MANILA, Philippines – The government is open to relaxing its labor laws because its strictness has been cited by investors as one of the reasons why the Philippines is uncompetitive.

MANILA, Philippines – Call center agents employed in Metro Manila can look forward to much safer and healthy workplaces.

The BIR has no choice on the matter. According to former BIR Chief Jojo Bunag, the law mandates the publication of the list of taxpayers. The “list” was the subject of our conversation over breakfast when I saw Jojo at the Tuesday Club.

Credit cardholders, rejoice. Another senator is seeking review, for legislation, of existing laws, policies and jurisprudence regarding rates. Hopefully, relief is coming for 5.5 million overcharged cardholders.

Some time today, the Metro Manila Mayors league will be meeting to tackle among many things, the proposal of the MMDA to resurrect the full-blown vehicle reduction scheme along EDSA.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino accused the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday of setting a bad precedent that could cause “chaos and paralysis” in government when it stopped the removal of Secretary Bai Omera Dianalan-Lucman of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, one of the many midnight appointments of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos are divided over the government’s handling of the Aug. 23 hostage crisis that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

What do you call a country that deliberately sells products abroad that will kill many people? You call it Canada. What do you call it when a state action kills a large numbers of defenseless people? You call it a crime against humanity. So how can exporting death by Canadian asbestos not be a crime…

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So, what about reproductive health again? The RH issue may have receded from the front page and editorials recently, but for a great many people in this country, it is still very much a focus of utmost concern.

A top government official, meeting with a group of senior journalists over lunch yesterday, inquired: Since we’re all Filipinos who want what’s good for our country, why can’t media just report the good things that government is doing, instead of always looking for what went wrong and criticizing?

THE Metro Manila Development Authority said Wednesday it will propose expanding its vehicle reduction program on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, the main artery traversing Metro Manila’s cities, to decongest it by 59,900 vehicles a day.

WHILE the Philippines shares with India the world’s top spot in outsourcing and technology, a study by the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (Unctad) reveals the benefits are far from trickling down to the rural poor.

THE people have spoken: 8 out of 10 Filipinos give the thumbs-up sign to the President. In a nationwide survey by StratPOLLS right at the end of the first 100 days in office of the new government on October 8, Aquino was given by the people a net performance rating of +62.4 percent with 81.2…

JAKARTA, Oct 14 (Bernama) — Have you ever wondered how convenient it will be to travel to your neighbouring countries without passports and while there, spend using the same currency that you use back home?

On the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance on October 14, 2000, of six workers of the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP) Resources, Inc. in Agusan del Sur, human rights groups, once again, dared the government to solve the decade-old case.

Maybe you know for sure you’re about to get canned. Or maybe you’re just bracing for a likely downsizing. Either way, it’s smart to get the wheels in motion now for landing that next job.

MANILA, Philippines – A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives pegging the salary of maids at no less than P3,500 for those employed in Metro Manila, P3,000 for those in chartered cities and first-class municipalities, and P2,000 in other lower-class municipalities.

Disputes over employment contracts have been in the news lately. ABS-CBN has gone to court to prevent erstwhile protégé Willie Revillame from hosting a program at rival TV5. The kapamilya network claims he is still under contract until September 2011.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Trade and Industry is pushing for the amendment of the Labor Code, which contains provisions that it said are making the country increasingly uncompetitive in the global arena.

PRESS RELEASE HON. RAYMOND DEMOCRITO C. MENDOZA            14 October 2010 Trade Union Congress Party (TUCP Party-List) Room 204 South Wing, House of Representatives, Batasan Hills, Quezon City 1126 Tel/Fax: (632) 951-3011 TUCP urges ceiling rate on credit card charges Trade Union Congress Party (TUCP Party-List) Rep. Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza lambasted credit card…

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – Investors continue to enter the Philippine equities on Thursday following the U.S. stock market’s positive performance.

MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Edgardo Angara has filed a bill that would start compulsory education to as early as the infancy stage.

MANILA, Philippines – Former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s signature to a manifesto opposing the allocation of P21.9 billion for conditional cash transfers (CCTs) has brought to 52 the number of congressmen who are against the dole program that Arroyo herself had initiated during her term.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Stressing results of scientific studies showing aerial spraying of banana plantations “has ill effects to the life and health of the people, their livelihood and the environment,” a coalition of Church-based and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) has urged the Aquino administration to stop all forms of aerial spraying in Mindanao.

DESPITE being regarded as the top- earning towns in the Philippines, most of these “rich” municipalities are rich not because of teeming economic activity but because of their internal revenue allotment (IRA).

AFTER years of struggling to survive and regain its footing in the international market, the Philippine garment industry may now be able to penetrate hard-to-reach markets and increase its competitive advantage.

THE GOVERNMENT has started cancelling the tenure of mining firms on project sites that have been idle, the Environment chief told a group of foreign investors last Tuesday night.

INDUSTRY leaders pressed the new administration to resolve nagging concerns ranging from investment barriers to local government policies at the annual Philippine Business Conference which kicked off yesterday.

THE auto industry will get three major types of incentives under the soon-to-be published implementing rules of the Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Development Program (CMVDP), Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) managing head Cristino Panlilio said.