FREE TRADE: There is this old line that if we could convince the Chinese to drink their tea with sugar and if we could get even just one percent of the ensuing sugar needs, we would have to plant half of our arable land with sugarcane to meet the demand but would then be able…

MANILA, Philippines – The peace being sought by the government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) remained elusive in 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – Investments in the country’s economic zones are expected to rise by 15 percent to surpass the P200-billion mark this year.

NEW YORK (AFP) – – It seems parents have long been right. Going to bed early is key to getting enough sleep and helping adolescents feel on top of the world, a new study reported.

The Deloitte study entitled, “The Future of the Philippine Automotive Industry” premised its conclusion on some advantages and disadvantages prevailing in the country over its competitors.

Advocates boldly state their experiences regarding HIV In a public health clinic in Manila where one can get tested for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, there is a poster that reads: “This is what someone who can be infected by HIV looks like.” Under this sign is a mirror.

D.K. Florino, junior assistant manager of bank that issues credit cards, whose job is to remind credit cardholders of their respective dues, admitted that he was once the subject of a complaint by a client for the “tone” of his voice. He said that kind of complaint does not hold water among credit card companies,…

What legal remedies are available for a cardholder who has defaulted on payments? What legal shields can one use against the harassment of collection agents agencies? What legal help can one have in solving the predicament of outstanding debts one does not have the money to pay?

Five months ago, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago proposed the Prohibiting Credit Card Debt-Collection Harassment bill aimed at “addressing numerous complaints on how credit card companies, through their counsels or collecting agencies, use unfair collection practices that range from harassment to borderline illegal.”

There are some 7.4 million Filipinos who have credit cards, according to Euromonitor International, a global provider of business intelligence on industries, countries and consumers. Although this number is significantly lower than the total debit cardholders—31.3 million holders, or equivalent to 32.6 percent of the population—the country’s credit consumers have already grown by 32 percent…

IT’S not amazing that there are more than seven million credit cardholders in our country (though some estimates say there are only four million plus). In the first place, there are some 11 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Most of them remit money to their families back home. They come home to the Philippines long…

BALANGA CITY, Bataan, Philippines – The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has announced that the country has achieved 99.4 percent energizing at the barangay level.

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – The country’s pyrotechnics industry suffered a further slump in sales of firecrackers this New Year.

MANILA, Philippines – With some two million Filipino babies born annually, the country’s population will grow to 94 million this year, an official of the Commission on Population (PopCom) said yesterday.

The year 2009 proved to be a very challenging year for the automotive business as it took severe beating from the global financial meltdown. The closures of manufacturing plants, financial bankruptcies and massive layoffs of workers of the world’s biggest autoplayers were clear signals of an industry in dire straits.

The intent toward ending the monopoly of state-run National Power Corporation (NPC) is about to be accomplished, but deregulation cost impacts may still pinch Filipino consumers’ pockets primarily the estimated P471 billion stranded debts which will eventually be passed on as additional line item in electricity bills.

The additional tax and fiscal incentives being offered by the Board of Investments (BoI) to entice companies affected by the global financial crisis to undertake activities to keep their workers, maintain their workforce and hire more even with the economic difficulties failed to attract a single taker.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says growth and recovery are expected in 2010 in just about all world regions. For its 30 member countries, rich nations including the US and UK, it has more than doubled its growth forecast to 1.9% for next year, from 0.7%.

A new free trade area comes into effect on Friday, incorporating China and the six founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). These countries include Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

MANILA, Philippines – More workers in the construction and oil industries are needed in the United States this year, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

MANILA, Philippines – As today’s global economy offers unparalleled opportunities for all countries across the world, continuing to expand trade by lowering barriers of goods and services is in the common interest of China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Our concerted and unremitting efforts during the past decade will soon reap fruits:…

MANILA, Philippines – A study by the World Bank is projecting that remittance flows to developing countries will reach $317 billion in 2009, down by 6.1 percent from the $338 billion in 2008. The projection was based on data for the first three quarters of 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. believes that the Philippine economy was left relatively unscathed by the “financial crisis” that led to a global economic slump.

I got this e-mail from Bobby Tordesillas (desills@pldtdsl.net) last week, but due to our holiday schedules, we are only reprinting this now. “Hi Bobit, Don’t you find the latest MBC survey report very misleading? In one part of the news report, it says that 61 percent of the members of the MBC favor Noynoy Aquino,…

MANILA, Philippines – The chief economist of the House of Representatives has urged lawmakers to freeze 10 pending tax bills that would further erode government revenues and worsen the financial crisis the nation is facing.

(Part 1 of 2) MANILA, Philippines – With 2009 coming to a close, the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry is setting its hopes high next year and finally recover from the global economic crisis and the recent spate of natural calamities to hit the country.

Milestone in free trade in regional bloc MANILA, Philippines—Starting 1 January 2010, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand can import and export almost all goods across their borders at no tariff as the Common Effective Preferential Tariffs for Asean Free Trade Area (CEPT-Afta) takes effect.

This year’s biggest medical advances are changing the face and future of your health. Here’s what you need to know now.

MANILA, Philippines – Each Filipino now owes P47,039 to local and foreign creditors, based on the national government’s total debt stock as of September. A month before that, each of the 92.2 million Filipinos owed P45,889.