‘Gov’t beholden to very few who hold RP wealth’ DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Philippines remains in the control of oligarchs because the government is beholden to them, according to Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

Spending more time in the sun could help older people cut their risk of heart disease and diabetes say experts.

The amended guidelines governing the construction of homes for average- and low-income families are now in place, Vice President Noli de Castro said yesterday.

FILIPINO workers sent home a record $1.5 billion in March, up 3.1 percent from a year ago, as demand for overseas labor remained steady despite the global economic crisis, the central bank said yesterday.

PARIS — The International Energy Agency forecast on Thursday a 28-year record annual drop in global oil demand, saying optimism for economic recovery was not yet reviving appetite for the crucial commodity. The agency further trimmed its forecast for 2009, which it estimated at 83.2 million barrels per day (bpd), three percent lower than last…

The phrase “last big push” graphically denotes a woman’s pushing a baby out of her womb. It is, too, the apt title of a forum held in Cebu City pushing for the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill that is pending in the Senate and the House. The initiative was organized by the Democratic Socialist…

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representatives in the Philippines is urging the Department of Health (DoH) to intensify its efforts in improving reproductive and maternal health services in order to reduce the number of mothers dying during pregnancy and childbirth as well as improve the survival rate of newborns in the country.

SUBIC BAY–Deep water ports around the Philippines are fast resembling parking lots as shipping companies caught by the slump in global trade look for places to park their unused vessels.

MANILA, Philippines – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has put on hold its plan to invest the $400 million remaining under its $1-billion Global Investment Program (GIP) in the wake of the global financial turmoil.

Some people succeed in their career, some people don’t. All things being equal, the person with a better attitude is the same person who is liked and this person WILL get the promotions. You cannot succeed alone. You need to earn the respect of your co-workers and you need to earn the admiration of your…

MANILA, Philippines – Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hit a record-high of $1.5 billion in March, bringing the first quarter total to $4.057 billion, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported yesterday.

Rosanna is a 40-year-old social development consultant who has been living with her boyfriend for the last 15 or so odd years. Rosanna shares the realities of living together as a happily unmarried couple.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development have extended P10 billion in official development assistance (ODA) for basic rural infrastructure projects to the Department of Agrarian Reform.

HONG KONG–Dozens of nations were to sign a new treaty Friday to make ship recycling safer, but activists call it a step backwards for the environment and the labourers who carry out the dangerous work.

MANILA, Philippines – Even if the global recession is to extend longer than expected, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) said the Philippines would fare relatively well although the impact on the country’s debt profile could trigger a credit ratings downgrade.

MANILA, Philippines – More jobs await Filipino workers in Singapore, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Portfolio investments or “hot money” registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed a net outflow of $276.1 million in April, reversing a net inflow of $32.2 million in March as investors fled the market after the government admitted overshooting its deficit target amid declining revenues.

MANILA, Philippines – Consumer confidence is higher in the Philippines than other countries with six out of 10 Filipinos saying that there is no significant drop in their personal finances despite the global economic slowdown, according to a survey conducted by AC Nielsen.

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday warned that the dismal human rights record of the Arroyo administration is making the Philippines more unattractive to foreign investments and forcing donor-countries to drastically reduce, if not withdraw, development aid.

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union (EU) is prodding the government to make reproductive health (RH) more accessible to the people.

The Unified Multi-Purpose ID System (UMID) is a step closer to reality as the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), and other proponents of the project formed a technical group to draw up guidelines for the program.

An alliance of churches in the United States has urged the US Congress to withhold additional military funding to the Philippine government until it improves its dismal human rights record.

Affluent Filipino consumers are holding back on spending because of economic uncertainties they anticipate in the next 12 months caused by the financial turmoil, according to Nielsen Company survey.

HONG KONG, China (CNN) — The United Nation’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has gathered this week in the shipping hub of Hong Kong to draw up new rules on ship recycling.

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Huling chance na para mag update ng inyong delinquent housing accounts Sa GSIS Housing Loan Restructuring and Condonation Program, pwede na ninyong i-restructure and inyong delinquent housing loan accounts at a fixed interest rate of only 8% per annum up to a maximum term of 30 years.*

MANILA, Philippines – Thirty-two new party-list lawmakers will get only half of the P70 million yearly allotment for members of the House of Representatives.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has ordered the investigation of reported death squads in Davao City.

MANILA, Philippines – A national identification system is in the offing. The Social Security System (SSS) is leading other government agencies in drawing up guidelines for a unified ID and is starting the bidding for its manufacture.

MANILA, Philippines – Congress wants government to keep a close track of the revenues of the cellular mobile telephone service (CTMS) providers through the installation of a metering device.