Monthly Archives: July 2014

(First of three parts) The cost of electricity in the Philippines is measured in many ways. For the consumers, the cost is measured in pesos per kilowatt-hours that appear in the monthly bills.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue resumed its shame campaign against doctors who fail to pay their just share of taxes.

Chipmaker raises revenue forecast for third quarter on expectations of demand rebound Intel Corp believes the worst is over for a personal computer industry hammered by the mobile revolution. The United States-based chipmaker forecast third-quarter revenue above Wall Street’s expectations on Tuesday, sending its stock 4 per cent higher in extended trade.

MANILA, Philippines – The first batch of Senior High School graduates in the country are now reaping the benefits of the additional two years in the basic education system, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

As president of a small college, I have nightmares about 2016. In that year, my college will not have first-year students, because all Grade 10 students will be going to Grade 11. The next year, 2017, we will still not have first-year students, because the Grade 11 students will be going to Grade 12. We…

FEU Diliman and Sitel signed a memorandum of understanding which aims to produce qualified graduates who can help sustain the growth of the BPO industry. Present during the MOU signing were (from left) Sitel HR supervisor Mark Paolo Anido, Sitel country director for talent acquisition Nathan Andaya, FEU Diliman dean of College Lakan-asa Bautista and…

PROSPECTS for the Philippine economy remain rosy given robust demand conditions, monetary authorities noted during a policy meeting last month, with reconstruction efforts following last year’s calamities also expected to provide a boost.

With more than half of the 35 million people living with HIV unaware they are infected, the battle is far from over however GENEVA, Switzerland – Global AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections have fallen by over a third in a decade, raising hopes of beating the killer disease by 2030, the United Nations said…

(Reuters) – China’s economic growth picked up slightly in the second quarter as a burst of government stimulus paid dividends, but analysts said Beijing will likely need to offer more support to meet its annual growth target as the property market slows.

Fed could hike rate sooner than expected: YellenWashington: The Federal Reserve could raise its interest rate sooner than expected as the jobs market improves, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Tuesday, adding the Fed was closely watching for risks.

MANILA, Philippines – The government wants to slowly wean rice farmers away from the price support provided by the National Food Authority (NFA), but no drastic changes to the subsidies provided by the state-run food agency would be immediately implemented, said Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – More than 27,000 workers from Metro Manila and parts of Luzon will benefit from wider access to Social Security System (SSS) services after accrediting non-government organizations (NGOs) assisting the urban poor and a cooperative for vegetable vendors as partner agents. The government-run pension fund signed a servicing partner agent (SPA) agreement with…

MANILA, Philippines – The Aquino administration’s proposed budget for its flagship program for the poor known as the conditional cash transfer (CCT) has almost quadrupled in the last four years, from P29.2 billion in 2011 to P78 billion next year.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) aim to start negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) by early next year and complete the deal by 2017, a trade official said.

(Updated 11:38 a.m.) President Benigno Aquino III’s approval and trust ratings plunged after the Supreme Court (SC) declared his administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as partially unconstitutional, pollster Pulse Asia said Monday.

MANILA – Following the debt rating lift from Japan’s R&I, the Philippines again received a credit rating upgrade, this time from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

MANILA, Philippines–The World Health Organization (WHO) is strongly promoting the use of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men having sex with men, on top of the use of condoms.

Public satisfaction with President Benigno Aquino III fell 20 points in the second quarter of 2014 to a “moderate” +25 rating, its lowest since he assumed the presidency in 2010, a poll conducted by Social Weather Stations showed.

The coop economy, worth around US$2.5 trillion, plays its part in helping to eliminate child labour – a problem that, although in decline, still affects 168 million children worldwide. GENEVA (ILO News) – Around 60 per cent of all child labourers work in farming or a related industry, a sector where cooperatives hold a significant…

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines–Running priest Fr. Robert Reyes has called on the government to speed up the transfer to permanent shelters of survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda who are still in bunkhouses and tents here.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines must pursue a new industrial policy to make its manufacturing sector competitive and take advantage of increased trade and investment opportunities offered by Asean market integration next year.

MANILA, Philippines – The improvement in government efficiency and the fight against corruption helped the Philippines improve its competitiveness by six notches, the latest report from think tan World Economic Forum said.

A follow-up investigation after the allegations by CLW found evidence of an illegal hiring process that took place on June 29 MANILA, Philippines – Following claims by a child labor watchdog that one of its suppliers was hiring underaged workers, Samsung said that it has decided to “temporarily suspend business with the company in question”…

An electrician who was reported missing in a fire that razed a plywood factory in Lanao del Norte province last Thursday was found dead on Saturday.

President Aquino will address the people today (Monday), via national television, starting at 6 p.m., according to Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, from Malacañang. He is expected to explain the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

THANK GMA: Talking of DAP as a stimulus for development, there are many analyses saying that the country’s remarkable growth is not so much the fruits of Aquino’s governance as a result of the adroit economic management by the previous Arroyo administration.

Filipino students have made the country proud again this year by bagging silver and bronze medals in this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad in South Africa.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos should be wary of people they meet through social media sites and Internet chatrooms, the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – How are climate-resilient communities created? Experts who gathered during the recently-concluded Partnerships for Disaster and Climate Resilience conference hosted by the Carlos Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development, Manila Observatory, and the Zuellig Family Foundation conceded that strong infrastructure, effective disaster response plans, and proper funding are factors that ensure the creation…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy is showing signs of fatigue but is likely to recover in 2015, British bank HSBC said in its latest Asia Economic Quarterly Report. It noted that after eight quarters of above six percent growth, “the economy is showing signs of fatigue.”