The imbroglio over Malacañang’s attempt to put a cap on petroleum product prices may be over but the debate on how to handle the industry isn’t. Senators and congressmen will try to win brownie points as they advocate the repeal of the oil deregulation law. People who want this to happen don’t realize the implications…

THE annual meeting of the Philippine Economic Society (PES) held last week ended with a panel discussion on the outlook for the Philippine economy, now a regular feature of the organization’s yearly gathering. The panel—composed of PES past presidents Dondon Paderanga, Arsi Balisacan and yours truly, along with incoming president Art Corpuz—focused on three key…

A HOUSE panel yesterday approved a bill that seeks to ban the importation, manufacture, processing and use or distribution in commerce of asbestos and asbestos-containing products.

MANILA – While everyone else was cutting expenses and beefing up savings amid the economic downturn, affluent consumers in Manila were on a spending binge, according to a survey by global market intelligence company Synovate.

NEW YORK—All United Nations member-countries, including the Philippines, have agreed over the weekend to a new mechanism to monitor and implement a global treaty to fight corruption.

Wellness for multitasking working A HAPPIER WORKFORCE YIELDS greater productivity and creativity in the work environment. Aware that the modern-day woman leads a stressful life now more than ever, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) developed workshops tailored to the concerns of today’s multitasking woman.

The Apec summit, now starting in Singapore, brings together leaders from dozens of nations and major world powers. As the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey has been finding out, behind all the economic talk lies a deeper search for meaning.

Say Migrant advocates MANILA, Philippines—The proposed mandatory insurance for all overseas Filipino workers will benefit recruiters principally and OFWs only incidentally, the Center for Migrants Advocacy said Monday, opposing a move in Congress to legislate it.

44% for Aquino, says Pulse Asia in recent survey If the elections were to be held today, the Liberal Party tandem of Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd and Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd would win by big margins, results of a recent survey showed. Based on the results of the survey conducted by Pulse Asia last…

MANILA, Philippines – If there’s a way to help revitalize local coffee farming — considering the many solutions this can generate for farmers, their families and the economy — it can be done best through a solid and well-planned partnership with the private sector, according to Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap.

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Education has noted an improvement in English proficiency of students in public schools as the department continues to invest in teachers training to further improve student performances in English.

MANILA, Philippines – Labor unions representing some 300,000 banana farm workers in various support industries of the Philippine banana industry hit yesterday what they perceived as smear campaign against banana growers in Mindanao who have accused them of non-existing health risk regarding the aerial spaying of banana plantations in their localities.

MANILA, Philippines – Gays and lesbians cannot be considered marginalized in society because they are already “overly represented” in Congress, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said yesterday.

In 2007, Ang Ladlad, a group fighting for the welfare of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders was denied party-list accreditation by the Commission on Elections on the grounds that it didn’t have national representation. The Comelec required proof that there were lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people across the land. The denial, based on technicality,…

The militant Left was livid in rage as soon as it learned of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales’ new posting in concurrent capacity at the Department of National Defense (DND), a post that he held as caretaker two years ago.

The Commission on Election (Comelec) is harnessing cellular phone text messaging linked to online social networking sites—Facebook, Friendster, Tweeter and Plurk—as a medium for concerned citizens to report to it and the rest of the world possible attempts of cheating during this country’s synchronized national and local elections this May 10,2010. The functionality forms is…

AUTO industry players have asked the Board of Investments (BOI) to clarify certain provisions of the proposed policies laid out for the revised Motor Vehicle Development Program (MVDP). “There are many questions that must be clearly answered, such as definitions, incentives and criteria, among others,” an official of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the…

35% NOW LIVE BELOW POVERTY LINE MORE people slipped below the poverty line this year, making it almost impossible for the country to attain the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by 2015, economists claimed.

Singapore: Asia-Pacific leaders including the US and Chinese presidents Sunday pledged to reject trade protectionism and pursue a new strategy for growth after the world’s worst economic crisis in decades.

US State Secretary Hillary Clinton has undoubtedly charmed the Filipinos during her two-day whirlwind visit. Like a true diplomat, she ably traipsed her way through delicate and highly sensitive matters concerning Filipino-American relationship by tactfully emphasizing that we are “partners” in finding solutions to political, socio-economic and cultural problems.

MANILA, Philippines – After being rejected by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the second time around, Ang Ladlad party-list, which represents homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender individuals has found an ally in the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which is likely to file a Motion for Intervention as it supports the group’s plea for reconsideration.

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman claimed yesterday that corruption ranking of the Philippines according to the latest Washington-based Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) index is based on “mere perception.”

MANILA, Philippines – There is no reason for fuel pump prices to increase with the scrapping of Executive Order 839 that had implemented a price cap on oil products in Luzon, officials pointed out.

A meeting of G-7 officials in Japan acknowledges that “downside risks” remain for the global economy, in part because of dangers stemming from the U.S. housing crisis.

MANILA, Philippines – At the height of the global financial crisis last year, the government had distributed 32.6 million kilograms of rice worth P652 million to around half a million families through President Arroyo’s Food for School Program (FSP), the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The first multilingual call center in Mindanao has begun operations in Zamboanga City.

COMMUNIST rebels attacked a logging company and killed 12 security forces in Surigao del Sur, the military said yesterday.

MISIBIS BAY, Albay – The past year has seen many stories citing IT as a stepping stone for global industries to recover from tumultuous global economic downspin. In the Philippines, the effect is not as bad as in other countries until the export industry took a hit when demand for products declined.

SINGAPORE—As Asia-Pacific leaders tackled further relaxing trade barriers and galvanizing regional integration in the face of the financial crisis, President Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday asked her counterparts to come up with a framework ensuring the protection and fair treatment of migrant workers.

SINGAPORE—Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday said that his country, which is battling low birth rates and an aging population, should make itself more attractive to migrants.