Let me thank your associate editor, Ms. Marichu Villanueva for mentioning in her column (“Resolve,” 01/02/09) the farm-friendly measures that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is endorsing for congressional approval this year. As she had noted, one of the measures that the DA is supporting is new legislation amending the Agri-Agra Law, also known as…

The vote was 244-188, with Republicans unanimous in opposition despite Obama’s frequent pleas for bipartisan support.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has doubled to P400 million its fund for the implementation of employment and livelihood assistance for the growing number of workers displaced due to the global economic crisis.

Motels in Manila and their patrons have reason to celebrate two weeks before Valentine’s Day.

A powerful explosion obliterated a fireworks factory in Cavite yesterday, killing at least five people and injuring 60 others.

Investments in the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is expected to reach $60 million this year as the Philippines remains the most stable country in the Southeast Asian region, international property services firm CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) said.

Rising unemployment would be a political nightmare for the Arroyo administration this year, posing a greater threat than potential external account weakness amid slowing exports.

The economy grew at its slowest pace in seven years in 2008 as the global financial crisis took a toll on services and industry while agriculture wilted from typhoon damage.      

Infra spending to ease demand woes–Citigroup   Nearly half-a-million Filipinos could lose their jobs, according to Citigroup. In a report, the US financial services giant said Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow 3 percent this year and recover to 4.6 percent next year. A proxy for a country’s economic output, GDP measures…

To move forward the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), President Gloria Arroyo has ordered the formation of a committee that would recommend amendments to a law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

After a record economic growth in 2007, the Philippine economy slowed down last year because of the global financial crisis—but the rate was still better than expected.

Around 30 protesters marched to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Pasay City yesterday to denounce the government’s failure to deliver promised assistance to overseas Filipino workers.

It has become common wisdom to say that our basic education cycle is too short. Only Botswana and the Philippines have 10-year basic education cycles; every other country has more. There is no question that we have to add years to the cycle.

The Makati Business Club (MBC) said yesterday that nine out of 10 of its members expect to feel the pinch of the global financial crisis this year.

Congress is looking at the possibility of setting up a regulatory body that will have jurisdiction over the rental housing sector to protect the rights of the renting public as well as lessors, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

The Federation of Pre-need Plan Companies Inc. (FPPCI), which earlier warned of an impending collapse of the industry resulting from strict regulations and the global economic crunch, said the pre-need firms are liquid and will still be able to meet future obligations to planholders.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has decided to junk the controversial memorandum order No. 5 or the new nursing curriculum in order to push through with the proposed “10 plus 2 plus 3 scheme” or the new Philippine Main Education Highway. In this scheme, students will have 10 years of basic education, two years…

Beginning February 15, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will start consultations with colleges and universities on its decision to raise nursing from a four-year to a five-year course. By the beginning of the new school year in June, CHED said it would start to implement the plan.

NURSES and caregivers from the Philippines are still expected to benefit from the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership (JPEPA) despite the lingering global financial woes, an envoy said.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported a decrease in the number of Filipinos taking illegal drugs in the past several years, according to a statement Wednesday.

The national government should create an employment hotline for those affected by the global economic crisis, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Wednesday.

Up to 300,000 people could lose their jobs in the Philippines over the next six months as the global financial crisis deepens, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque warned on Wednesday.

JOB losses have claimed its first casualty in the Philippine mining industry, with a Canadian-led venture announcing layoffs in its Mindanao operation.

THE results of the latest survey among members of the Makati Business Club showed that the majority expects the brunt of the global financial crisis to hit this year.

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Intramuros, Manila DEPARTMENT ADVISORY No. 2 Series of 2009 Guidelines on the Adoption of Flexible Work Arrangements

The problem: The quality of college education keeps declining. The solution, according to the Commission on Higher Education: Keep students in college for an extra year.

A NUMBER of hotels and resorts have started dropping their rates by 20 to 30 percent to entice guests amid a global economic slowdown that has slashed consumer spending, an industry leader said.

UP TO 300,000 people could lose their jobs in the Philippines over the next six months as the global financial crisis deepens, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque warned yesterday.

Government’s anti-hunger program has allowed new job opportunities for nearly 1.4 million unemployed or underemployed poor folk last year, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) announced recently.

More companies in the electronics sector announced cutback plans yesterday while the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) estimates up to 300,000 persons could lose their jobs over the next six months as the global financial crisis deepens.