“METRO LAGUNA” is being tapped and promoted by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and aligned agencies to be the next business hub where IT and business process outsourcing companies (BPOs) can thrive.

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas III wants to see more mergers and acquisitions in the local call center industry to widen flow of capital investments.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today clarified that it was not giving P75,000 to victims of the A(H1N1) virus contrary to what the public may have thought.

Professor Randy David might be in for a big surprise if he makes good his threat to run for in the second congressional district of Pampanga, whether his opponent would be President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or presidential son and incumbent Rep. Mikey Arroyo.

Last Monday I wrote about the current initiative being pushed at the House of Representatives —a bill to amend the Labor Code. The proposed amendments, however, are objectionable because they are restrictive. Instead of building a nurturing business climate that would in turn create more opportunities for employment, the proposed amendments seek to clamp down…

US chipmaker Intel has reported a better-than-expected net profit of $1bn (£610m) for April to June, excluding a massive European Commission fine.

MANILA, Philippines—Local business leaders and foreign chamber heads are pushing for the prioritization of 12 pieces of legislation when Congress reconvenes for its third session next month.

MANILA – The Philippines has become the least competitive country in the Pacific region, lagging behind its neighbors in economic performance, government efficiency, and infrastructure, the 2009 World Competitiveness Ranking showed.

MANILA, Philippines – Around 1.55 million low-income Filipinos renting homes will get a reprieve from exorbitant rent hikes with President Arroyo’s signing into law of the new rent control law yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board announced yesterday it will reduce the number of buses plying EDSA by 80 percent over five years.

MANILA, Philippines – The executive director of the Bishops Legislators Caucus of the Philippines (BLCP) has described as “completely wishful and fanciful” a claim attributed to Congressman Edcel Lagman saying that 130 congressmen now support the “patently unconstitutional” House Bill 5043, otherwise known as the Reproductive Health bill.

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines  – The military dismissed as baseless the insinuation of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) that “government elements” had a hand in the ambush of a leader of a jeepney drivers’ association in Bicol during the nationwide transport strike last Monday.

Analysts point to low inflation as big factor   The Philippines will likely avoid a recession this year because of remittances, strong consumption, low inflation and interest rates and high liquidity, business analysts said on Tuesday.

Cost of education in the Philippines has been rising at a faster pace than that of food for nearly a decade, hurting the overall quality and performance of Filipino students, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board.

President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday signed into law Republic Act 9653, otherwise known as the Rent Control Act of 2009, which authorizes a one-year moratorium on rent increases in residential units.

The domestic real estate market has already bottomed out during the first quarter of the year as home purchases have already pick ed up, the country’s biggest property developer said Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipinos are supporting the controversial Reproductive Health Bill, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said.

MALDIVES – The Philippines ranked 8th among countries in the world with the most number of casualties due to tropical cyclones and other major disasters last year, according to the 2008 General Assessment Report (GAR) that the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) will launch in Manila next month.

THE global financial crisis has significantly reduced the Filipinos’ working hours this year, the World Bank says.

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FALSE REPORT: The lean season for rice (July to September) has set in, and with it a heightened interest in the cereal and its retail price.

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines  – Police and military operatives are on the lookout for child bombers reportedly being used by the al-Qaida linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to stage bomb attacks while the South Cotabato province is celebrating its 43rd foundation anniversary from July 10 to 18.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has stopped a party-list group from sitting a representative in Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. announced yesterday “real big time” price cuts of P4.75 per liter for gasoline, P3.50 for diesel and P1.50 for kerosene.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine banking system is facing potential drags on its bottomline as the operating environment remains difficult, squeezing banks’ interest rate margins, loan growth decelerating, and the cost of lending rising.

MANILA, Philippines – Over 100 projects involving renewable energy (RE) are now in the pipeline following the passage of the Renewable Energy Act late last year, a Department of Energy (DOE) official said.

MANILA, Philippines – The government decried yesterday the latest assessment of the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) indicating that Filipino workers have low productivity that is why the country’s competitiveness ranking slipped three notches to 43 from 40 last year.

MANILA, Philippines – Treasury bill (T-bill) rates dropped across-the-board during yesterday’s auction on the back of strong investor appetite for government debt papers.

LEGAZPI CITY, PHilippines  – A leader of a jeepney drivers’ group in Bicol was shot and wounded during the nationwide transport strike yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The demand for nurses abroad has started to decline, while opportunities for graduates of technical courses like engineering are on the rise, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.