Monthly Archives: January 2014

MANILA – There is a slight increase in the number of borrowers who have missed out on payments for car and housing loans, an economist said on Monday.

MANILA – Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have allowed households to save money, boosting the country’s savings rate, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

MANILA – Power plant operators bucked the government’s plan to secure backup electricity whenever their facility shuts down, saying this would jack up their costs. Luis Miguel O. Aboitiz, Philippine Independent Power Producers Association president, said the government’s proposal would require regulators to go through each power supply contract that plant operators signed with distribution…

Despite inflation concerns, Bangko Sentral likely to maintain key interest rates Economic growth is seen to slow down to 6.1 percent this year, from the estimated 6.9 percent in 2013, partly due to the devastation caused by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” and the possible decline in consumption in view of the rise in inflation, Ayala-led Bank of…

(First of two parts) The so-called Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM)—from which Meralco bought 9.5 percent of its power at an unbelievable P33/kwh price in November, resulting in a 20 percent to 25 percent spike in consumers’ electricity bills for December—is a farce.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines may now be an attractive destination for investors to set up production facilities due to its positive economic performance, but it still needs to do more to strengthen the manufacturing sector to create more jobs and achieve inclusive growth.

Industry group Philippine Independent Power Producers Association, Inc. has denied collusion in the shutdown of power plants that led to a power rate hike. “There are buyers and there are sellers, right? Obviously, the buyers benefited, the sellers lost out,” PIPPA president Luis Miguel Aboitiz said in a “24 Oras” report aired Friday evening.

A United Nation’s agency warns that more than three million women and girls of reproductive age could face risky deliveries in typhoon-affected areas of the Philippines since the storm destroyed many health facilities that provide much-needed pre- and post-natal care.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is “a little concerned” as more and more higher education institutions (HEIs) express their intention to synchronize their academic calendars with the rest of the world. At first, CHED Chairperson Dr Patricia Licuanan found it all right when the University of the Philippines (UP) system and…

MANILA, Philippines – As developed countries struggle to limp out of recession, the Philippines has emerged as a bright spot among emerging markets in the world this year, evolving from its decades-old tag as the “sick man of Asia” to a rising tiger due largely to a combination of robust domestic spending, sound fiscal management,…

BAGUIO CITY – The Philippines tied with India in second place in the list of the “World’s Most Dangerous Country for Journalists” in 2013 that was topped by war-torn Syria.

MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) will begin collecting higher contributions from members this month. The SSS is set to implement this month a 0.6 percent increase in member contributions, divided equally between employees and their employers, as it seeks to cut its unfunded liability of…

MANILA – There are more than 1.3 million job vacancies in the country for 2014, according to the government’s online jobs portal Phil-JobNet. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said this figure is 100,000 higher than what was posted the previous year.

The quest for education quality in fact propels all education reform initiatives. That being said, educators will be the first to say that arriving at a universal definition of education quality is actually more elusive than, say, achieving specific reform goals such as functional literacy at Grade 3, or the alignment of higher education competencies…

MANILA, Philippines – Super Typhoon Yolanda almost wiped out parts of the Visayas last Nov. 8, putting the country’s public health system to a test. The world is watching how the Philippine government deals with the calamity, particularly in providing health care to the victims.

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution giving protection to women migrant workers against abusive employers and exploitation.

Monthly Social Security System (SSS) contributions of at least 30.04 million individual members and 871,642 employers rise to 11 percent from 10.4 percent effective January 2014, the SSS said as it posted the new contribution schedule on its website.

CONFLICTING ROLES: How can Malacañang credibly oppose an electricity rate increase when the government itself is into power generation and distribution, and regularly slaps a 12-percent Value-Added Tax on sales? In the debate over the cost of electricity, Malacañang cannot pretend to be an objective referee with only public welfare guiding it.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is embarking on new programs this year to boost local employment and curb the high jobless rate nationwide.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has opted to reform the implementation of Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) to prevent delays in payment of salaries to student beneficiaries.

WHO DOESN’T WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET MORE DONE? OR GET THINGS DONE MORE EFFICIENTLY? WE ASKED SOME OF THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE WE KNOW HOW YOU CAN TACKLE THE NEW YEAR’S WORK. BY KATHLEEN DAVIS Last year I used a kitchen timer to force myself to focus; I blocked the Internet and…

Nakikita ni dating Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno na hihina ang ekonomiya ng bansa ngayong 2014. Sa panayam ng DZMM, sinabi niya na kung ikukumpara noong nakaraang taon, mas mahihirapan ngayon ang pamahalaan na maabot ang 6.5% hanggang 7.5% na growth rate.

ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has traditionally relied on a mixture of public and private health care with an emphasis on the latter. It is a structure that is likely to continue as more countries in the region begin to move toward the provision of universal health care.