ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Philippines is virtually selling its Muslim women to work as housemaids in Malaysia. This after Indonesia recently announced a temporary ban on sending domestic helpers to Malaysia after a recent case of maid-abuse.

The Philippine economy will stay afloat in the first half of this year on the back of an improvement in retail sales and government spending, indicating that the state’s full year growth target will be met.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the economic slowdown is taking its toll on bank lending, citing its deceleration in recent months.

Dear PAO, My sister and I were the beneficiaries of my mother’s Social Security System (SSS) pension, as she was not married to my stepfather. When my mother died in 2001, my uncle took care of processing her burial and death benefits because at that time we were still minors. My uncle took my mother’s…

The Philippines’ progress in governance and anti-corruption over the past decade failed to make improvements and was still behind its neighboring countries, the World Bank reported.

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Treasury managed to raise less than two-thirds of its P8.5-billion borrowing target in yesterday’s auction of treasury bills, as it decided to reject some bids due to the high rates sought by banks.

THE claim of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that the Philippines ranks fifth among the circle of countries that either produce or use cocaine, crack, heroin and other illegal drugs apart from shabu is baseless, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Have you ever noticed that looks and a good personality often don’t go hand in hand? Maybe it’s God’s way of compensating. More often than not, if you’re ugly, you’re gifted with a good personality; if you’re blessed with good looks, you’re either a bitch or a jerk; if you have so-so looks, you also…

A Bangko Sentral official said something last Friday that summarizes our problem as a nation. In a crisis, Deputy BSP Governor Diwa Guinigundo said, the country’s best option rests not in exports or consumption activities but in good governance.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino businesses were ranked as the most environment friendly when compared to other countries, based on a survey conducted by the Grant Thornton International Business Report released by audit, tax and business advisory firm Punongbayan & Araullo (P&A).

MANILA, Philippines – How you perceive and use technology at work could reveal your age. In a recent market survey conducted by WorldOne Research they discovered that age plays a big factor in the way professionals today embrace technology at work.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Finance (DOF) expressed support to the proposal to raise the discount rate for senior citizens from the current 20 percent to 30 percent.

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) and the Department of Education (DepEd) have joined hands in promoting the rule of law among Filipino youth through the implementation of the second phase of their joint program, Public Education of the Rule of Law Advancement and Support (Perlas).

The US Congress now holds the key for the eventual revival of the country’s garments and textile industry after a US representative filed a bill that would provide preferential treatment to the local exports using American raw materials that was introduced under Save Our Industries Act of 2009.

As proof that the worst has yet to come in the labor front, multinational lingerie maker Triumph International will cease operations in the country that would result in the layoff of 1,662 local employees.

There is life after call center. And for Shawie Bernaldez, who is currently living her dream, it may not be as financially fulfilling, but it couldn’t be any sweeter.“ I’m currently working as a writer for online publications.” Bernaldez told The Manila Times. “I don’t make as much but being rich isn’t necessarily my goal.…

PHILIPPINE private power plant operators has asked Congress to look into the continued delay in the turnover of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to the private sector.

The Supreme Court (SC) has deferred until next year implementation of the rule on mandatory legal aid service that would require practicing lawyers to render a minimum of 60 hours of free legal aid services to indigent litigants yearly.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines can learn a lot from South Korea’s industrial policy in terms of integrating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into crucial growth areas, said Josef Yap, president of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) during last week’s Philippines-Korea Development Cooperation Forum.

UNITED NATIONS – More than 140 countries agreed Friday on a blueprint for a global response to the world’s worst economic crisis in 70 years, which gives the UN a new role in representing hard-hit developing countries but leaves some demands by rich and poor countries unmet.

MANILA, Philippines—Almost half of the cities and municipalities in the country have not complied with a law requiring them to dispose of their waste properly, data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) showed.

THERE IS, to my mind, needless debate on whether or not the Philippine economy will go into recession this year.

MANILA, Philippines – When it comes to promoting the use of renewable energy, the Philippines is one of the countries leading the way in Asia.

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Big players in the power industry are eyeing to buy out the country’s most viable rural electric cooperatives and the move could compromise the bid to energize remote villages in the next few years, an official of the Electric Consumers Advocacy of the Philippines said.

The Philippines, Southeast Asia’s second-biggest sugar exporter, may increase overseas sales by 18 percent next year, helping narrow the deficit in global supply and likely slowing gains in world prices of the commodity.

FAST-FOOD giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is hoping to sustain its profitability this year despite declining dollar remittances from Filipinos working abroad.

As we were driving along a rugged and steep road in a barangay in Lobo, Batangas at around five o’clock in the afternoon, one day last week, we met school children walking from a public school to their home. We estimated that easily these kids would have to walk at least some three to five…

Strong property sales are often a precursor of economic recovery. The construction phase that follows such sales will lead to a demand for materials such as cement, iron, galvanized sheets, wood panels, nails and copper wirings.

Private companies or employers have a chance to come clean and settle their obligations with the state-run Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig).

A congressional think tank has cautioned lawmakers against crafting a “one-size-fits-all” policy on land ownership by foreign investors.