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A MOTHER
holds her son clutching a 1-kilo bag of cheap government
rice at the compound of Caritas Manila, the church’s
social-service arm. The government has sought the help of
the Catholic Church to assure the delivery of rice to the
needy as President Arroyo said the global rise in the
price of rice and fuel has strained the pockets of
Filipinos. -- AP |
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Rice
futures rise on RP tenders |
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RICE futures
in Chicago soared for a third day, reaching a record before
tenders by the Philippines to buy 1 million metric tons.
Wheat also gained, while corn and soybeans were lower.
The
Philippines, the world’s biggest rice importer, plans to buy
500,000 tons on May 5, on top of a planned purchase of the
same amount tomorrow, the National Food Authority (NFA)
said. |
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Filipinos waste 25,000 bags of rice a day |
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CABANATUAN
CITY—Rushing home after queuing for several hours to buy a
kilogram of rice at a government outlet here, the bicycle a
boy was riding hit a hump, causing the plastic pack to fall
to the ground with the precious grains thrown all over the
place.
Crying, both
for fear of being scolded and of skipping a meal that day,
the boy scooped with his trembling, tiny hands the scattered
rice back into the plastic bag. |
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Caritas warns vs plan to withdraw rice from market |
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THE head of
Caritas Manila Wednesday rejected the Arroyo
administration’s plan to withdraw rice being sold by the
National Food Authority (NFA) from public markets, saying
the Church would not be able to take the sole responsibility
of distributing the staple to the poor. |
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Population up to 88.57M in 2007 |
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THE
Philippine population continued to increase and is now
pegged at 88.57 million based on the 2007 Census of
Population conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO),
the President said Wednesday.
In
Proclamation 1489, or the Declaration as Official the 2007
Population Count of the
Philippines
by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay as Obtained
from the 2007 Census of Population Conducted by the NSO, the
President said there are 88,574,614 Filipinos as of August
1, 2007, when the survey was conducted. |
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Business lists 4 ways to give workers relief |
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ALTHOUGH
they are willing to grant wage increases, Filipino
businessmen proposed that the relief to be given to workers
“in these extraordinary times” be spread in at least four
sources so the pay raise sought by labor will not fall
entirely on the shoulders of the private sector.
Donald Dee,
chairman emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (PCCI), said that by spreading the economic
reprieve to be given to workers, companies would be spared
from losing their competitiveness further. |
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March BOP posts surplus of $432 million |
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THE
country’s balance of payments (BOP) had a surplus of $432
million in March as a result of higher remittances from
overseas Filipino workers and increasing merchandise
exports. The March BOP brings the surplus to $1.7 billion
for the first quarter.
“Among the
factors behind the $1.7-billion BOP surplus in the first
quarter of 2008 were continued foreign-exchange inflows from
remittances by overseas Filipinos, merchandise exports,
foreign direct investments and investment income of the BSP,”
said Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. |
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MORE STORIES ... |
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RALPH OMAN,
American expert on intellectual-property rights, gestures at
a roundtable discussion at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in
Manila. --ROY
DOMINGO |
