NTUC Blog

I was deeply immersed in preparations for a national conference in the last two weeks and I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I still have tons of emails to wade through, but there is one thing that I needed to get out of the way. So to the many friends and readers…

NEWS ANALYSIS MANILA: The stimulus package of P72 billion pesos or US$1.7 billion was unveiled by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday has been hailed but at the same time belittled by some sectors.

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

“Even the mighty fall, Mom,” my son remarked as he looked out into our garden and saw that the huge traveler’s palm tree that had stood as an imposing presence on our lawn since he was a baby was now lying prostrate on the ground.

A tourist wanders into a back-alley antique shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Picking through the objects on display, he discovers a detailed, life-sized, bronze sculpture of a rat. The sculpture is so interesting and unique, that he picks it up and asks the shop owner what it costs.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how great the Filipino people were, and how this is what we should sell to the world. Today, I’d like to raise a few points that, if addressed, can ensure that advantage can be turned into wealth gain for everyone.

There are those who were outraged by what I wrote last fortnight about us being shallow. Let me reply by analogy. I like bagoong — salted fish sauce to you out there who are unaware of the food of the poor. I like caviar, too, on those very rare occasions that I am privileged to…

Dear PAO, I want to seek for your advice regarding the situation of my uncle. He has been in the hospital for almost two months. He was rushed there early part of May because he was complaining about pain in his abdomen. There were gallstones found in him; doctors took them out. He recovered after…

I was visited by an old Asian friend who lived here 10 years ago. I was floored by his observation that though we have lots of talented people, as a whole, we continue to be shallow.

Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) rejected as “a stupid idea” the proposal to impose a four-day, 10-hour work week nationwide, both for government and the private sector.

REAL wages in the Philippines have stagnated over the past two decades as the monopolies have been taking advantage of the large supply of job seekers fighting for a few jobs in the country, the Asian Development Bank says in a report.

July 27, 2011, Manila–“There is no other appropriate, fair and meaningful path toward sustainable development than green jobs and decent work”, emphasized Mr. Rafael Mapalo, TUCP’s Director for Education, who presented TUCP’s sustainable development initiatives during the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development’s (PCSD) 1stNational Forum on Countdown to Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development on…

A study by the Asian Development Bank found that the Philippines has one of the highest tax rates in Asia, but the country’s untaxed underground economy is also among the largest in the world.

PEOPLE POWER: This culture of blame, which has become as prevalent as it is pernicious, explains why Filipinos celebrate every time an NPA Sparrow Unit assassinates notoriously corrupt government officials, abusive “matons,” a tyrannical hacendero, or undisciplined military men.

(Reader Luis Olitoquit asked me on Twitter yesterday about a Postscript written some 10 years ago. Digging up my ManilaMail.com archive, I found the piece — “The Religion of Blame” which analyzes our penchant for blaming others for our own failures. I’m rerunning it below for its relevance to our present state. This item appeared…

THE Social Security System plans to raise membership dues in the next two years in a bid to lengthen the pension fund’s actuarial life and provide better returns to beneficiaries. Emilio de Quiros Jr., SSS president and chief executive officer, said membership dues will be increased by a percentage point in 2013 and every two…

A BOOMING stock market has expanded the Philippines’ billionaires list to a record 11, with the combined wealth of the 40 richest also hitting an all-time high, Forbes.com said on Thursday. Shopping mall king Henry Sy, 86, saw his assets surge 44 percent to $7.2 billion over the past year and remains the Philippines’ richest…

LAST May 24, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) launched the 2nd MAP CSR Leadership Challenge. MAP began the Challenge in 2009 to encourage its members to embrace CSR and go beyond the customary corporate philanthropy that we see. MAP President Felino “Jun” Palafox has explained that the Challenge “aims to promote CSR as…

MARIVELES, Bataan: Six Chinese workers sustained head and body injuries after they allegedly figured in a brawl with other Chinese inside a power plant undergoing construction in Barangay Alas-Asin here.

Minimum wage adjustment determined by the government after public hearings is a major part of Philippine labor welfare policy. The giant leaps in raising the welfare of labor in other countries should be studied to enable us to see the role of wage policy more clearly.

YEARLY in the run-up to Labor Day, various groups representing workers clamor for higher minimum wages. As we saw, the same thing happened recently, and the calls seem to resonate more with the government given the concerns about the President’s falling survey ratings and skyrocketing fuel costs. The pressure to raise wages is a perennial…

At least P500-million in state subsidy for political parties or a total of P3 billion for the six major groups is high on the agenda of a House panel hearing on a bill that seeks to demolish political patronage, influence peddling and turncoatism.

Security guard si Manuel Abasola. Minimum wage earner siya at nagtitiyaga siyang mangupahan dito sa isang napakaliit na kuwarto. Sa P10,000 buwanang sahod, P5,000 lang ang naiuuwi niya dahil sa mga kaltas at utang.

MANILA, Philippines –  Workers in Metro Manila are unlikely to get additional pay. Ciriaco Lagunzad III, National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) executive director, yesterday said they usually dismiss a petition to reverse a wage board’s ruling.

SO many of those who write about the labor movement have such a limited understanding of what it is. Marlen Ronquillo is not one of them. His column which appeared in this section yesterday was an excellent piece on the decline of unionism in the country.

THIS question is by now ancient but it is not for one with 5th grade smarts. You need context to get this one right. Whose phone call did the late strongman Marcos always return even if this particular caller was far, far detached from the political, military and business circles of Marcos? And was neither…

For many of our countrymen, a job that will feed them and their families and provide for a decent roof above their heads is the first step to fighting poverty. And for those who already have jobs, seeking higher wages is the next step to improving their standard of living.

When workers’ income can’t make both ends meet, or when their take home pay can no longer take them home, something’s got to give. Often, the common view takeb by sectors is to increase the wages. This is often a myopic view and usually results in unintended adverse consequences to the intended beneficiaries.

THE Department of Labor and Employment really needs to reinforce the protection of workers against rampant labor-only subcontracting.

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s business process outsourcing industry (BPO) generated revenues of $8.9 billion in 2010, a year-on-year growth of 26%, the industry association reported Wednesday.