12 BUSINESS NEWS PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY September 1 - 15 , 2017
Ottawa – The Honourable Tobias C . Enverga Jr ., Senator from Ontario , will be the lead delegate from Canada as he attends the 38th General Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) Inter- Parliamentary Assembly ( AIPA ), September 14-20 , 2017 . The meetings will be held in Manila , Philippines . Senator Enverga is slated to speak and hold dialogue with the Association of Southeast Asian member countries .
“ It is always an honour to be selected among my colleagues in the Senate and the House of Commons to represent Canada at these kinds of bilateral meetings ,” Senator Enverga said in
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines ( PAL ) has renewed its partnership with Royal Brunei Airlines ( RB ), national carrier of Brunei Darussalam to expand routes in Asia in line with its goal to be a five-star airline .
The code-share arrangements recently signed between the two airlines cover the routes Manila-Bandar Seri
Senator Enverga to represent Canada and address the 38th ASEAN Assembly in Manila
a brief statement . “ This is an important forum for legislators to work towards bringing Canada and ASEAN countries closer together . As a Filipino- Canadian , I am looking forward to being able to discuss areas of importance and current events affecting ASEAN countries , as well as working to strengthen relations between Canada and all attending nations ,” the Senator ended .
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly will bring together parliamentarians from the ten countries in the Southeast Asian region , in addition to twelve observer nations , to
Jobless number picks up
The country ’ s jobless rate inched up by 0.2 percentage points in July versus the previous year ’ s level , translating to a total of 2.37 million people unemployed during the period , data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority ( PSA ) showed .
According to the PSA ’ s latest Labor Force Survey , the unemployment rate in July stood at 5.6 percent . In the same period last year , it was 5.4 percent .
The PSA data also showed the country ’ s employment rate dipped by 0.2 percentage points to 94.4 percent in July 2017 from 94.6 percent during the same period last year .
The National Economic and Development Authority ( NEDA ) attributed the decline in employment to the drop in the labor force , with significant job losses in the agriculture and service sectors .
“ The manufacturing and construction sectors have recorded job growth . But the widespread employment losses in the agriculture and services more than offset these gains ,” said Ernesto Pernia , socioeconomic planning secretary .
Pernia said the agriculture sector recorded the heaviest employment loss , -9.2 percent or 1.03 million employment .
The subsectors in services which recorded employment losses are consistent with the priority establishments and industries being closely watched by the government under the Department of Labor and Employment ’ s Labor Law Compliance System ( LLCS ).
The LLCS is a pro-worker reform started in 2013 to ensure employers ’ compliance with a comprehensive checklist of laws .
“ The recent changes in labor policies regarding contractual workers may have had a perverse effect on firms ’ hiring decision ,” Pernia said .
NEDA however continued to express concern over employment losses recorded in
Begawan and Cebu- Bandar Seri Begawan ( via Manila ). Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital and largest city of Brunei Darussalam
These flights restore the Philippine flag carrier ’ s presence in Brunei since it stopped operations in that country in the 1990s . These flights will provide passengers from Brunei access to PAL ’ s discuss issues of common concern such as ASEAN e c o n o m i c and political integration .
C a n a d a is one of 12 O b s e r v e r Nations that will take part in this event . A Canadian delegation last attended the 34th General Assembly of AIPA in 2013 in Brunei Darussalam .
July 2017 , and vowed to improve employment figures by pushing for reforms anchored on the Philippine Development Plan ( PDP ) 2017-2022 .
“ The overall job market contraction in July followed a trend that began in the first round of the LFS in January this year . But despite this slight contraction , the nation ’ s underemployment dropped to its lowest in more than a decade at 16.3 percent ,” Ernesto Pernia , socioeconomic planning secretary , said .
In July last year , the underemployment rate was 17.3 percent . Employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job , or to have additional job , or to have a new job with longer working hours are considered underemployed .
“ The government is concerned over loss in employment and vows to improve the situation . For one , the Build Build Build program , anchored on the PDP , is expected to open the roads for
Airline returns to Brunei
wide domestic and international network of flights .
The flights also create connectivity between Manila and Brunei as well as Cebu and Brunei . Passengers on these PR / RB code-share flights will be able to continue their journey on connecting flights to RB ’ s Bandar Seri Begawan services , offering a seamless and convenient
more jobs and generate significant activity in the domestic economy ,” Pernia said .
With some of the government ’ s 75 flagship projects commencing soon , around 1.1 million new jobs will be created every year , he said .
Pernia stressed that one way to enhance the impact of the heavy infrastructure spending on the labor market is by tapping the domestic economy ’ s technical and blue-collared workers for the government ’ s infrastructure projects and programs .
He added that , aside from the BBB , the continued implementation of the K-to- 12 program will increase the productivity of the country ’ s future workforce .
Increased access to Technical and Vocational Education Training programs will also help laborers upgrade their skills and find more employment options .
Further , the displaced workers in the education sector will be mitigated by the more vigorous information
product on the route .
“ The codeshare partnership reconnects PAL with the Sultanate of Brunei which is home to close to 20,000 overseas Filipino workers . This renewed partnership with RB also expands our network supporting our vision of becoming a five star airline ,” said Jaime Bautista , PAL president and chief operating dissemination of the K to 12 Adjustment Measure Program of the government .
The PSA data showed that the labor force participation rate ( LFPR ) was lower by 2.6 percentage points , dropping to 60.6 percent in July 2017 .
The decline was attributed to significant downturn in the female labor force participation rate to 45.5 percent for the period from 49.0 percent a year ago .
The number of permanent employment further declined , shedding 663,000 jobs across industries , but more severely in agriculture ( 66 percent ) and services ( 28.4 percent ).
Short-term employment , on the other hand , increased with the bulk of it coming from the industry , particularly in construction and manufacturing .( A . Celis , Malaya )
officer .
Royal Brunei Airlines is PAL ’ s 14th code-share partner and PAL ’ s fourth codeshare partner in South East Asia . Through this partnership , PAL adds another destination to its Asian network .
The code sharing flights between the two airlines was effective starting mid-August 2017 .( Malaya )
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