Monthly Archives: June 2011

Another contentious issue is once again up for debate  with the Catholic Church as the primary opposition to the legalization of divorce in this country. But actually, the Church allows annulment in many instances. The basic interpretation of annulment is the declaration of a marriage to be null and void  essentially saying the marriage never…

HOW will school-opening day tomorrow under the Aquino administration differ from school-opening day under the previous administration? For one, the Philippines will start following the K-12 basic education curriculum.

WASHINGTON – Two Filipino women have been honored in New York for their outstanding role as teachers.

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 60 blood units that were screened for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) since the beginning of the year up to April have been confirmed positive for HIV, the latest  Philippine HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) registry revealed.

MANILA Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is supporting the 2011 World Day Against Child Labor, which will be observed this coming June 12 by the member-states of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in hopes of drawing “attention to the global extent of child labor and the action needed to…

CEBU, Philippines – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) warned the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya program that cash grants should not be subjected to any abuse, such as using them as collateral or guarantee for loans.

CEBU, Philippines – Majority of the employees of an already closed locator of Mactan Cebu Export Processing Zone voted yes to a union during a certification election held the other day at the Department of Labor and Employment.

MANILA, Philippines — The dilemma of renewable energy (RE) is how it can get out of the cradle and leaps into the playground when it comes to cost-competitiveness; and for that, the solution being propounded by the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) would be to start with cheaper technologies in the installation targets.

THE New People’s Army (NPA), the armed-wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, has been recruiting children and using them as warriors in violation of the Geneva Convention, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The President’s team will be preparing for the State-of-the-Nation Address right about now. So let me give a little unsolicited advice: Be truthful. The President will be much better appreciated if he is truthful. Sugar-coating was the last administration’s forte (unemployment is bad, change the definition; not enough classroom, go two shifts and pretend there…

Sen. Manny Villar chided the Insurance Commission (IC) for its failure to embark on a public information campaign about the mandatory insurance coverage for overseas Filipino workers, many of whom do not understand the benefits accruing from it.

MANILA: The Philippines Congress began this week a heated debate on the issue of legalising divorce, but many social scientists believe it hard to achieve in this majority Catholic country at present.

The Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday rejected calls by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) for the Aquino government to free detained communist consultants to show sincerity in the ongoing peace negotiations.

For once, at least we got some good news directly from President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III who issued a statement about the recent proposal legalizing divorce in the Philippines. “I promised job generation, education, health, judicial reform, and we are doing all that already… Divorce, I think, is not a priority at this time. I’m…

The Transport Department unveiled Friday a “comprehensive rehabilitation” plan for Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Rail Transit 1 lines costing a combined $1.5 billion.

Manila, Philippines – Filipinos are now more optimistic about their financial future but continue to get a low score in terms of financial intelligence quotient, a survey conducted by American banking giant Citibank.

INDIGENT senior citizens in the country are set to enjoy their monthly social pension after the government released P435.5 million to them through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), it was learned on Friday.

Although working in a call center is a blessing to some, it is a curse for many. I remember I covered in this column why many do not last in call centers one of which is the “unpredictable” nature of the job. A worker has to face the fact that he doesn’t “own” his time…

MANILA, Philippines – Two lawmakers are calling for a review of the implementation of the government’s multi-billion Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed P67.57 million in cash assistance for farmers and fisherfolk in 10 regions to help them cope with the rising prices of commodities and fuel during the lean months.

FEWER CASES of unfair labor practices were filed in the first four months of the year, leading to a drop in the number of strike notices in the said period, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) said in a report.

MANILA, Philippines – A Catholic priest has laughed off the claim made by those opposing the reproductive health (RH) bill that using contraceptives is attempted murder.

At least 12 people including a ship captain were injured when a cargo vessel exploded and caught fire in Pasacao, Camarines Sur on Wednesday evening, police report disclosed.

Our latest episode on the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) on my Destiny Cable Global News Network show entitled, “The curse of Epira,” had as guests, power consumer advocate Butch Junia and Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) former vice chairman Wilson Fortaleza, who jointly declared the “jury in,” finding the 10-year-old power law a…

A former Cabinet secretary of former President Joseph “Erap” Estarda yesterday said that with the present direction it is undertaking, the Aquino administration will find it hard to meet its target of 7 to 8 percent economic growth for 2011, stressing that President Aquino has no one to blame but himself for a dismal economic…

Over the past several years, the ILO has adopted a number of measures designed to promote social security coverage for the vast majority of the world’s workers who currently lack coverage. Yet, in a world marked by rapidly spreading financial and economic fluctuations, the capacity of individuals to cope alone with economic risks is even…

Bangkok (AlertNet) – The approval of a bill banning the use of children in armed conflicts in Philippines is a good step, but significant hurdles remain in fulfilling its potential, Human Rights Watch (HRW) told AlertNet.

Ronald barely finished his first year in high school three years ago. Today, he is a tambay, too young to be the neighborhood’s siga, but most likely on his way to becoming one. While still reverent to the older tambays, he is building his own following of younger kids, many also school drop-outs.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sental ng Pilipinas (BSP) has issued an order defining microfinance clients entitled to the presentation, marketing, sale, and servicing of microinsurance products by thrift, rural, and cooperative banks.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P3.430 billion for the Aquino administration’s rice sufficiency program.