Monthly Archives: May 2013

MANILA, Philippines – With the country rating low in global surveys on competitiveness and ease in doing business, President Aquino has created an inter-agency task force to address the problems.

BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Philippines – Private sector workers in the two Agusan and Surigao provinces and their component cities got a post-election gift in the form of the P10-minimum wage increase that the Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Caraga region has approved.

(Last of two parts) MANILA, Philippines – There’s a wide-array of reasons for the Mindanao crisis. As expected, President Benigno Aquino blames his predecessor for the problem.

MANILA, Philippines — Only 806 Filipino nurses sought jobs in the United States from January to March this year, LPG-MA party list Representative Arnel Ty said.

Hardly a day goes by without a news story on some violation of women’s rights. In recent months, appalling incidents of violence against women and girls, from Delhi to Johannesburg to Cleveland, have sparked public outrage and demands to tackle these horrific abuses.

MANILA, Philippines – There seems to be a link between the rising number of smartphone users in the country and the spike in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the Philippines, a Department of Health (DOH) official said.

CASES of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV-Aids) in Cagayan de Oro have reached an alarming level, making the city a “hotspot.”

With the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals approaching, Aurelio Parisotto, ILO Senior Economist, explains why jobs and livelihoods should be at the centre of a post-2015 development agenda.

Change is in sight for the region home to over 90 percent of people without water security, as the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit ends on Monday with a pledge for tighter regional ties and a $20 billion solution proposed by the Asian Development Bank.

MANILA, Philippines – Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said he is losing his hair because of the Mindanao crisis. As he said this, in a recent meeting with Mindanao-based electric cooperatives, Petilla drew laughter from the crowd.

JEDDAH — Filipino household service workers (HSWs) in Saudi Arabia can now enjoy more rights and better protection after the signing of a “historic” agreement between the Kingdom and the Philippines in Jeddah on Sunday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines continued to lag behind its peers in the Southeast Asian region in terms of motor vehicle production as it saw the number of assembled vehicles in the first quarter decline year-on-year.

MANILA – A total of 58 DOH-accredited hospitals nationwide will be offering women 21 years old and above free cervical cancer screening for the whole month of May, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday.

MANILA – Personal finance guru Suze Orman last year told OFW families to think about where their money comes from so that they would have an idea how to manage their funds.

We are highlighting the work done by immigrant domestic workers, or the work done by nannies, housecleaners and caregivers. It is sometimes called the world’s largest invisible workforce and it’s expanding in the United States as our population ages. In this piece we will hear about nationwide efforts to improve the working conditions for these…

Geneva – The world has made dramatic progress in improving health in the poorest countries and narrowing the gaps between countries with the best and worst health status in the past two decades, according to the World Health Statistics 2013.

ABU DHABI // The UAE has contributed significantly to the Philippines’ labour mobility as it is one of the country’s top 10 markets for overseas Filipino workers, Rosalinda Baldoz, the Philippines’ labour secretary said yesterday.

My good friend Ed Lacson, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), sent me a kilometric-long text message reacting to a previous column on labor issues and a reader’s suggestions on labor benefits. I value his views, and thus am giving him the floor. Here goes.

A new ILO/UNCTAD book highlights the role of agricultural trade in creating jobs and alleviating poverty around the world.Press release

A recent seminar organized by the ILO’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities and the ILO’s Cooperative Branch brought together researchers and practitioners from around the world to talk about some of the issues and experiences that cooperatives are facing today.

World will miss MDG target Note for media 13 May 2013 | GENEVA/NEW YORK -Some 2.4 billion people – one-third of the world’s population – will remain without access to improved sanitation in 2015, according to a joint WHO/UNICEF report issued today. The report, entitled Progress on sanitation and drinking-water 2013 update, warns that, at…

MANILA, Philippines – The unemployment rate among the youth in the Philippines dropped slightly in 2012, according to a recent report published by Geneva-based International Labour Organization.

AGUSAN DEL SUR – The Foundation for the Development of Agusanons, Inc. (ADFI) has launched Friday the “Bata Muna” campaign to influence voters to consider children when voting and to vote for candidates who stand up for children’s rights come May 13 elections.

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 2 – 4:02 p.m.) With only two days before the 2013 midterm elections, several government websites, including that of the Office of the President, were downed by massive denial of service attacks in what appeared to be retaliation for the killing of a Taiwanese fishermen by the Philippine Coast Guard this…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The reaction among politicians to the phenomenal economic growth being experienced by the Philippines appears to be divided between those who see it as a half-filled glass and those who see it as half-empty. One side of the political spectrum claim credit for this achievement and brook no criticism despite certainly valid points being raised…

MANILA, Philippines – After bagging two investment grades, the Philippines needs to institute structural reforms to cement its status as an investment destination, the country’s rating advisor said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The two million house helpers (kasambahay) nationwide can now get a pay increase and join labor unions.

(Updated 12:17) The ranks of Filipino youth working part-time is increasing, raising concerns over the quality of employment for those joining the job market for the first time, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Thursday.

Jeany Rose Callora left her home on the Philippine island of Negros last year to work at a soft- drinks factory in Manila, hoping to earn money for college. When her contract ended six months later, she said she couldn’t get another job in Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economy.