Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo has expressed support to the plan of the Senate to amend the Omnibus Election Code, particularly its provisions on the issue of premature campaigning.

Optical Media Board (OMB) Chairman Edu Manzano yesterday said the approval by the House of Representatives of a bill that protects minors from sexual abuse and exploitation is a major boost to the campaign against child pornography.

With economic hardships driving more students to transfer to public schools or stop schooling altogether, Buhay party-list Rep. Irwin Tieng has filed a bill penalizing school officials who withhold school records until students settle their accounts.

India and the 10-country South East Asian bloc Asean have signed a free trade agreement after more than six years of talks.

The US economy lost 247,000 jobs in July, far fewer than analysts had expected, official figures show.

MANILA, Philippines – A total of 17,486 Filipinos in Hong Kong have registered to vote in next year’s elections as of Aug. 5, the highest turnout worldwide, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) held a send-off lunch for Filipino indigenous peoples (IPs) leaders who left for Geneva, Switzerland last week to participate in the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination hearing on a complaint filed against the Philippine government by the Subanon community. ATM is an advocacy group and a…

Real leaders foster collaboration, encourage communication, push for innovations, advance discussions and consensus and nurture their team. Growing a successful and productive team starts with the leader’s mindset and attitudes. They enjoy work life and become friends in and outside of work.

DAVAO CITY , Philippines   – Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno has ordered the 90-day preventive suspension of a former Davao del Sur police director accused of rape and sexual harassment by four policewomen and the wives of two police officers.

MANILA, Philippines – The economy may grow anywhere from 2.6 percent to 3.6 percent in 2010, the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s universal and commercial banks’ recorded its lowest non-performing loan (NPL) ratio in June, hitting 3.36 percent, the lowest figure since October 2001 when the ratio peaked at 18.81 percent, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) reported yesterday that most college graduates in the country fail to pass licensure examinations.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo signed into law yesterday Republic Act 9710 banning discrimination against women, and recognizing and protecting their rights.

MANILA, Philippines — Close to a thousand Filipinos working abroad registered on Thursday in various posts to allow them to vote in the May 2010 presidential election, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

MANILA, Philippines — Following the signing into law of the Magna Carta of Women by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Philippine National Police is set to meet with other stakeholders to draft the implementing rules to support the law, an official said on Friday.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada yesterday called for the repatriation of 17 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait reportedly not paid by their employer since May this year, leaving them with no money to buy food, thus forcing them to resort to hunting and eating lizards and other stray animals in the Sulaibiya…

I was invited to keynote the First Regional Geographic Information System (GIS) Conference in Baguio City and am sharing with you some of the salient points discussed.

THE World Bank said it will financially support the Philippines’ second economic stimulus package for next year.

Dear PAO, My wife received insulting text messages from her former staff. We are sure of the identity of the ‘texter’ because she gave her number when she was still working with my wife, and we also verified her number with the other employees. I replied to one of the text messages and told her…

The Department of Education (DepEd) faces a tough challenge in implementing its Information and Communications Technology for Education (ICT4E) road map, Secretary Jesli Lapus said on Thursday.

PHILIPPINE retailers on Thursday declared that the “worst is over” for them since they expect moderate growth this year and a possible recovery next year, citing strong overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) remittances and growth in the business process out­sourcing (BPO) and tourism sectors.

MANILA, Philippines – The two international cable systems which carry international broadband and telecommunications connectivity for the country’s two leading telco providers — Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Globe Telecom — have suffered from “multiple cable cuts,” the cause of which is still unknown.

CEBU, Philippines – A 20-year-old miner died after he was hit by falling coal inside a tunnel at the Ibalong Mining Company in barangay Dumalan, Dalaguete the other day.

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According to a new study from the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust and Duke University, sheet metal workers are at increased risk for asbestos-related diseases.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) will infuse social emotional learning (SEL) in the curriculum of public schools to address the emotional quotient (EQ) development of students aside from their intelligence quotient (IQ).

Tomorrow morning, the Senate economic affairs committee will conduct yet another public hearing. This time the subject of the hearing will be the various infomercials airing on television extolling the achievements of various government departments.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has created anti-hunger task forces nationwide to facilitate the implementation of the government’s accelerated hunger mitigation program.

Agencies to speed up, simplify M & A process THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPinas has signed a memorandum of agreement with Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. to speed the process of approving mergers and acquisitions among the banking industry.

Consumers want value-for-money, experts say MANILA, Philippines –The country’s retail industry will improve in the coming months, largely due to steady remittances from overseas Filipino workers, according to industry experts.