Monthly Archives: February 2013

THE BENCHMARK Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) could top the 7,000 mark this year due to optimism over the country’s good economic fundamentals and market liquidity, officials of two brokerages said separately.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The daring simultaneous raids launched by New People’s Army guerrillas in Bukidnon Tuesday evening, February 19, were meant as a punitive action against plantations that the rebel army said have contributed to the deterioration of agricultural lands in the area.

MINING FIRMS operating in the Philippines under financial or technical assistance agreements (FTAA) must pay taxes throughout the duration of their contract with the government, even during the cost recovery period provided by law, the tax bureau has said.

Philippine economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2012 may have surpassed expectations but a local think tank said the numbers exposed the weakness of the agriculture sector which requires a permanent solution.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) is looking at 19 new mining projects to advance to commercial production within the year following successful exploration activities.

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There are numerous factors that play into achieving successful call center operations, many of which feed into one another. For example, what your agents offer your customers sets the stage for customer loyalty, satisfaction and overall business continuity. If your agents sound fake, fabricated or uninterested, well then guess what, your customers will avoid you…

SEMIRARA ISLAND, Antique—Except for a recovered human body part, there were no signs of the five workers who were among 10 people buried by tons of soil when a portion of a wall of the Semirara Mining Corp. (SMC) open mine pit collapsed here five days ago.

02/18/2013 // Chicago, IL, USA // Cooney & Conway // Jessica McNeil // (press release) CHICAGO, IL – (News: asbestos attorney news) — Most people are aware of the common places where asbestos has been found, such as in insulation, drywall, and automotive parts. But asbestos has shown up in some lesser-known and somewhat surprising…

In our world today, renewable energy is not just a means of complying with environmental standards; it is also the key to unlock economic growth. A massive up take of renewables addresses climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while also increasing energy security and generating more jobs – “green” jobs.

One of the never-ending criticisms of the country’s recent economic performance is that it was a “jobless growth” or “elitist growth.” The people who say this refer to the lack of sufficient jobs created in the economy and hence point to further social inequality.

President Benigno Aquino III still enjoys high trust ratings, but his overall approval rating has gone down since last year, the most recent survey by pollster Pulse Asia revealed Tuesday.

LONDON – With the road ahead looking a bit smoother, G20 finance ministers will be happy to ignore the wreck in the rear-view mirror when they meet this week to steer a course for the world economy.

THE PHILIPPINE economy is expected to grow at a slower pace this year — but still within the government’s target — given risks from a weak global environment and “bureaucratic bottlenecks,” a New York-based consultancy yesterday said.

I heard that President Aquino had members of his Cabinet look closely into how the economy lost nearly a million jobs last year in spite of an exceptional 7.2-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the same period. I called attention to the disturbing statistics at the Philippine Development Forum held in Davao last week,…

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday reported that the country’s foreign direct investments (FDI) as of end-November totaled $1.23 billion, a very slight improvement compared to $1.22 billion the same period in 2011.

MANILA, Philippines – The 6.6% phenomenal growth rate of the Philippines 2012 has given birth to a new concern: possible blackouts. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) warned that if the economy continues to grow at the pace it has been growing, the country could face a power crisis in two to 3 years.

Team PNoy Launches Campaign In Plaza Miranda; UNA In Cebu MANILA, Philippines — Expect all sorts of mudslinging, bickering, as well as self-aggrandizement among candidates and their supporters to intensify as the 90-day campaign period for the May, 2013, elections for national and party-list candidates starts today.

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) – Rio+20 (UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 13-22, 2012), billed as a once in a generation chance to save the planet, was a huge disappointment even an embarrassment given that almost 200 countries were present, with many leaders including from Brazil, France, Australia and India attending. A…

THE 15TH CONGRESS’ output was said to have exceeded expectations given the number of priority measures passed. Chinese New Year declaring as holiday is up for Congress ratificationBangsamoro in 16th Congress agendaAMLA amendments OK’dAMLA changes up for Congress ratificationHouse okays foreign equity in rural banks

The government is mulling measuring the number of poor Filipinos in terms of consumption instead of earnings as it fine-tunes a new bi-annual state-funded survey on poverty to be released next month, the country’s top economist said.

Net foreign portfolio investments grew 120 percent year-on-year to $1.2 billion as of Jan. 25, 2013, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed over the weekend. For nearly the same period last year (Jan. 1 to 27, 2012), net foreign portfolio investments in the country amounted to $541.59 million.

CHINA surpassed the US to become the world’s biggest trading nation last year as measured by the sum of exports and imports, a milestone in the Asian nation’s challenge to the US dominance in global commerce that emerged after the end of World War II in 1945.

STEEP PRICE INCREASES in the real estate sector are creating “pockets of concern” but overall there is no cause for alarm just yet, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) official said.

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– by Mike Manuel, Sun Life Chief Investment Officer for Asia http://twitpic.com/c12sob

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers and their families, as well as exporters and business process outsourcing companies, are feeling the pinch of a strong Philippine peso. But what is behind the rising value of the peso against the US dollar?

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima must have anticipated the ho-hum response of most people to the good news about our GDP growth rate for last year. He told the business group that listened to the Roubini talk, somewhat defensively, that we have to celebrate our small victories.

WASHINGTON DC – For pregnant women, breathing in air pollution from vehicles, heating and coal power plants increases the risk of having a low birth weight baby, an international study said Wednesday.

Survey shows confidence levels down in 33 countries Filipinos were the most optimistic consumers in Southeast Asia and the second most optimistic in the world, defying a broad global decline in confidence during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to an international polling firm.