The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) formally closed on Wednesday its review of the Philippines with respect to labor rights, a precondition to the granting of the preferential duties under the US generalized system of preferences (GSP).

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has noted gains on the Philippines’s adherence to international labor standards, paving the way for the country to fully enjoy the benefits under the preferential trade scheme.

MANILA – Singapore no longer limits the duration of the work permits of household service workers by the expiry dates of their passports, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz announced Thursday.

In the Philippines, about 14% of the female teenage population are either pregnant for the first time or are already a mother. GET REAL goes to Bamboo Creek, which has the nation’s highest prevalence of adolescent pregnancy.

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, Nov. 26 (PIA) — Despite massive efforts, the cases of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the country have continued to rise, a health official here said.

MANILA, Philippines – Eighty-four percent of Filipinos are not financially prepared for medical costs in case they are diagnosed with critical illnesses, such as heart disease.

MANILA, Philippines – Roughly 27.96 million Filipinos had microinsurance coverage in 2013, among the highest in the East Asian region, according to the Insurance Commission (IC).

Despite a number of free trade agreements (FTAs) secured by the country to date, less than half of Philippine firms are aware and actually utilize the benefits of such deals, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

TUBA, Benguet – A 40-year old construction worker died after he allegedly drowned in the famous Colorado falls at Twin Peaks here around 3:30 pm Saturday.

SINCE Charlie Sheen, 50, star of the hit TV series “Two and a Half Men,” revealed for the first time on November 17, 2015 in his interview on TODAY with Matt Lauer, that he had tested positive for HIV infection 4 years ago, this scary and eventually deadly virus is once again in the spotlight.

“A slowing China redistributes global economic activity through the commodity channel as much as dampening it” China’s slowdown is already playing out across the world, dragging down commodity prices and weighing on trade partners.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines climbed two notches in this year’s World Economic Forum report measuring gender equality among 145 countries globally and remains the Asia-Pacific region’s highest-ranked country.

While queuing to order my lunch at a fast food chain, I overheard a conversation between the cashier and a senior citizen customer. The cashier refused to grant the customer the 20 percent senior citizen’s discount because of his failure to present his senior citizen’s identification (ID) card. The elderly man apparently forgot to bring…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranks second best among countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) when it comes to good corporate governance, with companies owned by some of the country’s richest families leading the pack.

The Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Public Works and Highways have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) aimed at improving the process of approving Construction Safety and Health Programs—a fundamental requirement for all construction operations.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) will offer senior high school programs in hundreds of existing high schools that do not have access to electricity or water supply, a research conducted by The STAR revealed.

Everyone wants to know how to be more productive at work and life. Psychologists have even theorized that one of the leading causes of anxiety and depression is that a person is not reaching their full potential quick enough.

BATANGAS, Philippines – A 35-year-old woman died and three others were injured when a fire gutted a restaurant and a bakery in Batangas City Tuesday night.

MANILA, Philippines – Climate activists have assailed the Aquino administration for what it described as “snail-paced” rehabilitation of areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda two years ago.

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the country’s recent economic gains, Sen. Sonny Angara lamented the poor ranking of the Philippines in a recent financial literacy index, which he said may hamper the government’s efforts to pursue inclusive growth.

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine exports shrank 24.7 percent in September, the steepest drop in four years.

MANILA – The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved in just one hearing the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) of 2015 amid a scuffle involving government employees and a tense exchange between Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio.

According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Public school teachers and nurses will be paid twice as much compared to their private counterparts under the proposed Salary Standardization Law of 2015 (SSL 2015). “Our study revealed that if we compare the median of the market to the median of SSL 3 rates, public…

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) Z Benefit Packages have been expanded to include coverage for colon and rectal cancer.

MANILA, Philippines – A 78-year-old barangay councilman was charged with sexual harassment and acts of lasciviousness by a newly hired employee at a hardware store he owns in Sampaloc, Manila Saturday night.

Where many of his friends and relatives have opted to move to North America to find a good job, the 38-year-old’s preference has always been to remain at home with his wife and four children.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the Philippines have the potential to grow five times its present size should corruption and red tape be eliminated, a private sector-led group pushing for integrity standards said.