Monthly Archives: September 2011

No sub-state, no deal – Ibrahim ZAMBOANGA CITY: THE MORO Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Monday it will not sign a peace agreement with the Aquino government unless its demand for a sub-state in Mindanao is granted.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has given its full backing, but organized labor and employers have rejected a proposed measure to shorten to four days the work weeks in commercial establishments nationwide.

MANILA, Philippines – Treasury bill (T-bill) rates tumbled to historic lows across the board yesterday as jittery investors gobbled up risk-free government debt papers amid fears of another global recession.

“I’ve been running a crap game since I was a juvenile delinquent,” boasts this chap in “Guys and Dolls,” the 1950 Tony Award-winning Broadway play. And Miss Adelaide snaps back: “Speaking of chronic conditions, happy anniversary.”

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga ,Philippines — Budget Secretary Florencio Abad reported here yesterday that the Aquino administration would invest P70 billion in the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program until 2015.

Economic recovery in developed economies may grind to a halt because of weak domestic demand and the replacement of stimulus packages with fiscal austerity measures as governments try to regain the confidence of the financial markets, according to a United Nations report unveiled today.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) partially lifted the deployment ban in Afghanistan and Iraq as situation in that countries return to normal.

The enactment of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is an alleged “condition” being imposed to the government by some international organizations, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines — Students from the Philippines and Singapore were declared champions in the 8th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for primary schools held from September 2 to 6 in Naga City.

HONG KONG — Almost all Filipino children have regular access to cash, but they still do not understand key money concepts, such as earning, saving and spending, and the impact these have on their lives, a study showed.

FOREIGN CHAMBERS want the government to consider shortening the Foreign Investment Negative List to support President Benigno S. C. Aquino III’s promise of a Philippines that is “open for business.”

MANILA, Philippines – Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi was a key financier of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), according to a US Secretary of State secret cable published by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is third top country in the world most at risk of disasters, a new study said.

The country’s push for self-sufficiency in energy sources, particularly through the promotion of renewable energy (RE) technologies, is getting mired in some problems, and consequently being challenged by the Board of Investments and – surprise, surprise – even the Department of Energy.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is eyeing to raise its individual income tax collection this year by roughly 20 percent as it intensifies its crackdown on professionals.

While on vacation the other weekend in my hometown in the heart of Leyte, I chanced upon a spirited conversation among some members of my extended family during one of the usual impromptu gatherings. It seemed they were in a fix trying to find logic about something that an aggrieved relative—a widowed mother of five…

There are, perhaps, millions who marry around the world every day. Yet, perhaps, too, half as many married couples separate or get estranged from each other every day. What accounts for the break up of marriages? How do couples who are so in love on their wedding day end up hating each other?

■ No Filipino university makes it to the top 300 schools in the latest QS World Rankings PHILIPPINE universities saw their rankings drop in the latest annual QS World University Rankings in 2011—with none of them emerging in the top 300 list—and apparently after the Aquino administration slashed its budget for higher education this year.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Employers added no jobs in August – an alarming setback for the economy that renewed fears of another recession and raised pressure on Washington to end the hiring standstill.

MANILA, Philippines – The administration of President Aquino would provide livelihood programs to the country’s poorest of the poor who are also beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to give the people a sustainable income.

Last of two parts “THE revision of growth targets is a possibility,” Economic Planning Secretary Paderanga said after the release of GDP data. “The DBCC will study what we can do in terms of improving government spending and guarding against the global slowdown. We will also take into consideration the upside factors such as the…

MANILA, Philippines – The significant decline in maternal deaths in the country as shown by the results of a study by an American University shows there is no need to pass into law the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has advised students and workers to consider taking health-related courses other than nursing.

MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) yesterday urged students to avoid five oversubscribed college courses to increase their chances of getting employment.

Self-exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison had lost control and influence over his group’s political arm, the Norwegian government’s peace talks facilitator told American officials in a leaked US cable released by online whistle-blower Wikileaks.

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MANILA, Philippines — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has urged young Filipinos to stay out of heavily overpopulated college courses if they want to increase their chances of obtaining gainful employment after graduation.

The Reproductive Health (RH) bill should be enacted into law despite a report from a pro-life American news agency that the number of maternal deaths in the country has declined, its authors at the House of Representatives said Monday.

If they still fail this time, they might as well “chalk” it up to experience. Education Secretary Armin Luistro said his department could only meet the demand of public school teachers for an increase in their so-called chalk allowance if Congress would approve its proposed budget for 2012.