MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Labor officials must prioritize at least 6,000 Filipino workers forced out of Iraq in a program to hire 10,000 workers in Guam for the expansion there of US military facilities.

Kiko, not his real name, openly admitted that at the age of 13, he already had sex with 8 out of 11 of his girlfriends. He said it all started when he occasionally saw his cousin do it with a boarder of theirs in their apartment. He grew curious.

Paris. With momentum sputtering in many countries, economists fear the industrialized world is facing a period of slow growth and high unemployment similar to the “lost decade” endured by Japan in the 1990s.

MANILA, Philippines – A commuter regularly taking the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) will receive a fare subsidy from the government to the tune of P23,850 next year, according to a lawmaker.

The fate of House Bill 1799 or a bill to introduce divorce in the Philippines still hangs in the balance. Much like the reproductive health bill, the divorce bill can expect rough sailing because the Catholic Church is seen as poised to block it.

New administrations are wise not to make wrenching changes in policies and programs, while still proposing significant changes to put their imprint on governance. So it is with the proposed 2011 budget of President Benigno Aquino 3rd. Major social programs under the past administration would continue, if not dramatically expand. Infrastructure would remain a priority,…

MANILA, Philippines—The composite leading economic indicators (LEI)—a broad barometer used to gauge the economy’s health—continued to improve in the third quarter but at a slower pace, the National Statistical Coordination Board said.

Major step toward region’s integration MANILA, Philippines—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will encourage its trading partners to use a harmonized tariff nomenclature that will better facilitate trade between the region and these countries.

THE GOVERNMENT should review provisions of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) with the aim of relaxing recruitment standards and strictly implementing pay guidelines for Filipino nurses in Japan, the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) said.

John Lipsky, the second-ranking official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Group of 20 nations deputies showed confidence about the global economic recovery, even taking into account challenges and risks.

Feeding programs and conditional cash transfers are two of the strategies development agencies promote to boost students’ nutrition and school attendance. These days, intra-class interaction is also looked at as a crucial factor in improving the educational system.

From March’s record low, more Filipino families say they are mahirap THE NUMBER of Filipino families who feel poor has increased by over a million from last March’s record low, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said.

There may have been a time you thought 40 was ancient, but if you have reached this age “category” yourself, you would probably love to bandy the thought that it is “the new 20.”

THE Department of Finance (DOF) will file at least two administrative and criminal cases against erring government officers every month. Newly appointed Finance Undersecretary Carlo Carag, who heads the Revenue, Operations and Legal affairs Group, told reporters that “at the very least” he would file two cases under Republic Act (RA) 3019, or the Anti-Graft…

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that the food poverty reduction target under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 is still achievable. In a statement, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Jr. said that the country has a high probability of meeting most of the MDG targets, including reducing the number of Filipinos…

IT will be his first official trip overseas as the country’s chief executive, but President Benigno Aquino 3rd has little reason to look forward to his upcoming visit to the United States. On September 20, President Aquino will be at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to present just…

GOOD news for the commuters of the country’s mass rail systems: the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has deferred the implementation of the planned fare hike to November. ”The fare hike for MRT [Metro Rail Transit] and LRT [Light Rail Transit] may not happen this month,” Dante Velasco, undersecretary for Public Information of DOTC…

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment has instituted a monitoring mechanism to measure sentiments about the agency’s programs and services, as well as to strengthen con-sultations with the public.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced they will be identifying mining sites that does not have any problems with residents, local government units (LGUs) and the church in order to help potential investors in choosing viable destinations.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Loren Legarda has called for an increase in the compensation of barangay health workers from the current honorarium of P1,000 to a pay of P14,641 per month in recognition of the importance of the work they do.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) reported that there are now close to 200,000 jobless nurses in the country and the number is expected to rise further with the measly budget allocated for public hospitals next year.

MANILA, Philippines – The Army is confident a new campaign plan replacing “Oplan Bantay Laya” will end the decades-old insurgency problem if followed faithfully by all stakeholders.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino does not have any plan to convert the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) into a Cabinet department despite the vulnerabilities of some government websites.

MANILA, Philippines – The Public Sector Labor-Management Council (PSLMC) has reduced the percentage of membership requirement for the registration of public sector unions.

MOST of us will spend the better part of our lives working. Despite this acceptance of work as a given, however, the experience of working is very different for each individual.

MANILA, Philippines – If your husband comes home with murder in his eyes, there’s a pretty fair chance that the stress of having to plod through Manila’s traffic jams is finally overwhelming him.

The Philippines has moderate chances of halving the number of its poor citizens by 2015 — one of eight targets it vowed to fulfill under its United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — although it could still meet other targets, including reducing the number of Filipinos whose income cannot provide the basic food requirements.

Abaca fiber production from January to July this year went up almost 5 percent to 29,562.6 metric tons (MT) fro a year earlier, according to Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA).

The new Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, presented her priority areas for the first 100 days of her term during the 1st Consultation Meeting held at the HEDC CHED Auditorium on September 1, 2010. She appointed Chairpersons of the Technical Panels.

A construction worker was killed while four others were injured when an elevator shaft of a shopping mall building which is under construction has collapsed in Davao City yesterday morning.