MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has approved on second reading the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons that would mandate local governments to have specific programs for people with disabilities.

For a freshly graduated mining engineer, circa 1969, the Jeffrey asbestos mine in Asbestos, Que., offered Bernard Coulombe one of those exceptional – and irresistible – career opportunities.

Congress has a special gift for “senior citizens” this Christmas —exemption from the 12-percent value-added tax on their purchase of goods and services.

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The number of complaints filed by workers here regarding pay and other forms of compensation in 2009 more than doubled compared to last year, an official of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) local office said.

But controversial sponsor system stays KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait—The Kuwaiti parliament passed a new labor law on Wednesday that grants better rights and conditions for the 2.3 million foreign workers but does not scrap the controversial sponsor system.

HSBC: Investors scouting for low-carbon ventures MANILA, Philippines—Asia-Pacific nations reported better results than the United States when it came to providing goods, products and services that helped in easing the impact of climate change, according to a financial metric pioneered by British banking giant HSBC.

DAVAO CITY – Communist guerrillas allegedly killed more civilians than soldiers in Southern Mindanao, which is composed of the Davao provinces and Compostela Valley, in 2009, the military said in a report released Friday.

Many countries are now opting for nuclear power to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and address global warming. Will the Philippines follow suit?

MANILA, Philippines – The number of Filipino skilled workers hired in Dubai and other cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) slightly dropped this year due to the prevailing financial crisis.

Three people were killed in a fire that gutted 15 stores selling pyrotechnics at the Oval Plaza here shortly before dawn yesterday as Christendom was celebrating Christmas.

WASHINGTON – HOUSEHOLDS pushed their savings rate to the highest level in more than 15 years in May as a big boost in incomes from the government’s stimulus programme was devoted more to bolstering nest eggs than increased spending.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama said that disenchantment over the Copenhagen climate talks was “justified” but defended the chaotic outcome as the top UN envoy urged an end to post-summit recriminations. The climate change conference held in the Danish capital ended last week with a nonbinding agreement that the European Union has blasted as a…

A collision that sank the wooden-hulled Catalyn B at the mouth of Manila Bay on Thursday, leaving at least four dead and dozens missing, was the latest in a long list of shipping accidents across the Philippines. Millions of Filipinos, many of them too poor to afford air travel, use the seas and waterways to…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture fears the loss of up to P40 billion worth of palay or paddy rice and up to P16.4 billion worth of corn next year due to the El Niño phenomenon.

The summit failed to deliver a way to halt dangerous climate change About 45,000 travelled to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen – the vast majority convinced of the need for a new global agreement on climate change.

Public satisfaction with Vice President Noli de Castro’s performance went down, but his rating is still the highest among the top government officials, a recent survey showed. Results of the survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 58 percent satisfied and 26 percent dissatisfied with the performance of de Castro.

THE 30th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)—which follows this month—provides a great opportunity to reflect about the world’s situation of women’s rights. In spite of progress in the promotion of gender equality, discriminations on the basis of gender are still pervasive in all societies.…

PROMETHEUS BOUND The climate negotiation in the Fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen has come to a sour end. The world’s high expectation for a meaningful and binding agreement is doused with icy cold water by a nonbinding deal dubbed as “Copenhagen Accord”—a deal primarily brokered by the most powerful and leading polluter…

MANILA, Philippines – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is preparing a new Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan, the government’s economic blueprint, with measures on climate change adaptation high in the agenda.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) announced that the reported number of new HIV infections by the end of 2009 will increase by more than 100 percent compared to 2007. 

BUFFETED by a global economy in recession, Philippine exports retreated to their lowest ebb of two-digit below zero growth in the first nine-straight months of 2009.

Warns inflation, exit strategies remain critical AFTER A DIFFICULT YEAR, things are looking up for most Asia-Pacific economies, including the Philippines.Ratings firm Standard and Poor’s said all its rated economies in the region were expected to post positive GDP growth in 2010.

PARIS– Cardiovascular disease linked to obesity may be worse than thought while health problems associated with being underweight may have been overstated, according to a study published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday.

The broadest definition of a political party is that it is an organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power, legitimately through elections or ignobly through other means.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Philippines is expected to grow moderately next year amid a fragile global economic recovery, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

A day after Pulse Asia survey showed Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd with a commanding lead among presidential candidates, another poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) also found him ahead in the Palace race with similar figures.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has reversed its ruling that declared unconstitutional the cityhood laws passed by the 11th Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – The Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan, is leading the way in providing goods, products and services focused on tackling climate change, according to the latest findings from the HSBC Climate Change Index.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to jump 20 percent next year on the back of a gradual recovery by the global economy.

MANILA, Philippines – The amount of committed investments registered at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) grew 13.3 percent this year as electronics companies continued to expand despite the impact of the global financial crisis.