(Last of three parts) The Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) will probably be amended, but it is unlikely that the amendments will cure what ails the system. The interest groups are just too powerful. The law’s imperfections are not the only reason for the soaring power rates in the country.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said there is no danger of the economy overheating, downplaying the risk of asset bubbles forming even as annual growth exceeds 7 percent. The central bank is on guard to contain inflation and asset prices, Aquino, 54, said in an interview yesterday at the presidential palace in Manila. The Philippines is…

From the Department of Labor and Employment The Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits provides a comprehensive outline of minimum legal requirements and mandatory monetary and non-monetary benefits workers are entitled to receive under the Labor Code and other existing laws. The 2014 version was launched this February in English [PDF] and Filipino [PDF]. Below…

Convoys of trucks transport magnetite to port under cover of darkness GONZAGA, Philippines— At first glance, the processing plants that dot coastal communities in Cagayan province show no sign of activity, backing local officials’ claim that black sand mining has stopped.

(Reuters) – Advanced economies, including the United States, must avoid pulling back stimulus too quickly given the weak global economic recovery and recent market volatility highlights key risks in some emerging markets, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

The oldest profession in the world can count students as laborers. These are girls who moonlight as prostitutes or escorts to pay their way through school. Prosti-tuition, as it is called, has earned its own entry in the urban dictionary. Typically, peak season for this tuition-payment scheme is during enrollment period or right before final…

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines was listed as the third most dangerous place for journalist in the world following Syria and Iraq, a report from the International News Safety Institute’s said.

A central component of Philippine agricultural policy is tied up with the agrarian reform program. After many years of implementation, the program is nowhere near the objective that land reform in the country was set out to fulfill. The comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP) failed to concentrate on the job because it took on too…

This case is about RA 9262 protecting women and children against violence and abuse. The case involves a husband and father who raised the issue of whether it violates the guaranty of equal protection of the laws considering that it is intended to prevent and criminalize spousal and child abuse which could very well be…

The 7.2-percent GDP rise in 2013 is meaningless to most Filipinos. Government leaders know it, but can’t bring themselves to change it. In money terms, the economy gained P12 trillion in services and goods last year. Divided by the 100 million Filipinos, that’s P120,000 per capita income for every man, woman and child. Meaning, P10,000…

MANILA, Philippines – Netizens will now have to be careful with what they post online. The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday upheld the constitutionality of a key provision in the controversial Republic Act No. 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act that criminalizes online libel.

MANILA, Philippines – Around $16.2 million is required to address the reproductive health needs of some 3.5 million women in areas battered by Typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

WASHINGTON – Raising the U.S. minimum wage would lead to the loss of about half a million jobs by late 2016 but lift almost a million Americans out of poverty, the Congressional Budget Office forecast in a report on Tuesday that reignited debate over one of President Barack Obama’s top priorities this year.

Philippine Daily Inquirer Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, was signed into law by President Aquino on Sept. 12, 2012. Its original goal was to penalize acts like cybersex, child pornography, identity theft and unsolicited electronic communication in the country.

GENEVA – One hundred and thirty-four journalists and media support staff were killed while on reporting assignments last year, most of them targeted deliberately, the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said on Tuesday.

CEBU CITY, Philippines – When Direct Access Corp. (DAC), the Cebu-based call center where Sylvio worked, closed unexpectedly last December, he felt sick. Literally.

(Second of three parts) To be fair, deregulating the power sector is a daunting task. The dynamics of the sector are complicated by our country’s political and moral landscape.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Carrots, yes; potatoes, no MANILA – Rice tops the list of farm products smuggled into the Philippines, according to a state-backed study released today. According to a report by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the amount of smuggled agriculture products hit $10 billion in the period 1986-2008.

MANILA, Philippines – A business leader slammed the proposal to grant workers flexible work schedules or to mandate the change in business hours to help ease the heavy Metro Manila traffic.

MANILA, Philippines – A Department of Health (DOH) official admitted that the contents of the controversial Reproductive Health Law can still be implemented by the agency even without the measure.

FOR the 21st-century criminal, a new image has emerged. It is locked in shadows, often faceless, anonymous. It lives in a virtual world made up of pixels. It waits for the unthinking, the brash, the carefree.

MANILA – Businessmen scored the Aquino administration for being ill-prepared for the massive traffic jam triggered by two major Metro Manila infrastructure projects, construction for which began this week.

MANILA, Philippines—The prospect of hellish traffic jams in Metro Manila with two major road projects beginning simultaneously on Monday night has prompted a Quezon City lawmaker to revive his push for a four-day work week for government employees to help ease the anticipated gridlock.

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from Filipinos working and living abroad grew faster than expected in 2013, hitting a new record high of $22.76 billion from $21.391 billion in 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported yesterday.

Boo Chanco beat me to the punch with his column yesterday reporting on the economic effects of the agrarian reform program. His report is based on a discussion paper put out by Dean Raul Fabella of the UP School of Economics and circulated among fellows of the Foundation for Economic Freedom.

What is green building? Green building is the practice of: increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials. It is a move to reduce building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal (the complete life cycle of a building). This…

WASHINGTON — The Arctic isn’t nearly as bright and white as it used to be because of more ice melting in the ocean, and that’s turning out to be a global problem, a new study says.