MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank (WB) expects the Philippines to hit “outright recession” this year with domestic production declining by half a percent before recovering to a 2.4-percent growth in 2010 and 4.5 percent in 2011.

NEDA official disputes World Bank warning   The World Bank predicted on Monday that the Philippines was likely to slip into “outright recession” this year because scenarios for recovery of the global economy remained uncertain, but a top Filipino economic manager belittled the warning.

LOCAL medicine makers and distributors expect sales to grow 12 percent this year despite the global financial crisis following the entry of more generics, an official said yesterday.

When Canadians are asked for examples of Canada playing a pivotal role on the world stage, we talk about how our country helped bring about a ban on land mines and create UN peacekeepers.

After delays brought on by A(H1N1), the virus about which a good portion of our student population had kindly thoughts about, particularly for its capacity to grant a reprieve from the onslaught of schooldays, classes on the collegiate level have commenced. Once more, instructors and professors work on syllabi, on course and class objectives and…

MANILA, Philippines – A local waste and pollution watchdog yesterday criticized some waste management companies for undermining the true intent of the Clean Air Act (Republic Act 8749) through what it called “greenwashing.”

MANILA, Philippines – Bank regulators said they expect some deterioration in the asset quality of the banking sector but not to the extent that would pose a systemic risk.

MANILA, Philippines – A businessman expects the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow over two percent this year despite the measly 0.4-percent economic growth in the first quarter.

MANILA, Philippines – The country posted a consolidated public sector surplus of P32.3 billion in 2008 or 0.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), marking the third consecutive yearly surplus for the public sector, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported during the weekend.

“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described Bernie Banton as a “great Australian hero” for his tireless campaigning for justice for asbestos victims. But despite serious warnings from scientists and risk assessors that carbon nanotubes could pose similar risks to asbestos, the Rudd government is refusing to bring in new regulations to ensure we don’t repeat…

The renewable energy industry has grown steadily over the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

MANILA: Nuclear power is emerging as an option key source of “green energy” for most developing Asian countries, in order to stem the spike in greenhouse gas emission which came along way with the region’s economic success, experts who participated in a Manila forum said.

THE energy needs of Asia and the Pacific implies a rising trajectory of carbon dioxide emissions.

TOKYO — Talks to expand the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) are already underway to increase the deployment of Filipino workers and the export of more Philippine products, six months after the free trade agreement took effect, President Arroyo said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Backyard poultry growers are holding back on expansion plans, while big corporate growers such as San Miguel Corp. (SMC) are expanding in the face of the forthcoming implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA).

Japan’s Diet has passed a new measure that would give more protection to Filipino seafarers particularly those deployed in vessels plying the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.

An international group of lawyers, judges, jurists and law students has criticized the Arroyo government for its alleged refusal to seriously investigate human rights abuses and to prosecute State security forces widely perceived to be behind these abuses.

A GROUP of private power-plant operators wants the government to let go of its control over the domestic spot market for electricity.

Dear PAO, I recently resigned from my previous employer after almost 10 years of service because of the delay in my salary increase due to promotion. I was promised that I would be promoted as assistant fleet manager in November 2008. I went through the necessary procedure to earn my promotion that came in March…

I’ve been arguing that the central characteristic of the Philippine state is its continuing weakness, which prevents our political system from delivering development to our patient people until now.

Content providers found to be the cause of vanishing cell phone loads or credits would be heavily penalized by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), an official of the regulator said over the weekend.

HOUSING and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Vice President Noli de Castro said the Philippines is looking to complete the housing backlog of close to 3.8 million, as more potential buyers have been flooding the mass housing market. Majority of the people looking for new houses or condos come from the business process outsourcing…

Dear PAO, Good evening! I would like to ask for legal advice regarding my problem. Someone borrowed money from me three months ago and, until now, he has not paid the amount.

Mobile phone penetration rate in the Philippines will hit 147 percent over the next five years, according to a report by research firm Business Monitor International.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Saturday agreed to receive a high level mission from by the International Labor Organization (ILO) to consult with various stakeholders regarding workers’ freedom and protection from abusive employers.

OPPORTUNITIES abound for integrating climate change in economic policies.

ASIA and the Pacific are at a critical crossroad. In recent decades, rapid development has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty while bringing the region to higher living standards.

CLIMATE change argues for a close integration of mitigation and adaptation plans into development thinking.

RICE production will decline by as much as 75 percent in the Philippines if it is not quick enough to adapt to and put in place safeguards against climate change.The decline starts in 2020, according to a study made by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and released this week during a high level regional meeting…

(Last part)   THE Philippines’ disappointing first-quarter economic performance has shattered the official consensus about the country’s supposed resilience amid the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.Before the shocking admission that it was “teetering into recession,” the country’s economic managers were unanimous in saying four things.