THE Department of Labor and Employment really needs to reinforce the protection of workers against rampant labor-only subcontracting.

MANILA, Philippines – The Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO) has signed a five-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the 12,000-strong Banco de Oro Employees Association (BDOEA), an affiliate of the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE).

MANILA, Philippines – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its inflation forecast for the Philippines to 4.9 percent instead of 3.9 percent this year amid the escalating global oil and food prices but retained the country’s economic growth forecast.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced yesterday that almost half, or P800 billion, of the P1.645-trillion budget for this year has been frontloaded in the first quarter, an exercise which top economist Benjamin Diokno said cannot be reconciled with the low spending level shown in the state data for the period that showed…

Malacañang yesterday reiterated its warnings to militant transport groups anew who are reportedly set to launch mass protest actions today to express their utter dissatisfaction over President Aquino’s P450-million worth fuel subsidy program.

Intel body cites threat to national security MANILA, Philippines—Rising costs of basic commodities and services in the country and a shrinking rice supply have become a national security concern, according to a report by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

THE labor sector, through the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP), filed a P99 wage hike petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas.

ASHINGTON – As many soldiers and police were killed last year in the Philippines as communist rebels and Muslim insurgents, the US State Department said.

Manila, Philippines – Another Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has declared a “supervening condition” that could pave the way for the grant of a salary increase in other areas of the country.

Amid confirmed reports from the Department of Health (DOH) that two patients were transfused with blood tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the AIDS Soceity of the Philippines (ASP) reminded the public to have themselves properly tested for HIV if they suspect infection.

UNESCO’S Irina Bokova believes that quality education can be acheived through adequate and capable teachers. MANILA, Philippines — Education, they say, is the great equalizer. The United Nations (UN) certainly believes in same thing, as it included the attainment of universal primary education as one of its Millennium Development Goals (MDG). And as the 2015…

Studies have shown that autocratic managerial styles and aggressive techniques do not result in productive workers. What motivates workers is a working environment where those who supervise them work with them; give them clear instructions, full support and encouragement. This is what the ILO in Cambodia is working to achieve, as Maeve Galvin, Communication and…

MANILA, Philippines – The soured loans ratio of universal and commercial banks continued to improve and is now below three percent as loans grew while non-performing loans declined on the back of the country’s resilient economy.

HEAVENLY Lord and Father, I pray to you as I have never prayed before, even more than the days when armed, ruthless and powerful enemies threatened our family. That is because now, not only is my beloved brother’s future at stake, but also his very soul and the well-being of our nation.

MANILA, Philippines – Japanese-owned Nomura International (HK) Ltd. sees inflation rising fastest in the Philippines, peaking to 15.4 percent in the second quarter of next year in case commodity prices rise 10 percent this year and by five percent next year.

MANILA, Philippines – There has been an increase in the production of exporters in Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) areas despite fears the twin disasters in Japan will result in a slowdown of exports, a top investment official said.

A PLAN by Social Security System (SSS) to increase the contribution rate of employers and their employees has struck a raw nerve among workers’ groups—and for good reason.

MANILA, Philippines – The electronics industry will likely grow by a slower eight percent this year due to the impact of the twin disasters in Japan, the Semiconductors and Electronics Industry of the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) said.

MANILA, Philippines – Credit card receivables of banks operating in the Philippines increased 4.7 percent last year amid the country’s stronger than expected economic growth, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported over the weekend.

MANILA, Philippines –  The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has gone “techie” to facilitate employment and make workers aware of all the programs and services available to them.

The bad news is that HIV/AIDS cases are rising to epidemic proportions in this country despite the availability of condoms and other contraceptives and the aggressive marketing of their manufacturers promoting their use. This means that more people especially the “machos”, as exemplified by the products’ principal celebrity endorser, are duped into believing that they…

MANILA, Philippines –  The military yesterday branded as “unfair” a US State Department report blaming Philippine security forces for a spate of unlawful killings in 2010.

MANILA, Philippines — The 15th Family Recollection of the Mission Angels of Fr. Jerry Orbos, SVD, will be held on Palm Sunday, April 17 at the Meralco Theatre, courtesy of Amb. Manuel Lopez (Mission Angels president) and his wife Marites, from 8 am to 1 pm.

MANILA, Philippines – Supporters of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill have blamed the country’s ballooning population for the reported rise in hunger incidence in the last three months.

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines needs to “translate into action” its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reversing the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) by 2015, a United Nations coordinator said.

Lawmakers recently called for a congressional probe on the report of the United States Department of Labor that the Philippines “has the worst forms of child labor.”

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will import an additional 300,000 metric tons of rice to prevent a shortage in the latter part of the year, National Food Authority Administrator Angelito Banayo said.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos availed themselves of more loans to purchase household appliances as well as furniture and fixtures or to pay taxes as well as hospital and educational bills last year to take advantage of low interest rates.

MANILA, Philippines – Nineteen overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) contracted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) last February, bringing to 159 the number of new cases for the month, a report of the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

As critics of President Aquino spotlight the failure of his administration’s P21.5 billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program after the recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey showing an increase in the number of poor and hungry Filipinos, the Palace yesterday went on a publicity overdrive, saying the program is being stepped up and had claimed…