The Monetary Board, the policy- making body of Bangko Sentral, kept its policy rates unchanged Thursday but raised its peso rediscount rate to 4 percent from 3.5 percent as it starts to unwind stimulus measures amid accelerating economic growth.

I always knew the Philippines was a magical place. I first invested here because of that—and the people.

The global economy has staged a faster rebound than expected, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday, but prospects are uneven and emerging markets face the destabilising prospect of a flood of capital inflows.

THE TROUBLE WITH HAVING TOO MUCH money is that there will always be people hatching up plots to get some of that money. The latest victims are the 1.3 million members of the Government Service Insurance System. Several labor unions who are members of the GSIS brought the case to my attention. GSIS members, they…

With the U.S. government racing toward $10 trillion in spending and loan guarantees to confront the recession, President Barack Obama on Monday will say it’s time to clamp down on federal expenditures.

MANILA, Philippines – A 40-year-old miner died reportedly in an accident at La Suerte Small Scale Mining Gold Mining Industry in Barangay Bulo in Buenavista in Quezon province on Tuesday.

CEBU, Philippines – Reports on increasing number of children involved in child labor, sexual abuse and commercial exploitation, family violence, child trafficking, and armed conflicts have alarmed an official of a government group working for children.

BEIRUT: Abused, humiliated and deprived of the most basic rights, foreign maids in Lebanon are starting to fight back against their employers in court and, in rare cases, they are winning.

The local business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is bullish on sustained growth this year. The upbeat mood came on the heels of US President Barack Obama’s slashing of incentives for US firms that outsource offshore, in order to keep jobs for Americans.

We all have a bias, some stronger than others. If you happen to be above 50 years old, like me, or someone with dual citizenship status (a Filipino citizen who is also a Senior citizen), chances are you will not be inclined to listen to the advice of people half your age.

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said yesterday he will not issue an order that would allow grade school and high school students with delinquent accounts in private schools to take their exams.

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday expressed hope administration presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro’s withdrawal of support for the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is sincere and not merely to get on the Church’s good side.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the disqualification of 10 party-list groups from running in the May 10 elections.

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 – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported yesterday a widening rift within the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) over Jose Ma. Sison’s decision to put up a huge amount of money to support the party’s national and local candidates in the May elections.

MANILA, Philippines – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is pushing for the development of the rural sector through a new Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP).

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has raised its inflation forecast to 4.7 percent instead of four percent this year due to higher food, commodity and utility prices.

MANILA, Philippines – Battered by the global financial turmoil and typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, the Philippine economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), grew by 0.9 percent last year, the slowest pace in 11 years, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported yesterday.

Palawan, the country’s renowned ecotourism site, is once again hailed as among the top 10 best destinations for elite travelers in China. Initiated by Ctrip.com, China’s leading and trusted online travel agency, and popular high-end travel glossy Elite Traveller, the polling for top overseas destinations of 2009 gathered a total of 4,340,122 valid votes through…

MANILA, Philippines—education Nation, a coalition of captains of industry and other concerned citizens, Wednesday launched a blueprint for reform to save the Philippine education system from collapse.

Like many working parents, Beverly Flaxington armed her 11-year-old daughter with a cell phone in fifth grade when the time came for her to venture out alone. At first, it was a great way to stay in touch.

DAVAO CITY—At least 150,000 people who depend on the tuna industry in General Santos City could end up jobless as a result of a two-year ban on tuna fishing in Western and Central Pacific, a fishing magnate said.

Casual sex, orgies are seen as possible causes of the problem MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine General Hospital on Wednesday said the number of Filipinos infected with HIV rose dramatically in the past 10 months and now includes young urban professionals such as call center agents.

BEIRUT – Abused, humiliated and deprived of the most basic rights, foreign maids in Lebanon are starting to fight back against their employers in court and, in rare cases, they are winning.

Investor confidence in the Philippines has dropped to the second worst among 10 countries in the pan-Asia region based on the latest survey of global financial services giant ING.

The Arroyo government has a penchant of employing senior citizens, or persons way past retirement age, in vital and sensitive offices. One good example is the octogenarian Charito Planas, the head of the moribund Nayong Pilipino and more recently replacement for resigned Presidential Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo, who can hardly walk and has to be aided…

Now that this matter of a proposed temporary marriage contract has somehow subsided in excited contemplation and spirited discussion, it might be but proper and just to look into the matter with more calm and prudence — in the light of on the ground concrete and practical realities.

The Philippine Business for Education’s (PBEd) Education Nation coalition on Wednesday presented a 10-point education reform agenda that the next president should adopt to lift the quality of education in the country.

AMID the skyrocketing sugar prices today, the projected extreme bad weather conditions this year is expected to further take a toll on the country’s declining cane output, Victorias Milling Co. Inc. said.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued a memorandum to all private and public colleges and state universities barring them from implementing a “no permit, no exam policy.”