The country’s economy shrank in the first three months of the year, marking its fifth straight quarter of recession triggered by a prolonged pandemic. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 4.2 percent in January to March, worse than the...
It has been nearly two years since the labor sector enjoyed prime time attention. That was when President Duterte vetoed the Security of Tenure Act passed by Congress in answer to the clamor for ending “abusive” practices in labor-only contracting – popularly known as "endo" – that was a...
By virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 37 issued by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in 1999, the month of May was declared as the Month of the Ocean (MOO). Perhaps preoccupied by the pressing demands of containing a still-raging pandemic, the government’s current observance of May as the...
Philippine Red Cross joined the celebration of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day last May 8 to honor the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize . IFRC is the world’s largest...
There are countless awards—Entrepreneur of the Year, National Artists, Best Actress, Miss Universe, Asia CEO Awards, the Nobel Prize—but none as widely known that recognizes excellence in perhaps the most essential of duties, parenthood. What price motherhood? It is a labor of love, but it is...
On May 1, we observed Labor Day, an annual holiday in most countries dedicated to championing workers’ rights. In the Philippines, Labor Day this year also marked the centennial of the word “robot” with the launch of the Filipino translation of Rossumovi Universal ni Roboti, better known by...
Not a few have said that his appointment as Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief had been long in coming. As far back as three PNP heads before him, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar had been touted to be the most fit and ripe to become the leader of the country’s 220,000-strong police force until...
At a job summit convened by the task group of the National Economic Recovery Strategy held last Labor Day, the country’s top economic managers rallied business, industry and civil society leaders in adopting a whole-of-society approach to economic recovery. Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Karl...
The Philippines is the leading exporter of nurses worldwide with 85 percent of nurses trained in the Philippines working overseas, mostly in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Migrant nurses contribute approximately $8 billion in remittances to the Philippine economy every...
While restrictive quarantine is still being enforced, the challenges of staying focused and maintaining one’s sense of equanimity persist and intensify. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued some online reminders through its website: “It is normal to feel fearful and anxious during...
This must be the longest countdown held for the Olympics. Originally scheduled in the summer of 2020, the Tokyo Olympics will be held a year later – from July 23 to August 8 this year. Even with the outcome of recent COVID-19 interventions, including widespread vaccinations still uncertain, the...
This year’s Labor Day observance is different from last year. As the government continues to search for the right combination of health and safety protocols that would complement the measures to reopen the economy, the significant contribution of Filipino workers to the overall national welfare...
