Monthly Archives: September 2011

We must be afraid because we are not afraid enough of the HIV virus and AIDS. And because we are not afraid enough, we are not careful, often thinking that we’re invincible. “Kung mamamatay ako, mamamatay ako.” “I’m not going to get AIDS because I’m not gay.” “Hassle to use protection in the middle of…

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how great the Filipino people were, and how this is what we should sell to the world. Today, I’d like to raise a few points that, if addressed, can ensure that advantage can be turned into wealth gain for everyone.

The wildcat strike staged by the PAL Employees Association which stranded some 14,000 passengers and caused millions of damage to the riding public, Philippine Airlines and the national economy is a clear case of the tyranny of a minority group.

More lawmakers want to grant incentives to car makers who build or import cars that are powered by electric or hybrid engines or those that run on alternative fuel in a move to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel.

THE Palace is considering spending P1 billion to train students and faculty in state universities and colleges to work in call centers and other outsourced services, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Thursday.

THE combined net earnings of the listed firms declined by 7 percent to P219.66 billion in the year through June from P236.23 billion the year before as a result of costlier inputs, the Philippine Stock Exchange reported Thursday.

THE construction of single detached residences will be banned in Metro Manila to optimize land use, Vice President Jejomar Binay told the Senate on Thursday.

PHILIPPINE Airlines said it was operating on a reduced schedule Thursday with 71 flights canceled, 28 of them to international destinations, as it entered the third day of a protest by its ground workers.

SOME 40 years ago, Sonny Coloma was a campus firebrand. He was elected to the University of the Philippines Student Council as one of the candidates of a leftwing alliance, which included the KM, SDK and similar radical youth groups that supported the “national democratic” program of the Communist Party.

The Transport Department said Thursday it will build all its infrastructure projects and will not entertain proposals from the private sector to reduce cost.

Dear Pao, I started working for a company six months ago under an agency. Eventually, the company absorbed me as their own employee. But instead of being their regular employee, the company placed me under probation as their probationary employee. Is my work designation correct because I have already worked for the company for 6…

THE Aquino administration may ditch its stalled public-private partnership (PPP) scheme and instead go it alone in pursuing key infrastructure projects, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

There’s a reorganization of staff as well as a re-orientation of priorities ongoing at the Department of Health. Not all are happy, and that’s to be expected. The big push, it seems, comes from the need to meet the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs by 2015.

THE Philippines’ medal haul in the most prestigious Math and Science competitions in the world continues to soar with four high school students netting gold, silver and bronze medals in the recently concluded Fifth International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO).

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang will release P2 billion in judiciary funds transferred to a new item in the budget called the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund (MPBF) once vacant positions in government are filled, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad yesterday said.

Net earnings of listed companies declined in the first half reflecting a slowdown in the spending power of consumers due to increased prices, the head of the local bourse said.

Unfortunate and grave! This is all I can say about that wildcat strike launched by the Philippine Airlines (PAL) employees’ union, Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea), last Tuesday, as Typhoon “Pedring” battered the metropolis. That strike stranded thousands of PAL passengers not only in the country but overseas and disrupted for a good 11 hours…

MANILA, Philippines—Four Filipino high school students made top rankings in an international student competition on the earth sciences this month, fetching medals for the Philippines in a battle among 26 nations.

Stress-busting tips Stress in the workplace is often a response to lack of control and fear — fear of not being able to handle certain situations or deliver a promise, fear of not being able to live up to a certain criteria and as a consequence, losing careers, jobs and business opportunities. But while stress…

THE PHILIPPINES slipped a notch in a list of 66 economies ranked according to support they give information technology (IT) firms in a biennial survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit for Business Software Alliance.

Roxas: Palea reneged on promise not to hold protest amid typhoon Employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) are set to hold one last big rally Friday, the day their employment officially ends and the eve of the company’s switch to an outsourcing scheme that would cost 2,600 jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is partnering with ABS-CBN to find ways to serve Filipinos abroad.

MANILA, Philippines – In the wake of substantial damage to agriculture and infrastructure from Typhoon Pedring estimated nearly P1 billion, the Climate Change Commission plans to discuss with local governments the potential economic impacts of disasters to communities.

The information technology and business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry remains a sunshine industry in the services sector, with gains contributing to growth rates of computer and information, and miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services, according to a recent report by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The Department of Energy (DoE) will require the local electricity spot market to sell electricity from hydroelectric plants ahead of any other generating plants under a “market emergency” it declared until Friday as part of preparations for typhoon “Quiel” which entered the country on the heels of typhoon “Pedring” that dumped huge volumes of water…

MANILA, Philippines – A tourism group has debunked the recurring claim by open skies advocates that the Philippines needs to further open up its skies to attract more tourists as it revealed information that the country is one of the most liberalized in terms of air access by foreign carriers.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it will be difficult for them to meet their yearend target of 11-percent growth in exports as the sale of electronics in the international market remains weak.

Lawmakers agreed yesterday to revive discussions on amending the 1987 Constitution – at least its economic provisions – through a bicameral constituent assembly.

Never in our country’s history are the words of our national hero Jose P. Rizal that, the “youth is the hope of our fatherland”, ringing as true as they are than during these times when we continue to be mired in divisiveness over our many problems. Indeed we still have in our midst many young…

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang is optimistic that the Philippines’ economic freedom ranking would improve due to the government’s reform efforts.