Monthly Archives: September 2011

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court affirmed a decision tagging as illegal the Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) retrenchment of 1,400 cabin crew personnel in 1998.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has urged greater involvement and action of the country’s network of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) and local government units (LGUs) in the nationwide implementation of the Skills Registry System (SRS).

The government must focus on quality education as the most vital vehicle to maximize human resource development, starting right on basic primary education.

A Philippine Army official yesterday said remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA)” are now merely engaging in banditry” and expressed optimism the communist insurgency “will soon be reduced to insignificance.”

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III yesterday revealed that the biggest manufacturer of contraceptives, including condoms, is the alleged sponsor of an international group that allegedly unleashed P25-million lobby funds to push Congress’ approval of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

(Updated 5:06 p.m.) BANGKOK, Thailand — Despite the deadlock in the United States and European debt crisis, sustainable development remains a feasible approach to saving the world from an economic and ecological disaster, participants to the second Sustainable Development Symposium here said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – Last Friday’s protest actions by some members of Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) ground union and their sympathizers had no material impact on airline operations, the flag carrier said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – For the past eight years, most countries in the world have been reporting a steady decrease in HIV/AIDS infection but the Philippines and six other nations have been recording an upward trend, a researcher from the University of the Philippines said.

The battle lines are drawn and so far, the score is pretty even. More than a month into the plenary debates, a good number of senators are still keeping their cards close to their chests on the issue of reproductive health.

Tax evasion charges were filed against a list of prominent doctors and lawyers in what could be the start of a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) crackdown on professionals who have long been misdeclaring their incomes for tax purposes.

Despite the financial instability that almost crippled economies in the past years, the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) increased trade volume between the two countries with Manila’s export to Tokyo going up from $6.21 billion in 2009 to $7.8 billion in 2010.

MANILA, Philippines – The net inflow of foreign portfolio investments or “hot money” jumped 230 percent in the first eight months of the year as foreign capital continued to flood emerging market economies, including the Philippines, albeit at a slower pace over the past few weeks, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill restricting the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in supermarkets, department stores, and other commercial establishments.

Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday joined colleagues who had already warned Malacañang of courting unrest, if the Executive will not reassess its plan unleashing a barrage of price adjustments in power, fees and fares to the overburdened consumers and commuters.

More than 5,000 skilled workers, trainers, graduates and students were certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) during the first three weeks of the second run of the National Technical Vocational Education and Training Competency Assessment and Certification (Natcac).

THE Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) has assured repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that they can avail of financial assistance as part of their reintegration program, and even may avail of jobs or loan assistance from the government.

Cybercrime is on the rise, with one million people falling victims each day and costing more than $338 billion in lost time and financial losses, software security firm Symantec said on Thursday.

THE Palace on Thursday warned transport groups there will be “consequences” on their franchises if they push through with their planned strike on Sept. 19.

Dear PAO, Greetings! I have three children born out of wedlock but the father acknowledged them in their birth certificates. Before we were living happily but later on he abandoned us. According to his cousin, he has a new lady. Presently, he is working in Saudi Arabia and I want to ask for financial support…

ISUZU Philippines Corp. wants the government to regulate the importation of used vehicles to increase the productivity and competitiveness of local auto manufacturers.

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) — International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Thursday urged policymakers of advanced economies to cooperate in tackling European debt crisis and other financial problems, saying, “We have entered a dangerous new phase of the crisis.”

THE number of jobless Filipinos rose slightly in July because of slow economic growth and the Aquino administration’s failure to provide more employment opportunities.

Boosting government’s fight against human trafficking, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bicol has rescued nine minors from human traffickers in separate operations, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement Thursday.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago defended the proposed reproductive health (RH) bill in the Senate in a speech at an inter-university forum sponsored by the UP Law Center Human Rights Institute held September 15 at the UP College of Law Malcolm Theatre.

MANILA, Philippines – Women ended armed clashes in 2 Mindanao villages by not having sex with their husbands unless the men laid down their weapons, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The success of the “sex strike” allowed families to start rebuilding their communities, the UN’s refugee agency said. –abs-cbnNEWS.com

CEBU, Philippines – Majority of local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas are now proactive in implementing measures to mitigate the effects of disasters such as activating their own local disaster risk reduction management councils down to the barangay level.

MANILA, Philippines – More than 1 million people each day are victims of cybercrime. A new study estimated that the total actual cost lost to international cybercrime syndicates is US $388 billion.

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu Archbishop and incoming president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Jose Palma will push for the creation of a labor commission in a meeting with bishops on Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.1 percent in July from the seven percent recorded in the same period last year due to the lack of gainful job opportunities, latest data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The confidence level of Filipino consumers for the third quarter improved after declining for two straight quarters on the back of improved sentiments, results of a survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.