Monthly Archives: July 2011

This is the last of a four-part series, although given the importance of the topic, it should continue to be debated and discussed in the days to come. More than “erroneous” court decisions, I dare say that more problematic are “delayed” decisions: at least the former can be appealed, subjected to media and academic scrutiny,…

Manila, Philippines – The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released yesterday showed that the number of Filipino families who consider themselves “poor” and “food-poor” or those who have experienced hunger have slightly declined in the past three months.

SAUDI FOREVER? Talk among overseas Filipino workers is turning to the possible effects of the Saudization program on them. Photo of Pinoys hanging out at the Balad mall in Jeddah by John Pamintuan JEDDAH—The Saudi government’s announcement that it would hasten its program to replace expat workers with local hands is causing worries among many…

The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday urged household service workers who may be affected by a new labor policy in Saudi Arabia to find opportunities through the government’s job portal.

JEDDAH – More Saudi families now want to personally interview and hire their domestic workers to ensure they get trained workers and do not have to hire illegal housemaids. “Saudis now seem more cautious than before. They wish to interview their housemaids personally. It actually makes our work easier because our clients have to share…

MANILA, Philippines—One year on, how is the Aquino government doing in stopping extra-judicial killings? It depends on who’s doing the math. The Department of Interior and Local Government said there have been 15 extra-judicial killings involving media practitioners, activists, teachers and unionists from July last year to May 31.

WITH the Philippines now the 12th most populous country in the world, a United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) official said that there is a need for the Aquino administration to promote reproductive health and rights, adding that the world’s population will hit seven billion before the end of 2011.

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OXON HILL, Maryland – Hundreds of Filipinos teachers trooped to the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in a desperate bid to hold on to their jobs by carrying letters of appeal, following the decision of the US Department of Labor to bar it from hiring Filipino and other foreign teachers for 2 years.

(Ric Saludo’s colleague Verbo Bonilla contributed today’s column.) NEARLY a year ago, President Benigno Aquino III hailed public-private partnerships (PPP) as a major development thrust of his new administration. “We will make sure that the Build-Operate-and-Transfer projects will undergo quick and efficient processes,” he said in his first State of the Nation Address last July.…

Negotiations in the US between its government and the auto industry are centered on mileage standards of future vehicles from the current level of an equivalent of about 11 kilometers per liter to 24 kilometers per liter by 2025. It may seem a big jump, but compared to European standards, America still lags behind.

Bacolod City, Philippines – Some 30 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas swooped down on the compound of Philex Mining Co. in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental Wednes­day afternoon, torching a cargo truck and the bunkhouse of the firm’s workers and security guards, authorities said.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s growth prospects this year and next year are bright, with the Aquino administration’s anti-corruption campaign seen to perk up investor interest, the World Bank (WB) said in a report. In its June 2011 quarterly report, the World Bank said gross domestic product (GDP) growth “could potentially be higher as the…

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday that it is positive that it will meet its goal of providing monetary assistance to 5.2 million poor families by 2016 through its conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

SIGNIFICANT GAINS have been made in terms of meeting development goals set by the United Nations (UN) but the progress has been patchy, a UN report released Friday showed. The world as a whole is still on track to reach the poverty-reduction target by 2015, according to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Report 2011, but…

MANILA, Philippines – With the world population expected to reach seven billion by the end of October – with more than 100 million of them Filipinos – an official of the United Nations said yesterday the focus of discussions should not be about numbers but on the quality of life of these people.

To reduce the number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases in the country, the Philippine government must focus its efforts on MSM (men who have sex with men) sector, a representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said. UNFPA country representative Ugochi Daniels said the government and private health units must act swiftly to…

Up to 140,000 Philippine workers could lose their jobs in Saudi Arabia Manila: Up to 140,000 Philippine workers could lose their jobs in Saudi Arabia due to a domestic helper ban and a programme to compel firms to employ more locals, the Filipino labour minister said Thursday.

‘Indirect dangers affect more women than rape’ In rich and poor countries alike, the infrastructure of justice is failing women, says a UN Women report. Legal reform is only a start, the report argues – laws must be implemented to translate into true equality. Across the board, existing laws are too often inadequately enforced keeping…

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Tourism operators say they will suffer and their expenses will rise by as much as 50% if they have to raise minimum wages to 300 baht a day in January.

Don’t fall prey to common interview pitfalls. Unemployment rates have historically risen and fallen, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in May 2010, there were nearly five candidates for each job opening [source: Bureau of Labor Statistics]. For anyone looking to land a job, that means one thing: competition. Making the most…

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Filipino nurses eyeing job opportunities in Australia will have to wait for at least two years as the Australian government announced it will hold off applications for foreign nurses beginning this year until 2013. Austrialian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith explained that this was due to a consolidation movement of…

Résumés are tricky to compose. It’s technically your first “conversation” with a prospective employer and you have to make a good and lasting impression. Your future literally depends on it. A single inconsistency on that piece of paper can send it on an express train to the rubbish bin. In other words, the content and…

THE University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University are among the top 50 English-teaching universities in the world, Quacquarelli Symonds, a London-based company specializing in education and study abroad, said Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines – Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is back to two shifts per day after adjusting its production as a result of the earthquake in Eastern Japan.

MANILA, Philippines – Investment commitments for the first half of the year amounted to P204.175 billion, a double-digit growth of 20 percent from a year ago, the Board of Investments (BOI) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines — Civil society organizations Thursday urged the government to step-up programs to address problems spawned by rapidly increasing population not only of the Philippines but in other countries around the world. Benjamin de Leon, President of Forum for Family Planning and Development, made the call as the country’s population, which is now 94…

After his partner died, 35-year old Aidan, not his real name, flew to the Middle East to start a new life as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). Fortunately, he landed a job as a data analyst. But the result of his medical tests kept haunting him. Aidan was positive with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the…

Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Macapagal Arroyo and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have initiated the institutionalization of the grant of an annual productivity incentive to all workers in the private sector under their HB 1218.