Amid the irrevocable implementation of the 12 percent VAT on toll starting today, October 1, Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay joined progressive lawmakers in calling on the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to reassess the feasibility of a wage increase for workers to able to cope with inflation and skyrocketing prices of goods.

Even with the implementation of the value added tax (VAT) on toll starting today, Malacañang downplayed claims that this would jack up prices of basic commodities and may even warrant a fare increase in public utility vehicles plying along tollways.

A tourist wanders into a back-alley antique shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Picking through the objects on display, he discovers a detailed, life-sized, bronze sculpture of a rat. The sculpture is so interesting and unique, that he picks it up and asks the shop owner what it costs.

A Hong Kong court yesterday ruled Friday that a law banning foreign maids from permanent residency in the city is unconstitutional, in a landmark case that could pave the way for a flood of applications.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s foreign debt climbed 7.3 percent to $61.4 billion in the first half of the year from $57.3 billion a year ago on the back of an upward foreign exchange revaluation due to the general weakness of the dollar against major currencies, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco…

Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday defended the implementation of its spin off/outsourcing program against critics, pointing out that the company is well within its right to restructure operations to ensure long-term survival and to save the jobs of its 5,000 remaining employees.

With the congressional leaders agreeing to list, as one of Congress’ priority bills, the Freedom of Information bill, there was an instant reaction from President Aquino, who came up with yet another excuse not to have this bill prioritized and conjuring up images of dangerous situations as a result of an FoI Act.

DRILON PRESSES CHA-CHA, ECONOMIC AMENDMENTS Senators yesterday expectedly raised a howl over the reported consensus reached by Congress leaders during Thursday’s legislative summit, to explore the idea of tinkering with the Constitution, saying that there was no prior discussion on this, much more, was there a collective position among upper chamber members even reached.

We must be afraid because we are not afraid enough of the HIV virus and AIDS. And because we are not afraid enough, we are not careful, often thinking that we’re invincible. “Kung mamamatay ako, mamamatay ako.” “I’m not going to get AIDS because I’m not gay.” “Hassle to use protection in the middle of…

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how great the Filipino people were, and how this is what we should sell to the world. Today, I’d like to raise a few points that, if addressed, can ensure that advantage can be turned into wealth gain for everyone.

The wildcat strike staged by the PAL Employees Association which stranded some 14,000 passengers and caused millions of damage to the riding public, Philippine Airlines and the national economy is a clear case of the tyranny of a minority group.

More lawmakers want to grant incentives to car makers who build or import cars that are powered by electric or hybrid engines or those that run on alternative fuel in a move to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel.

THE Palace is considering spending P1 billion to train students and faculty in state universities and colleges to work in call centers and other outsourced services, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Thursday.

THE combined net earnings of the listed firms declined by 7 percent to P219.66 billion in the year through June from P236.23 billion the year before as a result of costlier inputs, the Philippine Stock Exchange reported Thursday.

THE construction of single detached residences will be banned in Metro Manila to optimize land use, Vice President Jejomar Binay told the Senate on Thursday.

PHILIPPINE Airlines said it was operating on a reduced schedule Thursday with 71 flights canceled, 28 of them to international destinations, as it entered the third day of a protest by its ground workers.

SOME 40 years ago, Sonny Coloma was a campus firebrand. He was elected to the University of the Philippines Student Council as one of the candidates of a leftwing alliance, which included the KM, SDK and similar radical youth groups that supported the “national democratic” program of the Communist Party.

The Transport Department said Thursday it will build all its infrastructure projects and will not entertain proposals from the private sector to reduce cost.

Dear Pao, I started working for a company six months ago under an agency. Eventually, the company absorbed me as their own employee. But instead of being their regular employee, the company placed me under probation as their probationary employee. Is my work designation correct because I have already worked for the company for 6…

THE Aquino administration may ditch its stalled public-private partnership (PPP) scheme and instead go it alone in pursuing key infrastructure projects, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

There’s a reorganization of staff as well as a re-orientation of priorities ongoing at the Department of Health. Not all are happy, and that’s to be expected. The big push, it seems, comes from the need to meet the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs by 2015.

THE Philippines’ medal haul in the most prestigious Math and Science competitions in the world continues to soar with four high school students netting gold, silver and bronze medals in the recently concluded Fifth International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO).

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang will release P2 billion in judiciary funds transferred to a new item in the budget called the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund (MPBF) once vacant positions in government are filled, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad yesterday said.

Net earnings of listed companies declined in the first half reflecting a slowdown in the spending power of consumers due to increased prices, the head of the local bourse said.

Unfortunate and grave! This is all I can say about that wildcat strike launched by the Philippine Airlines (PAL) employees’ union, Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea), last Tuesday, as Typhoon “Pedring” battered the metropolis. That strike stranded thousands of PAL passengers not only in the country but overseas and disrupted for a good 11 hours…

MANILA, Philippines—Four Filipino high school students made top rankings in an international student competition on the earth sciences this month, fetching medals for the Philippines in a battle among 26 nations.

Stress-busting tips Stress in the workplace is often a response to lack of control and fear — fear of not being able to handle certain situations or deliver a promise, fear of not being able to live up to a certain criteria and as a consequence, losing careers, jobs and business opportunities. But while stress…

THE PHILIPPINES slipped a notch in a list of 66 economies ranked according to support they give information technology (IT) firms in a biennial survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit for Business Software Alliance.

Roxas: Palea reneged on promise not to hold protest amid typhoon Employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) are set to hold one last big rally Friday, the day their employment officially ends and the eve of the company’s switch to an outsourcing scheme that would cost 2,600 jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is partnering with ABS-CBN to find ways to serve Filipinos abroad.