THE WORLD Cup is a fascinating lesson in economics, as well as football. The best teams and players have fought gladiatorial battles to reach Brazil, and the competition is about to get even more intense. So before they get lost amid the excitement of the tournament, here are six fundamental economic lessons to take home.

From the National Economic and Development Authority Job growth in all major sectors of the economy pushed the total employment to 38.7 million people in April 2014, a 4.5% increase from 37.0 million a year ago, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

MANILA, Philippines – Inflation is seen remaining within the three to five percent target despite the jeepney fare adjustments set to take effect on June 14, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker pushed for the creation of a special committee within the House of Representatives to seize opportunities and address threats associated with the looming integration of member countries into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) next year.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department on Health reported 393 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in April this year. This brought to 18,341 the total number of HIV cases from 1984 to 2014 of which 16,661 (91 percent) were asymptomatic and 1,680 ( nine percent) were full-blown AIDS cases.

May 28, 1984 is considered the birthday of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, (BNPP) and I was taken on a tour of the facilities by former Representative Mark Cojuangco, along with several other bloggers and journalists. Mr. Cojuangco is a staunch advocate for making the plant operational, having filed a bill for its revival in…

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s jobless rate eased to 7 percent in April 2014, down from the 7.6 percent posted the same period last year, the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) announced on Tuesday.

In 2013, American women made 82 cents to every dollar a man made and 80 cents to every dollar made by a white male; up from 79 cents and 77 cents, respectively, in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, white and Asian people, regardless of their gender, make more than blacks and…

Of 114 Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), only 50 had dividends. They total P32.31 billion. MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III hailed the increase in dividends of Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) since the start of his administration, but of 114 GOCCs, less than half had dividends at all.

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — About 25 members of the New People’s Army blew up a sugar transloading station owned by Lopez Sugar Milling Corp. at Barangay (village) Mabini in Escalante City late Sunday, a military official said Monday.

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has maintained its earlier decision to slash by more than half the P220-million total wage increases that the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) earlier awarded to members of the Philippine Airlines’s Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap).

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has recognized the need for amendments in the economic provisions of the Constitution to allow the country to reap the benefits presented by developments in the global trade and investment setting, particularly the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.

There is optimism in the government that consumer prices should prove manageable during the year and that the rate of change in prices will likely fall within the target range this year no matter the more recent variables as the approved transport-fare hike for jeepneys, for instance, the central bank said.

From the Governance Commission for Government Owned or Controlled Corporations The number of Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) that remit earnings, or dividends, to the national coffers continue to increase according to the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).

With economic integration looming in 2015, ASEAN is attracting the investment community’s attention, given its combined GDP of US$2.1 trillion and 600-million strong consumer market and labor base. Vast fishing stocks, wide arable lands, and untapped mineral and gas deposits — not to mention an expanding middle class and ready access to some of the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that catastrophic events brought about by climate change could stall economic growth in Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines.

COTABATO CITY – Ahmed Dialiv “Amin” Turabin Hataman, 13, won the grand prize in the 8th International Young Inventors Olympiad in Georgia, USA, besting more than 100 participants from 40 countries worldwide.

MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS) is implementing a 5 percent across-the-board pension increase for its 1.9 million pensioners starting this month.

MANILA, Philippines–About 50 export firms operating within economic zones mostly in the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) have implemented shorter working hours and forced leaves affecting up to 20,000 workers amid delayed production as a result of the truck ban in the city of Manila, according to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza). On the sidelines of the…

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s “outdated” and “inequitable” taxation system makes middle-income earners pay the same taxes as billionaires and needs to be updated immediately, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said Thursday.

THE following are remarks on Yolanda rehabilitation delivered by Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan at the ASEM Manila Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction on Management: RAY is the Government’s strategic plan to guide the recovery and reconstruction of the economy, lives, and livelihoods in the areas affected by Yolanda. It was conceived about a…

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal – The Malasya-Uyungan Elementary School sits on top of a mountain, the only concrete structure in a sparsely inhabited community. Constructed in 1991, the school closed down in 1997. For the next 15 years, no teacher was willing to work there.

MANILA, Philippines – The extended period for agrarian reform ends on June 30, but more than 35,000 landholdings covering more than 271,000 hectares of land all over the country have yet to be covered by government notices.

Some teachers in Rodriguez, Rizal also struggle to reach a school that is on top of a mountain. And, it appears their difficult journey will continue for some time because the road that has been planned has yet to become a reality.

62 of 80 provinces are reportedly using outdated basis for real property tax assessment MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) called the attention of provincial governments in the country in its latest print ad, saying many of them were losing revenues due to an “outdated” valuation system for real property tax (RPT)…

Around six minors were rescued by National Bureau of Investigation agents and Department of Social Welfare and Development officials during a Wednesday morning raid on a bar at the corner Roosevelt Avenue and Quezon Avenue Quezon City.

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) reiterated on Tuesday that the proposed revenue-sharing measure being pushed by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) will render future legitimate mining projects uncompetitive.

WATCHING an action movie with many plot twists and turns can be very enjoyable. You never know who to trust and, sometimes, the bad guys are really the good guys. If it is really done well, it can be like a roller-coaster ride.

Usual backlog of classrooms, teachers remains, says Luistro (First of a series) SOURCES: DEPED AND CHED / COMPILED BY: SCHATZI QUODALA, INQUIRER RESEARCH The birth pains that marked the launching last year of K + 12—a bold program meant to align the Philippines with the global 12-year basic education cycle—are not going away soon, along…

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has approved the increase in funeral and disability benefits for both public and private sectors for as long as government financing institutions can finance them.