JAKARTA: Growth in Southeast Asia’s six major economies is expected to slow down through 2016, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) revealed on Tuesday, urging them to find new growth drivers as the key US and European export markets were stuck in a crisis.

TARLAC, Philippines – Authorities intercepted 2 trucks carrying hazardous medical waste in Tarlac province on Thursday. The rotting garbage, composed of medical refuse, came from hospitals in Metro Manila.

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized three regions in Mindanao as having the most number of public high schools (HSs) with zero dropout rate in the country in school year (SY) 2010-2011.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) will allocate more funds for the development of learning aids and materials in the various dialects as it seeks to bolster mother tongue-based multilingual education in public preschools and elementary schools all over the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) wants the new labor regulation for the provision of additional benefits for contractual workers junked, saying the new rule merely regulates contractualization and does not abolish it.

COMPLACENCY and lack of government support have virtually made the HIV and AIDS Control Law useless, according to Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who filed a new measure in recognition of World AIDS Day, which is observed today.

MANILA, Philippines – As the international community observes World AIDS Day today, the Department of Health (DOH) warned of the rapid increase in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) cases in the country, where an average of six new infections are recorded every day.

Following Professor Winnie Monsod’s excellent presentation of the relatively balanced implications of the World at 7 Billion for the developed and developing parts of planet earth, I’m sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings about our own country. But mind you, my purpose is not to talk about sad news for its own sake…

Online chatting especially among young people often leads to flirting, or building romantic and sexual relationships. MANILA, Philippines — Social media has inadvertently aided the spread of the HIV in the Philippines according to an ongoing study by the Department of Health (DOH).

Credit scores are an important fact of life: they dictate whether you can borrow funds, and what interest rates you’ll be offered for credit you qualify for. But, how does your credit rating affect your life without you knowing – and should it scare you?

BPO GOWTH NOT IN CALL CENTERS The Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is widely praised as one of the saviors of the country’s economy.

BRUSSELS – The Philippines is bent on preventing at all costs a decision by the European Union (EU) to withdraw certification rights for over 240,000 Filipino seafarers from vessels registered in any EU member state if it feels the level of training and non-compliance issues are still not addressed by the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Contractual workers can now look forward to enjoying security of tenure and other benefits that are provided to regular workers. Amid widespread contractualization of the labor force, the government is implementing a new policy that would provide better working conditions and protection for contractual workers.

A fundamental understanding of the euro debt crisis can be appreciated better if its historical background is told. Then, the euro is examined as an economic experiment in institution-building.

Local plywood makers warned of more job losses if the influx of smuggled and substandard plywood from China continues unabated.

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) rescued at least six Aeta children and filed charges of human trafficking and violation of anti-child labor law against the owner of a junk shop who recruited and allegedly maltreated the children.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares have been subpoenaed to explain before a congressional inquiry their alleged deceptive efforts to impose additional requirements on taxpayers.

MANILA, Philippines—After receiving many complaints, the Department of Labor and Employment is turning the spotlight on the plight of security guards who are not paid the required minimum wage and whose rights are often violated, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Education has called on schools nationwide to integrate human rights lessons in classes and other school activities as the country marks National Human Rights Consciousness Week.

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED 10:10 P.M.) Health Secretary Enrique Ona has expressed alarm over the spikes in new HIV cases among Filipinos as the department prepared for World AIDS Day’s observance on Thursday, December 1.

THE Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) Iloilo chapter raised the alert level against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) cases in Western Visayas.

RESULTS of a 2010 survey showed that about 1.9 million Filipino children aged 5 to 17, or 6.3% of the population in this age range, were working. More than a third of the working children belonged to the lowest per capita income bracket, according to the National Statistics Office report on the Annual Poverty Indicators…

The Philippine economy registered a moderate growth of 3.2 percent in the third quarter of 2011, supported mainly by the growth in the services sector. Considering the 3.4 percent contraction in net primary income, the growth of the Philippine’s gross national income was slower at 1.6 percent.

BRUSSELS – The European Union’s decision on whether the Philippines is complying with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) is expected to come out next month, with an unfavorable outcome seen to stop shipping firms from hiring Filipino seamen.

PHILIPPINE economic growth fell sharply in the third quarter because of an export slowdown and the delayed implementation of the government’s public-private partnership scheme.

THERE has been a pervading assumption that life in the big city would give Filipinos in the rural areas greater access to basic services, better education, economic development and livelihood opportunities.

DURBAN, South Africa: Storms and droughts that have unleashed dangerous surges in food prices could be a “grim foretaste” of what lies ahead when climate change bites more deeply, Oxfam said on Monday.

Bus drivers will soon start having their own basic salary, in a bid to prevent them from trying to outrace each other to pick up passengers, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

Growth slowed to a dismal 3.2 percent in the third quarter that returned the Philippines to its familar role as a laggard in Southeast Asia, having one of the worst economic performances in the region for the quarter and all the result of poor management of the budget.

With Christmas just around the corner and with the end of the year fast approaching, most companies are now computing employee bonuses, if not already distributing bonuses to employees.