The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), in cooperation with the European National Chambers, noted with deep concern the views expressed by the PCCI and — surprisingly — by the BOI, undermining the country’s move towards renewable energies, alternative fuels and a wider energy mix.

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Wednesday said it is restricting the grant of fiscal incentives to cooperatives amid loopholes in the law, which has allowed for-profit enterprises to avoid tax and labor rules.

The Commission on Audit (COA) on Thursday revealed that not all beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program in 2009 were actually qualified to receive stipends.

THE government continues to deprive public school teachers of rightful economic and non-economic benefits with the non-issuance of the guidelines on the registration and accreditation of public school teachers’ group under the Department of Education (DepEd).

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd has ordered stronger protection of children from abuse and violation of their rights. According to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., President Aquino signed on August 11 Executive Order (EO) 53, which seeks to boost the country’s child-welfare program and improve the government’s legal support for victims of child abuse.

MANILA, Philippines – Migrant Filipinos are synonymous with the word trouble in Malaysia’s Sabah state, according to a confidential cable from the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur that was released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON D.C. – The United States Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EOCC) said 4 Filipina nurses terminated last year by a Baltimore hospital for speaking Tagalog were victims of discrimination.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd on Tuesday laid out 13 additional priority measures before members of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) that will be part of the administration’s agenda this year. President Aquino defended his move to keep the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill out of his priority list.

MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) spent the highest amount in a decade in 2010, and most of the expenditures were used for assisting repatriated overseas workers and for handing out disability and death benefits.

India has been complaining about the reluctance of the government to open up its services market during recent negotiations in Indonesia for the proposed India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) free trade agreement.

Whether it is the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill or Malacañang’s Responsible Parenthood bill (RP), public funds will still be used to buy condoms and other forms of contraceptives for population control.

Philippine officials may have a hard time convincing Syrian employers to let go of their Filipino domestic helpers in Syria despite a standing government policy to repatriate Filipinos in the troubled Middle East state, Manila’s top diplomat there conceded yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has earmarked P4.9 billion in its proposed budget for 2012 for the reforestation program.

MANILA, Philippines – Three local miners killed and four others were wounded in a landslide in Compostela Valley, authorities reported today.

The 2nd LEDAC meeting called by President Aquino in Malacañang Monday with leaders of Congress produced the following results: 1. Of the 13 bills given priority, the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill was still not included;

In illegal dismissal cases, the employer who interposes the defense of resignation has the burden to prove that the employee indeed voluntarily resigned. This is the principle applied in this case of Lynn.

CLARK FIELD — It is well and good that Malacañang has seen to the rewriting of the controversial provisions of the Reproductive Health (renamed Responsible Parenthood) bill to widen its acceptability in this dominantly Catholic nation.

MANILA, Philippines – The Reproductive Health measure is an affirmation of the constitutional right to privacy as stipulated in several Supreme Court decisions, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said yesterday.

QUEZON CITY, Aug. 18 (PIA) — Japanese unions, through the Japan International Labour Foundation (JILAF), known for its pioneering initiatives in the development and implementation of workers’ education and training programs, will launch another action-oriented model initiative integrating industrial relations, corporate social responsibility and productivity into one package in the country.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Mindanao is pushing for technopreneurship in an effort to reinvigorate the Mindanao technical and vocational industry.

Can past infractions of an employee which have already been adequately penalized be still used as bases in taking disciplinary action against him if he commits another similar infraction? This is the issue raised by Gardo in his case.

THE battleground for a protracted war heats up as Department of Agriculture (DA) stood firm in its decision to allow science-based assessment and experiments of any genetically modified (GM) crop in the country despite vehement opposition by environmental groups—particularly Greenpeace.

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said Tuesday he has included the consolidated reproductive health bill in his administration’s 13 priority legislative measures that will be sent to Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday said it is preparing for the repatriation of at least 17,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Syria after tension escalated in the troubled Middle Eastern nation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged some 17,000 Filipinos in strife-torn Syria to leave as the political tension and violence in the country continue to worsen.

Let us examine more specifically the political constitutions of three of our closest neighbors in ASEAN: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. These economies have managed impressive economic performance over time.

ADVOCATES OF the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill yesterday cautioned against the approval of a watered-down version endorsed by Malacañang during the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council meeting. Bayan Muna Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan called on her colleagues “not to surrender provisions crucial to ensuring that a pro-poor, pro-women legislation is passed.”

MANILA may be one of the cheapest cities to live in but it also has the one of the lowest wage and purchasing power levels in the world, a global financial services group said. MANILA may be inexpensive but this comes with downsides. — Jonathan L . Cellona Manila retained its ranking as the second…

Foreign direct investments (FDI) tripled to P40.6 billion in April-June this year from P13.8 billion a year earlier and set in motion the process of creating 52,604 new jobs, according to the latest data gathered from four of the country’s major investment promotion agencies.

THE Senate has undergone a sea change to its position on Charter change, with the majority of the 23 senators now favoring amending the Constitution’s economic provisions based on an informal survey of the Manila Standard.