MANILA, Philippines – Contrary to claims of his predecessor, President Aquino said only 61 percent of the country — and not 99 percent — has electricity. He said his administration, with a budget of P1.4 billion for the energy department for next year, is determined to bring electricity to the remaining parts of the country,…

MANILA, Philippines – Parliamentarians from 10 Asian countries have urged governments in the region to allocate at least one percent of their national budgets to projects designed to strengthen disaster risk reduction, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) said.

WASHINGTON—The US jobless rate surged to 9.8 percent in November, a hammer blow to the economic recovery and to President Barack Obama’s hopes for a quick end to high unemployment.

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) Jejomar Binay directed yesterday the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to discuss with the Insurance Commission and other concerned agencies the possibility of allowing Hong Kong- based insurance companies to provide coverage for Filipino workers.

MANILA, Philippines – While trying to take in as many passengers as he could, Arthur Crisostomo, 45, skips lunch and bites from a P6 bread to ease his hunger.

Who really believes women’s reproductive health is the main concern in House Bill 96? Bill Clinton in Manila. Photo: Philippines InquirerLast week in Manila, Malcolm Potts, grand-daddy of the international family planning movement, announced that unless the much debated “Reproductive Health” bill is passed in this session of Congress, the Philippines would become the next…

Koronadal City (4 December) — Hospitals in Region 12 or SOCCSKSARGEN Region lead the more than 600 hospitals in the country in complying with the Department of Health (DOH) mandate to phase out use of mercury-containing devices.

DAVAO CITY – Two former Bombo Radyo Davao broadcasters Dennis Lazo and Arthur Borneo filed a complaint of illegal dismissal before the National Labor Relations Commission regional officer here last Wednesday December 1.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reported the adoption of an 18-point agenda on health and safety for Mindanao workers during the the two-day 3rd Mindanao Occupational Safety and Health Summit held in Zamboanga del Norte through a joint resolution recently.

Unions representing government workers are set to fight a protracted battle against the implementation of the P21-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) even under a new secretary in the event that Corazon “Dinky” Soliman is replaced.

FOR the past decade, Americans dialing customer service stood a strong chance of being connected to someone in India. Now they’re more likely to end up phoning the Philippines.

It was interesting to be a kibitzer on the side, actually an armchair viewer from the comforts of my office, at the recent AVID forum. Though I wasn’t physically present, I sent a crew to cover the whole forum and from the footage of the coverage got some good insights from the venerable speakers at…

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday launched in the Philippines the 2010 “World Health Report,” where it strongly recommended an increase in tobacco and alcohol taxes to raise funds for health insurance.

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipinos are taking up vocational courses to work as barbers and hairstylists abroad, according to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

MANILA, Philippines – The number of non-European workers entering the United Kingdom will be strictly regulated, the British embassy said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – A Cabinet member has 15 cars while some have millions in cash deposited in banks. These are some of the interesting details in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of President Aquino’s official family.

Effective next year, Switzerland will implement a new minimum wage for domestic workers in that central European country—the first such law implemented by the Swiss federal government following reports of widespread salary abuse.

The season of gifts and gift-giving is again upon us. To avoid “temptations” that may turn this holiday custom into a form of corruption, the Labor Department has suspended labor inspections from Dec. 1 to mid-January.

The United Kingdom has imposed limits on the number of non-European foreign workers, including Filipinos, who can enter its borders for employment starting April 2011, the British Embassy in Manila said Friday.

In a bid to keep children from caroling and begging in the streets as Christmas draws closer, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has offered P50,000 to any barangay (village) that succeed in this task.

MANILA, Philippines—After challenging India for the top position for several years, the Philippines is now the world leader in business support functions like shares services and business process outsourcing, according to the latest reports and trends analyses.

MANILA, Philippines – Not everyone is aware of the “Philippine Aids Prevention and Control Act of 1998,” which was enacted specifically to protect the right of persons living with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and to prevent the further spread of the disease.

CEBU, Philippines – The management of the Visayan Electric Company yesterday clarified that Casmero Mahilum, the head of the rank-and-file employees union, is no longer an employee of the company.

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The Philippines is seen to maintain its position as one of the world’s top outsourcing destination, generating an annual revenue of 25 billion U.S. dollars by 2015.

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate approved last night the P1.645-trillion national budget for next year with minimal changes in the version passed by the House of Representatives.

TOP GOVERNMENT officials yesterday vowed to speed up support systems for renewable energy development, admitting that progress on this front in the power sector has been slow.

THE GOVERNMENT has started preparations for next year’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program by forming a task force to ensure effective implementation, a Palace spokesman said yesterday.

WITH the government yet to firm up its medium-term economic plan, foreign businessmen in the Philippines are recommending to President Benigno Aquino 3rd a roadmap that would boost seven industries seen driving the country’s growth in the next decade. In a statement, the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines said it has come up with…

MANILA, Philippines – There is no decision to ban or place obstacles to the importation of Philippine bananas into the Iranian market, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

A private think tank has urged economic managers to fine-tune the flagship public-private partnership (PPP) program and rid it of key provisions that will only turn off prospective investors, weaken the constitutional checks-and-balances system and shove the Philippines deeper in debt.