Content about Business

MANILA, Philippines (Jan 5, 2012) - Found guilty of contempt for making malicious statements against the court, former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos and his lawyer were slapped a penalty of 10 days imprisonment or a fine of Php2,000.

Signed by Pasay Judge Jesus Mupas before he went on leave in the last week of December, an order cititing Abalos and his lawyer Brigido Dulay for contempt was sent by registered mail to the respondents. Copy of the order was also sent to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Just over two months under new management, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) bared that it has uncovered and neutralized a syndicate that ripped-off a private firm’s multimillion-peso premium payment.

“We’ve already called in the National Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to complete the investigation toward filing the appropriate criminal charges against the culprits,” said Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon, who was designated PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer only last Oct.17.

Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2012

MANILA, Dec. 31, 2011–The crusade for a culture of life is an advocacy of truth, and based on the goings-on in 2011 alone, the pro-life advocacy has covered a lot of ground and, inadvertently, saw much success in promoting the truth.

Though reproductive health (RH) legislation in the Philippines is not new — being proposed, discussed, rejected and resurrected for decades now — 2012 saw significant developments in its promotion as well as in its opposition. The year ended with the RH bill reaching the period of interpellation in both chambers of Congress, heated debates in progress when legislative sessions went on adjournment on the final month of the year. Mass actions such as rallies and prayer vigils to express opposition to the bill happened not just in the country’s capital, but in many other cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Civil society seemed to wake up to the folly of the legislative measure and wanted to be heard loud and clear.

MANILA, Philippines (Dec. 30, 2011) - The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft cases against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo and two former officials in connection with the NBN-ZTE scandal that errupted in 2007.

The NBN-ZTE deal became a by-word that refers to the aborted $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal between her administration and ZTE Corp. of China and was a subject of a senate investigation.

MANILA, Dec. 25, 2011—At least 100 overseas Filipino workers had spent their Christmas in jam-packed temporary shelter provided by the Philippine Government in the Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital city.

Mostly absconders, John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante-Middle East said, these OFWs had run away from their abusive employers, sought the help of the Philippine Embassy, hoping that they could be repatriated immediately. But sad to say, most of them have already stayed at the Bahay Kanlungan for about three to six months now.

CAGAYAN DE ORO City, Dec. 22, 2011—A Jesuit-run institution in Cagayan de Oro City has coordinated its own relief operations to help victims of Typhoon Sendong.

Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan has mobilized its staff, faculty, students and alumni to gather, repack and distribute relief goods for those affected by the flash floods.

MANILA, Philippines (Dec 21, 2011) President Aquino visited the flood-ravaged cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Dumaguete yesterday, declaring a state of national calamity in the aftermath of the devastation caused by tropical storm “Sendong” as a massive relief operation continued.

As thousands of workers search and retrieve decomposing bodies, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has placed the death toll from the storm at close to a thousand, more accurately 998, with an undetermined number still missing, mostly from the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

LEGAZPI CITY (Dec 18, 2011) – The government’s policy of witholding infrastructure spending has taken its toll on thousands of construction workers whose employers are highly dependent on government projects in the Bicol region.

Elizabeth Del Castillo, owner of the Garcia Construction and concurrent vice-president of the Association of Bicol Contractors (ABC), said that 300 government-accredited contractors belonging to their organization that used to employ 6000 workers on aggregate have been forced to lay off 90 percent of their workforce because of scarcity of government infrastructure projects being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) .

MANILA, Philippines (Dec 12, 2011) - With swiftness that suprised many including the senators, congressmen-allies of President Aquino moved yesterday to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona for alleged betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

In a dizzying turn of events, 188 congressmen – almost twice the minimum 95 signatures required for trransmittal to the Senate -  signed an impeachment complaint drafted by the committee on justice, leveling eight charges against Corona.

ANTIPOLO City, Dec. 13, 2011—While it voted “yes” for the Chief Magistrate’s impeachment complaint, Kabataan partylist forewarned his fellow legislators not to make the Impeachment Tribunal against Supreme Court chief justice Renato Corona to be an “Aquino court.”

“The blind support of Chief Justice Renato Corona to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and by extension to the crimes of the latter against the people warrants an impeachment case on the basis of betrayal of public trust. But I stress my vote for Corona’s impeachment with a caveat against Palace machinations to establish an Aquino court,” said Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino in a statement sent to media.