MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday said it welcomed the visit of an International Labor Organization mission to probe the country’s compliance with labor rules, noting that the mission would be in consultation with the Philippine government.

MANILA, Philippines – A multi-sectoral group criticized the Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday over its program to reduce class hours in public elementary schools to address the problem of classroom shortage.

MANILA, Philippines – Family planning advocates asked Catholic bishops yesterday to stop “distorting the truth” about the Reproductive Health Bill pending in Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manuel Roxas II debunked yesterday the claims of Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes that a power shortage would occur next year. “I am monitoring the power sector because this is one of the most sensitive parameters for investors,” he said.

MANILA, Philippines – Former socioeconomic planning secretary Ralph Recto appeared yesterday before a court to reaffirm an earlier pronouncement that oil products are overpriced by as much as P8 per liter.

MANILA, Philippines – Strong gold prices have encouraged several mining firms to ramp up production and explore new areas to be able to cash in on the gold bonanza which could last until next year or while the US economy remains in the doldrums.

MANILA, Philippines – The government’s budget deficit swelled to P210 billion as of end-August, only P40 billion shy of the revised fiscal gap ceiling of P250 billion for the whole year and a sharp 561.5-percent increase from the P31.7-billion deficit registered in the same period last year, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported yesterday.

TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES (TUCP) STATEMENT BEFORE THE ILO MISSION, SEPTEMBER 2009 Introduction The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) is signatory to and has ratified ILO Convention 87 in 1948. 2009 Report of the Committee on the Application of Standards I. TUCP appreciates the long standing observations by the Committee…

A NONGOVERNMENT aid agency warned that at least 4.5 million children could die unless world leaders deliver more funds to help developing countries, like the Philippines, fight the growing impact of climate change.

MANILA, Philippines—Defense Secretary Gilberto Toedoro stood pat on his pro-reproductive health bill position, despite fears of losing the support of the church.

DoH gets P250M grant to reduce maternal death MANILA, Philippines—Of the 100,000 mothers giving live birth in the country, 162 die for lack of attending medical professionals and obstetric care, making the country among 68 others where 97 percent of global maternal and child death occur, health officials said on Friday.

The opposition of many porters, dockers, truckers, vendors, informal settlers, migrant workers, and other port community groups  against the implementation of the Manila North Harbor Modernization (MNHMP) is valid and actually stands on good and firm legal grounds.

GENEVA (ILO News) – Employment and social protection measures taken by G20 governments since the economic crisis began will have created or saved an estimated 7 to 11 million jobs in the G20 countries this year, the Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO) said in a communication (Note 1) to be presented to the…

I wrote this in August 2002 when GMA was still new to the job and the promise was high. “When you compare statistics around the region it doesn’t matter what it is, the Philippines is either at or close to the worst.

BUSINESSMEN yesterday opposed a government agency’s proposal to increase the wages of private-sector employees, saying that would further erode the Philippines’ competitiveness.

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FOOD caterers said they are doing well, an indication that Filipinos still engage in parties and celebrate special occasions with families and friends despite the hard times.

Porac residents vow to file class suit against piggery owners of Barangay Santa Cruz, Manibaug Paralaya ANGELES CITY: The Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) has affirmed the studies on Porac piggeries made by the Pinoy Gumising ka Movement (PGKM) that establishes its alleged “adverse effects” on humans.

The country’s investment promotion agencies are expected to post a slight contraction in investment pledges this year, hurting employment generation. In a briefing, Efren Leaño, executive director for Management Services Group of the Board of Investment (BOI), told reporters that it was hard to achieve flat economic growth this year because of the global financial…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked ninth among 12 countries picked as key emerging markets for global investors in 2009, according to new research published by UK Trade & Investment.

MANILA, Philippines — The number of laborers covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBA) in the country has been reduced by more than half in the last five years, a labor organization disclosed today (Sept. 17).

GENEVA – SOME 750,000 sexual predators are constantly prowling the Internet in a bid to gain contact with children, a United Nations report warned on Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines—Insisting on their religious and academic freedoms, Catholic educational institutions are seeking exemption from a provision in the new Magna Carta of Women banning the dismissal of unwed mothers from employment or school.

MANILA, Philippines—Filipinos in the United Kingdom have “generally not been affected” by the ongoing crackdown of UK immigration authorities against so-called illegal migrants, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

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SINGAPORE: Singapore plans to slow its intake of foreigners to ease discontent at home but needs sustained immigration in the long term, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in remarks published Wednesday.

THE success that has been attributed to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) under dynamic chairperson Lilia de Lima can be put down to continuity. In a rare departure for a job that comes as a political appointment, de Lima has held on to the post over three administrations, starting with the tenure of President…

THE recent poll survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showing Noynoy Aquino far ahead of his rivals in the 2010 presidential race may have caused rabid believers in surveys that the Liberal Party standard bearer could well be the next president of the Republic.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it expects investment pledges in the Freeport this year would be flat on the back of the global economic slowdown.

The Philippine mining industry hopes to make a strong comeback next year with as much as two billion dollars in investments as the global financial slump eases, the government said on Wednesday.