Following a letter of inquiry spearheaded by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and co-signed by four other Members of Congress, the World Bank has finalized construction guidance that would drastically decrease the use of asbestos in new construction projects.  The report, originally commissioned in 2006, was technically reviewed in 2008 but stalled awaiting final administrative approval. …

Year after year, the Bicol region (Region 5) is at the bottom, together with ARMM, of the Neda ranking poorest or most underdeveloped region of the country.

The Philippines is not ready yet to adopt a “social market economy” system as it does not have the necessary conditions in place, economists said.

THE Philippines’ ranking as a preferred location for business-process outsourcing (BPO) and call-center operations inched up amid the global financial crisis, but still lagged behind neighboring countries, according to a survey of multinational companies. In its Global Services Location Index 2009, A.T. Kearney said the Philippines climbed from eight to seventh place out of 50…

FOREIGN buying of shares of listed local companies fell sharply in the first four months this year, according to Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

BAGUIO CITY: A communist guerrilla commander who had his brother assassinated for giving up their armed rebellion has been arrested, police said Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has renewed her push for a free trade agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and India to help give Asia a stronger voice in global economic affairs.

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said its zero-growth remittance projection for 2009 is now considered conservative, with inflows growing by 2.7 percent in the first quarter of the year.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has ordered the Department of Education (DepEd) to strictly enforce the policy against the collection of any fees from pre-school up to grade four in public schools.

Brussels, (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC strongly condemns the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s only incarcerated Nobel Prize winner,  which went into its third day today. The only purpose of this mockery of a trial seems to be to make sure she plays no part whatsoever in the upcoming “elections” of 2010.

Brussels, (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC has welcomed news that the text which will guide negotiations up to the December Copenhagen Climate Summit includes a recognition that a “just transition” is needed for workers whose livelihoods are likely to be affected by global efforts to make deep cuts in carbon emissions.

We’re at an all-time low. Today’s voyeur scene is alive and well and overrun by sex videos.There is the Katherine Luna and ex-boyfriend sex video. There are the Hayden Kho and Brazilian, plus celebs, sex videos. And there is the threat of even more sex videos exploding, one of them reportedly involving a young star…

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile disagrees with Chief Justice Reynato Puno’s declaration in Davao City that the country is controlled by oligarchs.

BASEL, Switzerland (AFP) — The financial crisis has forced central banks to take on “significant” risks, raising the issue of what role they should play in safeguarding financial stability, the BIS said Sunday.

SEOUL (AFP)–The worst of the global economic crisis is probably over but any early recovery is unlikely due to massive debts worldwide, Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said Tuesday.

The Department of Finance is pushing for a legislative measure that would create the Philippine Rubber Authority under the Office of the President, the National Tax Research Center (NTRC) said.

MANILA, Philippines – Yields of government’s Treasury bills (T-bills) went up during yesterday’s auction but officials dismissed the slight uptick saying that these movements are insignificant.

MANILA, Philippines – The country recorded a budget surplus of P7.9 billion in April, normally the year’s biggest tax collection month, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – It’s a silent killer that takes the lives of 274,000 women worldwide every year. What’s strange is that the carriers of the disease don’t even know they have it until it’s too late.

We’ve gotten used to taking pills for much that ails us, but these days, the medicine cabinet is looking like a rogue’s gallery. There’s been bad news about the painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx), the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia), and, more recently, the cholesterol-lowering combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin (Vytorin). Problems with hormone therapy and antidepressants have…

MANILA, Philippines – The head of an insurance company that was recently closed by the Muntinlupa City’s Business Permit and License Office (BPLO) said they already settled their differences with workers allegedly complaining about their office.

The Philippine Stock Excvhange (PSE) lauded the results of an annual poll conducted by Hong Kong-based financial publishing giant FinanceAsia which cited a number of publicly-listed firms that are the best managed in the Philippines.

Eleven employees are appealing their alleged illegal dismissal from Klownz Comedy Bar owned by television hosts Allan K (real name Allan Quilantang) and Ai Ai de las Alas (Martina Eileen de las Allas).

CONSUMER complaints against telecom companies last year jumped from a year ago, according to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

TOKYO: The global spread of swine flu could have “notable effects” on the world economy, a senior IMF official said Monday, warning that the economic crisis was far from over.

THIS column is not a consumer complaints section but I’ve been getting a lot of mail (electronic and snail) of the type it’s hard not to give attention to some of them. These people write to perfect strangers like me apparently because they have been ignored by the very companies who are supposed to act…

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The Court of Appeals told workers of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. to take up any wage claims with labor authorities instead of joining the government’s expropriation case against their company.

SOUTHEAST Asian nations should delay eliminating their import duties at the end of the year to shield their economies from the global recession, Trade Secretary Peter Favila said yesterday.

A call center’s employment brand would often rest on its dynamic environment responsive to the needs of the young workforce.