Stock-market woes. A trader signals “time-out” at the Philippine Stock Exchange trading floor. Tuesday was the fourth-straight day that stocks declined as investors remained cautious of risky currencies amid the bleak projections for the US economy. --NONIE REYES

Despite a decline in the country’s unemployment rate and the subsequent increase in the country’s employment, economists continue to harp on the lack of quality jobs in the country.

The country’s unemployment rate declined to 7.4 percent in January 2008 from 7.8 percent in January 2007, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) Tuesday.

Filipino companies still consider the availability of a skilled work force as the top hindrance for their expansion plans, according to the survey of global accounting and consultancy firm Grant Thornton International Ltd.

In the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), 58 percent of local business leaders said the growth of their business is worst affected by the lack of a skilled work force, making it the biggest challenge for Filipino firms for the second-straight year.

IN light of the continuous increase in world oil prices and local fuel prices, as well, the Department of Energy (DOE) gave the assurance Tuesday that it is closely monitoring and coordinating with local oil companies so that their prices remain reasonable.

SPAM text messages continue to flood cell phones in spite of the P200 penalty for each day, but these penalties seem paltry sums to the bigger operators such that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) plans to raise the fines in the hope it would prevail against these cellular pests, whether phone firms or content providers.

CONSUMER electronics, many do not know, contain a lot of toxic materials like heavy metals, and if disposed of carelessly, may contaminate farm soil and water tables.

Now, the good news is that many of the manufacturers have turned “green” with their cellular phones, mobile game consoles, music players, etc., according to environmental advocacy group Greenpeace in a press conference in Makati Tuesday.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) anticipates the inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) totaling $4.2 billion this year, sharply higher than actual FDIs of only $2.9 billion in 2007.

Deputy BSP Governor Diwa Guinigundo said at a briefing on Tuesday these represented commitments by various mining, power firms and manufacturing companies to pursue their investment programs in the Philippines following a year of robust, decades-high growth.

Malacañang said on Tuesday that former President Joseph Estrada is constitutionally barred from seeking the presidency as he had already served one term, the limit set by the 1987 Charter on chief executives.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo said in a statement that Estrada was elected to the presidency in 1998, and is considered to have served one term even if he was ousted by people power just two-and- a-half years into his term.

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He did not pass. Alex Conti, an intelligence officer of the Optical Media Board (OMB), displays an original Microsoft disk at the gate of the AMA Computer School in Caloocan City. Conti and several OMB personnel went to the school to inspect the software being used there, but were barred from the campus by school authorities.  --NONOY LACZA