Monthly Archives: February 2017

Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say says they are confident about regularizing the 65,000 employees affected by the 5-5-5 scheme Patty Pasion, Rappler, Feb 12, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Ending the illegal practice of perpetually hiring workers on a contract-basis – more popularly known as labor contractualization – was among the most popular campaign promises of President…

by Alex Strauss, Feb 12, 2017 A new analysis of Baltimore shipyard workers in the 1950s and 1960s suggests that exposure to a range of toxic substances raised their risk for lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and early death.

By Rea Cu, Businessmirror, Feb 12, 2017 Protectionist policies will weaken the country’s business- process outsourcing (BPO) sector should US President Donald J. Trump push through with his plans to implement trade reforms, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).

by Tom Goodwin, Feb 12, 2017 Living in New York and working in advertising I rarely see people over the age of fifty. My elders seem to be a secret population — a growing, sizable, increasingly healthy and wealthy group — that I’m never exposed to, let alone have the pleasure of working alongside. This…

By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), Feb 11, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – The country’s trade deficit widened to $24.927 billion in 2016 from $12.24 billion a year earlier as manufacturing and consumption-related imports outpaced exports, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported yesterday.

By Bloomberg News, Feb 11, 2017 THE world’s working-age population is shrinking faster than expected, leaving fewer people to support a growing number of seniors, according to the Bloomberg Sunset Index.

BY MICHAEL JOE T. DELIZO, TMT, Manila Times, Feb 11, 2017 THE Hong Kong government has finally agreed to add a safety clause in the job contracts of foreign domestic helpers.

By Leslie Ann G. Aquino, Manila Bulletin, Feb 11, 2017 The proposed bill that will allow workers to “disconnect” or ignore text messages, phone calls and e-mails from superiors after work hours gained the support of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

10th of February 2017 The ETU has called on the Department of Transport and Main Roads to put a stop to all below ground work on traffic lights and street lights statewide until asbestos discovered in the network is located.

PRESS STATEMENT (for immediate release) 10 February 2017 FMR. EXEC. SECRETARY RUBEN D. TORRES President, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Contact Number: (+63) 908.851.3320 The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) expressed condolences to the affected workers and families in the fire that erupted in Housing Technology Industries on Wednesday.

By: Maricar Cinco, INQInquirer Southern Luzon, Feb 10, 2017 SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna—Another victim of the fire that razed a building of the Japanese-owned factory House Technologies Inc. (HTI) in General Trias city in Cavite province died in a hospital on Thursday, a provincial government official said Friday.

By: Nestor Corrales, INQINQUIRER.net, Feb 10, 2017 President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the release of a one-time gratuity pay of P1,000 to P2,000 for contractual workers in government.

by Maya M. Padillo, Businessworld, Feb 10, 2017 DAVAO CITY — The head of ICT Davao, Inc., the umbrella organization of information and communication technology firms in the Davao Region, called on business process outsourcing (BPO) workers to observe proper resignation procedures amid increased staff poaching in the industry.

BY MICAH VARDELEON, THE MANILA TIMES, FEB 10, 2017 The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has urged employers to grant their employees full benefits.

Sunstar, Feb 10, 2017 COMBINED military and police operatives have rescued two victims of human trafficking in the province of Tawi-Tawi, a military official said Friday, February 10.

by David Lavenda, Feb 10, 2017 Productivity is all about efficiency—doing more, faster and with less. And with increasing demands from today’s anytime, anywhere workplace, it is has never been more important. To get the most out of your day, you need to focus on these three segments of your life:

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21716584-there-obvious-solution-asias-looming-labour-shortage There is an obvious solution Feb 11th 2017 THE agencies are anonymous and unobtrusive amid the glamorous hustle of Shanghai, the better to stay in the shadows. They deal in an illegal but highly desirable product: people, specifically Filipina domestic workers to serve China’s growing middle class. Filipina helpers, says one agent, will follow…

http://www.mitel.com/blog/multi/2017/02/8-call-center-trends-2017 We saw a lot of changes to the call center and customer experience landscape in 2016. Cloud communications and virtual agents were on the forefront of everyone’s minds, and social media was more important than ever. 2017 is shaping up to be the year of strategic thinking: better analytics, more intentional social media conversations…

BY RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO, Manila Times, Feb. 10, 2017 Last of a three-part series THE Philippine communist movement in the 1970s recruited not only the best and the brightest of the generation that came of age in that period, perhaps also one of the most patriotic,mostly in their teens and early twenties, yet who were…

by DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA, Feb. 10, 2017 Since its debut in the healthcare business some 10 years ago, the group of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, aka MVP, has now built a network of 13 hospitals, the latest component of which is Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital (JDMH) in Kamuning Road, Quezon City. This means that…

by Lianna Brinded, Business Insider, Feb 9, 2017 PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the world’s largest professional-services firms, just released its predictions for the most powerful economies in the world by 2030.

by Gary Cohn, Feb 9, 2017 https://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/gary/asbestos-lies-and-videotape-corporate-spy-poses-as-filmmaker-to-dupe-anti-asbestos-advocates.htm It is an extraordinary story of corporate espionage, intrigue, and betrayal. For four years, a British man working for a prominent corporate intelligence firm infiltrated the global network of anti-asbestos advocates working to ban asbestos in the United States and around the world. By posing as a sympathetic…

Read the full pastoral statement of the CBCP on drug-related killings below: “Beloved People of God We, your bishops, are deeply concerned due to many deaths and killings in the campaign against prohibited drugs. This traffic in illegal drugs needs to be stopped and overcome. But the solution does not lie in the killing of suspected…

ABS-CBN News, Feb 09 2017 MANILA – A Cabinet oversight body on Thursday said it would create a “multi-stakeholder review” of mining operations in the country following the environment department’s decision to shut or suspend 28 mines.

BY NELSON BADILLA, TMT, Manila Times, Feb 9, 2017 Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Thursday said abuse and exploitation of women in the country is “alarming.” Taguiwalo said the Policy Development and Planning Bureau (PDPB) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) disclosed that a total of 2,797 women in especially difficult…

BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG, Manila Times, Feb 9, 2017 BACOLOD CITY: The lead convenor of a labor-based group here opposing the unabated entry of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has warned against unwarranted interventions of beverage and softdrink companies as the Sugar Board is set to meet on February 17.

February 9, 2017, https://www.cwa-union.org/news/senators-call-on-trump-act-against-offshoring-of-american-call-center-jobs Democratic Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sent a letter to President Trump encouraging his Administration to take action to help protect and bring call center jobs back to the United States, noting that the industry had…

by Anabel González, Senior Director, Global Practice on Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank Group, Feb 8, 2017 In the ongoing debate about the benefits of trade, we must not lose sight of a vital fact. Trade and global integration have raised incomes across the world, while dramatically cutting poverty and global inequality.

BY RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO, Manila Times, Feb 8, 2017 The Philippine elite and all Presidents after Marcos left it alone to grow THERE are several unique features of our unlucky country that distinguish us from the rest of booming Southeast Asian nations, among them:

By Audrey Morallo (philstar.com), Feb. 8, 2017 MANILA, Philippines — “The war on drugs is essentially a war on people.” This was the message of a former leader of a South American country that launched its own war on drugs to President Rodrigo Duterte.