Imelda Marcos and Joseph Estrada are two of the best-known names in the Philippines. Both have been ousted from the presidential palace – Mrs Marcos as the wife of President Ferdinand Marcos, and Mr Estrada when he himself was president.

MANILA, Philippines – More than 50% of local government units nationwide are controlled by political dynasties, a political analyst said Tuesday. Professor Prospero de Vera of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG) said dynasties are more pronounced at the local level than at the national level since…

(Updated 8:25 p.m.) Filipino tourists can now work in New Zealand for up to a year following an agreement signed by the two countries on Tuesday, the second day of President Benigno Aquino III’s two-day visit there.

A FAILURE to implement reforms has meant the Philippines not having improved in the World Bank and International Finance Corp.’s latest global Doing Business report. World Bank to conduct consultations about its strategyChanges in project evaluation soughtProgress to be toutedRural projects identifiedWB forecast raised anew.

PUBLIC SATISFACTION with the Aquino administration has rebounded after a two-quarter decline, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that also found the government scoring better on specific issues. The poll, conducted last Aug. 24-27, found 72% of respondents satisfied, 10% dissatisfied, and 17% ambivalent with the administration’s performance, yielding a “very good” net…

It is remarkable that the Philippine economy has been showing dynamism this year so far, even with a sluggish world economy. This implies that the energy driving our economic growth lately is coming from within. Indeed it is internal demand—that is, we Filipinos ourselves purchasing our goods and services—that has provided the current impetus for…

The ongoing euro crisis is “the business of everyone,” as it affects everyone, including emerging economies where “we still have a lot of poverty to address,” said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

President Aquino said on Monday that economic growth in the second quarter of this year was higher than originally announced, or more than 5.9 percent, prompting an upward revision in terms of growth for that period.

Slowing growth in many Asian countries has accentuated labour market challenges in a region that has the world’s largest youth population, and where precarious work is widespread.

LABOR Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz recently visited several barangays in Sagada to advocate child-labor free communities. Baldoz visited Madungo, Banga-an, Tanulong, Pide, Fidelisan, and Aguid villages in Sagada, Mountain Province last week to promote the convergence of services for the protection of children.

Countries in the Asia Pacific region, including the Philippines, should strengthen their efforts to create quality jobs for their young people, said a new report from the International Labor Organization.

Failure to attract foreign investments Stunts growth of the manufacturing sector. As the country’s growth is driven more and more by services, there is some effort to rekindle the strength of the manufacturing sector which has languished the past two decades.

MANILA, Philippines – The exponential rise in HIV cases in the country may be traced back to social media and use of injecting drugs.

BEIJING—China’s economic model that delivered three decades of double-digit growth is running out of steam and the country’s next leaders face tough choices to keep incomes rising. But they don’t seem to have ambitious solutions. Even if they do, they will need to tackle entrenched interests with backing high in the Communist Party.

MANILA, Philippines—Six Philippine cities are most at risk for the spread of the dreaded human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) virus, according to the Department of Health.

MANILA, Philippines — A forum on migration hosted by the Philippines has resolved to use International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 189 in identifying gaps in existing government policies, programs and structures in order to improve the protection of domestic workers.

Some 60 participants from 19 countries joined the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) Preparatory Workshop from October 15 and 16 at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila.

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SOME 60 participants from 19 countries have recommended to strengthen the protection of the rights of migrant domestic care workers and empowering them as development actors at the conclusion of the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD) Preparatory Workshop at the Hyatt Hotel last week.

MANILA, Philippines – The spokesman of the country’s premier commercial and financial district dismissed the findings of an online survey which ranked Makati City as the 3rd most promiscuous in Asia.

MANILA, Philippines—Makati is among Asia’s top cities with the “most promiscuous” men, according to a recently released online dating study. The study, which involved 10,000 members of dating website SeekingArrangement.com, found that around three in every four men in Makati (77 percent) reported having more than five sexual partners per year.

Online social networking contributes to the rise in the cases of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the country, according to a study conducted by the Department of Health.

Second city in the Philippines approves anti-discrimination law thanks to LGBT rights groups The council of the second city in the Philippines approved an anti-discrimination law yesterday – the first of its kind in the country. The law, first proposed in January, declares as unlawful the refusal to provide access to any public program and…

NEW YORK (AP) — A new survey estimates that 3.4 percent of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, in what may be the largest study ever aimed at calculating the nation’s LGBT population. The Gallup survey released Thursday was based on interviews with more than 121,000 people.

(Updated 4:40 p.m.) If the United Nations will have its way, soliciting sex or paying for it in the Asia and the Pacific region will no longer risk imprisonment. In a recent report, the UN recommended the decriminalization of the world’s oldest profession to help curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos may not be getting the right amount of most vitamins and minerals they need every day. At the same time more Filipinos are becoming overweight and obese. According to Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), this trend also exposes more Filipinos to health risks related to high blood pressure, high blood…

Contrary to what several of my media colleagues have espoused against the RA (Republic Act) 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, I maintain a generally positive view of the legislation. I admit that there are areas in RA 10175 that need to be clarified or rewritten in order that it might…

QUEZON CITY, Oct 18 (PIA) — The estimated number of working children aged five to 17 years old in the Philippines is about 5.492 million, based on the 2011 Survey on Children conducted by the National Statistics Office.

The ILO looks to harnessing the potential of the world’s rural areas as city dwellers in the developing world struggle to find work. GENEVA (ILO News) – It is impossible to talk about sustainable development without taking into account this simple fact: half of the world’s population and 75 per cent of the world’s poor…