It’s like asbestosis, a dreadful disease that sticks needle-like asbestos into your lungs so you die of cancer early. Companies were taken to court and the claimants won despite that no one knew of or even suspected asbestosis existed in those earlier days (I know since I worked for an asbestos company for nine years).

The House of Representatives has approved a joint resolution with the Senate mandating all government financial institutions, including the Pag-Ibig Fund, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) to suspend for at least three months the payment of loans and interest payments in the wake of the deluge caused by…

An International Labor Organization (ILO) official who headed a recently concluded high-level fact-finding mission to the Philippines on alleged human rights abuses committed against workers, yesterday urged President Arroyo’s government to prove that it does not sanction extra-judicial killings, harassment and disappearances of trade union leaders who are being linked to leftist groups.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday that the global economy is recovering faster than expected — but warned governments against premature withdrawal of stimulus efforts.

MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III topped the latest nationwide survey on the 2010 presidential hopefuls conducted by Makati-based polling firm StratPOLLS Inc.

MANILA, Philippines – Adapting to the impact of global warming in developing countries is set to cost up to $100 billion a year over the next 40 years, according to a new World Bank study.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept its interest rates steady on Thursday, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its economic growth forecast for the country until 2010. Citing the country’s sustained remittance growth and the slow recovery in exports, Dennis Botman, IMF Philippines resident representative, said the country is likely to post growth…

State-run Social Security System (SSS) said Thursday it was offering early renewal of loans to its qualified members as assistance to those who were affected by tropical storm Ondoy.

Recession ruled out; higher growth seen in 2010 MANILA, Philippines – Saying it had underestimated the Philippines’ productivity potential, the International Monetary Fund raised its economic projection for the country to a growth of 1 percent this year, a turnaround from the earlier forecast of a 1-percent contraction.

The Senate has ratified the final version of the Pre-Need Code which seeks to protect plan holders and ensure the viability of an industry that has been weakened by a recent spate of bankruptcies and failures.

MORE than a million state workers may now receive the remaining half of their 13th-month pay following the government’s release of P11 billion for those affected by tropical storm Ondoy, an official said yesterday.

Floodwaters have barely subsided in the eastern part of the metropolis and nearby localities but a garbage crisis already waits around the corner.

MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families cope with the after effects of “Ondoy,” the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is now extending interest-free calamity loans.

MANILA, Philippines – Amid growing concerns on global climate change, the Department of Energy (DOE) is eyeing to make renewable energy sources account for the biggest share in the country’s power generation mix.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s external debt as of end-June declined to $51.8 billion from $52.2 billion recorded in March on the back of repayments by the public and private sector, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

Those who complained that the government did not act fast enough to the floods due to Ondoy are either being captious or deliberately unfair. It’s odious to make comparisons but by most of the standards of disaster management, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) performed creditably.

A man who admitted killing his 59-year-old employer voluntarily surrendered last Tuesday night to policemen assigned to the Plaza Miranda Police Community Precinct last Tuesday night in Quiapo, Manila carrying the head of his victim.

Access to credit among small businesses are largely associated with the level of development of rural banks in their area since most of the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mostly located in the provinces, rely on the services of banks nearest to them.

CEBU, Philippines – Soon solo parents in Cebu City and their children can already avail of a package of benefits from the city government.

MANILA, Philippines – A law that will provide the regulatory framework for real estate investment trusts (REITS) is expected to be signed by the end of the year, allowing the Philippines to take a significant step in recognizing the importance of real estate as an alternative investment instrument.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Likely losses from the financial crisis in the three years to 2010 have been reduced by $600 billion to $3.4 trillion as the world economy grows faster than previously expected, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.       

MANILA, Philippines – Amid growing concerns on global climate change, the Department of Energy (DOE) is eyeing to make renewable energy sources account for the biggest share in the country’s power generation mix.

WASHINGTON – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) said it has suspended all five of its grants to the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) in the Philippines because of misuse of funds.

MANILA, Philippines – Mall owners can collect parking fees from motorists using their premises without violating the law, the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled.

Last Monday I wrote about how utterly unprepared we all were in dealing with major disasters and catastrophes. Our years of experience with other disasters—and we have had our ample share of them from super typhoons to earthquakes and other acts of god— have not made us any wiser.

STATE-RUN pension funds yesterday said they would make billions of pesos available as emergency loans to the victims of storm Ondoy.

The economy may grow slightly slower than forecast this year after storm Ondoy caused flooding and damaged homes and crops, Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said yesterday.

MANILA – The damage brought by tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) ruined the lives and homes of thousands of Filipinos in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

The Philippine economic growth target may be cut this year because of the impact of tropical storm Ondoy and may dampen the Christmas season, experts said Tuesday. Augusto Santos said the economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), may be reduced between 0.7 percent and 1.7 percent this year. He is the acting Socioeconomic…

The 61-page decision dated September 30, 2009 from the Administrative Law Judge on Pacific Beach ruled in favor of workers and the union, including: