The Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday announced that government efforts to help produce skilled workers who can take on the demands of the employment industry are paying off as evidenced by the quality of its graduates and the increasing number of secondary schools wanting to adopt the technical and vocational courses (tech-voc) curriculum.

Jakarta: Belated Happy Women’s Day to all women and honorary women! Here in Jakarta, women leaders from all over Asean gathered on March 11 and 12 at the “Regional Conference on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Muslim Societies.” Hosted by our Indonesian partner, the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), the conference…

Education betrayed national interest   OVER the years, I have seen misconceptions and missed opportunities in textbooks, public utterances of people of power and influence, and facts about the country which result from public policy or lack of it.

The National Food Authority has supplied a total of 5.1 million bags of rice worth P5.2 billion for the Food for School Program (FSP) in the last five years to support the government’s drive against malnutrition among school children and to address hunger among their families as part of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program (AHMP)…

MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to boost foreign investments in the country amid the global economic crisis, the Bureau of Immigration has begun implementing an indefinite visa program that would allow foreign investors and businessmen who employ at least 10 Filipino workers to stay in the Philippines.

THE Cebu provincial government is coming up with an employment scheme that would allow laborers to work on government projects on a “pakyaw” (paid per project) basis.

Have you been laid off recently because of your age? Lay-offs are an unfortunate event that come with little or no notice and are out of your control. Experiencing a lay-off is much like being the victim in an accident, or a victim of a crime; we are deeply affected, and yet there is little…

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank is putting greater emphasis on poverty alleviation and good governance in its assistance to the Philippines, and is ready to commit from $700 million to $1 billion in aid annually.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT , Philippines  – Philippine economic managers, together with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) officials, urged the Central Luzon business community to take advantage of the stable and resilient economic environment created by the government in past years through tough economic reforms.

WASHINGTON: The global economy will shrink for the first time in 60 years in 2009, the International Monetary Fund warned yesterday as EU leaders balked at growing US pressure to spend more to ease the crisis.

FORMER Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado, now Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has presented his credentials to the regional block’s Secretary General, the Asean Secretariat reported Friday.

BEIJING: The world economy is likely to shrink in 2009 despite growth in Asian powerhouses China and India, the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Angel Gurria said Friday, warning of a first global contraction in 60 years.

The EU has said it may double to 50bn euros (£47bn; $68bn) the amount of emergency funding to help member states that need urgent budget support.

MANILA, Philippines – The Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) expects the Philippine economy to fall close to recession due to falling exports and declining remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the petition filed by two military rebels seeking immunity for the kidnapping and murder of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairman Rolanda Olalia and his driver Leonor Alay-ay in 1986.

Administrator Jennifer Manalili of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) confirmed yesterday that millions of pesos for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have gone missing after being invested in the padlocked Rural Bank of Parañaque.

MANILA, Philippines – The Action Network Human Rights (ANHR), a German-based human rights group, welcomed the creation of human rights offices by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

TOKYO (AP) — A panel of Asian researchers said yesterday the global financial crisis has underlined the critical need for the region to grow less export-dependent and instead foster domestic demand.

JAKARTA (Xinhua) – ASEAN countries on Thursday vowed more efforts to free the region from child sex tourism, Antara News Wire said here today.

MANILA, Philippines – Domestic tourism is alive and well, and will help the industry and the whole economy survive the international financial meltdown, according to one of its business leaders.

MANILA, Philippines – Research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) has scaled down its growth projections for information and communication technology (ICT) spending in the Philippines for 2009 to 6.3 percent, from an earlier forecast of 10 percent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the US sinking deeper into recession, the Federal Reserve launched a bold $1.2-trillion effort Wednesday to lower rates on mortgages and other consumer debt, spur spending and revive the economy.

MANILA, Philippines—Amid the economic downturn, more people are hunting for jobs online, particularly through a site hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) could drop to as low as $11.4 billion this year, cutting the country’s economic growth down to two percent due to the expected decline in consumption spending.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is extending a 20 percent tax discount for persons with disabilities through the issuance of Revenue Regulation 1-2009.

In Masbate, there is an alternative to going to school despite the inability of people to afford formal education. The Department of Education (DepEd) has introduced the alternative learning system (ALS), a free education program that benefits those who cannot afford formal schooling and it follows whatever is their available schedules.

THE Supreme Court has given the go-signal for the prosecution of two members of the rebel military group Reform the Armed Forces of the Philippines Movement (RAM) in connection with the killing of Kilusang Mayo Uno head Rolando Olalia and his driver Leonor Alay-ay 23 years ago

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the sluggish growth in earnings of Filipino workers over the last decade is “alarming,” particularly because the figures did not expand faster than the economic growth rate.

WHILE it’s all gloom and doom on most economic fronts, at least the business process out-sourcing (BPO) sector seems to be painting a rosy picture. And just as well, seeing that BPO companies have more or less sustained the Philippine economy for much of this decade.

The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (Dole-7) introduced on Tuesday another project that will give employment to registered nurses whose parents or siblings lost their jobs because of the global economic crisis.