MANILA (UPDATED) – President Aquino said he vetoed the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor because its implementation could not be funded.

MANILA, Philippines — He could have played cute and signed it into law. But without a P3.044-trillion budget to fulfill the basic needs of the poor right away, the government would have been haled to court.

MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III has vetoed the Magna Carta for the Poor, saying most of its provisions were unrealistic and were meant only to earn brownie points.

The Kris Aquino/James Yap and Chiz Escudero/Heart Evangelista brawls triggered a blogging frenzy. “There are more pressing concerns,” former Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon protested. These range from Filipinos squeezed in the Sabah controversy to a severely strained school system. “Let’s keep our focus on issues that matter.”

Lisbon — No matter how Cyprus’s financial drama ends, its troubles show yet again that rich countries enfeebled by the great financial crisis remain a weak link in the world economy. By comparison, emerging markets are not only looking stronger but are also contributing more consistently to global growth.

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – Communist rebels torched heavy equipment worth about P500,000, bunkhouses and a generator set in a black sand quarrying site in Camalaniugan, Cagayan last Saturday, authorities said.

Jollibee Group is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and targeting opening its historic 800th Jollibee store in the second half of 2013, Jollibee chief operating officer Ernesto “Ato” Tanmantiong said in an exclusive interview with The Philippine STAR. The Burger King chain in the Philippines is also now 54-percent owned by Jollibee, with 29…

With the expected drop in enrollment starting in 2017 due to the government’s K-to-12 basic education curriculum, Catholic school leaders are concerned over the possibility of manpower displacement, even as they are searching for ways to cope with the effects of the new program.

Filipino women’s participation in the country’s labor force is increasing but still lower than that of men, according to according a report from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

A March 24, 2013, press release from the National Economic and Development Authority The Philippines continues to rank relatively higher in human development than other ASEAN member countries and is also making progress in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines– A 22-year-old road worker was crushed to death by a roller while directing traffic at a road asphalting project in Barangay Uno, Jones, Isabela last Friday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has turned over P831.8 million in funds to several departments and agencies, state colleges and universities (SUCs), and government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs).

MANILA, Philippines – Despite having an economic partnership agreement with Japan, the Philippines has not maximized the benefits of the deal as there has been no significant increase in investments from Japanese firms amid concerns over high utility and transport costs as well as policy changes, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said.

DEFINITION NEEDED: Section 26 of Article II (Declaration of State Policies) of the Constitution is clear: “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

UP Manila freshman Kristel Tejada was to be laid to rest on Saturday, just as graduation season began for practically the entire nation.

Financial Times) — China is on track for a fourth consecutive decade of rapid growth and will overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy in 2016 after accounting for price differences, according to a new report by the OECD.

MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS) has nearly P7 billion waiting to be tapped under its educational assistance program even as the nation tries to come to terms with the suicide of a University of the Philippines-Manila freshman over lack of tuition money.

Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2013. With strong economic growth of above 5% forecast for the Philippines and other Asian countries in the next few years, the relevance of climate change to populations and business in the major commercial centres should not be underplayed, according to Maplecroft analysis. Maplecroft Of the major urban centers in 197…

MANILA, Philippines – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved more than $12.7 million of grant financing to the Philippines help create more quality jobs through the tourism sector.

MANILA – More Filipino women are graduating from college than men, with business administration cited as the most common field of study for Filipinas, a National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report said Wednesday.

Thanks to happiness inside the home, Filipinos emerged as the third happiest people in Asia in 2013, a new report showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and Saudi Arabia reached a final agreement on rules and regulations for the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers in the kingdom, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, March 19.

MANILA, Philippines – Last March 6 to 8, the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication (UP-CMC) held a Job and Internship Fair for the academic year’s graduating students.

THE PHILIPPINES will cite improvements in its labor policies as it makes a case for the retention of tax perks granted by the United States, though a rights group behind a complaint is expected to argue that reforms to date are not enough.

MANILA – Teachers pay more taxes than doctors or lawyers in some areas, fiscal authorities on Monday said, adding that this discrepancy raises the absurd conclusion that those practicing medicine or law are minimum wage earners.

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and its political arm, TUCP party-list that currently has one seat in Congress, is calling on Metrowaste Solidwaste Management Corp. to provide adequate protection and ensure safe and healthy working condition for their workers.

The Philippines ranked 114th out of 186 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) and remained at the medium human development category, according to the recent report released by the United Nations Development Program.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Despite the glowing statistics on the economy, the Philippines should push harder to improve the country’s investment climate as it continues to lag behind neighbors in Asia, a Japanese diplomat said here.

INCENTIVES can help, but these can also hinder, growth. And while some incentives help grow a small sector in a limited way, these same incentives may harm the growth of a larger sector over a longer term.

The country’s unemployment rate in January stood at 7.1 percent, improving just a little from the 7.2 percent registered in the same month last year, the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Friday reported.