This might not be the typical expat blog, written by a German expat, living in the Philippines since 1999. It's different. In English and in German. Check it out! Enjoy reading! Dies mag' nun wirklich nicht der typische Auswandererblog eines Deutschen auf den Philippinen sein. Er soll etwas anders sein. In Englisch und in Deutsch! Viel Spass beim Lesen!
You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?
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!
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Epic Fail in NAIA: Hundreds of Flights Cancelled , Thousands Stranded
Year of resonance for PH athletes
by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar, MB
The Year 2022 proved that last year’s historic campaign at the Tokyo Olympics was not a one-hit wonder.
This year, Filipino athletes continued to leave marks in the elite stage to show they are not done conquering the world.
As expected, Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz bannered the success of Filipino athletes this year after clinching three gold medals at the 2022 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Colombia this December.
A champion to almost all high-end tournaments such as the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, the Asian Championships and the Olympics, Diaz finally captured the elusive world title to complete her golden romp in the elite level.
Her success was somehow an icing on the cake as fellow elite athletes such as gymnast Carlos Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and junior tennis sensation Alex Eala to name a few, also sustained their impressive showing in their respective fields.
Yulo, 22, stamped his class anew at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, England with his silver-medal triumph in vault and bronze in parallel bars.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 27-year-old pole vaulter Obiena, for his part, became the first Filipino athlete to win a medal at the prestigious World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon with a bronze medal while also establishing a new Philippine and Asian record of 5.94 meters.
Eala, meanwhile, made her mark with a historic victory at the US Open Girls Singles – the first Filipino to do so.
Other notable triumphs were equally momentous as well, like karateka Junna Tsukii’s golden effort at the World Games, the national women’s football team’s historic title run at the Asian Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship,
Carlo Paalam’s golden feat at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Jordan, world championship titles for jiu jitsu athletes Meggie Ochoa and Kimberly Anne Custodio, and the World Teams 10-ball Championship crown for cue masters Carlo Biado, Johann Chua and Rubilen Amit, to name a few.
Last year’s significant Tokyo Olympics campaign just showed that Filipino athletes have so much more to offer and give. With more elite tournaments lined up in 2023 leading to the 2024 Paris Olympics, expect them to deliver more.
5.1-magnitude quake hits Surigao del Sur province
Published January 3, 2023, 10:41 AM
by Mike Crismundo
BUTUAN CITY — A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck Surigao del Sur in Northeastern Mindanao (The Caraga Region) on Tuesday morning, Jan. 3, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
In its bulletin, Phivolcs said the tremor was recorded at 6:09 a.m.
The epicenter was plotted 82 kilometers northeast of Hinatuan town, Surigao del Sur province.
The tremor had a shallow depth of only one km, Phivolcs said.
Intensity III was felt at the town proper of Hinatuan and nearby Lingig town of this same province while in its instrumental Intensities, Phivolcs said that intensity one was also registered in southernmost city of Bislig, also of Surigao Del Sur province.
The earthquake was tectonic in origin and the state agency is expecting aftershocks.
As of this writing, no damage nor casualty was reported, the Surigao del Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) there said.
Surigao del Sur Gov. Alexander T. Pimentel already mobilized its rescue team and personnel of PDRRMC to look into the situation of residents in Hinatuan town, neighboring towns, and especially those living along the coastal areas.
More flights cancelled despite full restoration of NAIA air traffic operations
by Aaron Recuenco
At least 48 more domestic and international flights were cancelled on Monday, Jan. 2, as aviation personnel continue to adjust flight schedules following the technical glitch at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) that affected around 65,000 passengers from nearly 300 flights.
In an advisory released on Monday, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the cancellation of some flights scheduled on Monday is part of the effects of the technical issue at the Air Traffic Management Center of the the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Sunday, Jan. 1.
The technical glitch was restored at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday.
For international flights, cancelled flights of the Cebu Pacific were 5J 845 Manila-Dubai , 5J 760 Jakarta-Manila, 5J 502 Kula Lumpur-Manila, 5J 804 Singapore-Manila.
For the Philippine Air Lines (PAL), cancelled international flights were PR538 – Bali (Denpasar)/MNL, PR101/01 – Honolulu/MNL (originally departing from Honolulu on January 1)
and PR113/01 – Los Angeles/MNL (originally departing from Los Angeles on January 1).
Cancelled domestic flights for PAL were:
-PR2808– Davao/MNL,
-PR1809/1810 – MNL/Davao/MNL,
-PR1811/1812 – MNL/Davao/MNL
-PR1841/1842 – MNL/Cebu/MNL
-PR1836 – Cebu/MNL
-PR1867/1868 – MNL/Cebu/MNL
-PR1859 – MNL/Cebu
-PR2781/2782 – MNL/Puerto Princesa/MNL
-PR2921 – MNL/Legazpi
-PR2557 – MNL/Dipolog
-PR2035/2036 – MNL/Caticlan/MNL
For Cebu Pacific, cancelled domestic flights were:
5J 885 Manila-Cotabato
5J 504 Manila-Tuguegarao
5J 891 Manila-Caticlan
5J 625 Manila-Puerto Princesa
5J 6055 Caticlan-Manila
5J 447 Manila-Iloilo
5J 381 Manila-Cagayan de Oro
5J 473 Manila-Bacolod
5J 963 Manila-Davao
5J 785 Manila-Butuan
5J 627 Manila-Dumaguete
5J 451/452 Manila-Iloilo-Manila
5J 383/384 Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila
5J 561/562 Manila-Cebu-Manila
5J 567/568 Manila-Cebu-Manila
5J 619/620 Manila-Tagbilaran-Manila
5J 373/374 Manila-Roxas-Manila
5J 325/326 Manila-Legazpi-Manila
5J 506/507 Manila-Tuguegarao-Manila
5J 655/656 Manila-Tacloban-Manila
5J 703/704 Manila-Dipolog-Manila
5J 895/896 Manila-Caticlan-Manila
5J 951/952 Manila-Davao-Manila
5J 485/486 Manila-Bacolod-Manila
CEBGO (DG)
DG 6113/6114 Manila-Naga-Manila
On the other hand, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport also announced the cancellation of the following flights:
5J562 Cebu-Manila
5J608 Cebu-Clark
PR1836 Cebu-Manila
PR1841 Manila-Cebu
PR1842 Cebu-Manila
71st Miss Universe candidates arrive in the US
by Robert Requintina, MB
Some candidates have arrived in the US for the 71st Miss Universe Competition which will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 14 (Jan. 15, Manila time).
Eighty-five lovely contestants are vying for the title of Miss Universe 2022. Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India will crown her successor at the end of the live telecast.
Miss Philippines Celeste Cortesi has arrived in Los Angeles, California for her final preparations in the upcoming pageant. Before heading to New Orleans, Celeste and her team enjoyed Disneyland in Anaheim. Other candidates also celebrated the new year in the US.
Other candidates who have departed for the US, as reported by Brian Javier in his YouTube, include India, Peru, Iceland, Curacao, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Venezuela, and Thailand.
All the girls are expected to converge in New Orleans beginning Jan. 3-5 for registration and fittings for opening number apparel. On Jan. 6, they will attend the Orientation Day.
On Jan. 11, the girls will take part in the preliminary competition where the judges will select the Top 20 contestants based on swimsuit, evening gown and preliminary interviews. But the semifinalists will be announced during the coronation night.
Prior, the contestants will also participate in the National Costume Competition.
Tickets to the finals of the 71st Miss Universe Competition have been sold out since December, as announced by Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Group, new owner of the Miss Universe Organization, on Facebook.
The Miss Universe Organization has ended its five-year deal with popular American broadcast personality Steve Harvey as it revealed that a female host will be announced for the pageant.
“Among the changes in the move: Steve Harvey, who had hosted for five years as part of the pageant’s deal with Fox (with the exception of 2021, when that pact was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic), also won’t be back. According to Miss Universe Organization CEO Amy Emmerich, a new host — expected to be a female — will be announced in the coming weeks,” read the article for Variety, an international entertainment website.
In October, JKN, a Thai-owned media and content conglomerate, announced the acquisition of the MUO from IMG.
Changes at the Miss Universe continue as organizers will finally allow mothers and wives to compete in the next edition of the pageant.
Presently, the pageant rule states that only single women aged 18 and 28, who have never been married or had children are allowed to apply.
Davao has no incidents of indiscriminate firing
By Ruth Palo, Manila Times
January 3, 2023
DAVAO CITY: Regional police chief BGen. Benjamin Silo Jr. confirmed Monday there were no recorded stray bullet victims or any reported police personnel who fired celebratory shots during the celebration of the New Year.
Silo said no police personnel or even civilians who indiscriminately discharged their service firearm on New Year's Eve.
Silo had earlier ordered all police chiefs in the region to strictly monitor their team members to prevent any such incident.
"For the record, there were no reports of incidents involving indiscriminate firing or injuries due to stray bullets, and no fire injuries or casualties," he said.
Silo, however, reported a slight leg injury from a small firecracker incident in Davao del Sur.
The victim was identified as Adriane Caña Andao, 19, student, and a resident of Tubod, Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
Based on the police report, the victim lit up a pyrotechnic when it suddenly fell towards him and exploded, injuring his right leg.
Silo, meanwhile, said despite the firecracker ban in Davao City, the police have arrested one person and rescued 11 minors for the illegal use of an improvised bamboo canon called "lantaka."
The Davao City Police Office said 98 lantaka and 20 kwitis had been confiscated. There were no firecracker-related incidents recorded since Christmas and New Year.
Silo commended the personnel and the people of the Davao Region for the safe and peaceful celebration of the Yuletide season.
"New Year's Eve was celebrated peacefully and safely with no major incidents," he said.
Silo thanked the public for their cooperation and participation in their efforts to ensure a safe and secure Yuletide celebration through its program "Ligtas Paskuhan at Bagong Taon 2023."
The regional police deployed 1,178 personnel for Ligtas Paskuhan at Bagong Taon 2023.
Airlines mount recovery flights
By Franco Jose C. Baroña and Benjamin L. Vergara
January 3, 2023
CHAOS Passengers wait for their flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after flights were suspended because of a power glitch on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
IT will take at least three days before airlines finish the recovery flights for stranded passengers affected by the power outage that canceled flights to and from Manila on New Year's Day, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Monday.
Although the arrival and departure of passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other airports continued on Monday, it is estimated that it will take 72 hours or 3 days before operations will normalize.
Local airlines said it will take time to fully restore their schedules as they reposition aircraft that had been held back or diverted to other airports and adjust the schedules of flights based on revised clearances in coordination with local authorities.
Bautista said that around 65,000 passengers were affected when the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC), which serves as the facility for controlling and overseeing all inbound and outbound flights and overflights in the Philippine airspace, went down due to power outage, resulting in loss of communication, radio, radar and internet.
Airlines have been asked to operate additional flights or upgrade aircrafts in order to accommodate more passengers.
Bautista said he discussed with Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Cesar Chiong the possibility of operating the runway 24 hours until the recovery flights are over.
"We will also conduct maintenance checks of the runway on a daily basis so we can be sure that our runway is always safe," he said.
Airlines, he added, can use the runway even at night "so their operations will also normalize."
He said two uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) used to provide power to the air traffic management system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) failed, forcing CAAP to tap commercial power which caused a power surge.
"There was a problem with one UPS that was being used. When they switched to the backup UPS there was still a little problem so our technical team made a way to fix it. Unfortunately when they fixed it, the incoming power to our equipment was 300 volts and it had an effect," Bautista said.
He explained that the malfunction could not be avoided because the ATMC system was outdated.
At present, a back-up power supply is being used and officials have procured a replacement power supply that is expected to arrive in 30 days.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expressed hope that the government will release the requested P120 million budget to upgrade the system of the NAIA in Pasay City.
"As early as last year we asked for P120 million for spare parts [of the Air Traffic Management Center]," CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said in a radio interview over DZBB on Monday.
He said that the ATMC will be fully functional in the first quarter of 2023 if the budget is released immediately.
At least 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were affected by the disruption of flights on January 1.
Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said on Monday that all of the affected OFWs were provided assistance for the rebooking of their flights, while some 400 needed help in hotel accommodations.
Food and transportation assistance were also given to the stranded migrant workers.
The DoTr likewise liaised with the airline partners for the provision of food, refreshments, transportation, lodging and accommodation for passengers.
Philippine Airlines on Monday said that 18 domestic and three international flights were cancelled in addition to some delays caused by some flight adjustments.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said it continues to review its operations while AirAsia Philippines has implemented additional flight adjustments through a recovery flight on Jan. 3, 2023.
WITH CHRISTIAN CROW MAGHANOY