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?
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!
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' bet Yashna Sumir Sharma won as 1st runner-up at Miss Teen Icon International 2025.
Yashna was followed by Sascha Lee Daniel from South Africa, Kanika Kun from Cambodia, Nadya Christy Cinta from Indonesia and Zoe Allué from Spain.
In her Instagram account, Yashna reflected on her pageant journey.
"And just like that, I'm holding a crown after my 3 weeks surreal journey," she wrote.
"When others had months to prepare, I only had 2 weeks before the pageant. Looking back, I feel so grateful for all things to come together with ease. In between fittings, pasarela practice, shoots, I felt so ready!" she declared.
Chrisia Mae Tajarros leaves the pack behind. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
When Chrisia Mae Tajarros initially chased her Olympic dream last year and missed her target, she ran barefoot.
The 13-year-old Eastern Visayas middle-distance runner came back to the Palarong Pambansa 2025 with a vengeance, running to victory in the secondary girls’ 3000-meter race for the first gold medal of the Games—in comfy shoes to boot.
The only thing that would have made her Monday even more perfect was if her barefoot-to-breakthrough story came with a record ending.
“It was a dream to break the record, but coach said it’s fine and I should still be grateful,” Tajarros, the daughter of a fish vendor from Tanauan, Leyte, said in Filipino after crossing the line in 10 minutes and 18.6 seconds.
She broke down in tears after crossing the finish at Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag City, after improving on her silver medal finish in Cebu last year.
Davao region’s Mea Gey Ninura still holds the standard in the event (10:03.4), which she set when she ruled the 2016 edition of the Palaro.
So dominant was Tarrajos among the 28-strong field that her closest pursuer came 30 seconds behind her. Caraga region’s Mary Mae Magbanua (10:48.4) finished second, trailing immediately after Tajarros burst out of the blocks. Nathalei Miguel of host Ilocos region finished third in 10 minutes and 50.4 seconds.
“I trained for a year, all those sacrifices were worth it. I cried even during practice and I used that silver finish last year as motivation to get the gold,” said an emotional Tajarros, adding that she nearly didn’t make the qualification due to muscle pain during the regionals.
The dusky incoming Grade 9 from Tanauan National High School in Leyte has been running after big dreams since picking up the sport.
“I want to be in the Olympics someday and I’m willing to put in the work for me to get there,” said Tajarros, a mainstay of the Leyte Sports Academy under coach Damas Oledan.
Another Diaz shines
Tajarros began training with a pair of track shoes after Cebu last year, but still ran barefoot during the Asean Schools Games in Da Nang, Vietnam, where she finished fourth in the 3000m and 1500m.
“I trained her under intense heat up to 11 in the morning because we knew it was going to be extremely hot here,” said Oledan, who comforted a sobbing Tajarros at the finish line.
Meanwhile, another Olympic hopeful flexed his muscles, quite literally. And he carries a familiar name.
Matthew Diaz lifted 73 kilograms (kg) in the snatch and 93 kgs in the clean and jerk for a personal best 166 kgs to rule the boys’ 48-kg weightlifting contest.
Diaz is the nephew of Hidilyn Diaz Naranjo, the Olympic gold medalist who was present at the sidelines as the tournament director of the demonstration sport.
“Winning this was entirely unexpected,” said the 14-year-old Diaz, the reigning champion in the boys’ 43kg division of the Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy Championships held last November in Puerto Princesa City.
“It was a relief that he got the gold. We were nervous while watching him make those lifts,” said Diaz-Naranjo, who trained her nephew in their facility in Jala-Jala, Rizal.
Other events saw Calabarzon’s Sam Garcia top the elementary girls discus throw (33.97 meters) and Bicol region’s Courtney Jewel Trangia rule the high school girls category with a 36.72m heave.
“Be still and know that I am God,” the first half of Psalms 46:10, is a popular verse used to encourage believers to be still and silent before the Lord. This interpretation promotes a healthy rest in the presence of the Lord.
This command—“Be still…”—is written in a time of trouble and war; therefore, we should consider the verse with that context in mind. The phrase “Be still and know that I am God” calls us to pause and reflect. It reminds us that God is still in control no matter what happens in our lives.
Like many Bible verses, this one is often ripped from its context to declare something not intended in the passage itself. Well-meaning Christians may use this as a consolation in times of worry and frustration – as if God is saying, “relax, I got this.”
In other words: Be still and stop your running to and fro. Slow down. Slow down long enough!
We have been conditioned to feel guilty whenever we are not “productive.” Stillness, even for the purpose of rest or prayer, can feel like wasted time to someone who lives in a world that values wealth, competition, high productivity, full schedules, and general self-importance.
Why is it important to be still? Being still is like replenishing the stores. It allows us time and space. It gives us time and space to self-reflect and actually hear our thoughts.
Yes, we are living in a noisy and hectic world. We also become noisy and hectic, many times. No time for rewinding and turning off the daily din and racket. We all become noisy people and troublemakers. Have you noticed it already?
Making time for moments of stillness can have powerful mental health benefits.
Today, stillness can be hard to come by. There’s just so much going on. So much noise both inside and outside our brains, so many tasks on our to-do lists, and at least several screens within reach.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, stillness is “the quality of being quiet and not moving.”
Moments of stillness are possible even on the busiest of days. They are within our reach whenever we need them.
So many times, our relationships with partners, friends, relatives, work mates and neighbors get cracked.
Be still and know. Slow down long enough to hear God's voice too. There is indeed so much God if we only would slow down long enough to hear His voice. We are so overwhelmed with our earthly desires that all we think of is. Yes, God, I want You to do this for me, and I want it now!
What a fatal attraction! Learn to wait quietly on Him. When you begin to grasp something of our Lord's true greatness, you will be truly amazed.
Team Philippines represented by Joan at the Karate1 Youth League in A Coruña, Spain. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Joan Denise Lumbao proves you can master data and dominate a dojo before turning 21.
At 20, Joan juggles two degrees at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), one in data science and business administration, and the other in management information systems.
She’s also ranked 80th in the world in the under-21 category, and collects gold medals in karate like they’re extra credit.
The Philippine Sports Commission recognized Joan with a special citation at their 2025 All-Women Sports Awards. But behind the medals and modules is a young woman who’s constantly fine-tuning her craft.
Joan Denise Lumbao, at 18, the youngest member of the Philippine National Karate Team
At 4 years old, Joan’s first martial arts inspiration came not from a sensei, but from animation.
“I was 4 when I watched ‘Kung Fu Panda’ with my parents, and I loved it so much, it made me want to learn martial arts. Still my favorite film,” she said.
She finally got her wish at 7 and never looked back. “I stuck to it because I enjoyed it so much. It was fun. Simple as that.”
Unlike the usual parent-push scenario, Joan drove the decision herself. “I asked them to enroll me. I think it’s more common for parents to pick sports for their kids, but that wasn’t the case for me. I’m super thankful they supported me. None of this would’ve been possible without them.”
For her, karate wasn’t just kicks and forms, but a lifestyle philosophy. The mantra of her club, the Association for the Advancement of Karatedo (AAK), “Excellence is a habit,” shaped her work ethic. “That mindset trained me to give 100 percent in everything, even at 7.”
Team AAK before the awarding ceremony at the 2024 Southeast Asian Championships
She applies the same precision to schoolwork that she brings to a sparring match.
“In karate, how you pull your fist or how wide your stance is matters. That attention to detail bleeds into how I study. I don’t just memorize; I experiment. I’m a complete beginner in programming, so I write review files and try different ways to understand code that makes sense for me,” she said.
Lifestyle decisions
Her background in data science also shaped how she makes lifestyle decisions—literally. In her reply, she wrote the Python code for this (translating for newsprint): “If I have sugar at night, my internal code runs: Wake up to pee at 3 a.m. No sugar? Good sleep, good recovery. Simple logic. It’s funny, but coding helps me visualize choices.”
Joan calls BS on the romanticized version of student-athlete life. “Time management is a mindset marathon. If you don’t want to do something, you’re not going to find time for it.”
Her approach is grounded and refreshingly real. “Sometimes the best thing you can do is rest. If I have a test the next morning, I won’t stay up until 1 a.m. If I don’t get it at 11 p.m., I won’t get it two hours later either. So I sleep. Sleep is part of the plan.”
She’s clear about priorities, but she’s not rigid. “I try to be fully present in whatever I’m doing. If I’m in school, I need to absorb what I can; otherwise, I’ll just have to learn it again later. But even then, I can’t forget I’m an athlete. So yeah, no greasy cafeteria food before training.”
Gold medal at the 2024 Southeast Asian Championships held in Bangkok
PE classes
Added Joan, “The idea that we just wake up early, train, go to school, come home late, do homework until midnight, repeat … It’s only half true. What no one talks about is recovery.”
She stressed that recovery isn’t a reward; it’s part of the grind. Sleep and food fuel the wins just as much as training does.
“Also, people think student-athletes get excused from stuff. I’m on the national team. Still, I had to attend PE classes in Poveda like everyone else.”
She credits her academic environment for being part of her success. “I’m lucky. AIM is super supportive of my schedule. My classmates have been the kind who’ll send me notes or help me catch up. That kind of community? It makes a huge difference.”
Joan doesn’t pretend to be superhuman, but she knows where the real limits are. “People think the body gives up first. It doesn’t. Your mind does. As long as I’m still upright and questioning myself, I know I’ve got more reps in me. Doubt means you’ve still got gas in the tank. Because when your body’s really done, you’ll hit the floor. You’ll throw up. That’s your edge. If you’re not there yet, you can still push.”
Lasting friendships built from sports: Joan and Sakura Alforte, Southeast Asian Games 2023 Gold Medalist and Asian Games 2023 Bronze Medalist
And what fuels her in those moments? “I remind myself of the goal. I want to be on that podium, hear the national anthem, and bring home gold. That’s what keeps me going.”
Despite the surprise people express when they find out she’s managing all of this, Joan shrugs it off. “There aren’t really weird assumptions—just people surprised I can manage my time. The double degree shocks them.”
As for what defines success, for Joan, a gold medal isn’t just hardware; it’s proof of all the little right decisions she made. “But to get there, you need to win the small things: sleep early, skip fast food, get your reps in. The medal is just the end product.”
Ten years from now, Joan hopes her younger self has no regrets. “I want to be able to look back and say, that was fun. I hope I made Filipinos proud. Every time I compete with the flag on my chest, I feel that weight—and it’s an honor.”
Would she change anything? “Nothing. Karate is a journey. It’s physical, but it’s also art. You start with a bow. Then you learn to punch, to block, to kick. Eventually, you go deeper—you study the history, the lineage. It’s a beautiful process of discovery.”
And if you’re thinking of following in her footsteps? “There’s no such thing as ‘too young’ to start. Anyone can do karate. You just have to begin.”
Der Konzern Meta will mithilfe öffentlicher Facebook- und Instagram-Inhalte, seine KI trainieren. Wer das nicht will, sollte jetzt handeln.
Frankfurt – Ab dem 27. Mai 2025 will der Techkonzern Meta alle öffentlich sichtbaren Inhalte auf Facebook und Instagram für das Training seiner Künstlichen-Intelligenz-Systeme, wie etwa Meta AI, verwenden. Dazu zählen unter anderem öffentliche Posts, Kommentare, Fotos, Bildunterschriften, sowie Profilinformationen. Private Inhalte, wie etwa persönliche Nachrichten, sind davon ausgenommen. Darüber informiert Meta in seiner Erläuterung zur Verwendung von Informationen für
Widerspruch gegen Meta KI einlegen: So können Sie Ihre Daten schützen
Wer nicht möchte, dass seine Inhalte für das KI-Training verwendet werden, hat nur noch bis zum 26. Mai Zeit, Widerspruch einzulegen. Facebook und Instagram bieten dafür ein Formular im eingeloggten Bereich an. Nutzerinnen und Nutzer müssen eine E-Mail-Adresse angeben, an die Meta die Bestätigung des Widerspruchs senden kann. Zusätzlich besteht die Möglichkeit, einen Grund für den Widerspruch anzugeben – das ist jedoch freiwillig. Das Formular findet sich in den Einstellungen unter dem Punkt Datenschutzrichtlinie.
Nach dem 26. Mai ist ein Widerspruch zwar weiterhin möglich, gilt dann jedoch nur noch für Inhalte, die nach dem Zeitpunkt des Widerspruchs veröffentlicht werden. Inhalte, die bereits für das KI-Training genutzt wurden, können nicht mehr entfernt werden.
Verbraucherzentrale kritisiert Meta KI scharf: Warnung vor Verstoß gegen Datenschutzrecht
Die Verbraucherzentrale kritisiert Meta für diese Maßnahme und sieht darin einen Verstoß gegen europäisches Datenschutzrecht. In Nordrhein-Westfalen hat der Verein sogar einen Eilantrag auf einstweilige Verfügung gestellt, um das KI-Training mit Nutzerdaten zu stoppen. Das Oberlandesgericht Köln hat den Antrag zwar abgelehnt, doch die Verbraucherzentrale prüft derzeit weitere rechtliche Schritte.
„Mit dem Antrag auf einstweilige Verfügung wollen wir verhindern, dass Meta Fakten schafft, bevor die Rechtslage geklärt ist. Sind die Daten erst einmal für KI verwendet worden, ist ein Rückruf kaum noch möglich“, erklärte Christine Steffen, Datenschutzexpertin der Verbraucherzentrale NRW gegenüber der Tagesschau. Meta weist die Vorwürfe zurück. Meta AI seit März in der EU verfügbar.
Nicht nur Transportmittel oder öffentliche Einrichtungen müssen barrierefrei sein, bald auch Websites. Eine Untersuchung deckt erhebliche Mängel auf.
Kassel – Der 28. Juni ist für Tausende Unternehmen ein wichtiges Datum. Dann müssen ihre Websites vollständig barrierefrei sein. Ist das bis dahin nicht der Fall, drohen ernste Konsequenzen. Eine Untersuchung zeigt, dass noch enormer Nachholbedarf besteht. In Deutschland ist es mit der Barrierefreiheit ohnehin nicht weit her.
Der Telefon- und Bürodienstleister ebuero hat Websites quer durch alle Branchen analysiert: Ärzte, Apotheken, Universitäten, Onlineshops, Stadtverwaltungen, sogar Fußballvereine der Bundesliga, um nur einige zu nennen. Das Ergebnis ist ernüchternd. Nur 6,5 Prozent der untersuchten Seiten erreichten vollständige Barrierefreiheit, wie die ebuero- Studie zeigt.
Tausenden Websites droht Abschaltung – Richtlinie zu Barrierefreiheit nicht umgesetzt
„Eine barrierefreie Website ist kein Luxus, sondern eine Notwendigkeit – für Menschen mit und ohne Einschränkungen. (…) Gleichzeig erfüllt sie rechtliche Vorgaben und zeigt, dass ein Unternehmen Verantwortung übernimmt“, bewertete Laura Keddi, VP Markeng und Customer Success von ebuero AG, das Ergebnis gegenüber IPPEN.MEDIA.
Knapp 30 Prozent erreichten eine hohe, aber nicht vollständige Barrierefreiheit. Zwischen den Branchen sind die Unterschiede teils erheblich. So schnitten Online-Apotheken, E-Mail-Provider und Ärzte am schlechtesten ab. Weitaus besser da stehen Universitäten, Stadtverwaltungen, ÖPNV, Anwälte und Onlineshops.
Webseiten müssen ab Ende Juni 2025 vollständig barrierefrei sein
Betreiber, deren Websites nicht vollständig barrierefrei sind, stehen unter Druck. Ab 28. Juni 2025 gilt die gesetzliche Verpflichtung gemäß EU-Richtlinien und nationalen Vorgaben. So müssen etwa bei Bildern ausreichend beschreibende Alternativtexte angeboten oder die Bedienbarkeit der Webseite mit der Tastatur gewährleistet werden.
Ein Auge darauf haben Marktüberwachungsbehörden, die Nachbesserungen anordnen können. Wer Verstöße gegen die Barrierefreiheit wiederholt ignoriert, riskiert ein hohes Bußgeld. Im schlimmsten Fall droht die Abschaltung der Website. Eine Umstellung wegen einer neuen EU-Richtlinie bekamen zuletzt bereits Kunden von Mobilfunkanbietern zu spüren. (mt)
