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.

The Philippine banking system remains fragmented, with no single bank considered too big too fail as those in the United States, a Bangko Sentral official said Friday.

MANILA, Philippines—The next administration should immediately add two more years to Philippine elementary and high school education, an education expert said.

IF THE Philippine government took to heart the lessons learned from the past, these power shortages would not have happened. While the worsening power supply situation had been attributed to the breakdown of several facilities, scheduled maintenance shutdowns and the El Niño weather disturbance, Francisco L. Viray believes that these outages are also rooted on…

COTABATO CITY—A senatorial candidate from power-deficient southern Philippines doesn’t want the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) reopened but proposes that Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao each get a nuclear power facility.

THE PHILIPPINES’ “good practices” in migrant workers’ policy is a model that Bangladesh would want to copy, according to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

Noynoy, Erap, Gibo, Villar have ‘winning formulas’ MANILA, Philippines – The presidential race is down to a 4-cornered fight between Sen. Benigno Aquino III, former President Joseph Estrada, administration bet Gilbert Teodoro, and Sen. Manny Villar, according to a veteran political analyst.

CEBU, Philippines – Outbreaks of measles are to be expected during the summer season, but 2010 saw incidences of outbreaks as early as January.

Mercury, cyanide peril people ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR: Mercury and cyanide used by illegal miners searching for gold is threatening the environment and health of thousands of villagers in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay. And small-scale miners have been operating over the past decade in the province, particularly in Diplahan—a remote mountain town where tunnels…

CEBU, Philippines – Nacionalista Party senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said lingering poverty and hunger hamper the country’s goal to provide access to primary education for millions of school-age children despite the existing law on free elementary and high school education.

At least 200 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia who were imprisoned for petty offenses were granted pardon and subsequently repatriated to the Philippines since December 2009, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Saturday. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said that the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine Consulate General…

MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS), the state-run pension fund for private employees, has expanded the repayment period for overdue contributions to encourage employers to settle their obligations under an amnesty period which will run until July 31.

MANILA, Philippines – Banana growers in Davao have gained the support of the Church in their appeal to the government not to ban aerial spraying for banana plants in the region.

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga , Philippines  – Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said some local candidates seem to regard killing their rivals as a less costly alternative to cheating in the country’s first automated elections this May.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is eyeing the distribution of female condoms in workplaces to protect women workers from HIV/AIDS infection.