Two months ago, consumers of MERALCO could no longer contain their surging protest over the 2nd Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approval of a new round of increase for MERALCO’s distribution charges – i.e., distribution, supply and metering (DSM), under the ERC-initiated new rate setting methodology called Performance-Based Regulation (PBR) which replaced the tested Return on…

MANILA, Philippines – It’s final. Contingency projects of export enterprises given special incentives last year have been extended for two more years. The contingency projects aim to help them keep their workers while getting battered by a global trade slump.

MANILA, Philippines – Death is no exit for erring government officials being probed for administrative offenses like grave misconduct, dishonesty, and the like as their cases still would not be dismissed, a recent Civil Service Commission (CSC) circular said.

Among people in their 20s, high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are reported Over the last few decades, the period between the time when young adults leave their parents’ house and when they settle down to start families has grown substantially. In 1970 21 percent of 25-year-olds were unmarried; by 2005, the…

Last week’s pronouncement of President-elect Benigno Aquino III that he will identify “the real” problems hounding Filipinos in order to map the present status of the country may as well be answered by the Department of Education with its litany of woes as it leads this Tuesday the opening of the school system for 2010-2011.

Bonn, Germany—Use of wind energy in Asia, including the Philippines, is on the rise as governments face increasing energy demand, climate change and unsteady prices of non- renewable-energy sources such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, said the Belgium-based Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

BAGUIO CITY: Reproductive health (RH) activists and health department leaders are looking forward to the possibility of the reproductive health bill being passed in Congress, especially with the proclamation of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd.

MANILA, Philippines – Up to 30,000 local and overseas jobs are up for grabs in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’s job fair today as part of the 112th Independence Day celebration.

A non-government organization has called on the new administration under President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to give full attention in stemming the rising number of child labor cases in the Philippines, as the country joins the celebration of the World Day Against Child Labor today.

MANILA, Philippines – Human rights defenders have called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to urge president-elect Sen. Benigno Aquino III to fulfill his campaign promise to promote human rights and prosecute the perpetrators of human rights violations in the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines – When classes open on June 15, the burden of coping with congested classrooms and the perennial lack of textbooks, chairs and other school equipment will once again fall on public school teachers, the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) said.

As many as 5 million Filipino children aged 5 to 17 are forced to work under dangerous conditions. A non-government organization released the figure Friday to illustrate the point that child labor is rampant in the Philippines despite the law banning the use of minors as workers.

The United Nations (UN) identified eight priority areas needed to be worked on so as to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The non-performing loans (NPL) ratio of Philippine universal and commercial banks (U/KBs) eased to 3.40 percent in April, according to data issued today by the country’s central bank.

BANGUED, Abra – Three miners were killed Friday afternoon after a blast inside a mine tunnel in remote Lacub town. Abra police director Senior Superintendent Joseph Adnol identified the fatalities as Felix Rosario, Junie Lingbaoan, both from Lacub town, and a miner from Mountain Province identified only as Federico. According to reports, the three died…

Here’s something to think about as we celebrate our Independence Day: the “trilemma” between democratic government, free markets and the processes of globalization. The notion of a “trilemma” has emerged among commentators on the evolving financial crisis in Europe. It refers to the apparently irreconcilable qualities of the three elements characterizing the modern nation-state.

Questionable, ridiculous election spending statements from some candidates—Comelec The incoming Aquino government appears to be starting with the practice of lying, or perjuring itself, based on some of the statements on campaign expenses submitted by both winning and losing candidates that have been found to be highly questionable.

MANILA, Philippines – Having won the race to the presidency on an anti-corruption campaign, President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will soon need to put his money where his mouth is. He will have to follow through on his promise to investigate allegations of corruption against prominent personalities, including outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

GOVERNMENT and non-government organizations monitoring incidents of child labor said Davao City and its neighboring provinces remain as their priority areas “because of the continued presence of factors that lead to child labor.”

This coming school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it will do away with “triple shifts” in all public elementary and high schools nationwide.

The next European generalized system of preferences (GSP) would provide additional liberalization for exports of developing countries such as the Philippines, according to EuroCommerce, a group representing the retail, wholesale and international trade sectors in Europe.

DoT spearheads the Philippine leg of the Child Wise Tourism Program Commercial sexual exploitation of children is the worst form of child labor. There are pimps coercing children into the sex trade, there are parents who, because of poverty, sell their children as sex-slaves. These awful crimes are openly taking place in hotels, resorts, and…

MANILA, Philippines – Some 50 fisherfolk leaders and environmental activists yesterday urged President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III to indefinitely suspend the implementation of the Fisheries Code of 1998. Republic Act No. 8550 for the law’s failure to protect the livelihood and marine environment all over the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Pro-life Philippines Foundation, Inc. is deeply saddened and extremely concerned of the decision of the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate in our primary and secondary educational system a course on sex education.

MORE Filipino families that are dependent on remittances from relatives working overseas bought cars or houses in the second quarter, a central bank survey shows. Rosabel Guerrero, director of the Bangko Sentral’s Department of Economic Statistics, said the percentage of households that used remittances to buy motor vehicles rose to 7.7 percent in the second…

The people were thoroughly disillusioned with President Gloria Arroyo. It’s why they poured out into the streets when Cory Aquino died. It’s why they voted for Noynoy Aquino despite his lackluster record. They wanted an honest leader, an honest government above all else. They wanted change in the political system.

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The legal advisers of President-elect Aquino have dug up a 1962 ruling of the Supreme Court to justify his plan to revoke the alleged “midnight appointments” made by his predecessor, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, involving as many as 300 positions including those with fixed term of office.

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MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Alberto Agra has issued new guidelines that would speed up the investigation and referral of cases to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).