Christ empowers us to be apostles

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THAT’S clear when we consider how Christ mandated and empowered his apostles who were sent out two by two and given authority over unclean spirits. (cfr. Mk 6,7) We have to realize that this mandate and empowerment are also given to us who are supposed to continue Christ’s redemptive work till the end of time. 

Obviously, this is done in different ways considering the different circumstances of each one of us. But these mandates and empowerment stand. We need to correspond to this truth about this Christian duty of ours. We may always feel inadequate for the mission given to us, but we should keep our faith strong in the words of Christ. We can hack it.

We just have to know where that true empowerment can really come from. That’s because nowadays, with the plethora of ideologies sprouting all over, there is a lot of confusion and even outright error being propagated in this regard.

True empowerment can only come from God in Christ through the Holy Spirit who now inspires the Church Christ founded on the pillars of the apostles and endowed with powers that assure her of her fidelity till the end of time despite men’s weaknesses, mistakes and sins. Remember Christ saying, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16,18)

In saying this, we are not suggesting, of course, that this claim be simply rammed down our throat. We should just look into history and see how the Church, despite the frailty of those governing it and the enormous challenges and crises it had to face and suffer, has managed to survive up to now. The Church indeed has the authority to convey Christ’s message and Christ himself to us.

That true empowerment can only come from God through Christ as can be gleaned from the following passages in the Bible:

-“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4,13)

-“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph 6,10)

-“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Eph 3,16)

-“The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3,19)

To be sure, this can only happen if we exert effort to identify ourselves with Christ who, for his part, identifies himself with us. In fact, Christ goes all the way by assuming all our sins and conquering them with his death and resurrection. And he offers forgiveness to us.

Like Christ, we have to realize that our power can come only when we are also properly detached from the things of this world. Thus, in his instructions to the apostles, he told them “to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.” (Mk 6,8-9)

Such detachment would help us to be properly focused on our duty and mission as apostles. We know very well how the things of this world can easily spoil us. We should always be wary of this possibility. Thus, we need to constantly check ourselves to see if we are still following Christ’s words.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Is the worst of the pandemic over? We can only hope so!

by Manila Bulletin

News articles and government announcements coming from our neighbors, such as Thailand and Vietnam, paint a rosy prospect for the tourism, hospitality, and retail industries in the coming months. It seems businesses in general couldn’t take any more restrictions and lockdowns, so the best way that their governments have handled the situation is to bring back a sense of normalcy and allow their citizens to adapt to the new normal way of life.

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry, for example, has just proposed easing of COVID-19 curbs in light of the diminishing threat of the Omicron variant. This allowed businesses to open at longer hours and to serve more tourists.

Thailand’s situation is also similar with the Philippines, as our country’s IATF has already placed NCR plus seven other provinces under the less strict Alert Level 2.

The Alert Level 2 classification will be imposed until Feb. 15, 2022. This announcement seemed like a “booster” for the local businesses, a shot of adrenaline to awaken the humdrum state of the economy. Now, malls, restaurants, and hotels are coming up with Valentine’s Day packages and promotions, wooing weary Filipino couples to have some fun in the Month of Hearts. Normally, we wouldn’t mind this but seeing businesses get excited is heartening news, since this also means more Filipinos are employed, more business people are recuperating their losses, and more enterprises would be able to thrive and survive.

The Alert Level 2 decision in NCR, according to the Department of Health (DOH), is due to the fact that there was a decline in new COVID-19 cases and an uptick in vaccination rates, especially with minors being allowed to have a vaccine jab.

With all these positive developments, the question asked by many is this: “Is the worst of the pandemic over?” Judging how some European countries such as the UK, Spain, Germany and Denmark reacted, it seems that their response is “yes,” as they have started the process to downgrade COVID-19 to endemic status. London, for example, now allows its citizens to go out in public without face masks. Denmark completely lifted all health restrictions, including the wearing of masks.

The World Health Organization (WHO), on the other hand, is adamant that these “sudden moves” to reclassify COVID-19 as endemic are not helpful, especially as “many countries still have low vaccination rates and whose unvaccinated citizens are many times more at risk of severe illness and death.”

“Omicron may be less severe,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “but the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading, and hurts the overall response and costs more lives. The virus is still circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable. Countries must remain calm as the next few weeks remain critical.”

Dousing plans for end-of-pandemic celebrations, the WHO chief believes that the pandemic is “nowhere near over and with the growth of Omicron, new variants are likely to emerge.”

Looking at both sides of the coin — businesses calling for more mobility and lesser restrictions; and health experts calling for more caution and lesser freedoms — there seems to be no agreement if the pandemic is already at its end stages. So what do we do? As citizens who have grown weary of the past 22 months with on-and-off lockdowns and erratic imposition of restrictions, will we endure more months or another year of the pandemic? Or should we just go ahead with our lives and try our best to adapt with the new normal situation? Time can only tell.

Anything is possible’: PFF convinced Filipina booters can pull off shocker vs South Korea

Photo from Philippine Football Federation

by Reynald I. Magallon, Manila Bulletin

The Philippine Football Federation wouldn’t be surprised if the national women’s football team pulls off another shocker, this time, against the fancied South Korean squad in the semifinals of the AFC Women’s Asia Cup on Feb. 3 in Pune, India

PFF president Mariano ‘Nonong’ Araneta and secretary general Ed Gastanes both expressed their confidence that the national team can once again defy expectations especially after its historic win over Chinese Taipei on Sunday which allowed the Filipina booters to clinch the country’s very first FIFA World Cup seat.

 

“I think ‘yung adrenaline nila andyan pa so extra fuel yan to play harder and play better and yung confidence nila kasi that they have shown na they can compete with the best teams,” said Araneta during the Philippine Sportswriter Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

“The team has shown and the coaching that we have, I think kaya naman natin makipag compete against South Korea and baka makasilat tayo, malamay mo di ba,” he added.

Gastanes echoed Araneta’s sentiments, saying that the national team has been at the top level of the Asian competition since the 2018 Asian Cup where it fell one victory shy of finally making it to the world stage.

The addition of Coach Allen Stajcic and his crew, along with the team’s intensive preparations keyed the Filipinas’ breakthrough success which wrote a new page in the Philippine football history.

“Some forget that in 2018 Asian Cup, we were number six but five only will go to the World Cup, so 2018 kumakatok na tayo and what we did was to continue the program,” Gastanes recalled.

“Initially we got coach Marlo (Maro) in the Asian Cup qualifiers and then coach Allen and his coaching team, that really helped a lot,” he furthered.

Gastanes also lauded the grit of the Filipina booters in the face of tough challenge, putting up stellar performances against the likes of Thailand and Australia and was later on capped by the dramatic 4-3 win over the Taiwanese in the penalty shootout.

“I see the difference now in the attitude, in the fitness of the players so I will not be surprised if they surprised Korea on February 3. Anything is possible with this team because they are so motivated yet they are humble and they practice hard. Anything is possible.”

OCTA on COVID-19 surge: The 'worst is over' in most parts of PH

(JANSEN ROMERO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

by Charie Mae F. Abarca, Manila Bulletin

Now that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases have peaked in several parts of the country, an OCTA research fellow said that “the worst is probably over in most parts of the Philippines” in terms of the COVID-19 surge.

“The good news is, and I want to emphasize, is that we could imagine that the worst is probably over for most of the country because cases have peaked or peaking,” said OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David during a virtual forum on Monday, Jan. 31.

However, David reiterated that this does not mean that the viral transmission is over.

“It doesn’t mean that it’s all clear. We should still follow health protocols as we go out because there is still a significant number of cases, especially in many parts of the country,” he added.

David said that among the provinces which are still seeing a significant increase in new COVID-19 infections were Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Maguindanao, Negros Oriental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.

“Except for Negros Oriental which is in Visayas, most of the provinces are in Mindanao. What happened was that the surge happened later in these provinces, that’s why they’re still at an accelerating stage, whereas the surge has already matured and is now on a downward trend in Visayas and Luzon,” said David.

The OCTA research group previously stated that the Omicron-driven surge of COVID-19 is less likely to return in Metro Manila, but provinces outside the region should brace for the rise in infections.

Meanwhile, David still urged the public to continue adhering to the minimum public health standards such as the proper wearing of mask and observing physical distancing to further prevent the transmission of the disease.

MY PRAYERS AND ME

The pandemic has not only made our lives more difficult, but has killed many people. We are thus living in panic and feeling helpless and pray more desperately for family protection, for faith in difficulties, and for our lives and work.

Prayer is how we as Christians draw close to God as well as a necessary condition for us to be moved by the Holy Spirit, and enlightened and illuminated by God. If we genuinely pray to God, and understand the principles and practices of prayer, when we encounter difficulties or dilemmas in our life, we’ll be able to face them in a relaxed way.

“The Power of Prayer” is a 2020 song by Bruce Springsteen from his album Letter to You. It was only released as a radio single, and a promotional video was released on November 23, a month after the release of the album.

The song has a spiritual language. Springsteen was born in a Roman Catholic household, and that turned him off religion, but he didn’t lose his faith. The video features archival footage from his youth and clips of Springsteen and the E Street Band working on the song in the studio. The message of the video is about old friends he’s lost and the optimism of that era, reflected in the footage of Jersey Shore in the summertime during Springsteen’s youth. 

When tragedy strikes, it’s easy to harden our hearts and cry out, “God, why did you let this happen?” Maybe then, we started praying. Before, when everything went smoothly, we would not even think a minute about praying… .

“To be a Christian without prayer, “said Martin Luther, “is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Prayer is the only way of becoming what God wants us to be. This is the reason why Jesus spent many hours praying.

Unquestionable, our needs bring us to a place of prayer. Confronted with danger or tragedies, as I mentioned earlier, we look for God’s help. Difficult times always cause the hearts of men to turn to God into prayer.

Let me ask you: How long has it been since you’ve brought your burdens to God? Since you asked His forgiveness for your shortcomings?

In his very interesting book “People in Prayer”, Dr. John White reminds us that prayer is a divine-human interaction and it is always God who takes the initiative. White writes: “God speaks and we respond. God is always speaking. To hear his voice is not usually a mystical experience. It consists merely of a willingness to pay heed to God who lays a claim to our lives.”

Yes, God always speaks. It is up to us whether we will listen and respond to Him. Many think we are the ones who initiate prayer. But prayers begin and end with God.

There was a time, I wasn’t in the mood to pray any more. It seemed that God didn’t listen to my prayer any more. I didn’t get what I prayed for. Of course, not… ! That’s not the meaning of praying to God. Will all my wishes be granted? Heaven forbid!

Sometimes, after we have prayed, God’s answers may puzzle us. But as time goes by and as events unfold we see God’s purpose in His answers. We might get a larger vision, what HE likes. Not what WE like… .

Think about it for a moment: How does the idea that prayer begins and ends with God affect me now? Do I have the habit of listening to God? How do I respond to Him? How do I usually pray?

I confess that a long time ago I have been trying to persuade God to change other people in my surroundings or circumstances. Nothing changed. Of course not, what a fatal attraction? I got confused because God never granted my requests. Meanwhile I got God’s answers to my prayers. Maybe very simple: I was willing to let God change me… .This is how each one of us should start. Happy endings. Because I prayed according to His will… .

Nowadays, I live a wonderful life in my second and last home, the Philippines. I never regretted moving here for good. I have everything I could ask for. I can do everything I wish to do. Thank you Lord for all the blessings.

Let’s complicate our life

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

        WHETHER we like it or not, or when we try to do everything to avoid it, our life will always get complicated, one way or another, sooner or later. There are just too many things for us to manage, and many of them are beyond our control. We just have to be prepared for it.

In the life of Christ, the pattern of our humanity and savior of our damaged humanity, we can see very well how this reality of life’s complications can come about. He went around preaching and doing a lot of good, and all sorts of difficulties, challenges, requests, etc. hounded him. If this happened to him, we have no reason to think that our life would be exempted from complications.

One time, Christ started to preach to many people who followed him, and a centurion approached him with an urgent request. Could Christ come to the centurion’s house to cure his dying daughter. He readily went, and along the way, a woman secretly touched his garment, convinced that she would be cured of her ailment. (cfr. Mk 5,21-43)

Things like this happened to Christ, and also to his disciples who tried to be with him. It is said, for example, that Christ had to wake up early in the morning and go to a deserted place to do his prayer. And Christ sometimes would ask his disciples to rest a while, since with all the things they were doing with him, they hardly had time to eat.

Yes, our life, indeed, if it has to reflect the life of Christ, cannot help but get complicated. But as long as we keep our faith strong and continue to be close to Christ, we can always manage, and avoid making a big issue out of this predicament. We can even find fulfillment in it.

We should not be afraid when our life gets complicated. As long as we are with Christ, we even would be willing to complicate our life. I think that is the proper attitude to develop in ourselves. We should not just wait for our life to get complicated. We somehow should complicate by truly involving ourselves in the mission of Christ and in the lives of others.

Obviously, we should try our best to be properly prepared for this unavoidable condition in our life. Let’s prepare ourselves for this physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and morally. For this, we need to avail of all possible and appropriate means.

We certainly need to develop virtues, like order, fortitude, optimism, cheerfulness, prudence, etc. We have to avail of the spiritual means of prayer, sacrifice and recourse to the sacraments. Let’s always remember that we are always guided by some supernatural forces that can only come from God. That way, we would also be ready to tackle the strong and subtle infra natural forces that come from some evil spirits around.

It would be good to devise a variety of plans to address our different concerns. We should be making daily, weekly plans, etc., to guide us in all our needs, from the physical and the most material, to the moral, spiritual and our ultimate supernatural goal. 

Obviously, we also have to learn how to be flexible, because no matter how much we plan, we will always encounter surprises and spoilers along the way. We have to learn how to be game in all this. The most important thing is that whatever happens, we should always go to Christ.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

 

German air travel up 27.3% during 2021, but far below pre-pandemic level

A night-time photograph of a plane parked at Munich airport

Air travel all over the world took a pounding during the pandemic. New figures from Germany's statistics office show that 2021 had moderately more air traffic than 2020, with domestic flights in particularly low demand.

Germany's statistics office has reported a rise in passenger numbers in 2021, which are still far below the levels seen before the pandemic

There were around 73.6 million air passengers taking off and landing at German airports during 2021, according to the country's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

While this figure was a 27.3% recovery on coronavirus pandemic-hit travel figures from 2020, it was still a whopping 67.6% down from the record high seen in 2019, when around 226.7 million passengers passed through German airports.

Domestic flights are more affected than international.According to Destatis, pandemic restrictions had a varying impact on air traffic.

Domestic air travel was 19.3% down from 2020, and was a meager one-fifth of the numbers seen in 2019 before curbs to movement came into place.

This was in contrast to air traffic with other countries, which increased by 32.6% year-on-year to 68.8 million passengers.

European air travel that gave the numbers a boost during 2021.

International air traffic increased by a slim 6.7% year-on-year, to a level still 75.4% down on the numbers seen in 2019.

Destatis considers the numbers of embarking and disembarking passengers in international traffic, while only departing passenger numbers are collated for domestic travel. Transit travel does not form part of these numbers.

Air freight is on the rise. Growth in air freight bucked the trends seen in passenger travel.

In 2021, a record 5.3 million tons of air freight, including air mail, passed through Germany's airports, an increase of 17.5% on the previous year.

The 2021 figure was also up 12.7% from the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

(C) 2022 by DW

Philippinen: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (Teilreisewarnung und COVID-19-bedingte Reisewarnung)

Das Auswärtige Amt Berlin gibt bekannt:

31.01.2022

Letzte Änderung: Aktuelles - COVID-19 (Einreise)


Lagen können sich schnell verändern und entwickeln. Insbesondere die COVID-19-Bestimmungen unterliegen laufenden Änderungen.

Wir empfehlen Ihnen:

- Verfolgen Sie Nachrichten und Wetterberichte.
- Achten Sie auf einen ausreichenden Reisekrankenversicherungsschutz. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/-/350944
- Abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/newsletter/bestellen-node oder nutzen Sie unsere App „Sicher Reisen". https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/app-sicher-reisen/350382
- Folgen Sie uns auf Twitter: AA_SicherReisen https://twitter.com/AA_SicherReisen
- Registrieren Sie sich in unserer Krisenvorsorgeliste. https://krisenvorsorgeliste.diplo.de
- Erkundigen Sie sich vorab bei den Behörden/Botschaften Ihres Reiselandes https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/vertretungen-anderer-staaten zu den aktuell geltenden, verbindlichen Einreisebestimmungen sowie bei Flug- und Bahngesellschaften nach den geltenden Beförderungsbestimmungen.
- Beachten Sie unseren Haftungsausschluss https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/haftungsausschluss/2500954 und den Hinweis zu Inhalten anderweitiger Anbieter. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/inhalte-anderweitiger-anbieter/2500956

Aktuelles
COVID-19

Die Ausbreitung von COVID-19 https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/gesundheit-fachinformationen/reisemedizinische-hinweise/Coronavirus/-/2309820 kann weiterhin zu Einschränkungen im internationalen Luft- und Reiseverkehr und Beeinträchtigungen des öffentlichen Lebens führen.

Vor nicht notwendigen, touristischen Reisen in die Philippinen wird gewarnt.

Epidemiologische Lage

Die Philippinen sind von COVID-19 stark betroffen und sind als Hochrisikogebiet https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html/ eingestuft.

Aktuelle und detaillierte Zahlen bieten das philippinische Gesundheitsministerium https://doh.gov.ph und die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/ph.

Einreise

Bestimmungen zur Einreise ändern sich mit der Pandemielage häufig. Bitte informieren Sie sich zusätzlich auf der Webseite der Regierung der Philippinen. https://www.doh.gov.ph/

Bis zum 9. Februar 2022 ist Ausländern die Einreise für touristische Zwecke in die Philippinen verboten. Erteilte philippinische Einreise-Visa wurden für ungültig erklärt, neue touristische Visa werden derzeit grundsätzlich nicht ausgestellt. Ausnahmen gelten für Familienangehörige (Ehegatten, Kinder, Eltern) von philippinischen Staatsangehörigen, für Ausländer, die bereits im Besitz von Langzeitvisa sind, für Diplomaten und Angehörige internationaler Organisationen, die in den Philippinen akkreditiert sind, sowie für Flugzeug- und Schiffsbesatzungen,

Die Quarantänevorgaben richten sich nach dem Impfstatus der Reisenden:
• Vollgeimpft, negativer PCR-Test nicht älter als 48 Stunden vor Abflug → keine Quarantäne, Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome für sieben Tage. Verpflichtende Kontaktaufnahme mit den lokalen Gesundheitsbehörden bei Auftreten von Symptomen.
• Ungeimpft, nicht vollständig geimpft, Impfstatus nicht feststellbar, negativer PCR-Test nicht älter als 48 Stunden vor Abflug → Quarantäne in Quarantäne-Einrichtung, Buchung muss bei Abflug vorliegen, PCR-Test am fünften Tag, nach negativem Ergebnis Entlassung und Heimquarantäne bis zum 14. Tag.
• Die Quarantänevorgaben für Kinder unter 12 Jahre, die nicht geimpft werden können, richten sich nach den Vorgaben für begleitende Sorgeberechtigte/Eltern.
Als vollständig geimpft gilt, wer einen Impfnachweis über eine in den Philippinen erfolgte vollständige Impfung oder einen von den Philippinen anerkannten ausländischen Impfnachweis vorlegt. Deutsche Impfnachweise in Form des gelben WHO-Impfbuches oder das Digitale COVID-Zertifikat der EU werden anerkannt. Kreuzimpfungen werden akzeptiert, eine einfache Impfung nach einem durchgemachten Infekt ist hingegen nicht ausreichend.

Mit Wirkung vom 10. Februar 2022 ist die Einreise für vollständig geimpfte Ausländer auch für touristische Aufenthalte und Geschäftsreisen möglich, wenn sie unter Executive Order No. 408 (s. 1960) fallen und durch diese von der Visumspflicht befreit, sowie bei Einreise im Besitz eines noch sechs Monate gültigen Reisepasses sind und einen Flugschein über einen Rück- oder Weiterflug vorlegen können. Die Staatenliste kann auf der Webseite der philippinischen Botschaft in Berlin http://philippine-embassy.de/visas/ abgerufen werden. Deutschland gehört derzeit zu diesen Ländern. Es gelten die oben aufgeführten Quarantänevorgaben. Kinder unter 18 Jahre müssen nicht voll geimpft sein und auch keinen Nachweis über ihren Impfstatus vorlegen.

Nähere Informationen können bei der philippinischen Botschaft http://philippine-embassy.de/ erfragt werden.

Alle Reisenden (ausgenommen Diplomaten) müssen sich vor Einreise über das Portal „One Health Pass https://www.onehealthpass.com.ph/e-HDC/“ registrieren. Der Nachweis in Form eines QR Codes ist den Fluggesellschaften beim Einchecken vorzulegen.

Durch- und Weiterreise
Reisen zwischen den Provinzen sind eingeschränkt möglich. Es müssen Gesundheitszeugnisse, gegebenenfalls ein negativer PCR-Test oder philippinische/anerkannte ausländische Impfnachweise vorgelegt und in der Zielprovinz im Einzelfall Quarantäne abgeleistet werden. Die Nutzung öffentlicher Verkehrsmittel ist zunehmend nur noch für geimpfte Personen erlaubt. Dies betrifft auch Inlandsflug- und Fährverbindungen.
Die Ausreise ist Ausländern, die sich im Land aufhalten, jederzeit erlaubt. Viele Fluggesellschaften verlangen für den Reiseantritt in den Philippinen einen negativen PCR-Test oder einen Impfnachweis.

Reiseverbindungen
Für die Einreise über die Flughäfen in Manila, Clark und Cebu bestehen Kontingente für ungeimpfte Reisende. Fluggesellschaften erhalten ihre Kontingente mit geringem zeitlichen Vorlauf, was zu kurzfristigen Umbuchungen oder Flugstornierungen führen kann.

Beschränkungen im Land
Die Quarantänemaßnahmen sind regional unterschiedlich. Derzeit gilt im Großraum Manila eine Quarantänestufe mit Einschränkungen in der Versorgung und der Bewegungsfreiheit sowie eine nächtliche Ausgangssperre für Minderjährige. Stadtbezirke können diese Einschränkungen eigenständig verschärfen.
Die zwischenzeitlich unterbrochenen regulären Verkehrsverbindungen zwischen den Inseln des Landes wurden wieder aufgenommen, können jedoch jederzeit kurzfristig wiedereingestellt werden.
Die touristische Infrastruktur ist eingeschränkt, zahlreiche Hotels und Resorts sind geschlossen.

Hygieneregeln
Im öffentlichen Raum (in Gebäuden, aber auch im Freien) gilt die Pflicht, einen Mund-Nasen-Schutz zu tragen, in medizinischen Einrichtungen zusätzlich einen Gesichtsschutz (face-shield). Es gibt das Gebot, sozialen Abstand zu wahren. Massenansammlungen sind verboten. Verstöße sind mit Geld- bis hin zu Gefängnisstrafen bewehrt. Im Fall einer Infektion erfolgt die Isolierung grundsätzlich in staatlicher Unterbringung.

Empfehlungen

• Seien Sie bei allen Reisen weiterhin besonders vorsichtig und beachten Sie unsere fortlaufend aktualisierte Infobox zu COVID-19/Coronavirus.
• Achten Sie bei Einreise nach Deutschland auf die geltenden Einreisevoraussetzungen zu Anmelde-, Quarantäne- und Nachweisregelungen (vollständige Impfung oder Genesenennachweis oder aktueller negativer COVID-19-Test).
• Achten Sie auf die Einhaltung der AHA-Vorschriften und befolgen Sie zusätzlich die Hinweise lokaler Behörden. Bei Verstößen gegen die Hygienevorschriften können hohe Geldstrafen oder Gefängnisstrafen verhängt werden.
• Informieren Sie sich über detaillierte Maßnahmen und ergänzende Informationen der philippinischen Regierung.
• Falls Sie im Besitz eines Langzeitvisums sind oder eine Sondereinreisegenehmigung mit Touristenvisum beantragen möchten, erkundigen Sie sich bei den philippinischen Behörden, in Deutschland z.B. bei der Philippinischen Botschaft, ob Sie zur Gruppe derjenigen gehören, für die eine Einreise möglich ist.
• Erkundigen Sie sich bei Ihrer Fluggesellschaft über die genauen Vorgaben.
• Bei COVID-19 Symptomen oder Kontakt mit Infizierten kontaktieren Sie das lokale Gesundheitsamt.
Sicherheit - Teilreisewarnung
Vor Reisen in folgende Regionen oder Gebiete wird gewarnt:
- Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)
- Northern Mindanao (Region X)
- Davao-Region (Region XI) mit Ausnahme des Stadtgebietes von Davao City
- Soccsksargen (Region XII)
- Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
- Inseln des Sulu-Archipels
- Süd-Palawan mit Ausnahme von Puerto Princesa
Von nicht erforderlichen Reisen in andere Regionen von Mindanao und in der Mindanao-See wird abgeraten.

Phivolcs: 'Very weak' phreatomagmatic bursts recorded in Taal Volcano

(MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO)

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin

Eight “very weak” phreatomagmatic bursts have been recorded in Taal Volcano on Saturday, Jan. 29, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its advisory late Saturday night, Phivolcs said short phreatomagmatic bursts, which lasted only 10 seconds to two minutes, occurred between 3:50 p.m. and 9:57 p.m.

 

Phreatomagmatic burst occurs when hot magma comes into contact with groundwater.

Phivolcs said the “very short-lived” bursts “produced only traces in the seismic record but were accompanied by distinct infrasound signals.”

However, the events generated steam-rich plumes between 400 meters and 900 meters high as detected by visual and thermal cameras around Taal Lake.

“Sulfur dioxide flux since the beginning of 2022 has averaged 10,668 tons per day, with the highest average emission at 18,705 tons per day on January 27, 2022,” Phivolcs said.

Meanwhile, “almost no volcanic earthquake activity has been recorded since Dec. 19,” it pointed out, adding that the volcano island has been deflating since October 2021.

Phivolcs said that Taal Volcano remains under alert level 2, which means that the volcano continues to manifest “increased unrest.” The volcano has been under alert level 2 since July 23, 2021.

It warned that gas-driven explosions and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and affect areas within and around the Taal Volcano Island.

Phivolcs reiterated that entry into the Taal Volcano Island, which is a permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, is strictly prohibited.

Boating and other activities on Taal Lake are also prohibited, Phivolcs said.

“Local government officials are advised to continuously assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake in case of renewed unrest,” it added.

NCR, 7 provinces under Alert Level 2; 90 areas under Alert Level 3 on Feb. 1-15

(FILE PHOTO BY ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin

The government’s pandemic task force has placed the National Capital Region (NCR) and seven other provinces under the coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert Level 2 starting February 1 to February 15, while 90 other areas will be under Alert Level 3, Malacañang announced.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement amid the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country that came after a surge possibly caused by the Omicron variant.

In a statement on Sunday, January 30, Nograles said the following will be under Alert Level 2 on February 1 to 15:

Metro Manila

Batanes

Bulacan

Cavite

Rizal

Biliran

Southern Leyte

Basilan

Meanwhile, the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases placed the following cities and provinces in Luzon under Alert Level 3:

Abra

Apayao

Baguio City

Benguet

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Dagupan City

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Pangasinan

City of Santiago

Cagayan

Isabela

Nueva Vizcaya

Quirino

Angeles City

Aurora

Bataan

Nueva Ecija

Olongapo City

Pampanga

Tarlac

Zambales

Batangas

Laguna

Lucena City

Quezon Province

Marinduque

Romblon

Occidental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro

Puerto Princesa City

Albay

Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Catanduanes

Masbate

Naga City

Sorsogon

The IATF also placed the following areas in Visayas under Alert Level 3:

Aklan

Antique

Bacolod City

Capiz

Iloilo City

Iloilo

Negros Occidental

Guimaras

Cebu City

Lapu-Lapu City

Mandaue City

Bohol

Cebu

Negros Oriental

Siquijor

Ormoc City

Tacloban City

Eastern Samar

Leyte

Northern Samar

Western Samar

The following cities and provinces in Mindanao was also placed under Alert Level 3 by the IATF:

City of Isabela

Zamboanga City

Zamboanga Del Sur

Zamboanga del Norte

Zamboanga Sibugay

Bukidnon

Cagayan de Oro City

Iligan City

Lanao del Norte

Misamis Occidental

Misamis Oriental

Davao City

Davao Del Sur

Davao Del Norte

Davao Oriental

Davao de Oro

General Santos City

North Cotabato

Sarangani

South Cotabato

Sultan Kudarat

Surigao del Norte

Surigao Del Sur

Agusan Del Norte

Agusan del Sur

Butuan City

Maguindanao

Cotabato City

Lanao Del Sur

According to Nograles, the Alert Level 3 status in the said areas are also from February 1 to 15, 2022.

Meanwhile, he said that the IATF is yet to decide on the Alert Level for the province of Ifugao. They shall approve the risk classification on January 31, 2022.