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…

Just two days after a Filipino worker met a fatal accident at the facility, a Korean worker was killed yesterday inside the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in Subic Bay Freeport, Zambales province when he was run over by a forklift.

The government is still depending heavily on other countries to provide jobs and assistance to thousands of its workers who are daily losing jobs both here and abroad.

When the concept of pre-need plans was introduced to the market, it seemed like every man’s dream come true. Especially so when those who bought a plan, say an educational plan, saw that it worked beautifully. The concept was not difficult to sell because of the old Filipino practice of paluwagan which was pretty much…

What took Thailand 25 years to become a leader in the $45-billion medical tourism industry will take only two to five years for the Philippines considering that it has the facilities, the latest technology and the skilled manpower to get there.

MUMBAI (AFP) – India’s software sector, reeling from a huge accounting fraud in one of its flagship companies, faces further problems as US firms scale back in a troubled global business environment, analysts said.

The Philippines will have to rely on more corn and rice imports this year due to possible lower production.

Holcim Philippines Inc. announced they will be shutting down their plant for six weeks as demand for cement continues to weaken.

MALOLOS CITY—The government is rushing a stimulus package to bail out threatened economy to save and create jobs in private companies, but the National Food Authority (NFA) will lay off 800 regular employees.

CLARK FREEPORT – The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has allocated P82 billion for a pro-poor “stimulus package,” mostly for housing projects.

16-year-old combatant was taken into custody by the provincial welfare and development office MAITUM, Sarangani: Pursuing soldiers captured a child warrior of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who has been wounded in the recent firefight.

A couple of feng shui experts said that overall, they feel optimistic about the Year of the Ox, which starts today, despite the global economic crisis gripping the world and other looming challenges.

THE Board of Investments (BOI) said it would fast track the approval of the 2009 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), adding it plans to provide incentives to firms that would generate or save jobs in spite of the global economic slowdown.

The Board of Investments is drawing the framework for the 2009 Investment Priorities Plan that will focus in generating new investments and saving jobs amid the harsh business environment.

“Di ba swerte yan sa Intsik?” Everyone wants to know what they should do to bring luck to their lives in the new year, which starts tomorrow.

Is your cubicle-strewn with piles of paperwork and littered with empty coffee cups, beverage cans and snack packs-often mistaken for a junk shop? Are you afraid to slip a hand inside your desk drawer because a family of rats has claimed it as their own cozy nest? Then it’s high time you spruced up your…