CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DoH) has included in its strategies in achieving the Reproductive Health (RH) policy by 2015 the training of traditional birth attendants or the “hilot” to become part of the professional medical teams assigned in the rural areas.

More than 3,000 military and police personnel have been accused of human rights violations since 2005, with a “very dismal” rate of conviction.

Dear PAO, I’ve been working in a travel agency for eight years. After working with a team whom I thought are really professionals, they exaggerated telling our big boss about the usage of company’s Internet, made an issue out of it and thus, if I commit even minimal mistakes in my work, would result to…

Conclusion Besides businesses, successful, well-run and financially strong HEIs, both public and private, can be tapped to provide guidance and expertise to institutions under strain. Fund raising, asset management, operational efficiency, faculty and facilities development are among areas of advice and assistance. Notably, Catholic universities like Ateneo, Assumption, La Salle and San Beda, have been…

Govt fight against graft ‘ineffective’ THE level  of corruption in the Philippines worsened in the past three years as government’s action in the fight against corruption was “ineffective,” according to a Transparency International  (TI) survey.

Surigao City (December 9) — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and the Workers Development Foundation Inc. (WDFI) with assistance from the International Trade Union Confederation-Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) through the ITUC-AP Youth Committee will hold a workshop on “Advancing Decent Work through the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Floor” on Dec.…

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines — President Aquino said here that the P271.67 billion education appropriation in the 2011 budget, already passed in the Senate, surpasses the education allocations of any of his predecessors.

MANILA, Philippines – Congressmen discovered yesterday that the huge salaries and allowances in at least two government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) are without legal basis.

Press release prepared by the Department of Labor and Employment To help alleviate the plight of children engaged in hazardous and exploitative work, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will conduct a series of advocacy orientation on child labor based on Republic Act (RA) 9231, the law on the elimination of the worst forms…

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines — City health officers here have stated that this city has not registered a single human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patient in the last three years.

THIRTEEN out of 20 cities carried out regulatory reforms to make it easier to start and operate a business in their localities, according to a joint report of the International Finance Corp. (IFC) and World Bank. In their Doing Business in the Philippines 2011, IFC-World Bank said 65 percent of the cities benchmarked for the…

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the government is eyeing to cut the poverty incidence by half before President Benigno Aquino 3rd ends his term. “The official target that we have is the Millennium Development Goals. That’s essentially what we’re following. The government is committed to that, so in a way, that’s how…

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday assured the public that they would do some preventive measures on all plastic toys that are being sold in the country now that the Christmas season is coming. Health Secretary Enrique Ona in a radio interview said that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) would conduct tests to…

LOS ANGELES – Dozens of Filipino hospital workers in California sued their employer Tuesday, alleging they were the sole ethnic group targeted by a rule requiring them to speak only English.

Dear PAO, I am a clerk in a restaurant company in Pasig City. The other employees and I decided to organize a union. We were told that the president of the company learned about this and after a few days we received a text message informing us that we cannot organize ourselves and that we…

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday assured the public that they would do some preventive measures on all plastic toys that are being sold in the country now that the Christmas season is coming. Health Secretary Enrique Ona in a radio interview said that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) would conduct tests to…

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday warned against employers who failed to pay the mandatory 13th-month pay and asked workers to report to the department these violators for possible disciplinary actions. According to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz employers should not shirk from their obligation to release them the mandatory 13th-month pay this…

Cash register receipts and paper money have been found to contain high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to cancer, obesity and early puberty, a study published on Wednesday said.

THE Catholic Church and the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) have found a common ground to oppose the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill pending before Congress.

Lobbying efforts for the US Congress’ approval of the Save Our Industries or SAVE Act would go viral, with no less than pound-for-pound king Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao starring in the infomercial.

President vows to punish crooks President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday vowed to continue seeking the truth and hold accountable those who took part in alleged misdeeds during the past administration.

MANILA, Philippines – Three housemaids, two of them minors, were rescued by the police in a raid at their employers’ house in Sta. Ana, Manila Tuesday night.

The Commission on Elections has affirmed the victory of three more party-list groups in the May 10 elections.

MANILA, Philippines – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Informatics Philippines and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines launched yesterday a project that aims to increase the number of highly skilled information technology (IT) workers in the country.

“Loafing” during office hours is a grave offense under the Civil Service Rules. It is punishable by suspension of 6 months to one year for the first offense and dismissal for the second offense (Section 52 (A) (17) Rule IV). This is illustrated in this case of a Clerk of a Municipal Trial Court (Fred)…

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said the reduction of the value added tax (VAT) from 12 percent to six percent would complicate tax administration.

MANILA, Philippines – Washington-based The Institute of International Finance Inc. (IIF), the world’s only global association of financial institutions, believes that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will keep its key policy rates at record lows until the middle of next year on the back of a benign inflation environment.

MANILA, Philippines – So you want to keep doing your part to save the earth, but run out of places to plant trees in, and all your incandescent bulbs are now CFBs. Here are three easy steps that require little effort, but count a lot.

WASHINGTON — World Bank president Robert Zoellick singled out for special mention the Aquino administration’s campaign to stamp out smuggling and tax evasion.

MANILA, Philippines—Health Secretary Enrique Ona is pleased with the results of the recent Pulse Asia survey showing that seven out of 10 Filipinos were in favor of using contraceptives.