MANILA, Philippines – The human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic in the country is crossing over to the general population as female sex workers have contributed significantly to the number of HIV/AIDS cases, the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) reported yesterday.

Government will lose up to P30 billion in revenues and only 6 percent of employees or 1.5 million workers will benefit as a result of the higher tax exemption for 13th month pay and bonuses, Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said in an interview with GMA News on Tuesday.

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The extension serves an additional 3,000 to 5,000 passengers daily MANILA, Philippines – As the Metro South Commuter Train service extends to Calamba, Laguna, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) sees a 7% rise in passenger volume.

President Aquino has signed a law providing scholarship benefits to poor but deserving students from public high schools. Republic Act 10648, or the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014, was signed by Aquino last Thursday after it was approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Sept. 23 and 24, respectively.

LONDON – Rapid evolution of HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is slowing its ability to cause AIDS, according to a study of more than 2,000 women in Africa.

Natural calamities cannot be averted. MANILA, Philippines – Natural calamities cannot be averted. So when an earthquake, typhoon, or massive flooding strikes, we need to be knowledgeable about what to do. Premier health institution Makati Medical Center gives tips on what we can do to possibly minimize damage and injury to person and property.

PARIS – Europe is aging faster than any other region of the world. It badly needs immigrants. But many Europeans don’t want them. The “old continent” may be able to offset the impact of a graying workforce until around 2020 by bringing more women and elderly people into work, encouraging mobility within Europe and making…

On a chilly Paris morning some years ago, I was talking to a group of young managers about building high-performance teams. As our conversation progressed, I asked them why they hadn’t already executed some of the ideas we had been talking about. I was completely taken aback by the response: Most blamed their bosses for…

Psychology professionals from all over the country highlight the grave consequences of violence on the mental health and well-being of women Psychological Association of the Philippines This is a public service announcement from the Psychological Association of the Philippines: MANILA, Philippines – Feelings of worthlessness, beliefs of being damaged, debilitating anxiety, disturbed sleep, symptoms of…

The Gulf state’s physical abuse and slave-like treatment of migrant workers is making headlines again, as the UN starts its own investigation, following an official complaint at the international level, which detailed an “alarming frequency” of cases.

China has driven global growth, which has averaged a paltry 3% a year since 2008. So the knock-on effects of a Chinese slowdown on the global economy would be significant. The OECD reckons a two-percentage-point decrease in the growth of Chinese domestic demand for two years would reduce world GDP by 0.3 percentage points a…

MANILA, Philippines – Did you know that if your credit card is stolen, you are still liable for charges that the thief made? This is just one of the issues that all credit card holders should be aware of.

Nearly 5 million people in Asia and the Pacific are living with HIV/AIDS, growing by the hundreds every day. Can the region halt and reverse its spread by 2015? See video here http://www.adb.org/news/videos/did-you-know-hivaids-asia-and-pacific

‘Even if we’re not the majority, our voice can still be powerful. So we need to shout it out, so other members of the Congress can hear us.’ MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ male-dominated Congress should pass more laws that uphold women’s rights, advocates said as the Philippines marks 18 “days of activism against gender…

Still, the New York-based Human Rights Watch says a standardized contract is no substitute for labor law protection and institutional reforms MANILA, Philippines – Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz is hopeful that a new template contract for migrant domestic workers that sets basic labor standards in the Gulf region will “end soon the days of abuse…

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) – The fire at the One World Place building in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig has been declared out past 1 p.m. on Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines – ‎Fire investigators are still probing the cause of fire that struck the unfinished One World Place building in the upscale Bonifacio Global City business district in Taguig City on Thursday morning.

Who hasn’t received an e-mail from a close friend stranded somewhere or having had an accident asking for an urgent money transfer? Who hasn’t been offered a hefty commission in return for bank account details from an heiress or oil baron in a far-flung country? These are perhaps the first experiences that many of us…

Last Tuesday’s column focused on the positive condition of Filipino girls with respect to their enjoyment of their rights. The bright message was revealed by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman at the celebration of the 25th year of founding of the Convention on Child’s Rights (CCR) on Nov. 20, 1989.

Protecting our children has always been our people’s mandate. It’s instinctive, humane and quite frankly, common sense. But times are changing. Poverty is worsening and along with this unfortunate plight is the diminishing innocence of our youth.

Gulf labor ministers Tuesday agreed on minimum terms in the contracts of domestic staff to improve the widely criticized working conditions of over 2.4 million foreign maids, an official said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine bond market posted the fastest growth in emerging East Asia in January to September this year, according to a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s imports declined 2.6 percent in September from a year ago, amid weak performance of electronic products and two other commodities.

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino families give bribes or “grease money” to government officials and they do so usually only after being asked to, a 2013 survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman shows.

With only a 3rd quarter economic growth of 5.3%, experts say that ‘normalized’ government spending, private consumption, and investments will help the country stay on its growth track MANILA, Philippines – Thursday’s announcement that the gross domestic product (GDP) performance for the 3rd quarter slowed down to 5.3% indicates the economic growth target for 2014…

Nearly two out of five Filipinos or 39 percent were optimistic that their quality of life would improve in the next 12 months, a 2014 third quarter poll taken by the Social Weather Stations found.

MANILA – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is assuring its members that it has enough funds to meet financial obligations to present and forthcoming pensioners.

Asia-Pacific countries today adopted a ministerial declaration committing to accelerate action on achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment across the region. Representing a strong and united regional voice, leaders from more than 40 countries committed to reinforcing their efforts to eliminate gender discrimination and inequality, as a matter of human rights and for the development…