Everything Immigration Will Ask You Before You Go: Departure Guide

In this YouTube video, we will be discussing the immigration departure requirements for dual citizens, Balikbayans, foreign tourists, Special Resident Retiree Visa (SRRV) holders, permanent residents (immigrants), and non-immigrants. Know if you need to pay travel tax or apply for exit clearance. Depart with ease and avoid any unexpected fees or delays. ARRIVAL Travel Guide to the Philippines ✨ For Filipinos (Filipino):    • UPDATED TRAVEL GU...   ✨ For Balikbayans (Former Filipinos and their Families):    • UPDATED TRAVEL GU...   ✨ For Foreign Nationals:    • Latest Travel Gui...   📍ARRIVAL All passengers entering the Philippines are required to register with E-TRAVEL Tutorial Guide for E-TRAVEL (ENGLISH):    • E-TRAVEL UPDATE: ...   Tutorial Guide for E-TRAVEL (FILIPINO):    • GAWIN MO TO BAGO ...   📍DEPARTURE Only Filipinos are required to register to e-travel prior to departure. https://etravel.gov.ph/ Tutorial Guide for E-TRAVEL (FILIPINO):    • GAWIN MO TO BAGO ...   ✨For Foreign Nationals, Balikbayans, Dual Citizens, and Filipino Permanent Residents Abroad:    • THINGS THAT IMMIG...   ✨For Filipinos:    • DEPARTURE REQUIRE...   Register to E-TRAVEL when you depart the Philippines: https://etravel.gov.ph/ 👉🏽Filipino Tourists departing the Philippines may be required by Philippine Immigration to secure travel medical insurance. For this, you may check out Safetywing: https://www.safetywing.com/a/24818256 👉🏽Foreign Tourists, except those covered by Balikbayan Privilege, may be required by airlines and immigration to show an exit ticket. You may rent a ticket here to satisfy this requirement for just $14: https://onwardticket.com/jennifer ( FYI - The links above are affiliate codes/links. This means I may get a reward at no additional cost to you when you use them. Thanks in advance because it helps support the channel :) Want to stay longer than 30 days? It’s easy!:    • IMMIGRATION RULES...   First extension Quick Process:    • GOOD NEWS! NEW SY...   💰SENDING MONEY TO THE PHILIPPINES? This is what I personally use for quick transfers: https://www.worldremit.com/en/r/JENNI... The first transfer is FREE plus you get a $10 voucher! 👋Hello, my name is Jennifer Terri, and I am a 26-year-old gal from Tagum City, Philippines. I make Philippine Travel News & Updates to keep you informed and up-to-date on the latest travel news, ensuring that your trip runs smoothly and without any issues. All of my videos are available to watch for free, and I simply ask that if you find any of them informative or helpful, you consider giving them a thumbs-up and subscribing to my channel. Subscribe here:    / jenniferterri  

Davao City prepares for El Niño

By Ruth Palo

DAVAO CITY: The City Agriculturist Office (Cagro) here has prepared for the impact of the El Niño phenomenon expected to hit the country starting next month.

Cagro head Edgardo Haspe said the city is about 80 percent complete in its pre-active phase activities designed to mitigate the effects of the dry spell brought about by the El Niño.

"We are almost done with it, maybe about 70 to 80 percent of the activities for the pre-active phase have been completed. We will review the activities we have conducted this Friday during our regular meeting with the Execom," Haspe said.

He said within the week, Cagro will be able to identify highly vulnerable areas in the city and then later check the available water sources that could be tapped.

"We will deploy water pumps that we can use for the said areas but if there is no available water source and the area is accessible we can use the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office water tanks," Haspe said.

The city, he said, allocated a budget through its disaster funds for the purchase of water pumps.

Haspe said that they were also able to identify irrigation facilities that need repair.

"The engineering department has been asked to make an estimate for the immediate repair to ensure that these irrigation facilities would work," he said.

Berry good: Isabela grower cultivates mulberries and turns them into jam

Ripe mulberries are not only sweet and juicy; they are also rich in vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and more. They are naturally perfect to be eaten raw when dark, ripe, and freshly picked from the tree. You may also want to make your salads more delicious and nutritious by enriching it with this succulent fruit.

BY MANILA BULLETIN AGRICULTURE

May 10, 2023 05:02 PM

  

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By Oliver Samson

Ripe mulberries are not only sweet and juicy; they are also rich in vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and more. They are naturally perfect to be eaten raw when dark, ripe, and freshly picked from the tree. You may also want to make your salads more delicious and nutritious by enriching it with this succulent fruit.

Mulberry fruits contain resveratrol, a natural chemical compound believed to help suppress cancer cells and lower blood pressure. It's also known to possess neuroprotective, anti-inflammation, cardioprotective, and anti-aging properties. Mulberries also help in proper digestion because of its fiber content.

But mulberries are one of the most fragile and perishable fruits in the market. They have a shelf life of about two to three days only. And if you have over a dozen fruit-bearing mulberry trees, each giving you more than enough for your own consumption, especially during the harvest season, you may want to  process the surplus into wine or jam.

Sweet and juicy ripe mulberries. Fresh from the trees. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz)

It all started from five cuttings from Malaysia

Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz, 28, does just that. She has more than 40 mulberry trees on her farm in Isabela, the Queen Province of the North.

Her mother, who worked as an OFW in Malaysia, brought home five mulberry cuttings, about a foot long each, in 2013.

When the mulberry cuttings arrived in Isabela, they were propagated in containers filled with clean water. Roots started to grow out of the cuttings about a week after. When the mulberry cuttings’ roots reached about three inches long and developed a branch, some leaves, and even  fruit, they were finally planted directly in the soil. 

Dela Cruz propagates her mulberries in the same way. She gets some cuttings from good trees and leaves them in containers filled with water until they grow roots, branches, leaves, and fruit.

"It's ideal to plant the rooted mulberry cuttings in the soil when they are still small," she said. "It's just fine if the rooted cuttings are planted in an area where other trees are growing."

Dark ripe mulberries ready for harvest. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )

Dela Cruz mentioned that their mulberries thrive together with cacao and mango trees. 

Mulberry trees produce many branches and leaves that look like giant umbrellas. Some branches droop nearly touching the ground due to the weight they bear.

"It's better to plant the mulberries in areas exposed to sunlight," she said. "The mulberries are productive when they receive adequate sunlight."

The mulberries are watered until they grow to about two feet tall, especially when they are planted in the summer, Dela Cruz said. Mature mulberry trees don't need watering anymore; they get water from rain.

Dela Cruz currently has 10 mother mulberry trees. Last year, they planted about 35 more mulberries.

"At three months old, the mulberries may start producing fruits," she said. "The mulberries are fast growers. They produce fruits even when they are still cuttings in containers with water to grow their roots."

Fertilizer could also be given to the mulberry trees to help them produce more fruit, Dela Cruz noted.

"Fruits can be harvested continuously during the season because they don't get ripe altogether at the same time," she said. "There's also the possibility that the trees can produce fruits year-round if pruned."

The season starts in February and extends until April and early May, Dela Cruz said.

All of the mulberries she grows are the Illinois variety, more popularly known as "Illinois Everbearing." This variety is believed to be able to live up to 125 years. The fruits could grow up to two inches long. 

The fruits of the Illinois mulberry variety can grow up to two inches long. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )

"The fresh ripe fruits can be used in making fruit shakes," she said. "They can also be processed into wine. The mulberry fruits can also be made into tea."

Dela Cruz mentioned the mulberry leaves could also be processed into tea, but it's not yet popular in the country.

They started making mulberry jam in 2019.

"The fruits are easily spoiled," she said. "They should be eaten on the same day they are picked from the tree, because the following day they would start getting watery. So, we decided to process them into jam to avoid spoilage."

Mulberry jam is getting popular

People from different parts of the country inquire about their mulberry jam. Just recently, they shipped some jam to a customer in Olongapo. They are also getting good feedback. 

"Some of our customers are repeating orders," Dela Cruz said. "Our jam also gets attention by word of mouth."

The jam could be stored for up to one year.

"I can see the mulberry jam market is expanding since it's not that expensive," she said.

She markets their mulberry jam in 220mL containers on social media at P100 apiece. The containers bear their contact details, which is part of their marketing strategy.

Mulberry jam in 220mL container for shipping to a customer. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )

Mulberry trees could live and produce fruits for decades, Dela Cruz pointed out. Some plants that produce fruits that are processed into jam require replanting before they could bear fruits again–the reason why mulberry fruits and its jam are less expensive.

Mulberry trees can stand typhoons, she added. They might lose some branches, but the trees will continue to grow new ones and bear fruit.

"A single mother tree can give you a harvest of two kilos," Dela Cruz said. "Two days after you picked fruits, you can harvest again from the same tree."

But since the fruits don't ripen at the same time, the harvest could be daily during the harvest season.

Dela Cruz also sells mulberry cuttings at P50 apiece. If the buyer is getting in volume, the price is negotiable.

"The mother mulberry trees are sourced for cuttings," she said. "Since the cuttings are taken from mother trees, you are assured that the cuttings will bear fruits when they mature."

Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz at their mulberry farm in Isabela. (Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz )

All the mulberry trees of Dela Cruz bear fruits since they originated from a single fruit-bearing mother tree.

Dela Cruz, 28, is an admin assistant in a state-owned hospital in Isabela. She is looking at planting more mulberries as the numbers of buyers, resellers, and inquiry are growing.

Photos courtesy of Maria Jesusa Dela Cruz

More senior citizens to enjoy 5% electricity discount under House bill

BY ELLSON QUISMORIO

May 11, 2023 10:00 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Sorsogon 1st district Rep. Marie Bernadette Escudero files House Bill (HB) No.7919, which seeks to expand the coverage of the discount on electricity consumption given to senior citizens.

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(MANILA BULLETIN)

A recently filed House bill (HB) in the 19th Congress seeks to expand the coverage of the discount on electricity consumption being given to senior citizens.

Sorsogon 1st district Rep. Marie Bernadette Escudero penned and filed HB No.7919, also known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2023.

The full title of the measure reads, "An Act granting senior citizens a 5 percent discount on their first 200-kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity consumption and exemption from payment of any senior citizen subsidy collected by the government, amending for the purpose Republic Act (RA) No.9994, otherwise known as the 'Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010'."

Under the current law, a 5 percent discount is only given to senior citizens whose monthly consumption is 100 kWh or below.

"Republic Act No.9994, also known as the 'Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010', amended the previous law, RA No 7432, to provide better services and assistance to senior citizens. However, due to changes in their needs over time, certain provisions of the law need further amendment," Escudero wrote in her explanatory note.

"For example, Section 4.c. of RA No.9994 entitles senior citizens to a minimum of 5 percent discount on their monthly electricity consumption, but the current Filipino household consumption, as of March 2023, exceeds the limit of 100 (kWh) set by the law, making only a limited number of senior citizens eligible for the discount," she said.

The measure, if and when enacted, will double the limit to 200 kWh.

"Moreover, ineligible senior citizens are still required to pay for the Senior Citizens Subsidy under Article 5. Resolution No.23, Series of 2010 of the Energy Regulatory Commission. This implementation undermines the original intent of RA No.9994," HB No.7919 further read.

"Therefore, it is respectfully requested that this bill be enacted into law to address these issues and ensure that the rights and privileges of senior citizens are properly upheld," it added.

Fans in frenzy as Beyonce kicks off concert tour

BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

May 11, 2023 10:53 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Hours before the doors opened hundreds of people were thronging outside the stadium, including some who had travelled halfway around the world to catch the show, anxious to see the global music icon -- one of the world's best-selling artists.

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Beyonce (AFP)

SWEDEN (AFP) - Ecstatic Beyonce fans sang and danced in feverish excitement in Stockholm Wednesday as the superstar kicked off her first solo tour in seven years with a futuristic spectacle featuring a lunar rover, an airborne horse and wall-to-wall rhinestones.

Hours before the doors opened hundreds of people were thronging outside the stadium, including some who had travelled halfway around the world to catch the show, anxious to see the global music icon -- one of the world's best-selling artists.

Once the concert was about to begin, the tens of thousands of fans in the 60,000-capacity Friends Arena -- filled to the brim -- erupted in cheers as their "queen" emerged on stage. 

"Just want to say: Y'all make me so happy," Beyonce said as the concert began. 

"I see familiar faces, people that flew from very, very far to come see the first show tonight," she told the audience at the outset of the three-hour space and science fiction themed show.

The show features Beyonce performing atop a lunar vehicle, playing the role of a news anchor while dressed as a queen bee, and suspended above the crowd as she sits on a model horse completely covered in sparkling rhinestones.

"This was another level. Amazing, I can't wait for the rest of the tour," Abdul Ibraimoh, a 33-year-old artist manager from London, told AFP after the show.

"There was a lot of anticipation for what she was going to do, and yes I'm speechless, it was just incredible," Shane Barkey, a 31-year-old radio host from Ireland, said.

Beyonce, who has a record 32 Grammy awards; is in the top 10 biggest grossing female artists. She is also a fashion icon, with designers queueing up for her attention.

Many of the fans in Stockholm sported cowboy hats and rhinestones, mimicking the look of the performer's outfit in the ads announcing the 57-stop European and North American tour.

Julie Vargas, who flew in from Houston, Texas -- Beyonce's hometown -- confessed to having a "shrine" dedicated to the star at home.

"I don't want any spoilers, I wanted to be the first to see it and take the news back to H-town baby!" the 38-year-old surgical technologist told AFP as she waited in line in the early afternoon.

- 'The queen' -

The "Renaissance World Tour", announced in February after being teased last autumn, is the star's first solo tour since 2016.

Tickets sold out so quickly for the opening show that tour organisers added a second concert at the same venue for Thursday. From there, she goes to Brussels this weekend.

The tour, which continues until September, is expected to earn the international artist nearly $2.1 billion, according to business magazine Forbes. She is already a multi-millionaire.

"We love Beyonce, she's the queen, that's why we are here of course," 36-year-old artist Kasher Bloom from Riga told AFP.

"Beyonce is the queen! Our mother, everything! I would do anything for her," Jarra Jatta, a 21-year-old fan from Helsingborg in southern Sweden. 

In February, Beyonce made history by becoming the most successful artist in the history of the Grammys, surpassing the late classical conductor Georg Solti's long-standing record of 31 lifetime trophies.

But despite winning another four Grammys, fans were disappointed that she missed out on the award for album of the year for her seventh studio album, the house-tinged "Renaissance". The 16-song 2022 album was an instant hit and earned wide praise for its deep ambition.

- Decades at the top -

Born Beyonce Giselle Knowles, the now-41-year-old has been in the upper echelons of pop music since her teenage years.

She initially rose to fame as part of Destiny's Child -- whose smash hits included "Survivor" and "Say My Name" -- before embarking on a wildly successful solo career.

From setting the standard for the overnight album drop to delivering her earth-shattering "Homecoming" show at Coachella in 2018, Beyonce has long bucked the industry's conventional wisdom. She is simultaneously one of music's most private and most watched stars.

Her paradigm-shifting 2016 album "Lemonade," which emphasised Black womanhood against the backdrop of America's heritage of slavery and culture of oppression, remains one of the most venerated musical projects in recent memory.

Then she dropped the critically acclaimed song "Black Parade" in June 2020, amid nationwide protests ignited by the murder of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer.

Metro Manila Covid-19 positivity rate soars to 24.2%

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

May 11, 2023 10:35 AM

  

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The seven-day positivity rate in Metro Manila rose from 19.7 percent on May 2 to 24.2 percent on May 9, OCTA Research Fellow Dr. Guido David said on Wednesday night, May 10.

He noted that the rate will most likely exceed 25 percent, revising his previous projection that it would not reach 25 percent before the expected peak. 

However, David said that OCTA is still expecting the peak of the surge as early as next week.

“Exceeding 25 percent is almost a given at this time. We still expect the peak to happen within one to two weeks,” he pointed out.

Metro Manila’s seven-day positivity rate as of May 9, 2023 (OCTA Fellow Dr. Guido David/Twitter)

Positivity rate refers to the number of individuals who yielded positive results from among those who have been tested for Covid-19.

The benchmark for the positivity rate set by the World Health Organization is 5 percent.

Meanwhile, David said that hospital bed occupancy for Covid-19 patients in Metro Manila is at 27 percent, which is classified as “low.”

On May 10, the Department of Health reported 1,476 new Covid-19 cases across the country, of which 621 cases were recorded in Metro Manila.

David projected that the country may record 1,900 to 2,100 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, May 11.

He said the country’s current positivity rate is 22.4 percent, up from 20.9 percent during the previous day.

DOH says COVID-19 pandemic not yet over after global health emergency lifting

Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The public should not be complacent as the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, the Department of Health said Tuesday following the move of the World Health Organization to end the global emergency status for the coronavirus crisis.

Last week, the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions of people and wreaked economic and social havoc, no longer constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern.” PHEIC is the WHO’s highest level of alert.

“Even though the WHO has already lifted the PHEIC status, they didn’t say the pandemic is already over,” Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.

“We want to remind everyone that even though the PHEIC has been lifted, we cannot be complacent at this point. We still need to be vigilant,” she added.

For Marcos' approval

The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, which the DOH chairs, met Monday to discuss the impacts of the WHO declaration and the policies that will be affected.

Vergeire did not disclose the task force’s recommendations, but said these will be submitted to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. next week for his consideration and approval.

“For now, all policies based on the president’s executive orders and other IATF resolutions shall still be in effect until otherwise repealed,” she said.

The WHO first declared PHEIC over the crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, and classified it a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, 2020 declared a state of public health emergency due to COVID-19, allowing national and local government agencies to implement urgent and critical measures to contain the spread of the virus, and mitigate its effects to the community. This declaration is yet to be lifted.

“We are going to align whatever existing policies there are if the public health emergency is lifted,” Vergeire said.

In anticipation of the possible lifting of the country’s public health emergency over COVID-19, vaccine manufacturers are being encouraged to apply for certificate of product registration as the Food and Drug Administration will no longer be able to issue emergency use authorization for jabs, the health official said.

A CPR is issued by the FDA to manufacturers to distribute, market or sell their products to the public.

Increase in cases

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are on the rise, with the DOH reporting 9,465 infections in the past week. There were 12,161 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday.

“Although we have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, this does not translate to an increase in hospital admissions, severe and critical cases remain low, and many of the cases are mild,” Vergeire said.

According to Vergeire, 96% of these cases were either mild, asymptomatic or moderate, and the country’s healthcare utilization rate remains at low risk.

The Philippines has confirmed over 4.1 million COVID-19 infections, with more than 66,000 deaths, since the pandemic began in early 2020.

‘Dangerous’ heat continues with 20 areas recording heat indices above 41°C on May 9

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

May 9, 2023 07:29 PM

  

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that 20 locations across the country experienced dangerously high heat indices on Tuesday, May 9.

PAGASA recorded Tuesday’s highest heat index, or temperature as perceived by the human body, at 46 degrees Celsius (°C) in Ambulong Station in Tanauan, Batangas.

A heat index of 42°C to 51°C indicates imminent “danger,” as “heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely,” and “heat stroke is probable with continued activity,” according to PAGASA.

Other areas that registered dangerously high heat indices on Tuesday were Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte (45°C); Sangley Point, Cavite (45°C); Legazpi City, Albay (44°C); Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Pasay City (44°C); San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (44°C); Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur (44°C); Dagupan City, Pangasinan (43°C); Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (43°C); Roxas City, Capiz (43°C); Alabat, Quezon (42°C); Borongan, Eastern Samar (42°C); Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro (42°C); Coron, Palawan (42°C); Cotabato City, Maguindanao (42°C); Dauis, Bohol (42°C); Iba, Zambales (42°C); Juban, Sorsogon (42°C); Masbate City, Masbate (42°C); and Virac, Catanduanes (42°C).

(Image courtesy of Pixabay)

Based on PAGASA’s data, the highest heat index recorded since March 1, 2023, was 49℃ on April 16 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

In the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Batanes and Babuyan Islands will have cloudy skies and rains due to the frontal system, a weather system where cold and warm air merge.

PAGASA warned of moderate to occasional heavy rains that could cause flooding or landslides in these areas.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will continue to experience partly cloudy to cloudy weather with isolated rain showers or localized thunderstorms due to the easterlies or warm air from the Pacific Ocean.