Monthly Archives: September 2011

MANILA, Philippines — Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are still going on in different parts of the country, according to a human rights report released Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers are pushing for amendments to the 13-year-old AIDS Prevention and Control Law as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has spread faster, infecting seven Filipinos every 24 hours.

Fourth of five parts (Note: We are extending the three-part Open Governance article by two more installments to cover the performance management and information technology commitments in the draft Philippine Government Action Plan for open government.) THE final sections of the Philippine Government Action Plan, submitted by President Benigno Aquino 3rd to the 46-nation (so…

Philippine Airlines (PAL) management said it has resumed its flight operations, albeit operating on a reduced schedule, with the deployment of two US-bound flights, three regional and two domestic flights early yesterday morning, amid charges that certain ground equipment was damaged by striking workers of the flag carrier’s ground crew union.

TOKYO (via PLDT)—Japan has agreed to review its procedures for the entry of Filipino nurses under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement following the very low rate of successful applications three years since the agreement was signed, President Benigno Aquino III said Wednesday.

YOKOHAMA Rubber Co. and Toshiba Corp. on Wednesday announced they will expand their operations in the Philippines, and that Yokohama’s expansion would make its Philippine plant its biggest facility in the world..

PHILIPPINE Airlines resumed operations Wednesday but continued to struggle with a strike by its ground workers, causing it to cancel 104 more flights including 40 to international destinations.

MANILA, Philippines – Public school teachers provided with computer laptops and basic computer skills training are using it for administrative clerical tasks, but not to enhance their teaching in the classrooms.

Dear PAO, The IT company where I am working explained to us that we are not entitled to a 13th month pay. The reason for this, according to them, is that we fall in the category under Section 3, item (d) of P.D. 851 regarding 13th month pay since we are contractors and only paying…

The other day, officials of the Batino Elementary School in Quirino District in Quezon City approached a member of the media asking that they be assisted in finding sponsors to have their new school building finished.

DEVELOPMENT Bank of Singapore (DBS) projects the Philippine economy will expand by more than third in less than a decade when the reforms introduced by the present government bear fruits.

TOKYO — President Aquino warned striking employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) that protesting workers could face charges, including economic sabotage, for holding a strike at the height of typhoon “Pedring” last Tuesday.

At the sidelines of Pathways to High and Inclusive Growth, a policy discussion on the Philippine Development Plan 2011 to 2016 held last Sept. 24 at the Asian Institute of Management, two other journalists from the province and I had the opportunity to interact with Secretary Joel Rocamora, lead convener of the National Anti Poverty…

THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has increased the benefit coverage for normal spontaneous deliveries of pregnant women in accredited lying-in clinics and level 1 hospitals from P6,500 to P8,000 starting last Sept. 1.

At least one million children in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia, including the Philippines, work in small-scale mining and quarrying operations, the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported.

UNFPA (called UN Population Fund, but formerly known as United Nations Fund for Population Activities) denies the allegation made by Reproductive bill objectors or pro-life groups that it supports abortion as a family planning method. Having attended the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo and several population conferences, as well as my…

SENATORS UNCONVINCED ON EFFICIENCY, IMPLEMENTATION OF DOLEOUTS President Aquino’s P39-billion budget allocation for his conditional cash transfer (CCT) program that is being handled by social services secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman may have been quickly passed by the House of Representatives without as much as a question or a budget slash, but the same budget allocation…

WASHINGTON – Reflecting a drop in levels of economic freedom around the world, the Philippines slid in the global rankings to 89th place from 76th previously among 141 countries surveyed, the Economic Freedom of the World: 2011 annual report said.

A call center is a company’s nerve center of customer care. It is responsible for attracting new customers as well as maintaining new ones. Call centers play a central role in the success of a business. For that reason, call center employers always look for agents with qualities and skills capable of turning the call…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The bloodbath at the Philippine stock market continues. After a spectacular fall last Friday, local stocks plummeted further Monday, giving up 165 points, or 4.2%, to end up at 3,721 The optimists who, a few months ago, were predicting that the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) will hit 5,000 by yearend are now disheartened.

Last of three parts THE Philippine Government believes that open government will curtail the ability for corrupt officials and those interested in political patronage at public expense, to operate with impunity. Open government also plays a key role in empowering the poor and strengthening the constituency for reform. — Philippine Government Action Plan 2012 for…

LAST week, students, teachers and nonacademic personnel of state universities and colleges demonstrated against what they saw as sharp cuts in SUC allocations in the proposed government budget for 2012.

AN environmental watchdog warned consumers to be diligent in shopping for holiday gifts to prevent children’s exposure to unsafe toys proliferating in the market.

Dear PAO, My mother died of stroke last January 2010. She spent two months in a public hospital and suffered a lot. We could not bring her to a private hospital because my brother and I did not have money.

At least 80 communist rebels burned heavy equipment and storage rooms owned by Dole Philippines in Tago, Surigao del Sur, Maj. Gen. Victor Felix said on Tuesday.

PHILIPPINE Airlines canceled 172 flights into and out of its Manila hub on Tuesday after its ground workers refused to work to protest their impending layoff as a result of the company’s program to contract ground services from third-party providers.

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday upheld Malacañang’s position in giving overtime pay and ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to implement Customs Administrative Order (CAO) 1-2005 in connection with the proposed increase in the overtime rates of Customs personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Communist guerrillas torched heavy equipment, three warehouses and three dump trucks owned by contractors of Dole Philippines and destroyed the firm’s eight-hectare banana plantation in Tago, Surigao del Sur before dawn Monday, police said.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday condemned the burning of 12 passenger buses by suspected communist rebels in Capas, Tarlac last Sunday and vowed to punish those behind the incident.