MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine coffee industry is targetted to attain self sufficiency in the aromatic bean by 2015, enabling the country to save P3.5 billion from annual imports of the bean, following the agreement signed in October 2008 between the Department of Agriculture and the stakeholders in the sector.

MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) yesterday said the number of Filipino nurses who have sought employment in the United States during the first quarter of 2009 has gone down by 10.5 percent.

The question is, who are the marginalized? What groups are considered under-represented? The Constitution says party-list seats shall be filled by election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, “and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.”

COUNTRIES that are migrant destinations should not shut their doors on foreign workers even amid the economic crisis, International Labor Organization’s Senior Economist Gyorgy Sziraczki of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific said at a forum in the SDMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

THE Supreme Court (SC) decision to allow more party-list congressmen to take office might cause more problems than gains, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said on Saturday.

MANILA, Philippines – The slowdown in the country’s growth and overseas sales is not directly related to the global economic crunch but rather the lack of competitiveness that has plagued the different industries for years, a top economist said.

MANILA, Philippines — President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo is steering clear of demands for wage increases as part of the Labor Day celebration next week, Malacañang said on Saturday.

MANILA, Philippines — Not everything in the Philippines is adversely affected by the global financial crisis, which is strangling the economies of the United States and some countries in Europe and Asia.

Draft 4.17.09 Isang mainit na pagbati sa Araw ng Paggawa! Tayong mga manggagawa sa Pilipinas at mga manggagawa overseas ay muling nakikiisa sa mga manggagawa sa buong daigdig sa araw na ito.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes has invited National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) chief Ralph Recto to a conference with local oil players next week to “reconcile any differences in perception as to what prices are ‘reasonable’” when it comes to petroleum products like gasoline and diesel.

The country’s slowing economy was more the result of “deep seated problems” rather than what the government has been insisting as the effects of the global financial crisis, Center for Research and Communication Foundation (CRC) president Dr. Emilio Antonio said.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang disputed the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) zero growth forecast for the Philippines this year for being too conservative and not reflective of the prevailing economic indicators.

MANILA, Philippines – A newly formed movement unveiled yesterday its 10-point criteria in choosing “child-friendly” political candidates for the May 2010 elections.

MANILA, Philippines – The government is neglecting 11 million Filipinos who do not know how to read and write, according to a group of teachers.

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations’ committee on migrant workers has commended the Philippines for its reputation as an international model for best practices in migration policy.

MANILA, Philippines – Amid protests and condemnation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday proclaimed 32 new party-list groups, paving the way for the inclusion of a fourth Arroyo in the House of Representatives.

MANILA, Philippines – More foreign investments entered the Subic Bay Freeport as Japanese firm Hitachi Terminal Mechatronics Philippines Corp. (HTMP) opened a new warehouse while electronics firm Koryo Subic Inc. is undergoing plant expansion.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s top tourist destinations posted higher tourist arrivals in the first quarter of the year despite the prevailing global financial crisis, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported yesterday.

THE developer of high-end Tagaytay Highlands said Friday that it plans to sell non-core assets to boost its capital and pay down its debt. Willy Ng Ocier, Belle Corp. vice chairman said the company would just unload some of its assets this year instead of raising funds through the capital market.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama met top credit card executives Thursday and vowed reforms to purge their industry of abusive rate hikes and fees and to restore “strong” protections for consumers.

LEGAZPI CITY: The corn industry in the country is on the verge of demise. This gloomy scenario will trigger soaring prices of poultry, meat products and other prime commodities in the country if the government will not take action immediately, said engineer Roger Navarro, the president of PhilMaize Federation Inc.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), convening as National Board of Canvassers, on Friday proclaimed 32 party-list groups to occupy congressional seats.

People who are in a hurry oftentimes eat breakfast outside the house to start the day right. Diners spend extra cash to taste new dishes and all-time favorites or to simply treat a family member or friend in a restaurant and savor the gustatory delights the place has to offer to its patrons.

WASHINGTON — Finance chiefs from the G7 powers said on Friday the global economy may be past the worst phase of a recession although recovery was not yet assured, and they pledged to make sure that big financial firms are sound.

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Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes asked Economic Planning chief Ralph Recto to a conference with oil players next week to “reconcile any differences in perception as to what prices are reasonable” when it comes to petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel.

The current happenings in Congress rekindle more intensely the lingering doubt about the usefulness and necessity of having a bicameral legislative body or of having a legislative body at all. Filipinos are again wondering why billions of pesos of their money are being wasted on such a Legislature that has not alleviated poverty in the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has appealed for greater protection of the rights of migrants at the World Conference on Racism in Geneva, Switzerland.

Free trade agreements or FTAs usually strike people, even many businessmen, as unfathomable or disjointed jargon because of its complicated language. Not surprisingly, the very bedrock on which FTAs are founded is in itself very much cause for debate.