With the new academic year about to start, the EcoWaste Coalition warned of possible presence of a dangerous compound in school supplies. The group bought five samples and had them tested. The products tested positive for di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP, a suspected carcinogen, exceeding by 200 times the limit imposed by the US government.

JAPANESE investors are looking at the Philippines as an alternative to China and Vietnam, the managing head of the Board of Investments said.

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines – A labor union leader was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding men while on his way to work in Sta. Rosa, Laguna last Thursday, police said.

Two years after the financial markets suffered the worst of the US subprime and credit crises, another perfect storm is brewing across the horizon. In fact, several crosscurrents are currently sweeping through the markets, causing increasing turbulence. These are the following:

Some pretty desperate private sector leaders of the tourism industry sought me out last Friday for help in getting a message to President-to-be Noynoy that they need him badly to make things right for tourism. They were shocked by some of the names being mentioned as potential new tourism secretaries. They told me they have…

MANILA, Philippines – Monetary authorities said over the weekend that inflation would no longer hit six percent this year in light of lower oil prices, stable commodity prices, cheaper power and water rates as well as the stronger peso.

Trade Secretary Jesli Lapus was quoted by the media recently as saying that it is now timely for the Philippines to negotiate a free trade agreement with Taiwan following the warming of its relations with China and the imminence of an Economic Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the two. A Philippine-Taiwan FTA may be on hold…

MANILA, Philippines – The semiconductor and electronic business in the Philippines is being revitalized this year through the initiative of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering (Comste) by forging an agreement with the Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

MANILA, Philippines – The impressive rebound of the electronics industry can be driven into sustained high growth if the Philippines embarks on an aggressive investment promotions campaign aimed at luring in the big multinationals, officials of a major electronics association said.

MANILA, Philippines – Investors are now looking at the Philippines as a viable investment destination when compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has activated its annual Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) Information and Action Center where parents, students and the general public can seek assistance on matters concerning the start of classes.

MANILA, Philippines – Employees of the Bureau of Customs assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport may soon get their overtime pay after five years of waiting.

If the incoming administration is really sincere in reforming the government it should at least have a new look. This means an overall revamp of the Cabinet by appointing fresh faces with novel ideas in performing executive functions. It should not retain any of the past or present Cabinet members of the outgoing administration. To…

MANILA, Philippines – It won’t be an easy task for Chief Justice Renato Corona once he assumes the country’s top judicial post, especially considering the limited resources allocated to the judiciary.

MANILA, Philippines – Transferees and latecomers are still allowed to enroll in public schools until this week, the Department of Education said yesterday. Education Secretary Mona Valisno said she has ordered principals in more than 45,000 public schools nationwide to accommodate late enrollees and transferees with incomplete documents.

THE Philippines’ efforts to raise money from the sale of state assets face headwinds amid a dour external environment and the threat of a legal challenge to one of its privatization ventures.

Lower prices of fuel, electricity, rice and corn in May helped ease inflation to 4.3 percent in May, well within the government target of 3.5 to 5.5 percent, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said.

After over two years and several rounds of intense negotiations, the Philippines and the European Union have forged an expanded economic, political and security agreement.

The late Butil Party representative Ka Nellie Chavez did so many things in her life in a great and quiet way, mostly for the coop movement and the peasantry. But what she was proudest of was rejecting the legal ordure called the Con-Ass. On the day she refused to sign that trash of a resolution.…

MANILA, Philippines – President-elect Benigno Aquino III vowed to  prioritize the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) once he assumes office.

MANILA, Philippines—The government service insurance system has reported an 18-percent jump in its assets in 2009 from a year ago, claiming to have accomplished this financial performance mainly through reforms in the collection of premiums from members.

MANILA, Philippines—The United States is experiencing a deep nursing shortage that is expected to further intensify in the face of the increasing need for health care primarily because of the aging American population.

APEC MINISTERS yesterday promised to hold off on imposing trade distorting measures designed to protect local economies until 2011. This comes as protectionist pressure still remains, along with high jobless rates, despite observations of a pickup in the global economy, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers said in a joint statement released at the…

SWS poll finds 35% expect life to improve vs 9% who think otherwise LIFE IS LOOKING even rosier for Filipinos, with those expecting gains in the next 12 months far outnumbering compatriots of the opposite view, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

Credit card transactions rose 4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010, helping boost consumer spending during the period, Bangko Sentral said Friday.

Two multinational companies are lending support to the campaign to stop the use of mercury in all Philippine health care facilities and institutions.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education assured the public yesterday that classroom discussions on sex education would not be about the sex act but about the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid premarital sex and teenage pregnancy.

The school crisis is on us once again. Everyone’s agitated about crowded classrooms; the lack of teachers; not enough textbooks. All tough problems, certainly, but not even the key ones. The more intractable problem we don’t talk about: it concerns the children who never even get to school—or who drop out before they’ve received enough…

THERE’S always energy in the air at conferences, workshops and events related to sexual reproductive health or maternal health. It must be the result of the tireless efforts of the advocates who have seen decades of opposition, but have remained unwavering in their stand on the issue.

BUSAN, South Korea: Finance ministers from the world’s biggest economies must balance efforts to shore up a fragile global recovery with the need to slash deficits when a G20 meeting gets underway later Friday.