NEW YORK – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the US have come up with key commitments expected to revive the superpower’s presence and interest over the strategic region southeast of China.

THE Philippines is moving up the value chain in the contact-center industry as the country is expected to capture more business in the high-end or premium voice segment owing to the innate talent and English-language capability of Filipino Agents, according to Indian business process outsourcing  firm WNS Global Services.

DESPITE the country’s efforts to increase social spending through programs like the conditional cash-transfer (CCT) program to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) believes that addressing infrastructure constraints will still hold the key in achieving the goals by 2015.

THE PHILIPPINES and Australia have started a partnership for energy efficient and green buildings, an Australian trade official said. Ross Bray, Australian Trade Commission senior trade and investment commissioner to the Philippines and Micronesia, said in an interview that Manila and Canberra are in the early stages of knowledge sharing for green building.

There were emphatic and asser-tive, albeit convivial, discussions at the regional technical training on skills assessment of migrant workers held in Bangkok last week under the auspices of the International Labor Organization and sponsored by the Korean Government. The comments and recommendations were summarized by resource person David Lythe from New Zealand, ILO skills and…

THE Philippines is still struggling in dealing with maternal deaths despite achievements in women empowerment and gender equality. This was revealed by former President turned Pampanga second district Rep. Gloria Arroyo during her speaking engagements at the Fifth Clinton Global Initiative conference held in New York, United States, her spokesman Ma. Elena Bautista-Horn said Friday.

NEW YORK – President Aquino made a pitch for Philippine garments to enter the United States duty-free as he also sought the support of Washington for the Philippines’ bid to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral free trade agreement formed with the objective of creating a platform for promoting economic integration among…

CANADA – Filipino caregivers were recently enlightened with rich discussions on the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), followed by a closed door roundtable consultation on the plight of refugees in Canada.

NEW YORK – The United States pledged continued support for President Aquino’s administration during the signing of the $434-million grant to the Philippines by the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), citing his commitment to fight corruption and help uplift the lives of the poor.

MANILA, Philippines – The government recently forged an agreement with some 40 private institutions to improve the country’s disaster response system.

Workers of a dental facility, which shut down last month without due notice by its American owner, are planning to take over the business and resume its operation through their cooperative.

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This was the statement made by Health Secretary Enrique Ona at the opening of the Women Deliver Philippines Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last week.

MANILA, Philippines—The use of English as a medium of instruction even for starter learners may be the reason why some nine million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 find it difficult to read, write, compute and comprehend, according to an education official.

P100-billion budget sought for salaries, classrooms MANILA, Philippines — Public schools need 57,000 more teachers and 113,000 new classrooms in the next three years to fill the current shortage as the student population rises, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Thursday.

Obesity is now on the rise among Filipino adults ages 20 and up, and threatens to increase the number of people having degenerative diseases, a DoST study showed.

LINGERING conflicts, fragile political situations and armed violence in Southeast Asia hamper the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Our major competitor is ruining our business by hiring almost everyone in the organization. Is there a way to stop it? — Red Bean. Somewhere in a province, the parish priest noticed a group of young boys standing around a small stray dog. “What are you doing, boys?” asked the priest. “Telling lies,” replied one…

THE BUSINESS process outsourcing (BPO) industry should intensify efforts to recruit workers outside Metro Manila as there are competent talent pools in the provinces, according to an official of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP).

THE Supreme Court (SC) has declared constitutional Republic Act 8762, or the Retail Trade Liberalization Act signed by then-President Joseph Estrada in March 2000, which allows foreigners to engage in the retail-trade business in the country.

RP ranked last in list of 11 Asian countries THE PHILIPPINES has been placed at the bottom of a list of 11 Asian countries in terms of corporate governance, with a Hong Kong-based brokerage and a regional nonprofit group highlighting weakened domestic securities law enforcement.

ZURICH, Switzerland – The close coordination between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Swiss authorities proved fruitful as there is now a gradual phase-in of new recruits for Filipino au pairs or nannies in Switzerland.

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The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) yesterday said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would grant a six-month amnesty to the thousands of illegal foreigners overstaying their visas, including hundreds of overseas Filipino workers, and that they would be allowed to leave the Kingdom without punishment.

Hundreds of departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) complained of forced deduction from Pag-Ibig fund despite an order by Vice President and housing czar Jejomar Binay suspending the six-month advance contribution of OFWs to the housing fund.

The government yesterday denied allegations that it manipulated population data to support a controversial family planning campaign in one of the world’s most populous Roman Catholic nations.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has abolished the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change headed by former Sen. Heherson Alvarez and nine other offices created by the Arroyo administration that have been found to duplicate functions of other existing line agencies or departments.

MANILA, Philippines – Here’s good news for jobseekers. The Department of Labor and employment (DOLE) yesterday assured that employment opportunities are brighter for jobseekers with the coming holiday season.

Shaken by last year’s roof-high floods from storm Ondoy, Manilans panic at mere pitter-patter of rain. After losing many belongings, they seem to have not learned a lesson. They misconstrue that the downpour in only six hours of a month’s usual rainfall caused the deluge. Forgotten is that intact watersheds hold back torrents. Too, that…

7 October 2010, Manila, Philippines — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) and the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) will hand over statements urging the passage of bills banning asbestos to legislators in the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives. The unions will also try to hand…