MANILA, Philippines – High-level corruption in the Philippines abound while cronyism and influence peddling are rife in business and government, according to a new country report of the Freedom House.

Under Article 282 (b) of the Labor Code, the services of a regular employee may be terminated for gross and habitual negligence. This case of Mat illustrates the meaning of gross negligence and answers the issue of whether an employee can be dismissed for gross negligence even if it is not habitual.

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank is funding a a comprehensive study that will measure PC and Internet penetration in the Philippines.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has signed Department of Education Order 74 nullifying the 35-year-old bilingual directive laid down in the 1970s on English and Filipino as the only languages of instruction. Neither of the languages is the first language (L1) of most Filipinos.

The Philippines can make use of the booming cosmetic surgery industry to bolster government’s campaign to make the country a hub for medical tourism.

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CEBU, Philippines – Five former teachers of Queenship of Mary School located in Lower Calajoan, Minglanilla, Cebu have filed a complaint against the school before the Department of Education alleging that the school has been operating without permit.

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police chief director General Jesus Versoza has ordered an investigation into the alleged abduction and torture of Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo signed into law yesterday Republic Act 9679 strengthening the Home Development Mutual Fund or the Pag-IBIG Fund, making it more responsive to the housing needs of Filipinos, including overseas workers.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported that local pharmaceutical companies are set to voluntarily reduce prices of 23 anti-cancer and other essential drugs.

I have had my doubts about it for years. But I thought the only reason agrarian reform doesn’t seem to be working in this country is the way the law has been crafted by a landlord dominated Congress and implemented by an unimaginative, ineffective and possibly corrupt bureaucracy. After all these years, it is no…

Tuba, Benguet , Philippines   – Two pocket miners were dug out dead from a huge landslide that buried their temporary shelter while pocket mining along Barangay Padcal here.

The senators are right. The government is taking too long to issue the order setting the maximum retail price for most-prescribed drugs as provided in the Cheaper Medicine Law passed by Congress one year ago. After a year, shouldn’t cheaper medicines be available in drugstores by now?

Oversubscription blamed   BACOLOD CITY: The truth behind the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) controversy in Bacolod was finally made clear by Tesda Regional Director Buen Mondejar who said the “hold order” for releasing scholarship vouchers was due to “oversubscription” of beneficiaries nationwide.

The UN Development Program said on Tuesday that it would help the Philippines fight rising HIV infections, which reached record monthly levels for the country this year.

PHUKET: Southeast Asia’s first rights body panders to abusers like Myanmar and is virtually powerless, but remains a “historic” step in the right direction, analysts and activists said.

A weak US currency is expected to put fresh pressure on rice prices just a year after a global supply crunch caused the cereal to rocket above $1,000 a ton, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said.

New York based think tank Global Source said that the Philippines would likely avoid a recession this year but would have a snail’s pace growth through next year.

An Italian judge on Wednesday ordered a Belgian man and a Swiss man to stand trial for alleged negligence leading to hundreds of deaths linked to asbestos plants.

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An international think tank sees the Philippine economy growing 3 percent in 2010, from a 1.8-percent contraction this year when the country suffered from the impact of drastic drop in global trade.

BUTUAN CITY , Philippines   – Education Secretary Jesli Lapus disclosed that the 400,000 public school teachers who would serve in polling centers all over the country during the May 2010 elections need training for the automated polls.

Security problems, corruption, weak government institutions and uneven application of the law continue to undermine the Philippines development potentials, the United States government aid agency’s Philippine strategy report for 2009 to 2013 stated.

With major oil firms again slashing the prices of their fuel products by token 25 centavos per liter, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes yesterday tossed to Congress the issue of whether or not to have a fuel subsidy program that would enable the government to regulate the local petroleum market.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus instructed school officials nationwide to bring some 2.2 million children with disabilities to school in line with the Department of Education (DepEd)’s Education-For-All program.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability in the Philippines. Thousands of Filipinos are living with the effects of stroke. These effects may mean that you must change, relearn or redefine how you live. The goals of rehabilitation are to build strength, capability, and confidence so that you can continue your daily…

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition to the government’s extension of the zero tariff for cement has drawn support from industry, civil society, and the academe.

With no follow through and no major convictions, the efforts of the Arroyo administration to curtail human rights violations are seen as mere palliatives.

MANILA, Philippines – The country incurred a budget deficit of P153.4 billion during the first six months of this year, a sharp 752.2 percent increase from the P18 billion deficit recorded in the same period last year on the back of declining tax collections and accelerated spending amidst the slowing economy.

Expert says companies should look beyond fresh graduates Faced with the problems of shrinking talent pool, high attrition rate, and low recruitment yield, call center companies should tap other types of possible employees to meet industry demands, an expert said.