MANILA, Philippines – With barely two months left before election time, the government still has not come up with concrete plans to solve the Mindanao power problem.

BEIJING (AP) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the world’s wealthiest nations Sunday to watch their surging levels of government debt, saying it could drag down the growth needed to ensure continued economic recovery.

(Third of five parts) D. Macroeconomic benefits of privatization A World Bank report in July 1992 reported that “8,500 enterprises in over 80 countries have been privatized in the past 12 years.” The privatization bandwagon virtually started in the early 80’s when Great Britain, under then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher started selling off major government…

MANILA, Philippines – The government is spending P100 billion this year to pump prime the economy that was battered by the full impact of the global economic crisis last year, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said yesterday.

Twice last week, thugs were in the streets, upholding pigheadedness over reason, substituting demonizing in place of civil dialogue, replacing name-calling for abiding by procedures. Incidents like this can only impoverish our civic culture.

SKIP PARTY-LIST: Postscript presses its suggestion for voters to skip the Party-list part of the ballot on May 10 — if they are not sure FOR WHOM (referring to a person or nominee) they are voting.

MANILA, Philippines – Hospitals and other health care services greatly endanger the country’s diminishing water supply because of improper disposal of infectious waste and toxic chemicals in canals and other bodies of water.

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday came to the rescue of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral by giving assurance that condoms can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

THE World Health Organization on Monday backed a government campaign to promote the use of condoms to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, but over strong objections from the Catholic Church.

THE government has earmarked P100 billion for stimulus spending this year, only about a third of what it spent last year, as it struggles to trim its fiscal deficit estimated at P293 billion.

MANILA, Philippines – Mindanao-based businessmen are complaining that their electricity bill has gone up despite the five to six hours brownout a day.

I often have to remind the smart, dedicated CEOs I work with that leading takes time and energy. Directing the attitudes and behaviors of a team is a big task. I also hear the secrets of these CEOs’ employees—both the things that truly aggravate them and what they love about their bosses. To keep top…

WHOM should we believe? The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) says the Philippine economic crisis is almost over, citing substantial growth in employment.

Quezon City (22 March) — Employers and trade unions are in a position to bring down the number of HIV and AIDS cases.

To this day, Bernarditas de Castro Muller says, she does not know exactly why she was taken out of the official Philippine delegation to the 15th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held last December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Too many groups from the same sector means less chances of getting House seats MANILA, Philippines—While the intent of the introducing the party-list system 4 elections ago is to give smaller parties and organizations, including those of supposed marginalized sectors, the chance to send nominees to Congress, the rules governing the exercise are achieving the…

Acting Social Welfare and Development Secretary Celia Capadocia-Yangco told The Times Sunday that older persons now staying in the Golden Acres compound in Bago Bantay, Quezon City, will soon move to their new “Haven for the Elderly” in Tanay, Rizal.

Member of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) warned on Sunday that they would not perform poll duties in the May 10 elections if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) failed to address their most urgent concern—their right to vote.

LESS than 20 percent of those who took the 2009 Bar examinations passed.

CEBU, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and its party-list arm challenged presidential candidates to take a stand and join the debate on the demand of workers for wage hikes.

In response to readers’ comments on our column on agriculture problems in the country, the Department of Agriculture through Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Bernie Fondevilla sent this letter. In the interest of hearing all sides, we are printing it.

With two recent columns dedicated to the shipping industry, one of our readers wrote some suggestions to how the shipping industry may further be developed. Bobby Tordesillas listed 10 pointers, which we are sharing with other readers:

MANILA, Philippines – The government is now looking at fast tracking the 2010 investments priorities plan (IPP) in order to mitigate the power crisis in Mindanao by providing incentives to the importation of generators, the Board of Investments (BOI) said.

MANILA, Philippines – Investment commitments in the country more than doubled during the first two months of the year as investments in the manufacturing sector poured in, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said over the weekend.

MANILA, Philippines – The Caloocan City government has set a job fair on March 24 at the Barangay 152 covered court. The one-day job fair will offer 3,000 vacancies in at least 75 firms to prospective employees, said Mayor Enrico Echiverri. Among the companies participating in the job fair are SM, Puregold, Isetann, Rustan’s and…

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration’s special visa scheme for foreign employers has created almost 20,000 jobs for Metro Manila residents since it was launched last year.

In the interest of fairness and responsibility presented herewith is Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral’s reply to my column of March 12, 2010 entitled “Deceptions”. The full text may also be reproduced elsewhere in the pages of Phil Star, space permitting.

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – The chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) admitted Saturday that the quality of education in the country has “deteriorated way behind our neighbors.”

Quality employment key to poverty alleviation, UN official says 22 March 2010 –Decent employment opportunities are essential for countries to achieve economic growth and alleviate poverty, the head of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said today, stressing the need to create more and better jobs each year.

A BILL giving Filipinos who want to work abroad more protection lapsed into law after President Gloria Arroyo let the 30-day period within which to veto it pass.