The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business

By Riza Lozada Despite the country being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the worst forms of child labor exist locally, with the most glaring incidence of violation involving the use of drugs for minors to withstand 16 hours of work in mining areas, based on a European Union-commissioned study.

Saying it wants a “factual, truthful report clear of bias,” the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) has strongly called for an “independent commission to investigate the Maguindanao operation” that led to an alleged “mis-encounter” with Muslim rebels, leaving 44 dead police commandos mobilized to arrest two most wanted terrorists.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said Sunday it “is the duty of the state to give you the full support, equipment and training and not to send you into hopeless operations.”

Lito Gagni /   Special to The Market Monitor Shares of mass-housing developer 8990 Holdings soared more than 30 percent last week mirroring the record close of the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEI), which hit 7,689.91 points, as foreign investors entered the Philippines market in a big way.

Riza Lozada The government, through the Department Of Trade And Industry (DTI), is looking at the standardization of indigenous products to compete in the Asean integrated market.

The government is considering .the use of drones or remote-controlled air vehicles to monitor key projects as a show of determination of the Aquino administration to assure the people that public funds are well spent, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

Economic officials and business leaders believe the country no longer deserves to be branded the “sick man of Asia” after its economy grew more than 6 percent for a third consecutive year.

Foreign trade groups are backing efforts in Congress to open local investment houses to foreign capital. Investment houses are currently among sectors in local business that the Constitution restricts foreign capital to 40 percent at most.

Dean dela Paz / The Next Page For the more discerning and those astutely aware of the intimate connection between the history of Latin American politics and the personal development of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, there must have been a wealth, nay, a virtual treasure trove of teachings, found in every step, discovered in every movement and displayed in every expression …

Alegria A.Imperial / Peregrine Notes Somehow, in this household I once knew, the pall has dissipated. That about which seemed unspoken has been unraveled. The frayed ends that dangled have been tied into narratives though once in a while, if brushed by a breath, still prompts sobbing which arises from the teenager’s breast of grandmother, now almost 90 years old. …