Monthly Archives: July 2012

MANILA, Philippines – The government is projecting a rice importation range of zero to 100,000 metric tons in 2013 on expectations of better palay yield in the second half of the year. Next year, the government is also expected to lay down the ground work for rice exportation.

MANILA, Philippines – The labor-intensive business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is expected to pay a total of P247 billion in wages this year, one of the industry’s backers in Congress said yesterday.

As usual, many bus companies are trying to wriggle away from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order to pay fixed salary rates and provide additional benefits to bus drivers. Out of the 158 registered bus companies, only 50 have complied with the “two-tier” compensation scheme that allocates regular salaries plus performance bonuses to…

MANILA, Philippines – Local auto parts makers are urging the government to review the Motor Vehicle Development Program (MVDP) and fasttrack approval of pending bills to help the auto market and encourage other auto assemblers to stay in the country amid Ford Philippines’ planned closure of its assembly plant.

BONN, Germany — The low enrollment and literacy rate in Mindanao vis-à-vis the rest of the country is just among the many negative effects of decades of conflict and crisis in the region, an international expert on crisis and education said here at the 2012 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered yesterday its 2012 growth forecast for the US, a major trading partner of the Philippines, but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) believes that this will have limited impact on the domestic economy.

The peso posted the highest appreciation among Asian currencies to date but is among the lowest in terms of volatility, with both performances, reflecting positive of the economy.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday blamed the Aquino administration for the killing of Dutch environmentalist Willem Geertman in Pampanga on Tuesday, as it condemned the government for the unabated extrajudicial killings of activists in the country.

A wave of suicides at France Telecom that shocked France four years ago is back in the headlines. The ILO warns of a rise in mental ill-health due to stress at the workplace.

MANILA, Philippines – The electronics industry has slashed its export growth projection for this year, citing a weak global recovery which could affect demand for shipments. Semiconductors and Electronics Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) president Ernesto Santiago said in a text message yesterday that it had cut its export growth projection to five to…

MANILA, Philippines – Workers in the country’s bustling business process outsourcing (BPO) sector are expected to earn P247 billion in total this year, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines – Weaker global growth has taken its toll on emerging Asia’s own growth prospects due to dwindling exports, Fitch Ratings said in a new report released yesterday.

Cooperatives have been more resilient to the global economic and jobs crisis than other sectors. The UN International Day of Cooperatives, which takes place this year on 7 July, offers a chance for cooperatives to reassert their position in the world economy. ILO News interviews Simel Esim, Chief of the ILO’s Cooperative Branch.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Unlike their national counterparts, who can’t seem to live without it, lawmakers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have eschewed pork barrel in passing the region’s Public Works Act, also known as Muslim Mindanao Act 229.

One of the things the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is supposed to do is help local industries so they can hire more people and reduce the country’s unemployment rate. But we haven’t heard much about DTI’s efforts in this area.

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked a wood processing firm and burned its heavy equipment before fleeing in Barangay Zillovia, Talacogon, Agusan del Sur yesterday morning.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will no longer deploy overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 15 countries considered as unsafe. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Hans Cacdac said the POEA governing board has approved a resolution restricting deployment to 15 countries found not compliant with the requirements of the amended Migrant Workers Act starting July…

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – A 67-year-old Dutch missionary who was reportedly assisting farm workers in Hacienda Luisita was executed in front of his office in Barangay Telebastagan here at past noon yesterday.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio yesterday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to give the public freer access to records submitted by organizations wishing to participate in the 2013 party-list elections because as it is, their system is prone to corruption and abuse.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) today signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), an attached government agency under the Office of the President, to ensure that an estimated 16 million to 20 million indigenous people are registered and qualified…

Lacking much to boast about for President Aquino’s two years in office, his propagandists have turned to Morgan Stanley managing director Ruchir Sharma’s raving over him in his book “Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of Economic Miracles.”

STANDARD & POOR’S (S&P) has raised the Philippines’ credit rating to one notch below investment grade, citing the country’s prudent fiscal management, strong external position and stable economic growth.

Contact centers struggle with retention in Egypt. CAIRO: The Contact Center industry in Egypt is booming. With the onset of the social media revolution and the ever-changing profile of today’s customer, contact centers have gone to great lengths in recent years to keep their service levels in line with escalating expectations. Whilst technical upgrades and…

MANILA, Philippines – The government continues to implement the measure of providing the power-rate discounts to “lifeline” or marginalized electricity consumers even as Malacañang said it got no control over power rate increases.

What’s in a number? When it comes to your health, the answer is plenty. That’s because knowing and understanding certain numbers can keep you from being caught off-guard by many serious illnesses, and help you maintain or even improve your health. Here are the numbers that matter the most.

MANILA, Philippines – Banks and other lending institutions are no longer allowed to offer flat interest rates on loans as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) implements circulars updating rules of a 1963 law that enforces transparency in credit lending.

The following are the achievements of the President after 2 years: 1. He has maintained a clean record without a taint of corruption.

Manila, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has asked people alleging that fixers are operating at the poll body to substantiate their claims.

Manila, Philippines – Filipino workers might be deployed to Iraq and Libya soon. In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said yesterday the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) might amend the previous non-certification of the two countries.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced the release of P1.166 billion to the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) with regards to the extension of its memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).