with inputs from Danica M. Uy, Mar 23, 2017, Businessworld THE PHILIPPINES’ stature as one of Asia-Pacific’s fastest-growing economies notwithstanding, human development in the country is below average in the region, according to a United Nations report released yesterday that used 2015 data.

By: Marlene Alcaide, News5, Mar 22, 2017 At least three persons were rounded up when law enforcement elements swooped in on a suspected human trafficking ring operation in Taguig City Wednesday.

Recent work by the International Monetary Fund suggests that countries which redistribute more and have lower inequality actually grow faster. Read or download the report here.

By Gerardo P. Sicat (The Philippine Star), Mar 22, 2017 The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has finally signed off on the “endo” problem with Department Order No. 174.

By Marichu A. Villanueva, (The Philippine Star), Mar 22, 2017 Whatever emotional ranting we hear from homeless families for being poor, this is not justification for any one of them to willfully take over and occupy vacant units in government housing projects. Legitimate owners of units in this government housing intended for public school teachers,…

The peso is down 8% and investors are dumping stocks amid doubts about Duterte’s economic agenda. By WILLIAM PESEK, Mar 22, 2017 Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he answers a question during a press conference at the Malacanang palace in Manila. You can spin voters and the media, but currency traders are a harder…

21 MARCH 2017 The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines and its allied labor federations, workers organizations, small farmer’s organizations and agrarian reform beneficiary organizations representing more or less 300,000 sugar workers and their families stand in firm solidarity with the other stakeholders of the sugar industry in condemning the…

Ralph Jennings, CONTRIBUTOR, Forbes, Mar 21, 2017 The Philippines is a democracy always being tested by violent anti-government rebel groups. You hear a lot about the well-armed Muslim fronts that want more autonomy in the majority Catholic country and don’t mind battling troops from Manila or slaying foreign tourists. But one of the most nagging…

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By Mary Grace Padin (The Philippine Star), Mar 20, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) went up in 2016, with the bulk of the amount going to health care services, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed.

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A new study shows that robotics investments pay off and the US is in the lead. By Kelly McSweeney, Mar 20, 2017 In many automotive plants, robots have taken over the heavy lifting and repetitive tasks. Investment in robotics has a greater positive impact on the economy than information technology, construction or real estate, according…

By Melissa Pandika, the Daily Dose, Oct 2, 2017 Because for the elderly, drawing a blank might stem not from a lack of information but an information overload. Let’s say you’ve met an attractive stranger at a wedding. As he starts talking about his job as a patent attorney, you overhear another guest chatting about…

By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star), Mar 19, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shrugged off yesterday the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines’ warning that Department Order No. 174 would lead to massive displacement of workers.

By: Julie M. Aurelio, Tarra Quismundo, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 18, 2017 Workers’ groups on Friday questioned the labor department’s new order banning labor-only contracting, charging that it has failed to stop the unfair practice of contractualization.

Read more at https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/03/gone-soon-no-philippines-legal-route-end-hiv-epidemic/#RXsMQrsq6KjyoULm.99

GMA News Online, Mar 18, 2017 Thirteen minors who fell victim to a human trafficking ring allegedly being run by two sisters have been rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in an operation in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

by Paul Sutton, Mar 17, 2017 Our economy and society ultimately depend on natural resources: land, water, material (such as metals) and energy. But some scientists have recognised that there are hard limits to the amount of these resources we can use. It is our consumption of these resources that is behind environmental problems such…

Philippine Daily Inquirer Investigation has arrested two sisters involved in child pornography and sexual trafficking and rescued 13 minors in Dasmarinas, Cavite province.

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/world-bank-indirectly-backs-harmful-southeast-asian-projects-report [WASHINGTON] World Bank investments in commercial financial institutions are indirectly allowing land-grabs, evictions and pollution in Southeast Asia, a watchdog group charged in a report Friday. By investing in banks and other so-called financial intermediaries, World Bank funds can increase poverty, social strife and promote projects which hasten climate change, according to a report…

by MART D. SAMBALUD, Davaotoday, Mar 17, 2017 DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno on Friday scored the Department of Labor and Employment for issuing a new labor policy which they branded as a rehash version only of the existing guidelines on contracting and sub-contracting.

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A new study says AI will have a dramatic impact on business by 2020. By Bob Violino, Mar 16, 2017 Artificial intelligence will have a dramatic impact on business by 2020, according to study released this week by IT services, consulting and business solutions provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

By: Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 16, 2017 MANILA — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III finally signed on Thursday the Department Order (DO) on contracting and subcontracting. Department Order No. 174 superseded DO 18-A, which was earlier reviewed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) following complaints from stakeholders and labor groups…

By: Maila Ager, INQINQUIRER.net, Mar 16, 2017 Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday slammed the head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) for saying that women “don’t have time anymore for their spouses because they are powerful.”

By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), Mar 16, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – President Duterte wants to fully automate most government services within his term, officials of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

By Cai Ordinario, Businessmirror, Mar 16, 2017 Ending contractualization in the Philippines will take more than the issuance of an order by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), with implementation deemed to be the bigger challenge due to the current labor-market condition, local economists said on Thursday.

Read more here http://harvardpolitics.com/world/trafficking-in-persons-report/  

By Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star), March 16, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has once again pushed back its rice self-sufficiency goal by another year to 2020 due to lack of available budget and as it buys more time to implement strategies to improve the sector.