by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com), 9 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ hot property sector is sizzling with unoccupied spaces carried over from 2020, which are bound to keep prices in check this year, property consultants have said.

by Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star), 9 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday said the department has asked President Duterte to certify as priority bills that would amend the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act to strengthen the government’s campaign against online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).

By BusinessMirror, 9 Feb 2021 The Internet can be a risky place, especially for children or minors. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, concerned parents had a tough time keeping their kids off the Internet. When home quarantines were mandated and classes moved online, the challenge of monitoring children’s Internet activities multiplied. From The Associated Press: “Study:…

Umaasa kami na masusunod ang vax priority list na ito. Kung kabilang kayo sa mga prayoridad na sektor, alamin sa inyong mga local officials at health authorities ang schedule ng bakunahan at kung kasama ang inyong pangalan sa masterlist ng mga eligible na magpabakuna. pic.twitter.com/XG2tU46R8i — risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) February 9, 2021

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by Marc Jayson Cayabyab (The Philippine Star), 5 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — A second fatality was found yesterday near the blast site of an ammonia tank leak that hit a cold storage facility in Navotas.

by Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star), 8 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment is eyeing to impose sanctions on a cold storage facility in Navotas partly owned by Mayor Toby Tiangco’s mother for failing to report the death of two employees due to ammonia leak last week, DOLE Secretary Silvestre…

by Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star), 8 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The European Union has called on the Philippines to address extrajudicial killings and improve governance in the context of promoting human rights and holding violators accountable as part of their new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

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by Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, BusinessWorld, 8 Feb 2021 THE PHILIPPINES ranks 83rd out of 162 countries in freedom index. Filipinos became freer in 2018 after the country jumped three notches in the 2020 Human Freedom Index.

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by ABS-CBN News, 8 Feb 2021 MANILA – The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) on Sunday called for social support for minors who have pregnancies after the state statistics bureau said births among girls ages 15 years old and below went up by 7 percent in 2019 compared to the preceding year.

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By Ferdinand Patinio, 8 Feb 2021 MANILA – Some 1.6 million workers and around 30,000 establishments will benefit from the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) suggestion for a wage subsidy under the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act or Bayanihan 3.

By Javier Joe Ismael, Manila Times, 7 Feb 2021 SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday opposed a “no fail policy” in distance learning, saying that its long-term impact might do more harm than good to the academic performance of learners.

By CNN Philippines Staff, 7 Feb 2021 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 7) — House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco filed a third version of the Bayanihan bill, seeking to secure an additional stimulus package amounting to ₱420 billion that will help revive the pandemic-battered economy.

by Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), 6 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Job hunting will be harder for most Filipinos in the next two years as the economy recovers slowly and the influx of new graduates and returned overseas workers heighten competition for positions in a tough environment, the country’s economic planning agency said

by Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), 6 Feb 2021 Jumps to 4.2% in January MANILA, Philippines — Prices of basic goods and services rose for the fourth straight month to reach a two-year high in January, driven by higher food and transportation costs, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said yesterday.

by Sheila Crisostomo, Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star), 6 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Government officials and staff on official business won’t be mandated to undergo strict 14-day quarantine and testing protocols for COVID-19 imposed by local governments, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) announced yesterday.

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com), 5 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Local factories ended last year with a more tempered slump in output, as a seasonal uptick in demand during the holidays provided the impetus to manufacturers to pick up the slack in December.

by Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Manila Standard, 5 Feb 2021 The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has allotted P19 billion in financial assistance to almost 2 million workers and about 500,000 overseas Filipino workers this year.

STARTING FEB. 8 By: Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5 Feb 2021 LUCENA CITY—Two bus companies were allowed to resume their regular trips from this provincial capital of Quezon to Biñan City in Laguna province starting Feb. 8, nearly a year after their operations were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By: Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5 Feb 2021 COVID-19 has dialed back some inroads made toward attaining the Duterte administration’s original poverty-reduction and jobs targets, but its chief economist remained confident the ultimate goal to eliminate poverty by 2040 would be achieved despite these pandemic-induced hiccups.

by Richmond Mercurio, Romina Cabrera, Edu Punay, Eva Visperas (The Philippine Star), 5 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — After sparking public uproar and the prospect of a Senate investigation, motor vehicle inspection criticized as added burden to the public already reeling from the pandemic will remain a requirement for renewal of vehicle registration, Land Transportation…

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com), 4 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 10:28 p.m., Feb. 4)— The Philippines is facing a long-lasting economic effect of the pandemic that would require the Duterte administration to devote its last years in office for repair

by Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star), 4 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — COVID-19 may soon be officially declared as an occupational and compensable illness.

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com), 4 Feb 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is not alone in grappling with anemic consumer demand, with the rest of Asia Pacific region trying to perk up consumption appetite hammered down by the coronavirus pandemic.