You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

free counters

Google

Showing posts with label The Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Philippines. Show all posts

Sunday, April 2, 2023

ELEVENTH HOUR — Loss and damage in the context of the climate crisis

 In countries like the Philippines, the climate crisis translates to a debt crisis, as loss and damage continue to drive up the cost of capital and debt to unsustainable levels


In climate negotiations and beyond, “loss and damage” generally refers to the impacts of the climate crisis that transpire despite, or in the absence, of either (1) climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction and management solutions, or (2) the resources of communities to access them.

Loss and damage can result from both rapid-onset climate change impacts (such as typhoons, droughts, and heatwaves), as well as slow-onset changes such as sea level rise, desertification, glacial retreat, land degradation, ocean acidification, and salinization. It pertains to both economic and non-economic losses, including permanent and irreversible losses of lives, properties, livelihoods, culture, and biodiversity, among others.

A recent report estimated that 54 of the world’s climate-vulnerable developing and least-developed countries, which are emitting around five percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions, have lost approximately US$ 525 billion in aggregate dollar terms in the past two decades (2000-2019) because of the climate crisis — about 20 percent of their collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Commissioned by the Vulnerable Twenty (V20), a group of finance ministers from the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the report showed that these countries would be twice as wealthy today were it not for climate change. 

For some, these are merely economic numbers, but for us in the Global South, this means catalogs of more casualties and deaths, of more homeless and jobless people, of more families going back to poverty or falling down the poverty line after every calamity.

The Philippines has been a poster child of severe loss and damage in the past decade.

The 2021 Global Climate Risk Index has ranked the Philippines fourth among countries most affected by climate change from 2000 to 2019. 

In 2013, the world witnessed the unprecedented devastation caused by Supertyphoon Haiyan. At least 6,300 lives were lost and more than P89 billion worth of damages to public and private infrastructure and lands were recorded.

In the years before that, Tropical Storm Ketsana (2009), Parma (2009), Washi (2011), and Bopha (2012) collectively claimed over 3,000 lives in the country, affected more than 10 million Filipinos, and caused economic losses of as much as US$ 5.7 billion.

typhoon.jpeg

Brgy. Salangan in San Miguel, Bulacan still submerged in flood on Sept. 26, 2022 after the onslaught of Supertyphoon Noru (Karding). (Mark Balmores / Manila Bulletin File)

This vicious cycle of loss and damage is still a reality for the Philippines in recent years. 

Just late last year in September, Supertyphoon Noru affected more than 1.5 million people across the country and caused the biggest damage to our agriculture sector — estimated to be at US$ 55 million.

While extreme weather events like these are often reported in mainstream media, climate change impacts that occur without the visual drama of calamities — such as ocean acidification, changes in hydrology, and sea level rise — are slowly bleeding our economies and affecting the livelihoods of our people. They worsen already difficult conditions with our food security, and the management of agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems. 

Given that global warming is set to increase to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels within the decade regardless of greater mitigation actions and more intensified adaptation interventions, our communities stand to bear greater loss and damage in the next few decades.

In countries like the Philippines, the climate crisis translates to a debt crisis, as loss and damage continue to drive up the cost of capital and debt to unsustainable levels.

Our government is already allocating alarmingly significant and growing proportions of our public budgets to cover rapidly growing loss and damage costs. These include the budget needed to rebuild homes, hospitals, and other infrastructure after a supertyphoon ravages the country, to provide shelter, food, and other essential supplies for those who need to be relocated during and after the storm, to distribute emergency cash transfers for communities affected by flooding, drought, and other calamities, and to move people away from inundating coastal communities.
 
Financing loss and damage diminishes our already scarce resources intended to support our critical economic and development strategies in education, public health, nutrition, energy access, and job creation.

Existing climate finance mechanisms, such as the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Least Developed Countries Fund, and Special Climate Change Fund, are focused on climate change adaptation (building resilience against current and future climate change impacts) and mitigation actions (emissions reductions) and do not address the loss and damage finance needs of vulnerable communities.

Addressing loss and damage requires financing beyond developed nations’ current commitments to support emissions reductions and adaptation in developing countries. Failing to do so would mean facing an ever-worsening spiral of further loss and damage, which will impede much-needed investments in climate resilience and low-carbon development.

At the heart of this discourse is climate justice. There is no more blatant display of injustice than making climate-vulnerable countries foot the bill for a problem not of their own making, consequently hindering them to focus on the pursuit of low-carbon development.

This is why countries from the Global South are fighting tooth and nail for the establishment of a distinct funding mechanism that will provide protection against climate risks for as many poor and vulnerable people as possible.

Thankfully, just a few months ago, during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), parties agreed to operationalize a loss and damage fund. This is a big win for us, but we know that it will be a long way to go.

The most contentious issue that would have to be settled before this fund is determining who pays for the funds, how much, and what will be the basis for access, reporting, and financing mechanisms.

While debating on the nitty-gritty of this fund in COP28 later this year, we need to remember that losses and damages are already happening, and they are projected to worsen in the coming years. Loss and damage finance is critical and urgent. Lives are at risk. The future of many communities is at stake.

*** 
About the author: Kristine Galang is currently the Communications Lead of The Climate Reality Project Philippines. Before joining the branch in 2021, she worked as the speechwriter communications focal of the former vice chairperson of the Climate Change Commission. Prior to working in the climate change sphere, she worked at Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office under the Aquino administration as deputy of its media monitoring division.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

What is the geography and climate like in the Philippines?

By: 

Profile photo for Bisaya
Proud Bisaya Ko
Pinoy Podcaster
Lived in Iligan City

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,100 islands situated between the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea in Southeast AsiaThe country is roughly divided into three central geographical regions: Luzon, Visayas, and MindanaoLuzon is the largest island and home to the capital city of Manila, as well as other major cities such as Quezon City, Caloocan, and San JuanThe Visayas region comprises around 7,107 islands and is known for its beautiful beaches and coral reefsMindanao is the southernmost region and home to most of the country's MuslimsThe Philippines has a tropical climate characterised by hot weather and high humidity levelsThe rainy season typically runs from June to October, while the dry season lasts from November to MayTyphoons are also a common occurrence during the rainy season. Despite these challenges, the Philippines is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture. It is also home to some of the most welcoming and hospitable people in the world. Thanks to its natural beauty, diverse landscape, and friendly locals

 , the Philippines is a popular tourist destination for travellers from all over the globe.

Footnotes

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

PH to require eArrival card for airline passengers starting Nov. 1—Palace

by Betheena Unite, MB

Malacañang announced that the use of electronic arrival (eArrival) card for passengers will be implemented in the country’s airports starting November 1.

OFWs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Ali Vicoy/ MANILA BULLETIN)

The scan-and-go system, the Palace said, will ensure ease of travel for incoming travelers and at the same time, protect the public from Covid-19. 

“Starting November 1 this year, the Bureau of Quarantine will require all inbound travelers to have an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours prior to their departure from their country of origin,” it said in a statement on Monday, Oct. 24.

Arriving travelers should register for an e-Arrival Card prior to their departure via onehealthpass.com.ph or by scanning the QR code indicated in the poster released by the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH issued the advisory as the Bureau of Quarantine transitions from the One Health Pass (OHP) to the eArrival Card to streamline arrival requirements for travelers.

Malacañang further said that the adoption of the eArrival Card will make entry to the Philippines more convenient for travelers as it removes unnecessary information fields present in the previous OHP system. 

Thursday, July 7, 2022

No more lockdowns'


Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA


By Catherine S. Valente  and Red Mendoza, Manila Times


THE Covid-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) has jumped to 9.3 percent, almost double the ideal positivity rate of 5 percent set by the World Health Organization (WHO), but the government is unlikely to implement community lockdowns despite the sharp rise in cases.

The country's positivity rate also increased to 6.8 percent in the week of June 28 to July 3.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday said that lockdowns are no longer needed because the majority of Filipinos have been inoculated against Covid-19.

"I think no country now, except China, will go into general lockdowns. I think we have now graduated from being pandemic to endemic," Diokno said when asked if the Marcos economic team will adopt the previous administration's policy of not imposing any wide lockdowns.

"We have to live with the virus. Most of us are vaccinated anyway, some of us even have boosters. In fact, that (vaccination) is also key to the 100 percent opening or face-to-face opening of classes. The plan is, it will start opening up by August and then 100 percent by November," he added.

On Wednesday, the Department of Health (DoH) said that Cordillera, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Western Visayas regions also had positivity rates above the 5 percent threshold set by the WHO.

The department, however, said that health care utilization rates remained low, with a 19 percent total bed utilization rate despite an increase in admissions by around 6.7 percent.

The average daily reported cases increased by 55 percent from June 21 to 27 to 1,103 cases per day across the country, as compared to 711 cases reported from June 21 to 27.

In NCR, cases increased by 57 percent to an average of 537 cases per day from June 28 to July 4, while Mindanao provinces have shown a slight uptick.


Monday, June 6, 2022

PH jumps to 33rd place in Nikkei Asia’s latest Covid-19 Recovery Index

by Analou de Vera, Manila Bulletin

Makati CBD skyline

The Philippines was ranked 33rd in the Covid-19 Recovery ranking by Tokyo-based news magazine Nikkei Asia.

Based on its June 3 report, the country made a big jump in this latest ranking as Nikkei Asia said that the Philippines “had occupied last place in the index during 2021” or placed 121st on its recovery index in October last year. Nikkei Asia ranks 121 countries based on its infection management, vaccine rollouts, and social mobility. 

“The higher the ranking, the closer a place is to recovery, characterized by lower infection and death rates, better inoculation coverage, as well as fewer movement restrictions,” said Nikkei Asia.

“Vietnam and the Philippines logged their best performances in Nikkei’s Covid-19 Recovery Index for May, as both countries managed to ease restrictions while keeping infections low,” it also stated.

Nikkei Asia noted the consistent decline in new cases in the Philippines, with low to no confirmed deaths in recent weeks.

It also cited the move of the Philippine government to reopen the country’s borders to fully vaccinated international tourists.

“Domestically, business has largely resumed and the government is encouraging all schools to hold face-to-face classes again this month,” said Nikkei Asia.

Nikkei Asia sourced its figures from Our World in Data, Google Covid-19 Community Mobility Reports, Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker, Cirium, and Nikkei Asia Research.

The Department of Health (DOH) welcomed the result of this latest ranking.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said that “this remarkable recovery reported by independent external observers is being balanced by safety protocols managed by the Department of Health and our partners.”

“The DOH has always been aware that the Covid-19 pandemic response is more marathon than sprint. We are carefully pacing ourselves using the whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach, led by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” said Duque.

Duque also cited the Filipinos’ “diligent” compliance with the minimum public health standards such as wearing of face masks, isolation, vaccination, and ensuring proper ventilation.

He also cited the capabilities of both the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in detecting new variants and subvariants of Covid-19 virus.

“As the current administration ends, we are confident that the next administration and its incoming Secretary of Health will continue or even improve our march to recovery in the new normal,” he added.

Thursday, March 24, 2022

What would you never want to change about the Philippines?

 

Profile photo for Allan Daniel Serrano
Allan Daniel Serrano
Hi! I’m Allan Daniel Serrano, I’m a Filipino with good understanding of our culture, politics, religion, history, geography and everything related to our archipelago and our relationship with neighboring countries and other foreign nations.

My genetic makeup is native Austronesian with a dash of indeginous Papuan of course, plus the bloodlines of the Sangley traders and the Iberian conquerors.

I am nationalistic, but not to the point that I would berate and belittle other countries just to flag my pride, because I’m also globalist. I wouldn’t tolerate any condescending attitude towards my people and my nation.


Thanks for the A2A. The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands that is full of color and contrast. It is considered as the “ Pearl of the Orient Seas,” had once been labeled as “. The Sick Man of Asia,” now bouncing its way to be an economic power again. Its people is one of the most hospitable in the world. Here are some of the things that I never wanted to change about the Philippines:

• Our respect towards the elderly.

Filipinos are very courteous when addressing their grandparents and other people of a much matured age. Whenever visiting our grannies, we bow a little and we place their hands on our foreheads as a sign of respect. The said custom is called pagmamano in Filipino.

Aside from this, we are also constantly using the honorary po/opo whenever we talk to them. It is a sign that they are being honored and respected by the youngsters.

Lastly, we are country that strictly adheres to the concept of Filial Piety. We are expected to give back the same love and sacrifices made by our parents to make our lives better. We are expected to take good care of them till their dying breath. That's why a Filipino who is negligent of his/her parents would receive criticisms from the eyes of the public.

• Spirit of Camaraderie (Bayanihan)

In the early times, whenever a house made of nipa and bamboo are going to be transferred from a rural area to the city or pueblo, every neighboring men in the town would help the owner of the house to carry it until they've reached their destination. This practice is called bayanihan. It bonds the community towards a certain aim and goal and it helps local communities to foster trust and understanding on one another.

This practice may have decreased a bit because houses nowadays are primarily made of permanent materials such as stone and brick. Although the spirit of camaraderie can still be seen amongst us. Whenever there is a calamity or emergency of sorts, always expect someone in the community to extend a helping hand on you.

• Our resilience. Filipinos would seem abnormal and weird in the eyes of foreigners, because it is one of the few countries wherein happiness and contentment can be seen in midst of calamity and poverty. For us, life still goes on, no matter how hard it is. It doesn't matter if we only have a piece of dried fish and salted egg in the table, as long as our families are bonded, we are happy and still have the highest hopes in our hearts. A photograph below shows a Filipino couple who still proceeded with their wedding vows in spite of heavy flooding and volcanic eruption. Pictures below also shows children in the slums posing happily. Only in the Philippines:

• Our lush, verdant fields.

I don't like the idea that the entirety of my country will be transformed into a metropolis and laid with asphalt, with erected concrete matchboxes spread across the archipelago. We don't want the entire Philippines to be like this:

I'm happy that God had blessed our land with fertile farmlands and greeneries. I am hoping it will be preserved by the future generations:

Wide open rice fields of Nueva Ecija, the “ Rice Granary of the Philippines”

Lush, golden rice fields of Quezon Province

Coffee plantation of Amadeo, Cavite, our Coffee Capital

Vast, open corn fields of Isabela Province, “ The Corn Capital of the Philippines”

A scenic photograph of Iloilo's sugar plantations, extending to the horizon.

Vast tracks of Banana plantation in Davao Region

Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, one of the UNESCO heritage sites. This terraces had been curved in the mountainside by our Igorot ancestors, using only their bare hands and very crude tools. If the steps are going to be laid together jointly, it can cover half the surface of our world.

• Lastly, our strong belief in God Almighty:

Filipino Catholic devotees, during the parade of the Black Nazarene

Filipino Evangelicals/Protestants, raising their hands in worship

Chinese Filipinos, lighting incenses inside a Buddhist Temple

Filipina Moslems, gathering in prayer marking the end of Ramadan

Our country had been frequently devastated by natural calamities and troublesome political uprisings. I believe it is our strong dependence in an Almighty that keeps us alive and flourishing in the midst of harsh circumstances.

These are some of the things that I want to be preserved for my country. :)


(C) Quora

Monday, January 17, 2022

Generally optimistic, despite continuing challenges


A GLIMPSE OF PARADISE El Nido, Palawan (File photo)

by Manila Bulletin

Tourism chief sees ‘revenge travel’ manifesting across all markets of the Philippine tourism industry.

 

The annual tourism revenue in 2020 was no doubt higher than the receipts generated the following year since tourists were still able to enter the country from January to mid-March before the lockdown was first imposed in 2020.

But if you compare the figures from April to September of both years covering the pandemic period, the tourism industry this 2021 saw a renewed hope toward a steady recovery path.

Data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed that tourism receipts from April to September 2021 reached ₱3.1 billion, up by 91.6 percent from ₱1.6 billion generated in the same period in 2020.

“The current tourism scenario is looking generally optimistic,” said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. Since the gradual resumption of tourism operations last September, more establishments had reopened and the country saw an uptick in the number of domestic travelers in major tourist destinations.

In Boracay alone, tourism arrivals ballooned by 1,151.61 percent to 173,104 from the 13,830 tourists recorded on the island during the same period in 2021.

The DOT also continued to promote the Philippines as a country that would bank not only on the safety of travelers but also its host communities as it actively and aggressively vaccinated tourism workers nationwide.

As of Dec. 24, 2021, at least 88.38 percent or 282,780 tourism workers had been inoculated against COVID-19, while the remaining 11.62 percent were waiting for their schedule.

‘In the wake of disconnect and economic hardship brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are likely to travel ‘more consciously.’


For 2022, Berna sees “revenge travel” manifesting across all markets of the Philippine tourism industry. In the wake of disconnect and economic hardship brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are likely to travel “more consciously.”

A recent research commissioned by AirBnB showed that over 80 percent of Filipinos it polled seek to travel in a way that positively impacts locals while about 76 percent want to be more conscious when it comes to familiarizing themselves with the host community and how they can make a contribution.

The DOT has vowed to pivot toward sustainable tourism development models, with focus on providing guests with high-quality experiences rather than mass tourism and short-term gains.

With no certain date yet as to when the country will open its borders to foreign leisure travelers, the DOT believes domestic tourists will continue to be the main tourism growth driver in 2022.

The agency will also tap into the growing workation market, seeing that remote work is likely to stay throughout and even after the pandemic.

“The trend was something that came along as a need by employees who worked from home during the pandemic, yet also needed the time to take a break and recover from cabin fever. We are confident that with the increasing prominence of remote work, this trend will linger on even after the pandemic,” Berna said.

Should the Philippines reopen, according to the tourism secretary, foreign tourists can rest assured that health and safety protocols are in place.

“The DOT yields to the wisdom of our health experts and we fully understand the need to protect the health and wellbeing of the rest of the country, especially now that we have started to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

The Philippines was supposed to have ended its almost 21-month closure to foreign tourists on Dec. 1, 2021, but the plan was suspended amid the growing threat of the heavily mutated Omicron coronavirus variant.

This year, the tourism chief is also hoping to successfully host the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit, a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) event seen to boost the Philippine travel sector’s recovery.

“The WTTC Global Summit is widely considered as the most influential event for travel and tourism professionals and stakeholders, and we are making sure that the health and safety of our guests, as well as our staff, are on top of our priority list,” she said.

Meanwhile, the DOT is working on the “rehabilitation and recovery” of several tourist destinations, including Bohol, Camiguin, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Occidental, Palawan, Siargao, and Southern Leyte, affected by last year’s Typhoon Odette.

Berna said the focus was on addressing immediate concerns of affected tourism workers, such as cash-for-work or alternative livelihood programs and the reconstruction of affected facilities of various enterprises.

The agency, through the Tourism Promotions Board, is also facilitating the delivery of relief goods and basic necessities to Cebu, Siargao, Tacloban, Palawan, and Negros Oriental.

Cash donations from tourism stakeholders were also given to affected establishments and DOT Regional Offices. In addition, the DOT is in close coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for financial assistance.

In Siargao, Berna said the DOT together with the Makati Med Foundation would continue with the vaccination program for tourism workers and, at the same time see, to the immediate medical needs of the community.

“We stand behind with our kababayans and our tourism stakeholders from Visayas and Mindanao in these difficult times,” said Berna. (PNA)