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.

MANILA, Philippines – The year 2009 did not come easy for the telecommunications industry, which had to grapple with sweeping reforms instituted by the government that would change the landscape for better or for worse.

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign portfolio investments posted a net inflow of $415.3 million as of Dec. 19 as foreign investors remained upbeat on the Philippine market, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is faring better than most emerging economies and would be able to achieve its 2009 growth targets despite the lingering global recession, Malacañang said yesterday.

WHILE the country’s green energy initiatives began taking off in 2009, earlier reforms in the sector risked unraveling that year. As local oil companies failed to reflect the sudden fall in world crude prices, the clamor for a revision of the Downstream Oil Deregulation Act of 1998 gained steam.

WITH record crude prices fading into the background, 2009 marked the year when green energy moved beyond being a promising technology for a cleaner environment in the Philippines. After decades of neglect because of high production costs and limited markets, the development of biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro, ocean and wind power—or what the Department of…

Four persons were killed and six others were hurt when a bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing his vehicle to swerve and slam into a van on the opposite lane of the national highway in Gerona, Tarlac on Thursday before daybreak. Initial reports reaching Camp Crame, Supt. Salvador Destura, Gerona police chief, said…

BRUSSELS – The Philippines, Mexico and Somalia were the most dangerous countries for journalists in 2009, according to the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists.

MANILA, Philippines – A bill pending at the Senate is mandating the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct a five-year research on the viability of part-time employment as an alternative to retrenchment options for employers suffering business losses due to the global financial crisis.

MANILA, Philippines – Criminality nationwide increased by 63 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s dismal reputation on human rights promotion and protection got worse in 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the legality of the merger of the Lakas-Christian and Muslim Democrats with the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had its hands full in a year littered with natural and man-made catastrophes.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Association, researchers found that Ginkgo biloba was no more effective than placebo in preventing cognitive in older people.

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has adopted a more efficient and accurate system of crime reporting in line with its Integrated Transformation Program in developing police systems and procedures. The National Crime Reporting System (NCRS) is now being implemented in all PNP units to report crime incidents to the national headquarters for centralized recording.

DOZENS of Filipino workers have remained trapped in a bankrupt casino ship in Florida since Christmas, unable to even set foot on US shore in a maritime version of The Terminal, the 2004 comedy-drama movie about a stateless, visa-less tourist unable to leave a New York airport.

MANILA, Philippines – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. stressed the need for the next administration to lay down a clear fiscal consolidation program after the global financial crisis derailed the country’s commitment to balance the budget last year.

MANILA, Philippines – The sinking of M/V Baleno 9, which killed at least six passengers, has prompted an official of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to admit that all the estimated 200 roll-on and roll-off (roro) vessels plying the domestic waters are aging and have to be phased out.

NEW YORK – Wall Street stocks edged higher Wednesday after a better than expected report on manufacturing activity, indicating that a recovery from recession was on track.

BRUSSELS – 2009 was one of the worst for the targeted killing of media workers, with 113 lives lost, a leading watchdog said Thursday and called on governments to do more to protect reporters.