Monthly Archives: October 2012

MANILA, Philippines – At least P500 million has been earmarked for the state universities and colleges'(SUCs) research and development, the Commission on Higher Education announced Tuesday.

It isn’t as easy as Chicken Joy to sell the Philippines, as claimed by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, and not even his “It’s more fun in the Philippnes” slogan will work, because it is no fun for tourists coming to Manila with its airport being named as the worst airport in Asia.

MANILA, Philippines – International organization Save the Children challenged candidates in the 2013 elections to address global issues on children’s survival in order to reduce the incidence of child death, and ensure national development.

THE Philippines is now the certified world record holder for the “largest prenatal class in multiple venues.” The event so crowned by the London-based Guinness World Records was the March 10, 2012, “Buntis Day” organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), with support from local governments, the Department of Health (DOH) and Biofemme,…

GROSS domestic product (GDP) growth could hit 5.7% this year as strong influx of money from overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) supports the consumption-driven Philippine economy, HSBC said in a research note released yesterday.

A COMPARISON of growth numbers with key social indicators suggests that the quality of economic growth in the Philippines has been hollow and shallow. While the economy grew 6.1% in the first half of 2012, unemployment and underemployment rose while hunger incidence deepened. For those who were left behind in the growth process, the better-than-expected…

MANILA – The peso climbed to a four-and-a half-year high, closing Tuesday at 41.33 against the US dollar amid strong appetite for risk among investors.

Despite a 5.9-percent economic growth in the second quarter, labor market conditions in the country have not improved, according to a World Bank research note. The October 2012 Job Trends note issued by the World Bank’s Human Development Network said that labor markets in four East Asian countries, namely, the Philippines, China, Thailand and Indonesia…

THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) published the Bi-Annual World Economic Outlook (WEO) last week so I thought I would provide a brief summary with a focus on the Asian region and the Philippines. The WEO projects global growth, at 3.3 and 3.6% in 2012 and 2013, respectively, weaker than in the July 2012 WEO Update.…

NEW DELHI, India – The world faces a “dangerous” cocktail of low growth and high unemployment, OECD chief Angel Gurria said on Tuesday, after the global body warned of gloomier prospects for major economies. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in its latest global overview, said this month leading indicators for the 34-nation…

Two party-list groups representing electricity consumers and 20 others have been dropped from the roster of organizations qualified to take part in the 2013 midterm congressional elections.

From flash floods and landslides to earthquakes and super typhoons, the Philippines has seen them all. So it’s no wonder that the country ranked third out of 173 countries in terms of susceptibility to disasters —next to small island nations Vanuatu and Tonga, also in the South Pacific, according to the World Risk Index of…

“This framework agreement to me would be a recipe for another big, big war in Mindanao,” Nur Misuari said. “Cut my throat if Hadji Murad can ensure peace in Mindanao,” Misuari said, referring to Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the MILF, who witnessed the signing of the framework accord in Malacañang Monday with President Aquino and…

A leader of the militant Left on Monday urged President Benigno Aquino to do for the communist rebels what he did for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and step in to revive the stalled peace negotiations with the insurgent group.

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III announced on Monday the allocation of some P8.5 billion for the implementation of the Transition Investment Support Plan in Mindanao. “We are now at the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that will map out the detailed steps, detailed commitments, and detailed programs that will lead to the fulfillment…

The International Labour Organization (ILO) – the UN agency specialising in the world of work – launches ArtWorks, an artist engagement programme to raise awareness of fundamental rights at work, including freedom from slavery and from child labour.

workers the Philippines plantations palm oil children Child labor is all too common on palm oil plantations in the Philippines, as a study by the Manila-based Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) found. The study looked at palm oil plantations in the Caraga region of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and…

Agricultural cooperatives – the theme of the 2012 World Food Day – are a vehicle for decent lives and decent work, according to ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. GENEVA (ILO News) – Marking World Food Day, ILO head, Guy Ryder, highlighted the central role agricultural cooperatives play in ensuring that the right to food can be…

When it comes to dealing with cases of child sexual exploitation and trafficking, an effective communications system is crucial, says Carin Van der Hor, country director of Plan International, an organization that works to protect the rights of girl children.

SINGAPORE – What jobs offer the highest pay? Investment banking is up there. So is specialist surgery. But consider this. Slightly over twenty years ago, Johnathan Roberts started work on an oil rig at $5 an hour. Today, the newly appointed operations manager of Norway’s Standard Drilling makes about half a million dollars a year.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday disqualified two incumbent party-list groups supposedly representing the energy sector from participating in the party-list derby next year.

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) vowed to help Filipino women fight off the disease, which has overtaken lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer mortality in the country. With “at least 10,000 new breast cancer cases” detected every year, the Philippines now has the highest incidence…

TOKYO, Japan – The Philippines, a laggard economy compared with its Southeast Asian neighbors, can grow faster in the medium term at more than five percent annually, International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials said. In a briefing here, they said higher state revenues and increasing the spending on infrastructure will pave the way for more domestic…

Tokyo, Japan – Third quarter economic growth in the Philippines likely tracked the trend in the first half due to the services sector and robust consumption, the country’s chief economist said. “We are hopeful that it is on the same track,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Arsenio Balisacan told The STAR on…

MANILA, Philippines – Manufacturing activity posted a slower growth in September from the previous month, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of the All-Asian Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (ASCEND) showed. A research note from ASCEND showed that the PMI index for manufacturing was down by 0.35 index points to 54.09 in September from the…

CHICAGO (AP) — Shots that protect against cervical cancer do not make girls promiscuous, according to the first study to compare medical records for vaccinated and unvaccinated girls.

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 1,600 youths have moved up the ladder from being out-of-school youths to full-fledged skilled graduates ready to take on jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – Most blind people in the Philippines and other countries have the chance to recover their eyesight, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported. The WHO said that with adequate treatment, four out of five blind people can see again. There are 39 million people who are blind and another 246 million people…

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are pushing for online voting and other amendments in the existing provisions of the Overseas Absentee Voting Law. Ellene Sana, Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) executive director, said the Senate should immediately pass the proposed amendments on absentee voting law to enable more Filipinos abroad to practice their…