LONDON – With the road ahead looking a bit smoother, G20 finance ministers will be happy to ignore the wreck in the rear-view mirror when they meet this week to steer a course for the world economy.

THE PHILIPPINE economy is expected to grow at a slower pace this year — but still within the government’s target — given risks from a weak global environment and “bureaucratic bottlenecks,” a New York-based consultancy yesterday said.

I heard that President Aquino had members of his Cabinet look closely into how the economy lost nearly a million jobs last year in spite of an exceptional 7.2-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the same period. I called attention to the disturbing statistics at the Philippine Development Forum held in Davao last week,…

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday reported that the country’s foreign direct investments (FDI) as of end-November totaled $1.23 billion, a very slight improvement compared to $1.22 billion the same period in 2011.

MANILA, Philippines – The 6.6% phenomenal growth rate of the Philippines 2012 has given birth to a new concern: possible blackouts. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) warned that if the economy continues to grow at the pace it has been growing, the country could face a power crisis in two to 3 years.

Team PNoy Launches Campaign In Plaza Miranda; UNA In Cebu MANILA, Philippines — Expect all sorts of mudslinging, bickering, as well as self-aggrandizement among candidates and their supporters to intensify as the 90-day campaign period for the May, 2013, elections for national and party-list candidates starts today.

Kuala Lumpur (The Star/ANN) – Rio+20 (UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de Janeiro, June 13-22, 2012), billed as a once in a generation chance to save the planet, was a huge disappointment even an embarrassment given that almost 200 countries were present, with many leaders including from Brazil, France, Australia and India attending. A…

THE 15TH CONGRESS’ output was said to have exceeded expectations given the number of priority measures passed. Chinese New Year declaring as holiday is up for Congress ratificationBangsamoro in 16th Congress agendaAMLA amendments OK’dAMLA changes up for Congress ratificationHouse okays foreign equity in rural banks

The government is mulling measuring the number of poor Filipinos in terms of consumption instead of earnings as it fine-tunes a new bi-annual state-funded survey on poverty to be released next month, the country’s top economist said.

Net foreign portfolio investments grew 120 percent year-on-year to $1.2 billion as of Jan. 25, 2013, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed over the weekend. For nearly the same period last year (Jan. 1 to 27, 2012), net foreign portfolio investments in the country amounted to $541.59 million.

CHINA surpassed the US to become the world’s biggest trading nation last year as measured by the sum of exports and imports, a milestone in the Asian nation’s challenge to the US dominance in global commerce that emerged after the end of World War II in 1945.

STEEP PRICE INCREASES in the real estate sector are creating “pockets of concern” but overall there is no cause for alarm just yet, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) official said.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

– by Mike Manuel, Sun Life Chief Investment Officer for Asia http://twitpic.com/c12sob

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers and their families, as well as exporters and business process outsourcing companies, are feeling the pinch of a strong Philippine peso. But what is behind the rising value of the peso against the US dollar?

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima must have anticipated the ho-hum response of most people to the good news about our GDP growth rate for last year. He told the business group that listened to the Roubini talk, somewhat defensively, that we have to celebrate our small victories.

WASHINGTON DC – For pregnant women, breathing in air pollution from vehicles, heating and coal power plants increases the risk of having a low birth weight baby, an international study said Wednesday.

Survey shows confidence levels down in 33 countries Filipinos were the most optimistic consumers in Southeast Asia and the second most optimistic in the world, defying a broad global decline in confidence during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to an international polling firm.

MANILA, Philippines – After finding that it has violated safety regulations, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has stopped the ongoing construction at the SPC Malaya Power Corp. in Pililla, Rizal, where five workers fell to their death.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Philippines is now the “rising tiger” of Asia as the government’s economic initiatives and political reforms have begun to bear fruit, the World Bank said yesterday.

LAST JAN. 18, 2013, in fulfillment of the Philippines’ commitment under the International Labor Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention 2011, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10361 (An Act Instituting Policies for the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Workers), otherwise known as the “Domestic Workers Act” or “Batas Kasambahay.”

HECTIC schedules and increasing demands continue to impact today’s American families, but perhaps one of the strongest barometers of families is family mealtime. Welch’s Kitchen Table Report shows families are stronger than ever—making time to eat together frequently and enjoying sharing quality time as a family.

Women with feminine job titles are viewed as less capable than those with masculine sounding roles, according to a new research. Experts found that the practice of giving women gender specific titles such as chairwoman led to further discrimination against them.

Mobile devices will drive semiconductor revenue this year after a rough 2012 Increased sales of electronics and new forms of computing devices will drive the worldwide semiconductor market to growth this year after a slowdown in 2012, the nonprofit organization World Semiconductor Trade Statistics said on Monday.

The crisis has forced millions of workers to seek new jobs but their skills are often not those that employers are seeking, and this skills mismatch is driving up unemployment levels. GENEVA (ILO News) – Several developed economies are seeing increasing numbers of job vacancies but their unemployment rates are not going down. In some…

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos and other foreign workers in South Korea have been granted an increase in the minimum wage.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

MANILA, Philippines – If a family of 5 wants to get out and stay out of poverty, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) estimates it needs P258.96 per day. This is equivalent to an average income of around P7,768.80 per month or P93,225.60 per year.

The Philippine House of Representatives has approved a bill to strengthen the country’s comprehensive policy on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines deserves an investment-grade status this year as its economic landscape has “dramatically changed” under the Aquino administration which has begun to address the country’s weaknesses to achieve sustainable and “cohesive” growth, a world renowned economist said.