Monthly Archives: September 2011

Upon Aquino III’s return from his visit to the US of A, numerous local mainstream newspapers emblazoned the growing critical outspokenness of even the most conservative sectors in Philippine society. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI); the Philippine Steelmakers Association (PSA); the Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport); UP National Engineering Center; the Trade Union…

About six months after the government issued an executive order calling for a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in national and residual forests, the country’s wood industry is complaining about a number of problems that have started to affect their profitability.

The Palace should explain President Aquino’s decision to ignore a resolution in the Senate urging him to exercise his prerogative to suspend the implementation of impending price increases in the transport sector, opposition Sen. Joker Arroyo said yesterday.

PALACE SCRAMBLES, VOWS DIALOG The hostile relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive is expected to come to a head today as court employees hold a “Black Monday” protest today against plans of the Palace to dip its hands into the budget of the judicial branch under the miscellaneous personnel benefit fund (MPBF) item in…

FIVE lawmakers yesterday sought P400 million funding to jumpstart a new National HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) Plan amid reports the dreaded disease now infects seven Filipinos every 24 hours, a sharp increase from one Filipino every 72 hours a decade ago.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino’s net satisfaction rating has returned to “very good” territory following a decrease earlier this year, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed Monday.

International Labor Organization (ILO) Director-General Jose Somavia implored regulatory bodies to make labor market policies “that promote, in the near term, high levels of productive investment and job creation in sustainable enterprises of the real economy… to avoid sliding into a possible recession.”

It is a jarring feeling to watch an old woman, hand extended, begging for alms on a busy street—this, in a society that has traditionally held elderly persons in high regard. A few weeks ago, the malls celebrated Grandparents’ Day—replete with glowing photos in the papers. Not to be outdone, the Philippine government has declared…

LONDON, England – Young people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed on Monday.

LONDON, England – Young people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed on Monday. The “Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception” study prepared for World Contraception Day (WCD) reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex…

The story is going around that P-Noy got visibly irked and walked out of the room after the current education secretary gave a ridiculously low figure of new classrooms built in the first year of the Aquino administration. That explains why it was rumored the third cabinet member causing P-Noy headaches is the education secretary.

MANILA, Philippines – Consolidation in the Philippine telecommunications industry is inevitable, with more companies likely to be absorbed, especially since the local market size can only support no more than three major carriers, Canada-based ICT research firm XMG Global said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it expects Filipino sailors’ remittances to surpass $4 billion this year “amid resilient global demand for their services.”

MANILA, Philippines – Singapore-based DBS Bank Ltd. has lowered its inflation forecasts for the Philippines this year and next as consumer prices remained benign over the past few months on the back of sluggish economic growth in advanced economies led by the US, as well as the sovereign debt concerns in Europe.

Malacañang’s undue interest in the RH bill at this stage cannot help but arouse curiosity. The palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda even went out of bounds by telling our legislators to cut short the debate on the bill and vote on it already. As PNoy’s mouthpiece, he is putting his boss in a tight spot because…

DESPITE a strong economic performance, one sector of society that has not benefitted from the country’s growth is the poor.

The National Food Authority (NFA) needs over P21 billion to procure 1,248,000 metric tons of local palay in 2012. But the budget for this procurement in the National Expenditure Program pending before Congress is only P4 billion.

Once upon a time the Philippines exported rice. It prided itself on being the home of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and for teaching scientists from other countries rice production technologies.

Although it will help advance the country’s drive to attain rice self-sufficiency program, the subsidy for rice seeds given to farmers has been terminated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) because this has been a source of corruption. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said this to The Manila Times.

Statistics show targets are being met but some organizations are doubtful Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is optimistic that through the National Rice Program the country will achieve rice self-sufficiency in 2013. But with only P6.181 billion allocation for the program in 2012, doubts on the possibility of rice sufficiency loom.

Alarmed by many women who are either battered or abused, Malabon City Rep. Jaye Lacson-Noel has openly thrown her support to the approval of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, a move which she described as a “very personal crusade.”

With the more than P12 billion government counterpart funds for the public-private-partnership projects for 2011 still intact, a senior member of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives yesterday suggested that a portion of the 2012 PPP budget be realigned for infrastructure and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

More than 80 percent of the local government units (LGUs) in the country have set up their local councils for the protection of children (LCPC) that promotes children’s rights and implements child-centered programs at the local level, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine embassy in Switzerland is looking into the possibility of opening the door for Filipino healthcare workers to work in Swiss hospitals by starting as trainees.

Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines yesterday said it would temporarily slash flight frequencies over the next two months as part of a cost-saving program that would also eliminate 2,600 jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – US Ambassador Harry Tho­ mas, Jr. said yesterday some American troops will remain in Iraq even after the withdrawal of forces, but there is no indication of the continued employment of Filipino workers inside the military camps.

A CONSUMER group on Friday accused Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) of allegedly conniving with Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to manipulate electric rate cuts.

THE Philippines will no longer import sugar from Thailand this year because of a production surplus and low demand for the sweetener in the domestic market, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said on Friday.

STATE-RUN Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) said it welcomes inquiries into the privatization of National Power Corp.’s plants, which critics claimed has failed to bring down the country’s electricity rates.

MANILA, Philippines – Thousands of students and teachers from different state universities and colleges (SUCs) yesterday walked out from their classes to press the government for higher state subsidy for education and social services.