Mount Diwalwal in Compostela Valley epitomizes what happens when the government allows the unhampered operations of so-called “small-scale mining” which in truth is controlled by big-time operators.

Philippine exports grew by only 4.2 percent in June after a double-digit rebound in May. The National Statistics Office (NSO) on Friday reported that exports for the month reached $4.31 billion, with electronics shipments dipping 14.6 percent to $1.89 billion.

Quezon City’s Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) has deputized its personnel to make sure that no styrofoam and plastic bags are used as food containers at the QC Hall, Novaliches District Center, Quezon City General Hospital and Novaliches District Hospital.

MANILA, Philippines – With over 9 million registered Twitter users, the Philippines ranks 10th highest in worldwide ratings on the most number of users of the microblogging site.

LONDON – The world is depleting underground water reserves faster than they can be replenished due to over-exploitation, according to scientists in Canada and the Netherlands.

BEIJING – China’s industrial output and fixed-asset investment are expected to show signs of picking up in data on Thursday, indicating that the economy is starting to stabilize after sliding for six straight quarters.

PARIS – Traditionally Catholic Ireland has registered almost the steepest drop worldwide in people calling themselves religious in a new survey tracking international trends in faith and atheism in recent years.

EXTREME climatic events such as typhoons and floods will be more frequent and severe in the future and no country, including the Philippines, is immune from worsening and recurrent disasters, a United Nations official said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked 10th in the world in terms of the number of registered users of microblogging site Twitter, a study conducted by Paris-based social media monior Semiocast showed. Semiocast said the number of Twitter accounts have reached half a billion as of June 2012, with the US leading in terms of…

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino is seeking P2.54 billion for the administration’s “family health and responsible parenting” program next year, Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada said yesterday. He said the funding is contained in the P2.006-trillion 2013 national budget the President sent to Congress on July 24, a day after his State of the Nation Address.

MANILA, Philippines – Call center agents and other workers who reported for work despite the heavy rains and massive flooding last Tuesday would get extra pay. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the law provides extra pay for workers who were required to render services in times of calamities.

Only local governments that have been conferred the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) will be allowed to secure a loan from banks and other financial institutions, Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) declared. Robredo said the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) has issued a circular that listed…

The government’s inability to look after Mindanao, a vote-rich island visited by politicians only during election campaigns, is home to the country’s poorest provinces, disclosed the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) which said the 10 richest local government units (LGUs) are situated close to the seat of power.

International Youth Day – marked on August 12 – sets the spotlight on the pressing challenges faced by young people. ILO News looks at practices that can help turn around the dramatic youth employment situation. GENEVA (ILO News) – Promoting youth employment has become a top priority for many governments at a time when 75…

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine banks are among the healthiest in the Asia-Pacific region due to their large deposit base and healthy lending practices that allowed them to manage credit in the system, debt watcher Fitch Ratings said in a report released yesterday.

KAMPALA — New discoveries of natural resources in several African countries — including Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique — raise an important question: Will these windfalls be a blessing that brings prosperity and hope, or a political and economic curse, as has been the case in so many countries?

FIRST there was the Goldman Sachs (GS) paper, circa 2005, that included the Philippines among the so-called Next Eleven (N-11), referring to the 11 countries that had a high potential, together with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), to give the G7 (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada) a run for their money, in…

LONDON/OSLO — Green economic growth rather than strict targets for cutting greenhouse gases needs higher priority if the world is to reach a deal to fight climate change by a 2015 deadline.

HONG KONG — Asia has been a ray of sunshine in the global economic gloom, but a confidence survey released Wednesday shows the region’s executives are starting to worry as China’s growth slows and exports sink.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, it is broke. The Philippines has been the poorest performing country among its comparable neighbors over the past 30 years. There are many reasons for this, but paucity of job-creating, wealth-creating investment is certainly one of the principal ones.

MANILA – (UPDATED 4:57 p.m.) The country’s stellar economic performance is likely to take a turn for the worse in the short term, according to the National Economic and Development Authority, which on Wednesday said Typhoon “Gener” and the ongoing monsoon rains will not only slow down growth, but also push up prices at a…

This type of hurricane is a very strong tempest, so many and so strong hitting these islands that neither Virgil nor Ovid nor any other poet I have read can describe its destructive power. These occur very often and we suffer so much, that even after experiencing them, it is difficult to believe these can…

Despite the telephone being the most popular channel for support, it also has the reputation for being the most frustrating method. Repeating information to agents, waiting on hold, and navigating phone menus are the main reasons customers dread the call center. Negative caller experiences drive customers to the competition, and to share these experiences with…

The Senate’s ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention will bring the treaty into legal force, promising better working conditions and key labor protections for millions of domestic workers, a global rights body said.

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The Senate approved yesterday the resolution which concurs in the ratification of an international treaty providing legal protection for Filipino domestic workers and to ensure them decent wages and benefits.

Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz reported yesterday that 957 bus drivers and 950 bus conductors have benefited from the legislated minimum wage and performance incentives as proof of their compliance with Department Order 118-12, the rules and regulations governing employment and working conditions of drivers and conductors in the utility bus…

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment-7 noted several violations committed by Direct Access Corporation and its officials during their inspection conducted last week. In a press conference yesterday, representatives of the company’s 664 terminated workers revealed the said violations.

In 2010, the United Nations declared that safe and clear drinking water is a human right “essential to full enjoyment of life and all other human rights.” In the Philippines, it is estimated that 15,000 barangays do not have 100% access to safe water. Most towns have piped in water only in the poblacions but…

Manila, Philippines – Director-General Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) believes a rapidly increasing population is the reason the country’s economic growth has not surpassed neighboring countries in Asia.