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.

FRESNO, Calif. – Federal food safety officials warned Monday that consumers should stop eating all foods containing pistachios while they figure out the source of a possible salmonella contamination.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Majority of 200,000 college students and their parents in Central Luzon will enjoy a respite from increases in tuition and other fees in school year 2009-2010.

I MENTIONED LAST WEEK how various East Asian scholars, in a recent forum in Tokyo, affirmed the need for East Asia to rethink and rework the export-driven growth model that had propelled the region’s economies in recent decades.

Several large business outsourcing companies are coming to the Philippines to take advantage of the country’s competitive edge as a low cost and efficient outsourcing provider, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.

The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) is supporting the Nurses Assigned in Rural Areas (NARS) program of the government. This programs aims to provide employment for nurses amidst the financial crisis the world is currently experiencing.

Nestle Philippines, Inc. (NPI) has released a 2009 report titled “Creating Shared Value, Our Path Forward,” on how the company is locally implementing its global business strategy of creating value for society while creating value for its shareholders. The report describes the Company’s sustainable Creating Shared Value (CSV) initiatives in nutrition, health and wellness; rural…

eo788 – Promoting a Youth National Service

The Finance Department will ask the Senate to consider its proposed bill phasing out the grant of income tax holidays to prospective foreign and local investors to raise revenues.

Marubeni Corp. of Japan will bid for the contracts to operate the 700-megawatt Pagbilao and 1,000-MW Sual coal power plants, an industry source said over the weekend.

CLARK FIELD—Over 121,000 Filipino workers have either lost their jobs or suffered pay cuts or reduced work loads because of the economic crisis, according to a Labor Department official.

CLARK – Over 121,000 Filipino workers have either lost their jobs or suffered pay cuts or reduced work loads because of the economic crisis, a government official said Sunday.

MANILA, Philippines – Some P50 billion worth of tourism investments, mostly hotels and resorts, would be opened in the country this year until 2010 despite the global economic crisis, according to President Arroyo.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Pia Cayetano called yesterday for a public apology from a top Hong Kong publication and one of its columnists for a racial slur against Filipinos over the country’s right to claim the Spratly Islands.

PARIS (Xinhua) — The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, said on Friday the world economy may need more stimulus in 2010, and governments should be prepared to do more.

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the Philippines is dealing with the global financial crisis better than most countries in the Asia Pacific region.

MANILA, Philippines – Four party-list lawmakers accused of being involved in the killings of three former rebels in Nueva Ecija have sought relief from the Supreme Court (SC) in the cases that they believe are part of their political persecution under the administration of President Arroyo.

Dear PAO, Please help me with my concerns: a. Our school has amended our Employees’ Manual under its Revised Retirement Plan. Retirement age is set at 60. However, the company may extend the services of an employee beyond retirement age in meritorious cases.