The President

Surrendered firearms.President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, accompanied by Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, inspects firearms surrendered by communist rebels to the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Davao City on June 18, 2008. Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, was in the President’s group.

CBCP: Address poverty, root cause of conflict in South
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged the government yesterday to address the root cause of conflict in Mindanao, which is poverty, instead of launching an all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Senate President Manuel Villar yesterday said higher unemployment and underemployment rates are beginning to show the effects of fuel hikes and urged government to use its P1.3-trillion budget to create jobs.Villar said higher operating costs have prevented the usual job generators from absorbing new entrants to the labor force. He pointed to a "disconnect" between growth performance of certain sectors and employment rates, "which means that we are having jobless growth." Industrial output, Villar...

Samsung Electronics to build $ 1-B microchip plant in Clark Global giant Samsung Electronics is investing $ 1 billion in a 30-hectare lot in Clark Special Economic Zone after almost a year of intense courtship by the Philippine government to locate its microchip manufacturing facility in the country.

Coke targets lead vs Magnolia Frustrated on its bid to gain the solo lead the last time around, Coca-Cola now goes for a share of the top spot instead and solidify its quest for one of the two outright semifinal berths in the Smart-PBA Fiesta Cup