Friday, November 27, 2009

2010, a better year for Filipino workers

2010 A BETTER YEAR FOR FILIPINO WORKERS: The country’s labor force can look forward to a better year in 2010, as 83 percent of companies operating in the Philippines which suffered reverses as a result of the 2009 global economic meltdown have already recovered and are back to normal operations.

This was disclosed Friday by Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque, in an interview with BATAS INTERNET RADIO, at the program “Batas Radio Reports” which is being hosted by me Mondays to Fridays, at 7 to 8 in the morning.

Roque said the same positive forecast is being made by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as far as overseas Filipino workers are concerned.

“While the original estimate was that OFW deployment would increase at around three percent only for 2009 compared to the figures in 2008, we are now seeing a seven percent increase, and this is as of September 2009 only,” he added.

In sum, all of these would mean that there will be more Filipinos who will be employed productively locally and internationally, Roque explained.

-ooo-

INDUSTRIAL PEACE A REALITY IN 2009: Insofar as industrial peace is concerned, 2009 proved to be a banner year for the attainment of peaceful solutions to the problems that cropped up between labor and management, with a strong mediation and conciliation system in place.

Roque told BATAS INTERNET RADIO in the same Friday interview that mediators and conciliators of the department have become very vigilant whenever there is a report of labor dispute reaching the DOLE.

The mediators and conciliators would be at the company premises almost within 24 hours of a reported dispute, mediating and conciliating to find common grounds that would pave the way for an early settlement.

This must be the reason why only 600 notices of strike were filed with the Bureau of Labor Relations of the DOLE as of September 2009, compared to the 700 notices filed as of September 2008.

-ooo-

ESHMAEL’S SMILE, AND MOURNING FOR HIS WIFE AND SLAIN SUPPORTERS: No matter how I looked at the Yahoo! News picture of Buluan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Eshmael Mangudadatu smiling from ear to ear right after he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for the governorship of the province, I couldn’t help but fee that there was something wrong somewhere.

Yes, Eshmael had every reason to smile and smile broadly because he managed to file his COC despite the threats against his life, and because he is now the standard bearer of the party that previously nurtured and carried the rival Ampatuan family to power in Mindanao for more than a decade now.

And yes, Eshmael should smile broadly because the other contender for the governorship of Maguindanao, the one they say was sure to replace his father in the same position, is now locked up in jail, and had been charged for the murder of his wife and other supporters and mediamen who were only covering a media event when they were mercilessly gunned down.

But to show that smile all over the world, in Yahoo! News yet, is something else. It seemed as if the only thing that really mattered to the man was the political position he was aspiring for, never mind that he lost his wife and 56 other supporters in running after it.

-ooo-

ASCENSION OF OUR LORD: The “Ascension of our Lord” is the second “Glorious Mystery” in the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians, and it speaks about the manner by which the Lord Jesus was taken up to heaven after His resurrection.

Only two of the Gospels contain an account of the ascension. The first account is found in Mark, in its Chapter 16, verses 19 and 20, while the second account is found in Luke, in its Chapter 24, verses 50, 51, 52 and 53.

The Gospels of Matthew and John do not have this story, but the Book of Acts, in its Chapter 1, verses 1 to 11, contain a vivid description of how Jesus was “taken up to heaven.”

In Mark, this is how the story is told: “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it.”

In Luke, the ascension is described in this manner: “When he had let them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left and them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

In Acts, the promise of Jesus returning after He was taken to heaven, “in the same way you have seen him go into heaven”, was made.

-30-

No comments:

Post a Comment