Monthly Archives: January 2019

By: Gideon Lasco – @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan 10, 2019 Perhaps because the topic is too close to home for many of us, and their voices are rarely heard in public discourse, little has been written about the lived experiences of the “kasambahay”—particularly those living and working in the Philippines. Of course, they occupy…

By Elijah Rosales, Henry Empeño, Lenie Lectura, Sam Medenilla, VG Cabuag, Business Mirror, Jan 10, 2019 THE full story of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) Inc., once touted as the shining star of Subic Freeport and an inspiration to Philippine policy-makers who used it as part of their basis to list shipbuilding among…

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by Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan 9, 2019 The World Bank has projected the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.5 percent this year, below the government’s 7-8 percent target for 2019, and slightly up to 6.6 percent in 2020 and 2021.

By Heather SCOTT, Jan 9, 2019 Trade conflict between the world’s two largest economic powers already is inflicting collateral damage and threatens to do yet more harm to the global economy, the World Bank warned Tuesday.

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By Xave Gregorio, CNN Philippines, Jan 9, 2019 The first case of HIV infection in the Philippines was reported in 1984. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28) — Minors aged 15 to under 18 could now get tested for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) even without the consent of their parents or legal guardian after…

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by Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News, Jan 8, 2019 MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the health and finance departments’ proposal to raise the excise tax on tobacco and alcohol products, the Palace said Tuesday.

by Mary Grace Padin, The Philippine Star, Jan 8, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — State-run Social Security System (SSS) is still waiting for further progress on the status of a bill which seeks to amend the state fund’s charter.

by Ghio Ong, The Philippine Star, Jan 8, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — Three workers were hurt after a tank of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded at a food park in Pasay City Sunday night.

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by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Becky Frankiewicz, Jan 7, 2019 We often hear employers and business leaders lament the unfortunate gap between what students learn in college and what they are actually expected to know in order to be job-ready. This is particularly alarming in light of the large — and still growing — number of…

by Mary Grace Padin (The Philippine Star) – Jan 5, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — The year 2018 signified major changes for the country’s fiscal system as the government started the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

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By Rene E. Ofreneo, Business Mirror, Jan 3, 2019 The campaign of the trade union movement to end the “endo” practice of hiring workers on a short-term basis has not yet succeeded in prodding a reluctant Congress to pass a law formally outlawing the controversial “labor-only contracting” (LOC) system and abolishing all other forms of…

by Jovic Yee, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan 2, 2019 Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the approved minimum wage increases throughout the country were short of at least P100 for workers to be able to cope with the rising cost of basic commodities.

by Gillian M. Cortez, BusinessWorld, Jan 2, 2019 THE labor department said equipping workers with data sciences and analytics (DSA) skills will be a good way of preparing enterprises for eventual automation, according to the findings of the JobsFit 2022 report prepared by one of its agencies.

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by Pathricia Ann V. Roxas, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan 1, 2019 MANILA, Philippines — A multi-sectoral group on Tuesday warned the public of 12 “dangerous, anti-Filipino, anti-youth, anti-NGO, and anti-democracy provisions” under the House draft federal charter principally authored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.