SHELL has petitioned a Makati court to lift a presidential order freezing petroleum prices at their Oct. 15 levels, claiming it and the other oil firms have lost billions of pesos as a result of selling their products at a loss.

SENATOR Benigno Aquino III yesterday denied that the family-owned Hacienda Luisita is poised to evict 5,000 “illegal” farmers and assailed leftist groups for using the issue against him now that he is running for president.

FEATURE JEDDAH: Larita de la Cruz sits on the concrete base of a bridge pylon, rubs her swollen belly and explains her predicament. She is five months pregnant with twins, and wants to go home to give birth.

ANALYSIS The Philippines is one of the few economies that managed to grow despite a global recession, but poverty reduction remains a challenge for this developing Asian economy.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday there were fewer job openings for jobseekers in Metro Manila despite the slight improvement in the economy over the past months.

I warned, the first time I wrote about this, that EO 839 will create shortages because wholesalers and retailers will try to avert losses. The only way government can indulge in price setting is to subsidize the difference between actual cost and prescribed retail prices.

The unemployment rate in the US rose to 10.2% in October, which was its highest rate since April 1983, according to figures from the US Labor Department.The unemployment rate in the US rose to 10.2% in October, which was its highest rate since April 1983, according to figures from the US Labor Department.

WASHINGTON – US mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said Friday it lost $6.3 billion for shareholders in the third quarter but would not seek any additional bailout funds from the government.WASHINGTON – US mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said Friday it lost $6.3 billion for shareholders in the third quarter but would not seek any…

MANILA, Philippines – The National Geographic Magazine had named the Philippines as “One of 25 Best New Travel Destinations in the World in 2010” and the country’s ancient cultures, structures and biodiversity were cited as key reasons to visit the archipelago.

MANILA, Philippines—If Filipinos are wondering how government officials and employees become millionaires overnight, buying expensive cars, moving to upscale homes, or taking frequent trips abroad, the answers can be partly found by checking their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).

The President says that as a trained economist, she firmly believes in the sanctity of the free market. And yet she has become the most interventionist leader since the crony days of Marcos.

The respected and world-renowned scientific agency has spoken on a controversy regarding research data, methodology and analysis. Quick, bring in some Catholic bishops to refute it on “moral” grounds.

LEFTIST party-list groups are divided over a dispute at the Hacienda Luisita, the candidacy of Senator Benigno Aquino III, one of its owners, and the future of agrarian reform.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has issued guidelines stating that any business, firm or establishment violating any of the provisions of Republic Act 9231 more than three times may be ordered closed by the secretary or the regional directors.

MANILA, Philippines – Armed with P45 billion in investible funds, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the state-owned pension fund, has embarked on a buying spree of select blue chips the past several weeks after unloading the bulk of its investments last year and in 2007.

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipino families consider themselves poor in the past three months, according to a latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

Ace Style Intimate Apparel Ltd. will hire 900 more workers to beef up its workforce for three to six months amid the seasonal surge in demand from the United States for the company’s high-end lingerie.

THE World Bank says the Philippine economy will grow by 1.4 percent this year despite the global economic crisis that pushed many countries into recession, but warns the destruction caused by three recent storms will push more than a million Filipinos into poverty.

An Act Granting Cooperative Member-Workers the Right to Self-Organization,Amending for this Purpose Certain Provisions of Presidential Decree No. 442, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Labor Code of the Philippines Includes “cooperatives” and “cooperative members” in the definition of “employer” and “employee”, respectively in Article 212 (e) and (f) and “cooperatives” in the coverage and…

MANILA, Nov. 4 (PNA) — The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has increased its benefits for normal spontaneous deliveries done in all accredited hospitals and lying-in clinics in the country effective this month.

Can ordinary courts assume jurisdiction over a dispute concerning the terms and conditions of employment under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)? This is the question resolved in this case of Patty and several other female flight attendants-labor union members in an airline company (PAL).

FOLLOWUP: Our Postscript last Tuesday (“Pinoys abroad treated to distorted TV news”) elicited spirited discussion among readers, so I decided to pursue the subject with this borrowed piece on Filipinos being rated in a survey as the world’s 14th happiest people.

MANILA, Philippines – Oil industry sources disclosed yesterday that some oil companies are forced to close several service stations due to losses in revenues caused by the implementation of Executive Order 839 that mandated a freeze of pump prices in Luzon following the devastation of recent typhoons.

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank has upgraded its growth forecast for the Philippines this year, reversing an earlier estimate of a 0.3-percent contraction to an expansion of 1.4 percent, as it noted that an expected global economic recovery would further lift the inflow of remittances, boost exports and encourage consumer spending.

Workers are the primary social and economic force. However, they are the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of stiff competition and volatile economic conditions. When some enterprises go under, the creditors and government are the first to get their claims against bankrupt businesses.

creasingly global epidemic, plaguing more people in developing countries where mortality rates are higher and many lack access to care, US researchers warned Monday.

MANILA, Philippines—Former Dubai-based bus driver Lisandro feels less awkward despite having been on the road on a passenger seat for over 10 hours. He and 136 male bus drivers have grown accustomed away from the steering wheel since having been stranded in Dubai for three months before coming home April.

WASHINGTON—The fight against acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developing countries is facing a drastic funding shortfall amid rapidly rising treatment and prevention costs during the global financial crisis, experts said Tuesday.

CEBU, Philippines – Two Cebu congressmen have been very vocal about their opposition to the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008, saying they will continue to lobby against the bill in the succeeding sessions of the lower house.

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has urged the Commission on Higher Education to reveal the names of the 177 schools with substandard nursing education so that parents and nursing students may be guided accordingly.