The spirit of volunteerism is alive and well, weeks after the devastation wrought by two destructive weather conditions. The volunteers in ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya, for example, came from all age groups and varying backgrounds. Most of them arrived in groups — families, officemates, barkadas, among others — all standing up to bring help or to eagerly send forth ripples of hope to the victims. Having been, for days, exposed to acts of volunteerism in relief operations, this writer lists 10 observations worth sharing: Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Environmentalists yesterday vowed to get to the bottom of the toxic pollution incidents that downed residents of a village in Silang, Cavite, demanding that a hazardous waste treatment company there make a “full disclosure” of what chemicals, and in what quantities, have spilled out to the environment. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Banks continue to pass on to their borrowers the cumulative 200 basis point rate cut implemented by monetary authorities since December last year to boost the economy and check inflation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported over the weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – A labor representative on the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) has said he will seek another wage increase in Western Visayas following the oil price hikes this week. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines—An advocacy group has called on concerned government agencies to draft better provisions that would strengthen the rights of Filipino migrants working in different countries across the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Follow Obama’s lead, states told

UNITED NATIONS, New York, United States—UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday hailed US President Barack Obama’s removal of a decades-old travel ban on HIV-positive visitors, and urged other countries to do the same. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines–While they comprise almost half of the country’s population, children hardly figure in the budget and allocation for their concerns and needs remain measly every year, according to the report of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child. Read the rest of this entry »

CORN and wheat are set for the biggest monthly gain after the US economy returned to growth, boosting optimism about demand for grains as rain delays harvests in the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines—The combined revenues of the country’s 29 largest business process outsourcing (BPO) providers reached almost $2 billion in 2008, said Catanduanes Representative Joseph Santiago Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »