SEN. Ralph Recto the other day raised a question I have been harping on for quite some time: Isn’t it better for the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to commit more investment funds here at home, primarily in highly profitable and badly needed infrastructure projects, instead of stashing more money overseas? Could the GSIS not…

The Department of Finance may propose the inclusion of senior citizens as beneficiaries of the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, instead of exempting them from the payment of value-added tax (VAT). Finance Assistant Secretary Teresa Habitan said that the Finance department will make a proposed amendment to lawmakers on Republic Act (RA) 9994, or…

Judiciary budget cut causing rumblings Judges are ready to go on a mass leave to protest the possible cut in the Judiciary’s budget for 2011.

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City Medical Center is facing with a more serious problem with the impending resignation of at least 17 nurses within the month for a better opportunity abroad.

CEBU, Philippines – The Alliance of Progressive Workers is contemplating to file a case against the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas because of its failure to ensure compliance of the minimum wage law.

Brussels, 13rd September (ITUC OnLine):  A new report launched today “Conference News: Workshop on Climate Change, its impacts on employment and labour markets” examining the impacts of climate change on employment, brings together the findings of a group of 50 trade union and university experts on the subject. The report arises from a March 2010…

The country’s business process outsourcing industry will likely register foreign exchange revenues of close to $10 billion this year, exceeding the government’s target of $9 billion, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology said Monday.

People who live in the middle of the city have one common dilemma: the lack of space. Many condominium units and apartments are so tiny, there’s barely room for a six-seater dining table. Decorating limited spaces isn’t the easiest thing to do, but there are ways to give the impression of a bigger area. Here…

MANILA, Philippines – More and more consumers are turning to their credit cards instead of using cash to pay for goods or services acquired as banks’ credit card receivables went up four percent as of the end of the first quarter this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported over the weekend.

Water is essential for life and good health, since our bodies are made up of 75-percent water. Did you know that there is a correct and incorrect way of drinking your water? Yes, there is! Let’s find out the right way to drink your eight to 10 glasses of water a day.

MANILA, Philippines – Environmental group Ecowaste Coalition has warned against the dangers of cadmium, a known carcinogen found in children’s jewelry in the US.

MANILA, Philippines – Local government units (LGUs) across the country have been mismanaging their loans and borrowings resulting in financial problems, the wastage of government resources, and failure to accomplish development goals.

MANILA, Philippines – Retired Armed Forces chief Narciso Abaya Jr. denied yesterday that he was involved in the “Hello, Garci” electoral fraud in 2004. “I was not implicated in this ‘Hello, Garci’ controversy nor in alleged fraudulent election,” he said. “My name was never mentioned in investigations.”

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday warned of a possible “judicial revolt” amid imminent cuts in the proposed budget of the judiciary for next year.

OSLO—The heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), along with other leaders, today called for a broad international commitment to a jobs-focused policy response to the global economic downturn. At a historic conference in Oslo—hosted by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway and co-sponsored by the IMF and ILO—leaders…

Luisa Blue is the new president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). She succeeds John Delloro, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack last June. Blue was first vice president of APALA, one of six AFL-CIO constituency groups.

The discovery on Sunday (September 12) of a newborn boy inside a trash bag in the toilet of a Manila-bound flight from Bahrain has drawn attention to the crisis of unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines — The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) paid $2.1 million (approximately P98.7 million) for its $300-million “Principal-Only-Swap (POS) transaction with the bankrupt Lehman Brothers Corp., Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone on Monday bared.

MANILA, Philippines – At the conclusion of a recent United Nations (UN)-sponsored conference, the rights of persons with disabilities were given due recognition and the participating countries agreed to sustain the momentum to ensure that the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities are protected and strengthened.

DoH hospital funds cut by as much as 50% MANILA, Philippines — A group of medical workers on Monday voiced its concern over the slash in the operational budget of almost all public hospitals in the country.

BAGUIO CITY—The Aquino administration is tapping major corporations and every parent-teachers’ association in the country to help raise enrollment and keep children in school at an annual rate of 3 percent for the next five years.

MANILA, Philippines—The two-fold hike in the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has raised eyebrows even among allies of President Benigno Aquino III in the Senate.

MANILA, Philippines—A crisis involving the pension fund of military and police personnel is looming, with the government facing the prospect of forking out more money for the retirement benefits of soldiers and policemen than for the salaries of their comrades in active service.

I am back after a short absence, since I have retired from teaching and I am now working for an international development organization. I would like to publicize Ang Ladlad’s stand on separate toilets, an ordinance filed by a Provincial Board Member in Cebu.

THE FLIGHT Attendants and Stewards Association (FASAP) of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) has filed a notice of strike against the money-losing flag carrier because the airline refused to give in to their demands for more benefits. PAL has been losing heavily, as do most airlines—with the exception of some Middle Eastern airlines that are heavily…

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance is pushing the recall of the value-added tax exemption for senior citizens and suggesting that this be replaced by an increase in their discount on purchases to 30 percent from 20 percent.

POLICIES to lower the costs of parts and production are being considered by the government in a bid to entice more car assemblers into exporting, officials last week said.

Much media space and Congress energies have been devoted to the scandalously high compensation provided by the Arroyo administration to its officials in some GOCCs, especially for those in corporations perceived to have performed poorly like the SONA-mention-worthy MWSS.

THERE are 9 million Filipinos of the 67 million, or about 13 percent, who can only read and write but can’t make out the difference between prices of goods. They are called basically literate. The other 58 million, or 87 percent, can read and write and comprehend ideas as well. In other words, they are…

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday that downside risks to global recovery have intensified due to recent turbulence in sovereign debt markets and continued financial sector weakness.