FAIR Trade Alliance called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to review the country’s current external trade policies in light of the global slowdown.

The government, through Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), has increased its stake in the company running Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT) to give it elbow room in expanding line while saving millions of dollars in equipment rental.

OIL companies have agreed to adjust fuel prices on a weekly basis and to again open their books in an apparent bid to qualm growing public clamor against recent price hikes at the pump, the Department of Energy (DOE) said.

COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Leila de Lima on Monday slammed the local government of Davao City for failing to address the unabated string of vigilante killings since 1998 in the city.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged regulators to compel pre-need companies to account for the estimated billions of pesos they hoarded from lapsed and forfeited plan contracts as well as in-force plans voluntarily surrendered by investors.

Medical tourism in the Philippines performed better in the first quarter than in the same period last years despite the global financial crisis, an official from the Department of Tourism (DOT) revealed on Monday.

Over 14,000 Filipino workers who were temporarily laid off and those hit by the flexible working hours as an effect of the global financial crisis have now gone back to regular employment, the Department of Labor and Employment said in a statement Monday.

The government is likely to cough up millions of dollars in subsidies for the operation of Chinese-funded North Luzon Railway until 2028, according to a government document.

World Bank said remittances by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are likely to post a modest drop this year because of job lay offs, as it cited a larger basis for the projected remittances that included non-cash flows.

LONDON (AFP) – The 20 world leaders heading for a London summit this week on how to save the global economy are fighting off talk of an inter-continental split even before they sit down for talks.

MANILA, Philippines – A 28-year-old construction worker suffered third-degree burns all over his body after he was electrocuted in a freak accident in Tondo, Manila Sunday, police reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare yesterday asked President Arroyo to support his nation’s bid for membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Rodolfo Biazon rejected yesterday a proposal of National Security Adviser Secretary Norberto Gonzales to establish an interim transition government after the 2010 election.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has ordered the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to cooperate and give their full support to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in its probe of unexplained killings in Davao City.

MANILA, Philippines – Two of the country’s biggest oil firms are opposing the petition of the Consumer & Oil Price Watch (COPW) for “judicial intervention” in the investigation into the alleged cartel in the industry.

WASHINGTON – Newspaper ad revenues in the United States have fallen 23 percent in the last two years and because of the recession 2009 may be the worst year yet, said an annual report on the health and status of American journalism.

MANILA, Philippines – Workers nationwide can look forward to better days, the Department of Labor and Employment said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – If the presidential elections were held today, it would be a tight four-way race among Vice President Noli de Castro, Senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, according to a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

MANILA, Philippines – Incidents of kidnapping for ransom rose sharply in the first quarter of the year and some of the victims were foreign nationals, according to an anti-crime movement.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) will conduct another audit of the 2008 books of all oil companies.

MANILA, Philippines – Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Convergys will open three of the five call centers in the pipeline for its expansion plan in the Philippines, the company said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The National Government’s budget deficit more than doubled to P67 billion during the first two months of the year from the P32.9 billion recorded in the same period last year, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves announced yesterday.

The new food pyramid, with emphasis on exercise, as shown by the man climbing the stairs (Source: US Department of Agriculture)

Recognition for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is long overdue. The disease, which encompasses emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is now the third leading cause of death in developed countries such as the United States. Its incidence is steadily increasing in developing countries like the Philippines. In an era when heart disease and cancer are declining,…

CABANATUAN CITY , Philippines  – The water supply of some nine million people in Central Luzon is seriously being threatened because of siltation caused by degradation of surrounding watersheds in the Pantabangan and Angat Dams, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said yesterday.

Idon’t know this fashion designer, not any of his labels out on retail in malls all over Metro Manila. But yes, I’ve heard of his abusive behavior at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall Outlet in Parañaque some 10 days ago. Asked to produce an ID before he could use his credit card, witnesses say he…

JAPAN yesterday signed a slew of grant agreements worth over half a million dollars for humanitarian projects in strife-torn Mindanao.

STATE-RUN banks are beefing up their stake in Metro Rail Transit Corp. to 76 percent by the end of the month as part of the government’s bid to take over the operation of the 17-kilometer MRT 3 along Edsa.

Cash dividends declared by listed firms grew 18.8 percent to P219.24 billion last year from P184.58 billion a year ago reflecting an increase in the earnings that listed companies chose to share with investors, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) said, citing data from its research group.

The publisher and editors of Hong Kong Magazine yesterday apologized for the “politically incorrect” article written by its columnist Chip Tsao which has sparked outrage among Filipinos at home and in the former British colony.