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.

MANILA, Philippines – Government borrowings soared 130 percent in the first quarter of this year as the budget deficit of the Arroyo administration more than doubled during the review period.

The International Monetary Fund sees remittances from Filipinos working abroad falling 7.5 percent amid a contracting global economy.

THE Philippines’ population growth rate will continue to outpace its Southeast Asian neighbors, according to the World Bank.In its World Development Indicator 2009 Report, the Washington-based lender said the Philippines’ population would grow at an annual average of 1.7 percent until 2015, hitting 101 million by that year.This is faster than Indonesia’s 1 percent, Malaysia’s…

IN a welcome development, highvalue business process out-sourcing (BPO) services provider StarTek is to immediately hire 400 agents to service new voice engagements, substantially beefing up its first facility in the Philippines.

Citibank said it is seeing more opportunities in corporate and consumer banking in the Philippines despite the downscaled forecast in the country’s economic growth.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday forecast a severe global contraction this year, sharply downgrading its already bleak outlook from earlier this year.

The Senate approved Wednesday on second reading the amendment of the eight-year-old Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) “to ease the burden of power consumers, [eliminate] stranded-cost recovery and enhance competition among power industry players.”

MANILA, Philippines – Young children are exposed to too much violence in video games, and educators from a Quezon City-based international school say that anger management should be taught to elementary and high school students to reduce aggression among kids.

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza yesterday issued notices of violations to Manila Water Sewerage System, Maynilad Water and Manila Water for their failure to put up sufficient wastewater treatment facilities.

THE Supreme Court erred in its computation when it added 32 more party-list congressmen, exceeding the 250 limit set by the Constitution on the number of House representatives, House leaders said yesterday.

Why does the ILO promote cooperatives? Hagen Henry: The ILO views cooperatives as important in improving the living and working conditions of women and men globally as well as making essential infrastructure and services available even in areas neglected by the state and investor-driven enterprises. Moreover, values that are at the heart of the cooperative…

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipino children nationwide face the prospect of leaving school and working at a young age due to the prevailing global economic crisis, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The two-day high-level conference among 43 countries in Asia and Europe yesterday came to the conclusion that no country is on track with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) even countries that performed well on poverty alleviation.

MANILA, Philippines – Despite efforts to simplify business processes in the country, the cost of doing business in the Philippines is one of the highest in Southeast Asia and very little protection is given to investors.

MANILA, Philippines – Local industries are divided over the forthcoming full implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) next year wherein tariff rates on all products in the ASEAN region must come down to between zero and five percent.

While we can’t turn back time, we can certainly try to extend it. By eating healthy and keeping your nutrition in check, you’d be surprised at how much better you’ll feel. Your body will thank you for years, as well. We got the 411 from iVillage diet and nutrition expert, Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, about which…

The government cannot stop employers from laying off workers to cushion the impact of the world economic crisis, the labor department said yesterday.