There is no doubt that the PPCRV did a wonderful job as the citizens’ watchdog in the last elections. The dedication and vigilance of its volunteers and members are truly remarkable. Were it not for the PPCRV and various other church and school groups, NGOs and the Filipino people as a whole, the historic first…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday reported that there are more job vacancies now but fewer jobseekers.

MANILA, Philippines – Businessmen continue to maintain a bullish outlook on the domestic economy due to higher spending brought about by the recently concluded May 10 elections, strong recovery in export earnings, moderate inflation, steady growth of overseas Filipino workers, and stable exchange rate.

MANILA, Philippines – Despite increased public awareness of laws protecting women’s rights, 30 Filipino women continue to suffer from domestic violence everyday, a non-government organization said yesterday.

A clamor is growing in the business sector primarily among small entrepreneurs for the next government to review the open trade policy adopted under President Gloria Arroyo, including free trade agreements signed under her administration that would result in marginalizing local industries.

ABOUT 1.5 million government employees are assured of continued wage increases in the succeeding three years, even as President Gloria Arroyo ends her term in Malacañang on June 30.

An official of the administration party on Wednesday admitted that having a political party machinery was “no longer an advantage” as shown by results of the May 10 fully automated elections, the first in the Philippines and Asia.

MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed yesterday that the Philippine software industry lost $217 million last year due to software piracy.

TEKA MUNA!: Social Security System president Romulo Neri is offering to the Commission on Elections the multipurpose ID cards that SSS has been sharing with three other agencies as voters’ identification cards.

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Francis Escudero hold different views on the proposal of Social Security System (SSS) chairman Romulo Neri to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to use the unified multi-purpose identification cards as voter’s IDs.

MANILA, Philippines – The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) ended its count yesterday, and concluded that although there were discrepancies in the election returns (ERs) that the group tallied, no systematic fraud occurred.

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly half of Filipinos expect their lives to get better in the next 12 months, the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

MANILA, Philippines—As tales of fraud multiply, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) Wednesday reiterated that the nation’s first automated elections on May 10 were credible, saying that it found only minute discrepancies in its validation of election results.

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There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

The government plans to negotiate a free trade pact with the European Union despite a growing demand from local businesses to review two similar agreements already in force which are the Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) and the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa).

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Every time my wife and I go malling, I always see uniformed salesgirls standing behind counters—on high heels—for eight to nine hours each day. I ask them if they are even given a break. They tell me that sure, they are given a 30-minute break for lunch and an opportunity to go to the comfort…

The May l0 elections were neither honest nor peaceful but the Filipino people should be praised for their determination to exercise their voting rights and keep democracy alive, according to a foreign team that for two weeks observed the country’s first automated polls.

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned the Philippines and other developing countries of a possible asset bubble due to a sharp rise in capital inflows and the appreciation of currencies in the region.

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) is battling for a macro-view management of river basins in the country, as it emphasized the need to strengthen preservation of watersheds, forest mangroves and river systems to combat climate change.

Those who were leading in the surveys on preferences for senator won as expected. Even their election rankings were almost similar to the results of the surveys. There were no surprises there. Not so in the race for congressional seats, where a number of notable upsets were recorded.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is unlikely to meet its target to raise at least P10 billion from the privatization of state-owned assets by the end of June given new setbacks it is facing in its bid to sell its stake in PNOC-Exploration Corp.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has noted an increased competition among universal and commercial banks by lowering their margins on loans to top corporations and large middle market enterprises.

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended a labor arbiter for six months while he is under investigation for alleged misconduct and dishonesty.

MANILA, Philippines – Social Security System (SSS) president Romulo Neri has offered to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) the use of the unified multipurpose identification cards as voter’s IDs.

MANILA, Philippines – The government sold P5.34 billion worth of Treasury bills (T-bills) in an auction yesterday, less than the offer of P8 billion as the auction committee decided to settle for partial awards for the 91- and 364-day debt paper.

COTABATO CITY, May 18 — The country’s reproductive health advocates are calling on President-in-waiting Sen. Benigno “Nonoy” Aquino to remain firm on his pro-reproductive health stance and never allow too much religious interference in his governance. This call from RH advocates was raised Tuesday amid warnings from some Catholic leaders on Aquino’s stance on RH.

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MANILA, Philippines—Investors see the outlook for the economy after the elections as positive as the presidential candidates considered by the business sector as capable of moving the country forward are leading in the surveys, according to a paper by the Standard Chartered Bank.