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!
Gabrielle Lantzer, Polo Ravales and Jamilla Obispo
Actor Polo Ravales, Viva talent Jamilla Obispo, beauty queen Gabrielle Lantzer, Russian model Ilia Nikeshin and Miss Supermodel Philippines 2023 candidates were some of the personalities who graced the opening of Aurea Aesthetics and Wellness in Mandaluyong City, beside SM Cherry Shaw.
Owner Gwen Tamayo said the Mandaluyong clinic is their second branch. The first one is located in Makati City while they are also scheduled to expand soon to Pampanga, Tarlac and Las Piñas City.
Gwen’s other business partners in the venture are Katrina Aurea Vibandor, Allan Aparis, Troy Dy, and Yangky Tamayo.
Aurea Aesthetics owners Allan Aparis (left) and Gwen Tamayo (right) with Gabrielle Lantzer
She added that Polo will be a partner in the Las Piñas branch which is set to open in the first half of 2023. They have known each other since first year high school.
“Originally, I wanted to open a barbershop. But then, Gwen also has this skin clinic so we decided to merge the two business concepts into one.A barbershop inside a skin clinic is pretty unique,” said Polo who is based in the South with his fiancee, Paulyn Quiza.
The owners of Aurea also happen to be partners in another business called Arcka Ventures which supplies all kinds of machines to aesthetic clinics. Mr. Aparis said the beauty services in Aurea will definitely be cheaper than other clinics because they are the source of the equipment and they are targeting people with a lower budget.
Aurea Aesthetics big boss Gwen Tamayo with Miss Supermodel Philippines 2023 contestants
Aurea Aesthetics and Wellness is envisioned to be a one-stop shop for all pampering procedures, including mani/pedi, massage, gluta drip and eyelash extensions which can be requested for home service.
ADVERTISEMENT
For anti-aging and beauty maintenance, Aurea offers diode laser hair removal, pico laser treatment, high-intensity focused ultrasound or HIFU, Oxygeneo, and Exilis fat reduction, to name a few.
A client tries a laser treatment in Aurea Aesthetics and Wellness
They also also have a sauna and Moroccan bath in the Mandaluyong branch, which is beside the company-owned Kat Yoko Japanese Fusion restaurant.
Soon, Aurea will unveil their operating room for major procedures such as rhinoplasty and liposuction.The center’s accredited doctors are Manny Calayan, Joan Ocampo and Hazel Calixto.
It takes one to know one — and to mentor one. This is the eager conviction of Filipina singer-songwriter genius and Pop Rock Royalty Yeng Constantino as she takes on a brand-new role for the award-winning Singapore-based music school Academy of Rock (AOR).
As global ambassador of the Singaporean music school, which is franchised in several countries across Asia, Yeng Constantino looks forward to mentoring student-artists here and abroad.
As global ambassador of the Singaporean music school, which is franchised in several countries across Asia, Yeng Constantino looks forward to mentoring student-artists here and abroad.
In 2013, the brand opened its doors in the Philippines when Yeng was named national ambassador. Now, 10 years to the day, she has agreed to represent AOR in a broader capacity as global ambassador, which she announced will include mentoring student-artists whenever she can.
"Am I a patient person?" the multi-platinum recording artist wondered at loud when The Manila Times Entertainment asked her if she has this essential quality of teachers. "Malalaman po natin," she joked gamely.
More seriously, the voice behind the now classic OPM hit "Hawak Kamay," humbly says she believes she will do well in mentoring young musicians because she is familiar, first of all, with an artist's temperament.
"I think mas magkakaintindihan po kami kasi sabi nga nila ang artists may mga crazy sides yan. And sometimes the crazier the ideas [among artists], may mas magandang kinakalabasan," Yeng explained.
Moreover, she believes her experience as a young girl who only dreamed of becoming a singer-songwriter will be her greatest tool in becoming an effective mentor.
"Nanggaling din po kasi ako dyan kung nasaan sila ngayon," she said, adding that the time for her to give back and make others' dreams come true is now.
Yeng's sincerity in everything she said was proven by AOR's Singaporean founder Priscila Teo, who was in Manila for the signing of the global ambassadorship contract.
"The reason why I chose Yeng to be our ambassadress years ago was because of her authentic and genuine artistry, as well as her exceptional attitude that serves as a wonderful role model for our students," she said.
Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte has highlighted the need to provide free annual medical checkups for all Filipinos to ensure that they get access to preventive care and are able to address potentially serious health issues early on.
Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte (KEITH BACONGCO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Duterte said that, with all Filipinos automatically becoming Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) members under the Universal Health Care Act, free medical check-ups should form part of their benefits.
For this purpose, Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Edvic Yap filed House Bill (HB) No.5074 with seeks to automatically entitle every Filipino to free blood sugar and cholesterol tests each year.
The measure, titled, “An Act providing for a free annual medical check-up for Filipinos”, has already been approved by the House Committee on Health.
“To promote health, identify risks, and ensure early diagnosis, PhilHealth shall establish a system that allows access to a free annual medical check-up and ensure that Filipinos shall be accorded the quality health care services that they deserve,” read HB No.5074.
Duterte said that “Investing in free medical check-ups for every Filipino will help save lives and ensure that no one gets left behind when it comes to health care.”
Detecting potentially serious medical conditions in its early stages will not only benefit every Filipino but also PhilHealth, as this would bring down the costs of providing coverage for expensive medical procedures that usually come with treating life-threatening diseases, Duterte added.
Under the bill, Filipinos can avail of the free medical check-up in any government-run hospital or medical institution.
On top of free cholesterol and blood sugar tests, the three lawmakers also proposed the inclusion of expanded laboratory and diagnostic tests in the free annual medical check-up benefit “subject to the availability of Philhealth funds”.
“The State is tasked to institutionalize regular check-ups for its citizens in order to determine their potential health concerns and avoid further complications. Every citizen must be able to exercise his or her right to health without incurring any financial burden,” the bill’s authors said.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday afternoon, March 1, confirmed the presence of “black and thick” oil with strong odor in the waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro after motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress capsized there.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / PCG
The sighting of the black and thick oil raised fears that the cargoes containing 800,000 liters of industrial oil onboard MT Princess Empress when it sank on Tuesday, Feb. 28, have already spilled. The features of the oil were different compared to the thin particles from the diesel of the tanker that caused the initial oil spill.
The PCG said they also found the possible source of the black oil at 7.4 nautical miles southwest off Balingawan Point, near the area where MT Princess Empress sank.
BRP Melchora Aquino launched a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) to collect water samples from the water after the responders observed there was a foul odor coming from it.
“The Marine Environmental Protection Unit (PCG-MEPU) has observed a black and thick oil on the collected water samples,” the PCG disclosed.
However, the PCG has yet to confirm whether the presence of the black oil could be attributed to the spillage of the industrial oil, saying this is still being assessed by the responders.
The PCG said that its motor tugboat “Titan” sprayed oil dispersants in the area so the black oil could break down into smaller droplets and mix with the water. This will push the effects of the oil spill underwater.
WHEN Christ said, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven,” (Mt 5,20) we have to understand that Christian life will involve the task of going beyond what simply is material and natural in our life. That’s because our life is meant to be spiritual and supernatural, since it is supposed to be a life of sharing with God’s life and nature.
In this regard, we have to see to it that our dealings with one another, and most especially with God himself, are not guided simply by human and natural standards. This Christ clarified when he said:
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill’; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” (Mt 5,21-22)
This Christian duty, of course, will obviously require tremendous effort, given the way we are—always prone to think that we can only be guided by our own natural and human ways rather than by God’s ways. But even before thinking of the need for this tremendous effort, we have to realize, first of all, that with humility we need to ask for God’s grace. Only with his grace can we aspire to carry out this duty.
To be able to carry out this duty we always need to have in our mind and heart the example of Christ, and to feel his great love for all of us, irrespective of how we are. Let’s remember that he asked us to love even our enemies, and he lived by this standard when even on the cross, he offered forgiveness to those who crucified him.
It’s when we keenly feel this love of God for us that we can manage to love God and others the way Christ loved us, going beyond merely natural and human values. To be sure, loving God and others the way Christ loved and continues to love us, does not in any way go against our nature. It simply goes beyond it, purifying it and elevating it to the supernatural order, so we can share the very life and nature of God as we are meant to be.
In this regard, a certain 4th century Greek bishop by the name of Diadochus had something relevant to say:
“The measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this awareness is keen, it makes whoever possesses it to long to be enlightened by the divine light, and this longing is so intense that it seems to penetrate his very bones. He loses all consciousness of himself and is entirely transformed by the love of God.”
And he added even something very interesting that describes how going beyond our natural self to reach the supernatural life of God is:
“Such a man lives in this life and at the same time does not live in it, for although he still inhabits his body, he is constantly leaving it in spirit because of the love that draws him toward God. Once the love of God has released him from self-love, the flame of divine love never ceases to burn in his heart and he remains united to God by an irresistible longing.”
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
As a horticulturist, Benson “Wilson” Aboujafari dedicated his time to develop growing techniques for imported and temperate fruit trees to grow in the Philippine climate. He believes that with proper agricultural practices, fruits that seem impossible to grow in the Philippines can successfully be acclimatized and cultivated in the country. He wants Filipinos to taste and experience foreign fruits without having to travel abroad.
Aboujarfari is the owner and manager of Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank in San Fernando, Pampanga. Aboujafari has loved plants, especially fruit trees, since he was a child. Even though his parents wanted him to be a civil engineer, he still chose to study agriculture at the University of the Philippines–Los Banos. He continued his studies and got his doctorate of philosophy in plant pathology and plant breeding, helping him develop several innovations in agriculture.
Benson Aboujafari standing next to the earth-balled tree that is ready for delivery. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Starting 1987, Aboujafari and his family built a farm to produce thousands of trees to supply lumber to the Philippine landscaping industry. In 1992, they bought their first spade machine, which is used to dig up huge trees by balling their roots for transplanting. With this machine, they could supply instant trees with a high survival rate for landscaping. This method of instantly transplanting trees is where Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank name originated. Today, they still supply ornamental and fruiting trees like African Talisay, Bismarck palm, African oil palm, and mulberry trees to landscaping clientele.
Innovations throughout the years
Aboujafari has developed and introduced different crops for people to enjoy and commercialize. In 2009, he introduced the Long-nose Macopa variety, a cross between the local macopa and duhat. Unlike the usual local commercial macopa, this variety is superior in quality as it is crunchy, seedless, and has no hollow cavity inside.
Benson Aboujafari holding the harvested strawberry fruits from his heat-resistant potted strawberry plants. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Strawberries are usually grown in cold areas with high elevations, but in 2015, Aboujafari introduced his heat-resistant variety of strawberries. This variety of strawberries are adapted to the hot weather condition of Pampanga.
ADVERTISEMENT
That same year, Aboujafari introduced his Illinois mulberry, which is now the flagship crop of his farm.
Benson Aboujafari holding the apple flower from his grafted apple trees. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
The Illinois mulberry plant
Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank is the first farm to propagate and commercialize the plant and fruit of the Illinois mulberry in the Philippines. The Illinois mulberry is a shrub whose fruit is green when unripe and reddish-black when ripe.
Benson Aboujafari, owner and manager of Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank, picking mulberries. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
“The Illinois mulberry is an imported crop. I brought this crop eight years ago from Chicago. We have a local Philippine mulberry variety, but the fruits are small and only suitable as food for silkworms,” Aboujafari said. “In Chicago, mulberries are only fruiting once a year because of the temperate weather conditions. I research how to increase this fruit’s production cycle with the Philippines’ climate. Now, we are able to harvest mulberry fruits six to seven times a year, “ he added.
In other countries, mulberry is very expensive because of its seasonality, but through the pruning technique and innovations developed by Aboujafari, Illinois mulberry plants can fruit every 45 days. Because of this, they can sell fruits at affordable prices and offer them all year round.
Benson Aboujafari began making mulberry jam during the pandemic to make use of surplus fruit. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
According to Lizzy Aboujafari, Benson’s daughter and farm co-manager, visitors from different locations visit the farm to purchase mulberries because it is still not widely available in the Philippine market. Aside from the fruits, the leaves of the mulberry are purchased for their medicinal properties.
Mulberry leaves are processed into tisane for its medicinal and health benefits. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
According to Benson, mulberry is a super fruit. It has the highest antioxidant out of all berries. Mulberry fruits and leaves are known to improve digestive and liver health, lower cholesterol, reduce cancer risk, and improve blood circulation.
Mulberry products
At first, the primary source of income of the farm was the selling of ornamental and fruit trees. But because of the influx of fruits, they started processing their harvests, especially the mulberry, into other products. They now manufacture their own mulberry wine and jams and currently supply restaurants and hotels with said products.
Mulberry wine has a higher antioxidant content than most other fruit wines. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Activities that the farm offers
The farm is a recommended destination by the tourism department of San Fernando, Pampanga. For those who want to relax and relieve stress from work or get away from the pollution of the city, Benson recommends relaxing and trying their mulberry fruit-picking activity on the farm. Aside from mulberry, other fruits like Davao pomelo, duhat, and golden empire caimito can also be picked when available.
Benson Aboujafari holding figs. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Tourists can visit the farm for free and enjoy mulberry fruit picking and wine tasting. They only have to pay for their picked mulberries that cost only P50 per cup.
Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank offers catering services for occasions and events inside the farm. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
“People go here to enjoy a different kind of experience. Not just buying the products but the experience where you bring your family and bond together,” Lizzy said.
Lizzy Aboujafari is the daughter of Benson Aboujafari and also the co-manager of the farm, which also offerspotted ornamental plants. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Aside from fruit picking and buying seedlings, tourists can have their glamping and picnic activities. Some other customers celebrate their birthdays or romantic dates inside the farm as they also offer food catering.
For families visiting, kids can experience tree-planting activities.
Romantic dates for couples can be arranged and scheduled inside the farm. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
Propagating plants for the future
At the age of 66, Benson Aboujafari still develops more fruit trees for the Filipinos to enjoy and discover. Among these are the Persian sweet lemon, dates from England, imported grafted figs, and grafted apples. Most of these crops are hard to propagate and need certain interventions to grow here in the Philippines.
Farm visitors may enjoy wine tasting and picnic activities inside the farm. (Wilson’s Instant Tree Bank)
“Our business is more on passion. If you observe, our prices are very low compared to other farms and markets. Usually, business is meant to generate income, but for us, especially for my father, there is love and passion involved,” Lizzy said. “My father’s success is because he is happy with what he is doing. He enjoys it, loves it, and is blessed in return.”
“My mission is when something is not available to the Philippines, we bring it in and give a chance to our people to enjoy,” Benson said. With his successful research and innovations, we can now taste foreign fruits at affordable prices.
It was a festive afternoon for the art industry as 33 local talents were awarded at the 15th Ani ng Dangal Awards last Feb. 22, 2023 at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace.
Ani ng Dangal Music Category awardees with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Frist Lady Louise Araneta Marcos
The Ani ng Dangal or Harvest of Honor is an annual celebration that recognizes homegrown artists who received esteemed international accolades in the categories of Architecture and Allied Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Broadcast Arts. It serves as the highlight and culmination of the National Arts Month.
Eleven individuals were acknowledged for their impeccable work in Cinema. This includes Dolly De Leon, who won the Best Supporting Performer Award during the 2022 Los Angeles Films Critics Association Awards (LAFCA) for her outstanding performance in “Triangle of Sadness.”
The sole award from Broadcast Arts went to Ramona Diaz for her critically acclaimed social documentary, “A Thousand Cuts.”
Dance awardee Billy Crawford with wife Coleen Garcia together with Music Voice awardee Danikka Louise Dy
Included in the four Dance awardees is TV host and 2022 “Danse avec les stars (Dancing with the Stars France)” champ Billy Crawford.
Apart from seasoned artists, this year’s lineup brought to the fore impressive young talents. Among them is 14-year-old Danikka Louise Dy, Grand Prize winner for Voice at the Rocky Mountain Music Competition Spring Season 2022 in Toronto, Canada. Her exceptional rendition of Jason Robert Brown’s “Christmas Lullaby from Songs for a New World” placed her ahead of all contestants in the Advanced Voice (Junior Category, 13-14 years old). Under the tutelage of Aliw Awardee and soprano Nenen Espina from the age of six, Dy religiously trains for better technique, stamina, and mixed belting voice. She aspires to make it to Broadway like her idol, Lea Salonga.
Another young performer in the 11-man roster is 12-year-old violinist Theodore Julius Chua Tan, who took home First Place in the Judges’ Best Performance Award for the Junior Category (ages 9-12) at the 2022 Vienna Virtuoso Music Competition.
ADVERTISEMENT
Danikka with Joaquin Domagoso, winning Best Actor for “That Boy in the Dark”; and Young Music awardee Teddy Tan
Three artists bagged the Visual Arts Awards, including Albert Emir B. Reyes, whose “Bustling Little Town” was named Grand Prize at the 23rd International High School Arts Festival in Tokyo, Japan.
Meanwhile, four awardees were named in Architecture and Allied Arts, including The Penthouse by Atelier Almario, which received the distinction of Best Residential Interior Apartment at the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2022 in the United Kingdom.
Awardees were handed the Ani ng Dangal trophy, which depicts the vibrant sarimanok by National Artist and sculptor Abdulmari Imao.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Wednesday, March 1, that it has prepositioned all of its available assets to help in the retrieval of motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress which sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil as cargo.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / PCG
Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, PCG spokesperson, said BRP Melchora Aquino, a 97-meter multi-role response vessel, and tugboat Titan were deployed in the area with sonar and oil spill boom while the Coast Guard Aviation Force conducted aerial inspection in the area to pinpoint the location where MT Princess Empress capsized on Feb. 28 and prevent the oil spillage from spreading.
The motor tanker sank 11 nautical miles from the municipal waters of Naujan, affecting the livelihood of the fishing community there, but its exact location underwater was not determined yet.
So far, the oil spill involving the diesel oil of the motor tanker already spread into the municipal waters of Naujan, particularly at Balingawan Point, with an estimated area of six kilometers long and four kilometers wide from the initial observation of five km long and 500 meters wide on Tuesday.
“Wala pang pangamba o panganib na madudulot ito sa yamang-dagat doon sa kabuuan ng incident area pero ang pinangangambahan ay kapag tumagas ‘yung industrial fuel oil. Ito ‘yung malapot kaya magiging problema ito (There is no threat yet to the marine resources in the incident area but what’s feared is if the industrial fuel oil spills. This is the sticky oil so it will be a problem),” Balilo said in a radio interview with dzBB.
Balilo said the diesel fuel can easily dissipate under the heat of sun or when hit by big waves because its particles are thin. Industrial fuel oil is different because its particles are thick and can harm fish, coral reef, and other marine resources.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / PCG
The industrial fuel oil are cargoes onboard the MT Princess Empress which also sank underwater when the tanker’s engine overheated after being hit by huge waves while sailing off Naujan. The tanker was traveling from Bataan to Iloilo when it encountered bad weather around 2 a.m Tuesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Kailangan pong tanggalin siya kasi anytime ito ay tatagas at magiging environmental catastrophe (We need to remove it [industrial fuel oil] because it can spill anytime which can lead to an environmental catastrophe),” Balilo stressed.
Lessons from Guimaras oil spill
Balilo said they already have the capability and experience to respond to massive oil spill incidents after the 2006 Guimaras oil spill. It can be recalled that MT Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras on Aug. 11, 2006 which resulted to an oil spillage of more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard / PCG
“Kung nakita natin ang barko, ang plano is hahatakin ito malapit at isasadsad. Kung kaya sa port, dadalhin para masipsip ang krudo. Ang problema wala na tayong makita, ang pwede na lang gawin mag-abang ng oil spill at makipag-usap sa company kung may salvage operation na gagawin (If only we have seen the ship, our plan is to tow it near the shore and ground it. If possible, we can bring it to the port so we can suck the crude oil. The problem is that we can no longer see it, and what we can only do now is to wait for an oil spill and talk to the company if there is a salvage operation),” he said.
The shipping company of MT Princess Empress, RDC Reield Marine Services, Inc., is leading the retrieval operations for the sunken motor tanker while the PCG is assisting them. The shipping company also contracted a towing company, Malayan Towage, to assess the oil spillage in the area.
“Mayroon naman silang arrangement sa salvage companies, mayroon silang oil spill response pero nandyaan din ang PCG at tinatap naming ang mga kumpanya ng langis na may oil spill response para pagtulung-tulungan na (They have an arrangement with salvage companies, they also have an oil spill response but the PCG is there and we already tapped oil companies with oil spill response capabilities to help),” Balilo said.
If worse comes to worst, Balilo said they can ask for assistance from other countries where they teamed up for oil spill response exercises in the past like Japan and Indonesia.
“Kung talagang masayadong malaki, maging karatig-bansa tumutulong kung talagang ‘di masawata. Pero sa tingin ko naman ay handa tayo at hopefully ang preparation namin ay maayos at enough (If it [oil spill] is really massive, even neighboring countries can help if we cannot really suppress it. But I think we are prepared and hopefully our preparation is orderly and enough),” he noted.
The PCG will also investigate if there is negligence on the part of the shipping company so appropriate charges could be filed.
Meanwhile, the 20 crew members of MT Princess Empress have been brought to Subic, Zambales by MV Efes, a foreign vessel which rescued them, so they can be given appropriate medical attention.
Residents of Naujan were also advised by the PCG to keep their distance from the municipal waters due to the possible hazards posed by the oil spillage to their health and livelihood.
.jpg)
