P500M eyed for jeepneys, tricycles TO cushion the impact of rising oil prices on the public, President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Thursday said that he had approved in principle the executive order that grants fuel subsidy to selected public utility vehicles for a period of one month.

President Aquino was challenged yesterday to clearly define the direction of the supposed “daang matuwid” or straight path he had been crowing about after the latest survey of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. (Perc) showed the Philippines did not improve from its spot of being perceived the third most corrupt nation…

A network of human rights advocates vowed on Friday to support a looming labor strike by Philippine Airlines union members, saying that Malacañang’s ruling allowing the PAL management to get subcontractors for its non-core businesses undermines workers’ rights.

MANILA, Philippines – The dropout rate for elementary students is rising from an average of 5.99 percent in 2007 to 6.28 percent in 2010, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

MANILA, Philippines – A team from the Japanese government will be heading to Manila to discuss the renegotiation of the Japan Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

While the nation still grieves over the execution of three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in China yesterday, San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito yesterday asked the Aquino administration to realign its position in cutting 50 percent of its Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) to OFWs worldwide.

Can anyone help me make heads or tails of statements made two weeks ago by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) Corp. president and chief executive officer? Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said that when the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) was enacted in 2001, state-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor)’s accumulated financial obligations stood…

A one-month fuel subsidy to public transport franchisers has been approved in principle, President Aquino said yesterday, as part of his government’s initial response to the continuous rounds of oil price hikes in the country owing to the still unabated political crises confronting the Middle East.

The third batch of 82 Filipino nurses will leave for Japan on May 30 to undergo intensive Japanese language training to further boost their chances of passing the country’s tough licensure examinations.

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines, where an average of 11 women a day die giving birth, could lower its high maternal death rate by having a reproductive health policy, a visiting United Nations delegation said on Friday.

MANILA, Philippines – The National HIV and AIDS Registry has listed 6,326 cases in the country, including the 159 new infections diagnosed in February, a party-list lawmaker said Friday.

One of our readers, Zaide Capistrano, has asked about an anti-usury law after reading our last column “Capping Credit Card Charges.” Here is some background information in response to Capistrano’s query and for the benefit of other interested readers:

MANILA, Philippines – The country is expected to hit its export targets despite of the work disruption in Japan and the crisis in the Middle East, the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) said.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s foreign debt rose by 9.5 percent to $60.1 billion in 2010 on the back of higher government and private sector borrowings as well as upward foreign exchange revaluation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – After six consecutive quarters of upswing since the fourth quarter of 2009, economic activity may slow down in the second quarter of the year.

Throughout the Philippines in March there have been vibrant marches and celebrations for National Women’s Month. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has also joined in with marches and protests of its own, but unfortunately these are to protest a proposed law that would actually provide a better life for women. The Bishops’ animus…

MANILA, Philippines – Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo yesterday called on local government units to refrain from enacting ordinances prohibiting the purchase of contraceptives without prescription.   He said local government units have no power to issue such ordinances.  

MANILA, Philippines – The “transport caravan” staged by militant transport groups yesterday failed to cripple public transportation in Metro Manila, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino consumers were more pessimistic in the first quarter of the year because of rising oil and food prices, and natural disasters that occurred overseas, according to the 1st Quarter 2011 Consumer Expectation Survey (CES) conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

MINIMUM WAGE hikes exceeding P25 per day could prompt monetary authorities to raise policy rates, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) official said on Thursday.

Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) fares still remain the same at the moment as the implementation date of the proposed fare increase is still undecided, an official of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) said.

Environmental groups assailed the recently approved Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for 2011-2016 released by the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) the other day for supposedly lacking provisions to concretize President Aquino’s social contract with the Filipino people.

Members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) returned to the negotiating table with Palace officials yesterday, more than a month after pulling out from the dialogs initiated by the government, to iron out the differences between the Church and the State concerning President Aquino’s five-pronged Responsible Parenthood (RP) bill.

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) vowed to challenge before the Supreme Court Malacanang’s decision to uphold the outsourcing plan at the national flag carrier.

PRESS RELEASE TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES                    31 March 2011 TUCP-PGEA Compound, Maharlika cor. Masaya Street, Diliman, Quezon City For inquiries please contact: ERNESTO F. HERRERA, PhD, General Secretary Mobile: 09198621717 ROY SENERES, SR., National Spokesperson Mobile: 09287886514 RAFAEL E. MAPALO, Director for Education Mobile: (+63) 9285047052 Tel. No: (632)…

CATHOLIC bishops meeting with President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet officials acknowledged for the first time that condoms do not cause abortions, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Wednesday.

MORE than a fourth of Japanese firms operating in the Philippines have suffered delays in production resulting in the cancellation of orders because of the disaster in Japan, according to the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro).

IF it still has escaped your attention, the prices of oil products have already risen 10 times this year. Diesel prices have increased by P7.95 per liter in less than only three months. Kerosene and gasoline rose by an average of P7.30 and P5.30 per liter respectively within the same time period. The recent price…

MANILA, Philippines – Earnings of universal and commercial banks operating in the Philippines surged 31 percent despite booking foreign exchange losses amounting to P5.87 billion as 2010 emerged as a banner year for the country’s banking industry on the back of higher interest and non-interest income, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

MANILA, Philippines—Not all religious organizations are against the reproductive health (RH) bill in Congress.