MANILA, Philippines – “The country’s brisk tourism activity will secure the future of some three million Filipinos employed in this industry and even increase their number significantly to help tide the nation over the lingering global economic storm.”

MANILA, Philippines – As admitted by Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, agricultural output for the first quarter is showing mixed results with preliminary data gathered by The STAR indicating that while the fisheries sector managed to post a growth of four percent from January to March this year, corn production has posted a negative 2.56…

MANILA, Philippines – The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) is urging for   the country’s voluntary compliance with the Kyoto Protocol.

MANILA, Philippines – The PCs are hanging on marginally better than other products as the global recession mercilessly tears into every industry, including the hi-tech sector.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines may need to spend about $1 billion should it decide to operate a nuclear power facility, an energy official said.

What you don’t know won’t hurt you” is an adage that we’ve all grown up and old with. Not many have challenged this counsel. Is one truly better off in idyllic ignorance, whether on purpose or unintentionally? Conversely, is peace of mind a lost cause for those who are aware, awake and well- informed?

MANILA, Philippines – The operation of the mothballed $2.3-billion Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) will substantially bring down the cost of electricity, Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco said over the weekend.

MANILA, Philippines – A total of 273 Filipina nurses and caregivers left yesterday for Japan as part of an agreement between the Japanese government and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

MANILA, Philippines – Activists from various organizations called on foreign donors yesterday to stop giving military assistance to the Philippines in the wake of the findings of the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extra judicial Killings that President Arroyo failed to make “substantial progress” to stop unexplained killings in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino workers are now getting hired abroad contrary to the government’s claim, the recruitment industry said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines—Hardly anybody believes that our economy will not continue growing this year. That’s good news. Even as Singapore and Thailand have already suffered severe contractions, we are among those in East Asia still expected to grow positively, albeit much more slowly. People may differ on how much they expect the Philippine economy to grow…

Questions were being raised over the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) decision to allow into the country the initial shipment of cement imported from China despite the absence of an official document that would show compliance of the shipment to local quality and safety standards.

The Senate has approved on third and final reading a measure that will strike out vagrancy from the list of petty offenses in the criminal code, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel yesterday assailed Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman for apparent disinterest in extending the lifetime of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) by at least another five years.

The government has parked $3.68 billion equivalent to a tenth of the country’s total foreign exchange reserves as contribution to the $120-billion so-called Asian Monetary Fund (AMF).

The country would have to shell out about half of what it spent for the Bataan nuclear power plant should it decide to revive the shuttered facility.

TALENT, broadly defined is typically a tendency, something a person is born with. Today people no longer see talent as simply intelligent quotient or logical intelligence. Talent now considers multiple intelligences.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women, and mothers are particularly at risk.

GENEVA (AFP/Reuters) — Nine chemicals, including headlice treatment lindane, have been added to a list of poisonous substances that are to be eliminated under the Stockholm Convention, the UN Environment Programme said yesterday.

No matter how many times I told Dado Santos to leave his big sack of recovered recycled drink pouches at the bottom of our steep driveway and we would send down the pick-up to get his heavy sack, no, Dado insisted on carrying that heavy sack up the driveway on his back by himself. He…

Hunger and malnutrition continue to be a national pandemic affecting thousands of school-age Filipino children. One province at a time, Knorr is making a dent in reducing the national malnutrition level among school children through its Makulay ang Buhay ng Batang Pinoy (MBBP) supplementary feeding program.

Malacañang accused human rights groups of being used as fronts for the local communist movement while disputing a new report of United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston stating that human rights violations continue in the country mainly as a result of President Arroyo’s order for the military to neutralize the communist movement in the country.

With many congressmen and senators warning the Commission on Elections commissioners of violating the law in their push to have poll automation nationwide in May 2010 and with the probable delay in the automation system to be set in time for the polls, Comelec is now looking at the possibility of scaling down the scope…

WASHINGTON (Reuters): The US economy is expected to begin growing in the second half of this year, while the jobless rate is expected to peak in the first quarter of 2010, according to a survey of top forecasters released on Sunday.

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MANILA, Philippines –  The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) castigated the Philippines for its failure over the past 20 years to fulfill its obligation of submitting periodic reports on measures undertaken to implement the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and for Congress’ sitting on the Anti-Torture…

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang cried foul yesterday over the statements of UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston on the supposed failure of the Philippine government to implement reforms aimed at addressing the issue of summary executions and other human rights abuses in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has placed 42nd in the rank of places not good for mothers to live in, according to a study by a US-based organization.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos aspiring to work abroad may train their eyes on Libya which is now in need of workers in various fields, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – After the successful “Pondo ng Pinoy,” Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales is setting up “Pondo ng Manggagawa” to help displaced and distressed workers nationwide.