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.

MANILA, Philippines — A glut of office space has hit the Philippines property sector as cash-hungry foreign companies cut back on their export of back-office operations, an international property consultant said Thursday.

Chevron Philippines Inc. has committed to invest some $20 million to comply with the five-percent bioethanol blend mandated by the Biofuels Law.

Makati City, Philippines — Leading cement company Holcim Philippines said today that it has no plans to cease operations in any of its cement plants. 

Samsung Electronic Philippines Corp.  and Berthaphil Business Park signed recently an agreement for the establishment of Samsung’s  central distribution center inside the 2,300-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex.

The Middle East and not the United States will provide jobs for overseas Filipino workers, the recruitment industry reported yesterday.

The House of Representatives appropriations committee approved yesterday a P11.3-billion supplemental budget for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to use for the automation of the 2010 presidential elections.

Many Asian countries will need to reform their pension systems to deliver sustainable and adequate retirement incomes.

The European Union (EU) vowed yesterday to help the Philippine government fight corruption.

Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Chevron (formerly Caltex) and Total will increase today the pump price of gasoline by P1 per liter.

In a letter responding to the Senate’s invitation, World Bank (WB) country director for the Philippines Bert Hofman stood by the findings of the bank, saying the Sanctions Board came to its decisions after a careful and intensive process of investigation and evaluation conducted by the bank’s investigative office, Integrity Vice-Presidency (INT).

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Labor and Employment here said the worldwide economic crisis has already displaced some 5,000 workers in Central Luzon since November, but the local call center industry remains in need of thousands more of agents.

Proposals to re-open the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant has sparked anew debates regarding its safety, economic viability and sustainability issues.

BRUSSELS – The New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines, and 45 other organizations worldwide, remain on the European Union’s list of terrorist groups after the removal of The People’s Mujahideen of Iran on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Marianito Roque on Tuesday said the Department of Labor and Employment’s (quick reaction teams (QRTs) have been reactivated in all regions to assist displaced workers.

PMAP says 60% of surveyed firms eye hiring MANILA, Philippines — Results of a survey by the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) in the third and fourth weeks of January show that the employment situation “is not uniformly dismal” at least among the survey respondents, the group of human resource executives said in…