Now that elections are over, at least except for the formalities, it’s time to buckle down to work. The incoming national administration, if it is to make good on its lofty promises, must as early as now figure out which of the country’s numerous pressing problems it must tackle first, and most intensely.

The Philippines improved in the yearly World Competitiveness ranking of the Swiss institution IMD to 39th of 58 countries from last year’s 43rd but remained as a doormat in the Asia Pacific region as all of its neighbors also climbed in the ranking.

It’s not over for groups who fail to meet the required 2 percent of the total number of votes in the May 10 polls, as they still have a chance to get one seat if the winning groups cannot fill the more than 50 seats in Congress.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino will have hard days with the Catholic Church as far as the controversial reproductive health bill is concerned.

Labor groups expect the next president to personally lobby American lawmakers to pass a bill that would enable the freer entry of Philippine-made garments into the highly lucrative US market.

Exporters want the incoming administration to put in place an annual export fund and amend the mandate of the Philippine central bank to help the sector.

Davao City: The World Bank (WB) has rated the antipoverty program in Mindanao as satisfactory. This came after the WB team reported recently here the result of its month-long assessment of the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP).

HONG KONG: More than 90 percent of gay men in the Asia-Pacific region don’t have access to HIV prevention and care services, as levels of the disease soar to “alarming levels,” a United Nations report said on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – The agriculture sector shrank by 2.84 percent in the first quarter as a result of the prolonged drought.

Employers sometimes put up as a defense in illegal dismissal cases, abandonment or refusal to return to work by the employee. To establish such defense however, employers must show that they have complied with the requirement of notice. This is illustrated in this case of Lucy.

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MANILA, Philippines–The cost of doing business in Asean is expected to lower and trade-related transactions to become simpler as the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga), one of the region’s landmark economic agreements, entered into force Monday, May 17, the Asean Secretariat said.

MONEY sent home by Filipinos working abroad grew by 7% to $4.3 billion in the first quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday reported.

Part 1 of 2 The next Philippine president will have his work cut out for him.Apart from addressing new challenges that may arise during his or her term, the next administration will also have to tackle the old problems that are dragging down the country’s growth.

MANILA, Philippines – The aging population and accommodative migration policies of most destination countries, plus the inability of the domestic economy to offer jobs, will mark the continued migration of Filipinos seeking better opportunities abroad.

MANILA, Philippines – The fight against software piracy in the Philippines remains crucial as the software piracy rate or installations of unlicensed software in personal computers (PCs) in the country remained unchanged at 69 percent from 2007 to 2009.

THE Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) is willing to work with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and similar groups to amend “outdated” provisions of the 34-year-old Labor Code.

TATAD CONSIDERS MOVE TO NULLIFY POLL RESULTS The camp of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada showed documents yesterday which it will use to support allegations of massive electronic fraud in the country’s first automated elections held last May 10 some showing pre-programmed votes that are dated way ahead of election day.

The country is at the dawn of a new administration and the most natural feeling for many is optimism. This optimism for change is a nation’s response to nine years of economic and political disarray under the Arroyo administration, and indeed from worsening poverty and backwardness. Yet even more welcome than the sense of hopefulness…

One of the things outgoing President Gloria Arroyo got right is the work done by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Social Welfare department under Arroyo has been one of the few National Government Agencies (NGAs) being lauded for its performance in providing aid for the country’s most bereft citizens.

THE presidential election campaign of 2010 was absurdly easy, compared with the magnitude and complexity of the tasks the winner must now take up. President Gloria Arroyo leaves us a country with an opaque and incompetent government; rising poverty and inequality; and falling global competitiveness. Where does President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd begin?

MANILA, Philippines – Cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the country have reached epidemic proportions, prompting health authorities to sound the alarm to stem the rampant transmission of the deadly disease.

MANILA, Philippines – A broadcaster of a state-owned radio network in Kalinga was shot by unidentified men inside his booth yesterday morning, but he survived the attack.

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) — The Philippines has called on the international community to intensify cooperation against piracy which has now extended to other shipping routes.

SANTA, Ilocos Sur – A construction worker was killed and his co-worker seriously injured in a landslide near the approach to the newly-built President Quirino Bridge in Barangay Banaoang, here, police reported Saturday.

DESPITE the Philippines is considered as one of the third largest English speaking countries in Asia yet the report released by the US State Department, in its “2007 Investment Climate Statement” this month cited that the “English language proficiency, while still better than in other Southeast Asian nations, is declining in the Philippines. ”

CenPEG: Poll body has no right to tamper with proof for audit purposes What should be part of the body of evidence in an audit, such as Smartmatic’s faulty compact flash cards, has now been tampered with by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) through its destruction of these flash cards.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano yesterday expressed strong doubts over the credibility and integrity of the automated elections, saying “poll irregularities are now coming out one by one.”

Rain welcomed me when I landed in Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan and the cool Baguio-like weather was a far cry from Manila’s scorching heat.  I am attending the BirdLife Asia Partnership meeting where, together with our NGO partners from Southeast and South Asia will be sharing lessons and discussing strategies that will help us make…

MANILA, Philippines – The ratio of non-performing loans (NPL) of universal and commercial banks to the industry’s total loan portfolio continued to improve as of end-March this year as corporate and individual borrowers were able to pay their outstanding financial obligations on time, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.