Monthly Archives: February 2014

MANILA, Philippines – The Science and Technology department’s Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) aims to make the Philippines 99 percent connected to the Internet by 2015.

MANILA – They are happy with their jobs, but do not want to stay longer than a year. A study commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP) last year showed that business process outsourcing (BPO) workers are generally happy with their high-paying jobs, but think of leaving them…

MANILA, Philippines—Masseurs and masseuses in spa and wellness clinics in Manila would be required to undergo regular screening for sexually transmitted infections under a proposed new ordinance to strengthen the city’s program for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS.

MANILA – The Philippines financial system would still have to go through a lot of reforms to be able to fully reap the benefits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) financial market integration come 2020, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) senior official said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – Private educational institutions welcomed the government’s plan for a voucher system in giving financial assistance to incoming students in senior high school under the K to 12 program.

MANILA, Philippines – The Information Technology Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) is planning to update its road map to set targets until 2020 as it seeks to grow and make the country a preferred destination for both voice and non-voice services.

Let us not over-react to the recent Supreme Court decision on the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175). We should carefully study the entire case first before attacking the court and its decision on the matter.

MANILA, Philippines – About 90 percent of cases filed in court were dismissed due to police negligence, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.

MANILA, Philippines – Only Associate Justice Marvic Leonen voted for the decriminalization of libel online and in the Revised Penal Code when the Supreme Court (SC) deliberated on the constitutionality of the Cybercrime Law last week.

Over the past two months or so, we have been hearing various stories, accusations and counter accusations from power industry participants on what or who really caused that atrocious hike in Meralco power rates. I don’t see closure coming around soon and that’s not good for the power industry.

MANILA, Philippines – Businessmen urged the Aquino administration to support proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 such as improving the role of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Full article here http://technology.inquirer.net/34439/sc-explains-why-only-authors-may-be-prosecuted-for-online-libel#ixzz2uDYxYiZK

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines can adopt strategic positioning in a bid to capture more investments coming in the region brought about by a bigger market in the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

The Aquino administration may have most likely posted significant gains in implementing the necessary reforms and recommendations proposed under the Arangkada Philippines report, the latest assessment for which will be out this week.

Workers involved in the removal of asbestos run the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. Asbestos is only a risk if there is the potential for people to be exposed to fibres of a specific geometry that may lodge within the lining of their lungs.

Members of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry will appeal the memorandum circular of the Department of Labor and Employment in Region 6, asking businessmen affected by super typhoon “Yolanda” to file for six-month exemption from the P10 wage hike.

The year 2013 was one of the nation’s worst in terms of misfortunes. But it did not fade Filipinos’ sunny outlook, judging from a survey at the end of last year. While Filipinos remain optimistic that their lives will improve in the next 12 months, their outlook on the economy dipped slightly in the fourth…

The Supreme Court ruling on the validity of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10175) will be studied as a landmark case dealing with modern everyday information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as the Internet, cellular phones, and social media.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) – Feb. 23, 2014 – QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Over 300 Filipino nurses from all over the world gathered for the first ever Global Summit of Filipino Nurses 2014 last January at the Manila Hotel in the Philippines. With the theme “Filipino Nurses Worldwide: Unite for Global Health and…

Government was caught napping. That is the emerging conclusion from parallel Senate and House inquiries into the record-high electricity price surge last November.

Doing business is not easy. I used to be in manufacturing and retail. Today I am in consultancy. Every time I get to meet my former competitors the first thing they tell me is, “Francis, it’s a good thing you got out. You made the right decision.”

MOSCOW — Russia and two of its ex-Soviet neighbors are set to impose a ban on certain types of lace panties, sparking public fury and even a lingerie-themed street protest.

APARRI, Cagayan: The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) have put a stop to all illegal black sand mining operations in this province’s coastline, some of which have been suspended indefinitely pending review of several mining firms’ applications and operations.

PRESIDENT Aquino’s confidence that there is no risk of overheating in Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy isn’t reflected in the country’s bond market. Sovereign peso notes fell 5 percent in three months in local-currency terms, the most among 32 emerging-market indexes tracked by Bloomberg, while the Philippines currency dropped 2 percent against the dollar. Inflation quickened…

To help alleviate the traffic build up that is expected as a result of major infrastructure projects such as the Skyway 3 and the NAIA expressway, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino has proposed the adoption of a four-day school week. Many were quick to shoot down the proposal. Officials of the Coordinating…

For Dr. Bien Nillos, being healthcare provider in an environment with limited resources is a challenge. As part of Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) Batch 23, Nillos was assigned as municipal health officer in Candoni, Negros Occidental, from 2007 to 2009, serving around 27,000 people scattered across a wide area which only has a small…

After the controversy over data caps imposed by Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, another issue is hounding giant telcos in the Philippines, this time with Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard in the mobile network technology, also known as 4G.

A robust business process outsourcing (BPO) sector—which is expected to remain strong in 2014—will drive the real estate industry further up this year. The country’s outsourcing industry will still be one of the best in Asia. CBRE Philippines said that as more occupiers relocate to the country, expansionary growth in Metro Manila’s fringes and provinces…

RESTORING FORESTS. The National Greening Program aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 hectares from 2011 to 2016. Photo from the National Greening Program websiteRESTORING FORESTS. The National Greening Program aims to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 hectares from 2011 to 2016. Photo from the National Greening Program website

The Supreme Court ruling on the Cybercrime Law tries to strike a delicate balance between protecting public interest and civil liberties. All 15 justices unanimously decided that sections 12 (real-time collection of traffic data), 19 (restricting or blocking access to computer data), and 4(c)(3) on unsolicited commercial communications were unconstitutional. They were however split on…