The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday disqualified two incumbent party-list groups supposedly representing the energy sector from participating in the party-list derby next year.

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) vowed to help Filipino women fight off the disease, which has overtaken lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer mortality in the country. With “at least 10,000 new breast cancer cases” detected every year, the Philippines now has the highest incidence…

TOKYO, Japan – The Philippines, a laggard economy compared with its Southeast Asian neighbors, can grow faster in the medium term at more than five percent annually, International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials said. In a briefing here, they said higher state revenues and increasing the spending on infrastructure will pave the way for more domestic…

Tokyo, Japan – Third quarter economic growth in the Philippines likely tracked the trend in the first half due to the services sector and robust consumption, the country’s chief economist said. “We are hopeful that it is on the same track,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Arsenio Balisacan told The STAR on…

MANILA, Philippines – Manufacturing activity posted a slower growth in September from the previous month, the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of the All-Asian Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (ASCEND) showed. A research note from ASCEND showed that the PMI index for manufacturing was down by 0.35 index points to 54.09 in September from the…

CHICAGO (AP) — Shots that protect against cervical cancer do not make girls promiscuous, according to the first study to compare medical records for vaccinated and unvaccinated girls.

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 1,600 youths have moved up the ladder from being out-of-school youths to full-fledged skilled graduates ready to take on jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – Most blind people in the Philippines and other countries have the chance to recover their eyesight, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported. The WHO said that with adequate treatment, four out of five blind people can see again. There are 39 million people who are blind and another 246 million people…

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are pushing for online voting and other amendments in the existing provisions of the Overseas Absentee Voting Law. Ellene Sana, Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) executive director, said the Senate should immediately pass the proposed amendments on absentee voting law to enable more Filipinos abroad to practice their…

Apprenticeships have been around for centuries but they are now getting a lot of fresh attention as the world struggles to defuse the potentially explosive youth employment crisis. GENEVA (ILO News) – Determined to avert the rise of a lost generation, the world is increasingly looking to apprenticeships as a silver bullet against the global…

Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest. The scientists from Leicester and Loughborough Universities say harm is done even if people also exercise. The study, published in Diabetologia, analysed 18 existing studies involving almost 800,000 people. Diabetes UK said anyone who spent a lot of time sitting…

Cash remittances from overseas-based Filipinos sent through banks reached $1.8 billion in August, increasing at a 10-month high of 7.6 percent from $1.67 billion in the same month last year. Remittances in August eased from $1.81 billion in July, but still higher than the $1.7 billion average for the first seven months of the year.

MANILA, Philippines – While they welcome the framework agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mindanao’s indigenous peoples (IP) cannot yet rejoice over the landmark peace pact. Timuay Labi (Supreme Chieftain) Sannie Bello, who heads the Timuay Justice and Governance, said the signing of the pact should be followed by the…

Much work remains to be done to transform a framework agreement into a peace accord that will bring about security and prosperity in Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, the World Bank said on Monday. At the same time, the international financial institution welcomed the signing of the Framework Agreement between President Benigno Aquino III and…

THE administration-controlled Senate has given assurances that close to P260 billion has been set aside for various infrastructure projects in Mindanao for 2013. The assurance was given by “administration” Sen. Frank Drilon, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, who said the implementation of the projects would be hastened by the peace deal the government…

On Monday, October 15, 2012, the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Framework Agreement that outlines the general features of the political settlement between the two parties. It puts together the points of consensus reached during the series of talks between the government and the MILF since the…

The targeted economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by 2015 is drawing near and Philippine businesses should be preparing strategies to deal with growing competition and capture a large share of regional investments, the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) said, citing experts.

WHAT can be done to lower the rise of new cases with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country? The National Epidemiology Center recorded 278 persons diagnosed with HIV last July. This is 36 percent more than the 204 cases reported in July 2011.

Manila, Philippines – Foreign portfolio investments – also called “hot money” for the ease with which they enter and exit economies – posted a net outflow last month as uncertainties in Europe resulted into risk aversion, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

(Financial Times) — The International Monetary Fund on Saturday sounded a note of cautious optimism on the global economy, but warned that recovery will be derailed if officials relent on policy commitments. In a communiqué to mark the conclusion of the IMF’s annual meetings in Tokyo this week, members of the fund said: “Key policy…

MANILA, Philippines – Tired of being abused and discriminated against by her former employer’s girlfriend, ex-beauty queen and actress Dindi Gallardo has filed a lawsuit in New York against Frank Miller, creator of The Dark Knight, 300 and other comic book series.

Unemployment 30 mn higher than before crisis: ILO TOKYO – There are now 30 million more people without jobs around the world than before the global financial crisis began, the head of the International Labor Organization said in remarks published Friday.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will soon conduct mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) for Saudi-bound household service workers (HSWs).

As World Food Day on October 16 approaches, a human rights organization said the Philippines needs a comprehensive national food policy to end its high incidence of hunger. FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) Philippines said recent survey results showing hunger now stalks 21 percent of families is unacceptable.

NEW YORK – Younger people with advanced lung cancer who quit smoking more than a year before their diagnosis survive longer than those who continue smoking, according to a new study. It’s known that people who never smoked are more likely to survive the disease than those who light up. But whether former smokers do…

MORE overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to the Department of Health (DOH). The agency’s latest data surveillance showed that in August 2012 alone, 25 HIV cases were reported. Of this number, 18 of the victims were men and seven were women.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is being urged to focus on reforms in the energy, agriculture and services sectors to attract more investments to the country, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said.

Of great significance is the recent statement of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton during the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population Development categorically declaring that the “centerpiece” of the US Foreign policy is “Global Health Initiative.” She said that $63 billion will be spent by the US “to prevent pregnancies and to improve…

MANILA, Philippines – More than 50 percent of Filipino Catholics are not married in churches, according to a nationwide survey conducted recently by a Catholic-run radio station. Sociology professor Clifford Sorita said yesterday that the Radio Veritas “Truth Survey” showed that the unions of a majority of Filipino couples were not blessed in churches.

MAKATI CITY, Philippines – Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez told businessmen and media at the Manila Peninsula Hotel recently that tourism will be the world’s 21st century mega industry. “Tourism will be a driver of many economies especially those of developing countries, like the Philippines,” the former top advertising man in the country said.