KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said Friday it is fast-tracking the deportation of illegal migrants under a pilot project that would see offenders handed a fine and a one-way ticket home—bypassing court and jail.

DOJ argues only funding source was terminated. The implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) would continue even if the budget for a land program under it lapsed on December 31, 2008, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Friday.

The country’s second ethanol plant is expected to start production by next month, just in time to meet the mandated demand of the alternative fuel at the pump.

AMID a tight competition and the economic slowdown, Smart Communications Inc. reported a double-digit growth in subscriber base, boosted by cheap promotional offerings.

Vice President Noli de Castro asked Congress yesterday to extend the rent control law.

Job recruiters expressed optimism yesterday that at least 20,000 jobs await Filipino nurses and other health workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

The year 2008 had the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) focused on the fight against Charter change (Cha-cha), the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, and the extended Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program minus reforms.

MANILA- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will launch in the first quarter of the year a project aimed at identifying the country’s poorest families and communities.

MALOLOS CITY – Bulacan’s pyrotechnics industry is feeling the hard times as production costs continue to grow and the government intensifies its drive against the use of powerful firecrackers.

Human rights advocates have reason to both cheer and jeer about the human rights situation in the country.

Plans are being readied to evacuate to Jordan more than a hundred Filipinos in the Gaza Strip as Israel’s military operations against Hamas targets continue.

The government and the private sector will set up a countryside development fund to help those who will be displaced as a result of the slowdown in the global economy, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said.

Despite stiff competition and an economic slowdown, leading wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc. increased its subscriber base to 35 million as of end-2008, up 16 percent from end-2007.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would reach a record $17 billion in 2008.

The National Council for Commuters’ Protection (NCCP) will file a lawsuit on Monday to stop the increase of toll rates along the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Coastal Road) and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), which took effect yesterday.   

Unfazed by the raging global economic crisis which has already displaced thousands of workers, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it would intensify efforts to help more Filipinos find jobs abroad this year.

Secretary Jesli Lapus spearheaded the Department of Education’s thrust to improve the competency of public school students in English, Math and Science in 2008 and the training of school principals, regional directors, division superintendents and academic supervisors to turn them into good managers.

It was a tough year for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as it struggled to deal with a host of diplomatic issues ranging from piracy in Somalia and a territorial spat with Taiwan to defending the country’s human rights record.

The global financial crisis continues to agitate the major economies of the world. It began with the US which has been experiencing a recession since December 2007. The ripple effect of this financial catastrophe has affected the economic growth of emerging economies such as the Philippines. From an outstanding GDP growth of 7.3 percent in…

SINGAPORE: Oil prices ended the year below 40 dollars Wednesday in Asian trade after a tumultuous 2008 which saw prices hit record peaks before plunging to multi-year lows.

The bears ruled the local equities market in 2008, crashing down stocks to new lows as investors headed for the exits following the economic crisis in the United States and other developed countries.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SUPREME COURT MANILA TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES (TUCP), represented by its President, Democrito T. Mendoza  

Temporary workers like Toshie Helena Oguihara were a driving force behind Japan’s economic recovery in recent years, but when the recession returned they found themselves first in the firing line.

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan may cost between US$675 billion and US$775 billion (S$978 billion and S$1.12 billion) and will favour long-term infrastructure and job creation projects, his top aides said.

The government must give more incentives to encourage local carmakers to manufacture more vehicles locally, Isuzu Philippines Corp. president Keiji Takeda said recently.

From the start of the year, central bank officials knew that 2008 was not going to be an easy year.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with World Vision Development Fund (WVDF) for the training of public school teachers on anti-child exploitation advocacy.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the country’s maritime situation were placed under the spotlight again last year when the 23,824.17-ton M/V Princess of the Stars, carrying 864 passengers and crew, capsized one nautical mile off Sibuyan Island in Romblon on June 21.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago made a last-minute appeal for revelers to refrain from firing guns during New Year’s Eve.

Religious leaders called on Filipinos yesterday to work hard, exercise frugality and be compassionate and willing to help those in need in 2009.