The Department of Education (DepEd) clarified on Friday that it will not teach students about sex or intercourse per se but about the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy.

An official of the Catholic Church has warned Filipino homosexuals not to seek employment in Saudi Arabia following the recent issuance of the Kingdom of a laws banning gay and lesbian workers in their country.

A coalition of sectoral organizations has asked apparent president-elect Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd to revisit trade agreements that had been entered into by the Philippines.

Even as he has yet to sit in his presumed-to-be new post as next President of the country, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is already being beset by demands for him to act on issues that have borne controversy in the outgoing Arroyo administration.

Smartmatic’s counting system blamed; debugging urged At least 57 provinces as well as cities of the National Capital Region (NCR) were found to have erroneous certificates of canvass on account of these being the CoCs based on final testing and sealing (FTS) returns, not the May 10 returns.

CEBU, Philippines – The debate on the propriety of integrating sex education into the school curriculum is far from over and opposing sectors believe a thorough discussion is necessary to arrive at a reasonable resolution.

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Education confirmed Wednesday that teachers shall be entitled to Proportional Vacation Leave (PVL) relative to their service during vacation time.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine embassy in Israel has assured that the imminent deportation of children of overseas Filipino workers in that country will be handled in the most humane way.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has received a combined $10.9 million in grant from multilateral lenders for the replacement of chillers in a bid to reduce the application of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as refrigerants. These chemical substances are known to cause ozone depletion and global warming.

The Likhaan organization’s policy forum “Changing Course to Achieve the MDG5” held at a five-star hotel last week gravely noted the decline of contraceptive use among women who have more children than they want. A Guttmacher Institute study showed that the proportion of modern method users who obtain their supplies from the public sector declined,…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is deploying 2,600 members of the Out of School Youth Toward Economic Recovery Program (OYSTER) for road repairs and clearing works to prepare Metro Manila for the rainy season.

MANILA, Philippines – With a growing number of Filipino families unable to meet basic needs, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is pressing for an immediate increase in the daily take home pay of workers nationwide.

Four provinces in the country have posted a zero dropout rate in the secondary level of schooling, the Department of Education yesterday bared.

MANILA, Philippines – Is it possible for Filipinos within my lifetime — I just turned 60 — to unite and raise a great President who can make us believe that ours can be a strong nation?

For better or for worse, the principal criterion for success or failure of the incoming President has been set way before his time, in the mill of public expectations and the various doctrines of developmental regimes. That criterion is poverty alleviation.

Principal economist Rana Hasan and consultant Karl Robert L. Jandoc at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) saw a dearth in the study of the linkages between trade liberalization and wage inequalities in Southeast Asian countries so they zeroed in on efforts to produce a paper entitled: “Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality in the Philippines.”

Call centers in countries like the Philippines has provided thousands of jobs for Filipino workers. But, if a US senator has his way, the Philippines and other countries may bear the brunt of a proposed law to tax US companies who have overseas call centers.

MANILA, Philippines – A Catholic bishop on Friday morning could not help but kiss Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral as he approved of her suggestion that sex education should be taught at kindergarten level.

GENEVA — Market volatility and the European debt crisis are putting at risk efforts to cut unemployment which hit historic highs in 2009, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Tuesday. In a report on the eve of its annual conference, the ILO said there were growing concerns the sovereign debt crisis could hit growth prospects.

Erap lawyer objects, Binay lawyer pushes compact discs count The National Board of Canvassers, despite clear irregularities marking the provincial election officials’ documents in the ballot boxes, such as the absence of electronically transmitted Election Returns (ERs), double Certificates of Canvass where the figures were conflicting, and no CoCs, went on with the canvassing yesterday,…

WITH the changing face of the modern workplace—where high-tech is the operative word—Sen. Edgardo Angara is urging the incoming Aquino administration to legislate an integrated computer education starting in elementary level.

Manila (June 3) — The Formal Labor and Migrant Workers Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (FLMW-NAPC) passed a resolution recently urging the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards to immediately act on petitions of wage increases filed by labor groups early this year.

On May 22, newspapers all over the world carried a story saying UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had urged the UN Security Council to consider taking tough measures against countries and insurgent groups that recruit and use child soldiers.

The story on our front page yesterday did not surprise anybody who has been watching the labor-export phenomenon in our country. Father Edwin Corros, the executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said 60 percent of the families…

Dear PAO, If a marriage is already annulled, can the former wife demand 50 percent of the former husband’s salaries and benefits as support for their children? Can the husband instead decide the amount of support to be given to his children? Until when are children entitled for support? Racquel (2)

PRIVATE schools are jacking up their tuition by as much as 15 percent for the coming school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Thursday.

CEBU, Philippines – Workers affiliated with the ALU-TUCP yesterday staged a picket in front of their company, R & Y Auguosti, a furniture firm in barangay Pagsabungan, Mandaue City, accusing management of being a run-away shop, unfair labor practice, and violating the economic provisions of their collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

HANOI (Xinhua) — Inefficient border administration and inadequate infrastructure are major barriers to trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), World Economic Forum (WEF) report said on Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines – Monetary authorities now sees lower inflation forecasts this year and next year in light of the reduction in power costs, lower oil prices, steady commodity prices, moderate liquidity growth, and the continued strengthening of the peso against the dollar.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has decided to keep its key rates at record low for eighth consecutive policy-setting meetings since July last year amid the ongoing debt turmoil in Europe, the growing tension between North and South Korea, and the stronger-than-expected gross domestic product growth in the first quarter of…