(Conclusion) MANILA, Philippines – The outrage over rising electricity prices has prompted energy stakeholders to call for amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001, a landmark law that promised reforms in the power sector.

WASHINGTON – Are people with kids happier than people without? In the United States, those with and without kids rate their lives about the same, but globally children tend to diminish well-being, said a study Monday.

Impact of ‘Yolanda’ less severe than expected The economic slowdown in the fourth quarter of 2013 resulting from Supertyphoon “Yolanda” could be less severe than initially anticipated, with growth during the period now seen to hit at least 6 percent.

President Aquino’s performance rating dropped 6 percentage points in the Pulse Asia survey last month, amid widespread criticisms over his administration’s purportedly slow and inefficient response in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has launched a database to keep track of the progress of all antipoverty projects in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – With many Pinoys finding it hard to get jobs, it may be difficult to believe there are some occupations that lack skilled workers.

Philippines – The Social Weather Stations(SWS) conducted its 4th quarter nationwide survey on self-rated poverty and self-rated food poverty and the results showed an increase in Filipino households considering themselves poor at the end of 2013.

TUCP Appeal Letter to the Prime Minister of Turkey.01.14.2014

Key interest rate hikes to temper inflation The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas may begin a monetary-tightening cycle to guard against inflationary pressures by the middle of this year, likely raising key interest rates by 50 basis points for the whole year and by another 50 basis points next year, European investment bank Credit Agricole CIB…

MANILA, Philippines—With a medal haul of 297, including 47 golds, a group of young Filipino numbers aces has been cited by their handlers— the nongovernment Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines (MTG)—for making the country proud with their “excellent performance” in seven international math competitions in 2013.

Nearly 12 million households said they considered themselves poor as 2013 drew to a close, according to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations. According to the SWS survey, taken from Dec. 11 to 16 last year, 55 percent of respondents or 11.8 million families, said they were poor.

“Documento, por favor?” “Andrea,” an undocumented migrant worker in Barcelona, runs into five police officers who are doing their random inspection inside a train bound to Puigcerda, Catalonia.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The AboitizPower Corp., through its subsidiary, the Therma South, has suspended the work of a contractor of a 645-megawatt coal-fired plant here following an accident this week that caused the death of a Chinese worker at the project site.

AS the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) brace for the unification of the regional markets next year, the Philippines has already displayed its preparedness toward Asean 2015, according to Dr. Veronica Caparas of Asian Institute of Management.

The government will put more teeth on initiatives, including education drives and linking small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to trade chains, to make free trade agreement (FTA) benefits trickle down to the grassroots, an official said Tuesday night.

Minimum wage workers in the private sector in Metro Manila are due an increase of P15 this month in their basic pay, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said. The minimum daily wage in the National Capital Region for non-agricultural workers now stands at P466.00. For other private sector works, the minimum wage is…

MANILA, Philippines – All motorists understand that a good map is worth its weight in gold, especially if you are navigating in difficult conditions. In this age of GPS or global positioning system, charting one’s course has never been easier. Are you doing the same with your money?

Most managers accept that employers benefit from a diverse workforce, but the notion can be hard to prove or quantify, especially when it comes to measuring how diversity affects a firm’s ability to innovate.

PINILI, Ilocos Norte, Jan. 8 (PIA) – State agencies have started to train their attention on eliminating child labor in the Philippines after a national survey showed rising incidence of child labor since 2011.

QUEZON CITY, Jan. 7 (PIA) – The Philippines notched among the highest usage of ASEAN trade deals in the region, according to experts, urging Asian neighbors to adopt the country’s outreach campaigns to help more businesses reap integration gains.

MANILA — Health Secretary Dr. Enrique Ona on Monday said that the number of indigent families enrolled under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is now at 13.7 million.

MANILA – Responding to the clamor of Yolanda survivors for decent jobs that could help them rebuild their lives, licensed Philippine recruitment agencies have organized a massive job fair in Tacloban on 21-22 January 2014, according to their news release

Philippine inflation jumped its highest in two years as all commodity groups tracked by the National Statistics Office registered higher annual increases, except communication, recreation and culture, and education.

MANILA, Philippines – With the Philippine population predicted to hit 100 million this year, President Benigno Aquino III made another push for the stalled reproductive health law, saying responsible parenthood is all the more important.

As we bid farewell to year 2013, let us all welcome and be ready for the challenges year 2014 will bring. One of these is the increase in the mandatory SSS and PhilHealth contributions of both the employee and the employer. Indeed, starting January 2014, higher rates will be imposed on the SSS and PhilHealth…

A global retirement crisis is bearing down on workers of all ages. It will play out for decades, and its consequences will be far-reaching. Many people will be forced to work well past the traditional retirement age of 65. Living standards will fall and poverty rates will rise for the elderly in wealthy countries that…

MANILA — Health Secretary Dr. Enrique Ona on Monday said that the number of indigent families enrolled under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) is now at 13.7 million.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said yesterday a growing population presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the country even as it stressed that measures are in place to ensure that everyone would benefit from economic growth.

Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla says he is confident there will be no summer power blackouts. I can understand why Petilla must say that but I hope he is intelligent enough not to believe it. Given the uncertainty in the power industry today, the opposite has a greater chance of happening.