late, way past your bedtime, snuggling under the crisp sheets till kingdom come or till the harsh rays of the sun come streaming through your window.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan suggested yesterday that the plan to relocate some 500,000 informal settlers in Metro Manila to agricultural lands should extend to those who are jobless and unemployed who are willing to work but can not find jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – The auto industry continues to grow in sales despite supply problems as a result of the twin disasters in Japan.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign exchange students are now being groomed as “drug mules,” indicating a shifting trend in the recruitment process of narcotics couriers, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Loren Legarda said the other day that she will look into the possibility of using part of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Fund as source of finances for the country’s climate change adaptation programs and projects.

BAGUIO CITY ,Philippines  – The Civil Service Commission is spearheading spot checks on government agencies to further boost the drive against cheats in government.

MANILA, Philippines – What would be the best motivation for five-year olds to go to school but toys? The ABS-CBN Foundation, in a bid to convince five-year olds all over the country to go to mandatory kindergarten school at the opening of classes in June, has pledged to gather 1.9 million toys to be donated…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is eyeing one million jobs for new graduates, displaced workers and other jobseekers this year.

WASHINGTON – Hundreds of Filipino teachers in Prince George’s County in Maryland face the prospect of being sent home, some as early as June, when their visas expire and are not renewed because of a bureaucratic tangle, officials said.

CEBU, Philippines – A Department of Labor and Employment-7 hearing officer accused of extortion is now out on bail.

MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Workers and employers have criticized the National Capital Region’s wage board for approving an additional P22 daily emergency cost-of-living allowance (ECOLA) for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III stands amenable in having the proposed legislated wage increase tackled by Congress soon.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reminded all construction companies to strictly implement occupational safety and health standards (OSHS) in their worksites to avoid injuries and death of their workers.

P15-B PAYMENT ON TOP OF OTHER PERKS The government would be spending instead of earning in the planned auction of the country’s two mass railway systems, the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT), that will kick off President Aquino’s pet programs under the so-called public-private partnership (PPP) schemes, an Aquino ally…

The government will stop offering low-priced rice and instead the Palace said it will require those seeking to buy subsidized rice to undergo processing through a so-called National Household Targeting System which is supposedly a scheme to ensure that only those who really need the staple will receive it.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Northern Mindanao will no longer allow below 18 years old applicants in call centers firm.

MANILA, Philippines—Funds totaling P7 billion has been released to the Department of Education for building and repairing of some 9,000 new and existing classrooms nationwide, Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines—The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it was not opposing a P25 increase in the minimum daily pay as perceived by some labor groups.

THE Department of Labor and Employment, through the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC), has reactivated its Workers’ Rehabilitation Center (WRC), a rehabilitation facility that will cater to workers who have incurred disabilities from work-related accidents.

SOCIAL Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman reported over the weekend that the department is currently implementing a program aimed at drastically reducing the number of street children by December 2011.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) sought a review of the current system of minimum wage-fixing by the tripartite partners — employers, workers and government in a proposal contained in the resolutions adopted by employers during the recently held 32nd National Conference of Employers (NCE 32).

Around 31 kidney patients have either died or in their worst health conditions after the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) allegedly withdrew their previously approved requests for financial assistance, according to a former official of the cash-rich charitable institution.

The Bangko Sentral said the latest increase in its borrowing rate will not derail economic growth in the Philippines this year.

JAKARTA—President Benigno Aquino III said late Saturday more than half a million squatter families in Metro Manila will be relocated and receive two hectares of farm land each under his administration’s program on illegal settlers.

MANILA, Philippines – Symantec Corp. announced the findings of its Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 16, which shows a massive threat volume of more than 286 million new threats last year, accompanied by several new mega trends in the threat landscape.

MANILA, Philippines – Investments approved by the Board of Investments (BOI) surged by 262 percent to P148 billion during the first four months of this year from only P41 billion a year ago.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino bared Saturday night a government plan to offer informal settlers to go back to the provinces and develop at least two hectares of land and provide for the country’s agricultural needs rather than remain squatters in Metro Manila.

Today, Congress is supposed to start deliberations on the RH bill. As usual, the public is hoping that our legislators will not spend and waste their time on hearing arguments about the RH bill which are half-truths or complete lies. Indeed Congress will be the harbinger of good news if they can first draw up…

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino women are leaving the country to work as household service workers (HSWs) in Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION of a more rational and less burdensome healthcare system for all Filipinos is possible, and providing comprehensive and accessible health services to all Filipinos is bankable.