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!
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Showing posts with label Klaus Döring Living in The Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Klaus Döring Living in The Philippines. Show all posts
Alex Eala and Bryan Bagunas, two athletes who have exemplified their talents in their respective sports, have been selected as the country's flag-bearers in the parade of athletes for the opening ceremony of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand on Dec. 9.
Alex Eala and Bryan Bagunas, two athletes who have exemplified their talents in their respective sports, have been chosen as the country's flag-bearers in the parade of athletes for the opening ceremony of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand on Dec. 9.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino made the announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 2, citing the contribution the two athletes have made in Philippine tennis and men's volleyball, respectively.
“Popularity aside, Alex and Bryan have made impacts in the global sports community and that makes them the best choice to carry the flag in the SEA Games,” said Tolentino.
The country has been assigned a 300-member delegation for the parade around the Rajamangala National Stadium in the opening ceremony, but the number could possibly be trimmed to 200 due to the year-long mourning for Queen Sirikit and the Songkhla disaster.
Close to 1,700 Filipino athletes are competing in this year's edition that has 574 events in 50 sports and will now be played in two main hubs—Bangkok and Chonburi—after Songkhla was written off because of massive flooding.
Eala has been one of the country's top sports stars after a phenomenal season that saw her rise from No. 148 early this year to No. 50 -- the highest-ranked ever by any Filipina player in history -- that was highlighted by historic victories in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.
She also became the first Filipina to get past the first round of the US Open.
Bagunas, on the other hand, was the main man of the Alas Pilipinas Men’s Team in the FIVB World Championship last September, spearheading a history victory—over many-time African champion Egypt—in an FIVB competition.
Tolentino said that the choice for flag-bearer or flag-bearers have always been an important task of the POC and the athlete or athletes who have the most impact and inspirational appeal not only to national athletes but to the Filipino youth gain the most premium in the selection.
“It’s about the inspirational appeal, the motivation and hard-work that reaps accomplishment that make an athlete or athletes the best choice for the chore,” Tolentino said.
At the 2023 edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, volleyball star Alyssa Valdez was the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.
Iam turning 31 soon, and at this point, people might tell me that I am about to be dropped from the calendar—that is, because a calendar month only goes up to 31! At this age, I feel “more adult” than I was at 21, so whenever I look at a 21-year-old, especially pictures of myself at that age, I cannot help but think: “They are still so childlike!”
In times long past, we used to have rituals that distinguished the threshold between child and adult. This is called a “rite of passage,” because a person transitions from one status to another. This means that they get more benefits as part of the adult world, but it also means that they have more responsibilities. Around the time a person turns 18 to 21, they can now buy alcohol and cigarettes, enter a casino, and watch R-rated movies.
But they are usually also expected to get a job, pay taxes, get married, and eventually, start a family. They are expected to be able to make clear decisions. Yes, there are benefits, but also responsibilities.
Meaningful life transitions
Many Indigenous cultures around the world still have their own rites of passage, but for urbanized and globalized people, these rituals have become superficial performances of meaningful life transitions. If anything, many Indigenous traditions are at risk of extinction precisely because of how Westernized we are becoming—through influences from Hollywood and our social media feeds!
Religions have been very consistent with these rites. In Catholicism, the Rite of Confirmation that children go through at age 12 is meant to be a meaningful transition from growing up in a Catholic household to actually accepting Catholicism as their personal faith.
But not everyone is Catholic, and not everyone finds Confirmation meaningful. I was raised Catholic, and, sorry, I do not even remember my own Confirmation.
Filipino rites of passage
So it got me thinking: What are some rites of passage we still practice today? What rituals do we actually do in our modern-day lives that most Filipinos are expected to celebrate? (Though this does not mean that every Filipino will go through it the same way, as there might be some societal pressures to do it.)
First, I immediately think of a girl’s debut in the Philippines, which happens when she turns 18. It’s supposed to celebrate the blossoming of a woman, but this might also reinforce old ideas of “femininity” (pagkababae). Of course, it is also an avenue for a family to showcase their wealth. Imagine all the magnificent debuts you have been to, and think about how much one of those costs—sometimes it can be just as expensive as a wedding!
After all, the suppliers and locations are usually the same. In a way, blowing candles on birthdays is a rite of passage, but this just marks the completion of a year. A debut is the clear transition from child to adult.
But even when we agree that 18 is technically a legal adult, older adults know that it is still too young to start engaging in “adult things.” I cannot think of an equivalent of a debut for boys, even when they turn 21, but I do think of tuli (circumcision) as a rite of passage.
When I was much younger, there was a stigma attached to the uncircumcised (supot), implying that they are ignorant about the ways of the world because of their rawness. Being supot is like being an unripe fruit that still has its covering (“supot” is also the term for a plastic bag). But if we think about the mental, physical, and social development of children, the age of circumcision is too young to actually call them a “man,” and yet, older men will say, “Lalaki ka na!”
Markers of maturity
Apart from these two, most Filipinos might consider graduating a rite of passage, whether that is from senior high school or from college. This is probably because we still hold the idea that education is the key to a good life, and most jobs (even those that do not need the complexity of a college degree) still expect applicants to have graduated from college.
After college, the emerging adult begins to navigate the “real world” by joining the workforce and becoming serious tax-paying members of society.
And yet, writing this as a 30-year-old, I still feel like I did not get a true rite of passage. I was too young to find any meaning in tuli or the Rite of Confirmation, and, as a man, I did not get a debut.
Yes, I graduated from university, and I eventually graduated again after completing my master’s degree. But these are just completions of programs, not necessarily markers of maturity. I had to develop in my own way as I navigated the very strange adult world—what we call “adulting,” which sounds like something you are trying to do, not necessarily something you are doing well.
Maybe this is why so many adults are still “isip bata,” and why many men still carry a very childish, “toxic” masculinity. We need serious rituals—events that really mark a level of maturity and allow people to be functioning, responsible members of a larger society.
For now, most of what we have is very kaniya-kaniya. There are barely any more masters to learn from or meaningful guidebooks that can help us survive and thrive. We need better parental figures—or, since we are the new adults, we must take it upon ourselves to be the adults that would have really helped our younger selves.
Published Nov 22, 2025 12:33 pm | Updated Nov 22, 2025 01:55 pm
New biometric immigration eGates set for phased activation in December are already installed at NAIA Terminal 3.
New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) is set to begin the phased activation of new biometric immigration e-Gates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) starting in December, as part of the ongoing effort to streamline and improve passenger processing.
In a statement, NNIC said the e-Gates are powered by Amadeus, a global travel-technology provider, and will be operated by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
They form part of an automated border-control system utilizing passport-scanning and facial-recognition technology aimed at reducing wait times and increasing throughput.
NAIA Terminal 3 Arrival
NAIA Terminal 1 Arrival
NAIA Terminal 1 Arrival
The systems will be deployed in Terminals 1 and 3, NAIA’s international terminals where immigration checks are required. The first phase is scheduled to go live starting December 2025, with full deployment anticipated early next year.
The project is funded by NNIC and supplemented by BI-provided operational components, enabling the e-Gates to be introduced alongside NAIA’s existing upgrade program.
Once activated, NNIC said the system will complement the biometric passenger touchpoints that NNIC has been rolling out across check-in, security screening, and boarding.
“Our goal is to make each part of the airport experience more comfortable for passengers,” NNIC President Ramon S. Ang said. “These e-Gates will help reduce bottlenecks at immigration and support the broader improvements we have been introducing across NAIA.”
NAIA processed over 50 million passengers last year, exceeding its original design capacity. The introduction of automated systems is a key step in ensuring efficient passenger flow as travel volumes continue to increase.
Published Nov 20, 2025 12:01 am | Updated Nov 19, 2025 05:24 pm
Reading is not just a classroom requirement. It is the bedrock of learning, the gateway to knowledge, and the spark that ignites imagination and critical thinking. Every child who learns to read gains the power to understand the world—and the confidence to shape it. Without this skill, everything else in education collapses.
Yet in the Philippines, reading has quietly slipped into the background of daily life. In buses, parks, terminals, or even in the comfort of our homes, it is rare to see someone absorbed in a book or magazine. We scroll endlessly, but seldom read deeply. We absorb fragments of information, but rarely seek understanding. Ask a friend what book they last finished, and the silence that follows is not just awkward—it's alarming.
Because while we look away, a crisis is unfolding.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 18.9 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are classified as functionally illiterate – they can read, write, and compute but struggle with comprehension, regardless of their educational attainment. That is not a statistic—it is a national emergency. Add to that the sobering findings of PISA 2022 and a World Bank study: over 75 percent of Filipino students are low performers in reading, math, science, and creative thinking. And that 91 percent of our 10-year-olds cannot understand age-appropriate text.
These are children sitting in our classrooms, dreaming our dreams for them—yet struggling to read the very words meant to help them succeed.
The government is racing against time. DepEd has rolled out targeted interventions: the Bawat Bata Makababasa program, the nationwide Literacy Remediation Program, and the ARAL initiative. It has called for full and sustained funding to repair the foundations of learning. The Tara, Basa! tutoring program, now benefitting more than 348,000 Filipinos, brings college students into classrooms to rescue struggling readers—while giving the youth a chance to serve and earn. The DSWD is even pushing for legislation to secure the program’s long-term future.
There are bright spots—proof that change is possible. In Norzagaray, Bulacan, a community refused to accept that poor reading outcomes were inevitable. With Project BRIGHT, the town attacked illiteracy head-on. Today, 60.73 percent of their early graders read at grade level, compared to the national average of 47.74 percent. Teachers used play, storytelling, one-on-one tutoring, and consistent monitoring. The local government invested in books, incentives, and materials. They showed what can be achieved when a community believes that every child must—and can—learn to read.
But if we are honest, the problem goes deeper than government programs.
The truth is painful: many Filipino adults do not read either. We cannot expect children to love reading when the adults in their lives do not model that love. A child who never sees a parent pick up a book will grow up thinking books do not matter. And when adults stop reading, they stop growing—intellectually, emotionally, and professionally. We lose our ability to question, to innovate, to dream bigger dreams.
This National Reading Month, we must confront this crisis with courage and conviction. Reading is not the responsibility of teachers alone. It is a collective task—of families, communities, and leaders. Read to your child. Give them books. Bring them to libraries. Ask them what stories they love. And most of all, let them see you reading.
We owe it to our children to build a culture where reading is not a chore but a cherished habit, not an afterthought but a daily act of hope.
If we want a future where Filipino children can dream boldly and achieve fully, we must start with the simplest, most powerful act: Put a book in a child’s hand. And put the love of reading in their heart.
Auf der A45 im Sauerland geriet ein Lkw ins Rutschen und krachte in die Mittelleitplanke
Foto: 7aktuell.de/Marc Gruber
Alexia
Brinkschulte
Meinerzhagen (NRW)/Suhl (Thüringen) – Kalendarisch ist noch Herbst, doch der erste winterliche Schnee bedeckt die Straßen im Land. In der Nacht und am Morgen schlitterten Lkw in die Leitplanken, Autos krachten ineinander und auch bei der Bahn sind Strecken wegen starken Schneefalls dicht.
Im Sauerland (Nordrhein-Westfalen) war die Autobahn 45 bereits in der Nacht schneebedeckt. Polizeisprecher Tobias Boccarius zu BILD: „Es gab einige wetterbedingte Unfälle hier.“ Ein Sattelzug krachte um 0.45 Uhr auf Höhe Meinerzhagen in die Mittelleitplanke und musste abgeschleppt werden. Die linke Spur wurde gesperrt. Der Fahrer aus Hagen blieb unverletzt. Am frühen Morgen gegen 4.40 Uhr rutschte ein Mercedes Sprinter von der Autobahn in einen Graben. Auch er konnte nicht mehr selbstständig weiterfahren.
Idyllisch, aber auch rutschig auf den Straßen! Die Stadt Radevormwald in NRW ist am Donnerstagmorgen eingeschneit
Foto: Gianni Gattus/dpa
Lastwagen kracht in Räumfahrzeug
Im Kreis Calw (Baden-Württemberg) sollte ein Räumfahrzeug die B294 vom Schnee befreien. Ein Lkw geriet auf der Gegenspur ins Schleudern, krachte in den Räumdienst, schleuderte zurück und traf einen weiteren Lastwagen. Die Bundesstraße ist derzeit gesperrt. Wegen der „komplexen Bergung“ dauere die Sperrung für mehrere Stunden an, sagte ein Sprecher der Polizei am Morgen. Fahrer blieben unverletzt. Der Schaden liegt im sechsstelligen Bereich.
Ein Polizist auf der schneebedeckten A45 im Sauerland. Hier gab es mehrere Unfälle
Foto: 7aktuell.de/Marc Gruber
Verletzte bei Frontal-Crash
Auch im Thüringer Wald fielen am späten Mittwochabend innerhalb kurzer Zeit mehrere Zentimeter Schnee. Auf der A73 zwischen Schleusingen und Suhl gerieten mehrere Fahrzeuge ins Schleudern. Bei Buchenberg (Bayern) wurden laut Allgäuer Zeitung zwei Fahrer verletzt, als ihre Autos im Schneematsch frontal zusammenkrachten.
