Monthly Archives: October 2011

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Good news! After series of public consultations and hearings, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Caraga region has finally approved a P15 wage increase, this was disclosed Tuesday.

Dear PAO, The jewelry store where I was working was robbed during my shift. Now, the storeowner is deducting from our salaries the value of the items robbed. Our employer is also deducting from our salary a cash bond. Are these legal? HR

NIOSH research shows that workers at call and dispatch centers may face several hazards, including acoustic trauma from a sudden spike in noise levels and background noise from an incoming call.

MANILA, Philippines – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday urged the Aquino administration to spend more, attract higher investments, and widen its tax revenue base to survive the turbulence in regional financial markets over the last two months brought about by fragile economic growth in the US and the debt crisis in Europe.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has returned to the basic sectors the power to nominate their representatives to the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to “ensure autonomy and responsibility” on their part.

MONEY sent home by Filipinos working abroad remain robust, growing by double-digits for the time this year despite lingering global uncertainties, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said on Monday.

MAJOR oil players dared their competitors to also open their books for public scrutiny a day after offering their financial records to the government.

Govt wants P5 billion as certificates mature today THIS is one anniversary that parties to issuance of controversial bonds ten years ago would rather not offer a toast to, even the buyers of the certificates who made a windfall from the purchase.

Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay is calling on the government to take more aggressive action toward the rising number of unemployed nurses in the country following the drop in the demand for health care professionals overseas.

The Singapore-based Keppel Subic Shipyard, the employer of the six Filipino workers who died in an accident while working on a container ship in Subic, Zambales some two weeks ago, was found to be non-compliant of the country’s safety standards.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) has proposed to create a mechanism to protect the welfare of domestic workers following Cambodia’s abrupt decision to stop its citizens from working as domestic helpers here.

At the closing of the most recent conference of Philippine businesses was the predictable presentation of a wish list for the government of P-Noy to act on.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will ask the Japanese government to include in the Japan Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) a condition that the bilateral agreement shall observe any future Philippine laws, including those passed by Congress, local governments, and administrative agencies.

THE loan quality of the country’s largest banks deteriorated at end-August from the end-July level as their soured credit exposures grew faster than their overall lending.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has signed an agreement with the Office of the Ombudsman that seeks to address corruption in local government units.

I was deeply immersed in preparations for a national conference in the last two weeks and I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I still have tons of emails to wade through, but there is one thing that I needed to get out of the way. So to the many friends and readers…

Fewer and fewer nurses are seeking employment in the United States. Former labor leader and now party list representative Arnel Ty said only 1,370 nurses made efforts to seek employment in the United States by taking the NCLEX for the first time from July to September this year.

Almost 500 former Philippine Airlines (PAL) employees received their separation pay over the weekend as the carrier began distributing P2.6-billion in cash benefits to those affected by PAL’s outsourcing program.

MANILA, Philippines — A United Nations human rights expert has urged Lebanon to introduce laws to protect the estimated 200,000 domestic workers in the country, many of whom are Filipinos, warning that many of them live in conditions of servitude and are subject to physical or sexual abuse and economic exploitation.

Filipino workers on Saipan attend an information caravan organized by the United Filipino Organization and hosted by the Philippine Consulate General yesterday at the Filcom Pavilion in Susupe. (Clarissa V. David) The fairly good turnout of Filipino workers at the start of the information caravan series held yesterday at the Filcom Pavilion in Susupe signifies…

The still sorry state of human rights protection in the country may prove to be a major roadblock to obtaining cheap funds for the government as the European Union (EU) stated it will re-prioritize its aid to deve-loping countries, including the Philippines, putting more emphasis on democracy and human rights and that the assistance may…

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz announced Monday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is fast-tracking efforts to ensure a decent work and labor standards in the local maritime industry involving an estimated 40,000 domestic Filipino seafarers.

MANILA, Philippines – An administration lawmaker has called for amendments to Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons to allow persons with disabilities (PWDs) to be covered by the Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has passed two bills that would provide security of tenure for casual and contractual employees of the government and grant civil service eligibility to qualified members of local government councils.

SUSPECTED members of New People’s Army (NPA) burned heavy equipment at an ongoing government construction project along the national highway in the boundaries of Manjuyod and Bindoy towns in Negros Oriental, before dawn Friday, police reported yesterday.

NEWS ANALYSIS MANILA: The stimulus package of P72 billion pesos or US$1.7 billion was unveiled by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday has been hailed but at the same time belittled by some sectors.

Arguing the case for support to his Party-list’s constituency, Ang Kasangga Rep. Teodorico Haresco said that financial assistance should also be provided for the moderate poor, which according to the World Bank definition, are those living on $2 to $5 per day.

Key shelter agencies, in particular Pag-IBIG Fund, the National Housing Authority and the Social Housing Finance Corp., have committed to provide 1.5 million homes by 2016.

MANILA, Philippines – A recent study conducted by a group of geologists from the University of the Philippines-Diliman found that Napot Point, where the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is located, is not geologically safe and at risk from many volcanic hazards.

BANTAY Kita is a newly-formed network advocating for transparency in the extractive, particularly the mining industry. It is composed of organizations engaging the mining industry on their adverse effects on communities and the environment, and economic and governance policy research and reform organizations.