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!
Progressive group Anakbayan on Sunday, Nov. 5, denounced the shooting incident that killed a veteran broadcaster in Calamba, Misamis Occidental.
Juan Jumalon (MANILA BULLETIN FILE)
"Anakbayan strongly condemns the killing of Juan Jumalon, or 'Johnny Walker,' a 57-year-old broadcaster from 94.7 Calamba Gold FM," the group said in a statement in Filipino.
Based on the reports, two men arrived at Jumalon's home-based radio station in Barangay Don Bernardo A. Neri, reportedly to make an important announcement on air.
Moreover, Anakbayan emphasized that Jumalon is the 299th media personnel victim since 1986 and the 4th during Marcos' administration.
This incident occurred just a few days after the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on Nov. 2.
For Anakbayan, such cases are "proof of the prevailing impunity in media worker killings."
"This is a barrier to press freedom, which is not just the right of media practitioners but of all citizens," the group added.
In response to this incident, Anakbayan called for immediate justice for the victim.
"Furthermore, we call on the youth to stand up and act for an end to the unjust killings of journalists and citizens, which can only be achieved through collective action," Anakbayan said.
Becoming a staple name and a meme during the holiday season, OPM icon Jose Mari Chan opens up about how he feels about being a Philippine Christmas icon.
During the media conference for "YuleStars Christmas Concert Series" at the Philippine Air Force Museum in Pasay City on Nov. 3, Chan mentioned that he does not want to be called the "Father of Filipino Christmas Songs."
"Again, let me repeat. I don't want to be called the Father of Filipino Christmas Songs because I'm not," he said.
Jose Mari Chan, Roselle Nava, and Christian Bautista (Carissa Alcantara)
Chan further explained that the reason why he didn't like the term was because long before he was born, other Pinoy singers had done a lot of Christmas songs in the past.
Although he does not want the name the Father of Filipino Christmas Songs, Jose shared that the younger generation calls him "Chantaclaus."
"Long before I was born, there were already many Christmas songs composed by Filipino artists. You know, some kids now don't want to call me Christmas King; they call me "Chantaclaus," he added.
With his new name, Chan also mentioned that more and more kids are asking for "pamasko" from him.
"Yes, a lot of kids now are asking for pamasko. But for me, I like sharing my blessings with people, especially during holiday season," he said.
Chan earned the title of Father of Filipino Christmas Songs following the massive success of his holiday album "Christas In Our Hearts" released under Universal Records on Nov. 17, 1990.
Another Christmas album?
From doing a lot of commercials, endorsements, and concerts, one thing keeps the fans curious: will Chan record another holiday album?
With the success of his album Christmas in Our Hearts, Chan dropped another holiday album entitled "Going Home to Christmas" in 2012.
Chan revealed during the media conference that he wanted to record more albums, but due to the constant changing of musical platforms, he would say that "Going Home to Christmas" is his last one.
"Well, I would like to come up with more albums, except that the platform has changed. Now, nobody buys CDs anymore. Tower Records is gone. They go to YouTube, they download the songs for free, and what I get from YouTube is enough to buy a cup of coffee," he said.
Music lovers will experience the holiday season three times merrier as Chan, Christian Bautista, and Roselle Nava serenade music lovers with classic Yuletide carols and OPM hits on Day 2 of the "YuleStars Christmas Concert Series" to be held on Dec. 1, 2023, 8:30 pm at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.
The event will be significant, especially for the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. (PMAAAI), which is the beneficiary of the entire YuleStars Christmas Concert Series.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the concert series is aimed at raising funds for poor members of PMAAI. "(It is)... to raise funds for PMAAI's less fortunate members, their dependents and families, and for other corporate social governance projects that the association's leadership has in mind."
Nava commended the PMAAI for the endeavor. She said, "I truly admire their desire and efforts to help people in need through their charitable projects. More power to the PMAAA!!"
Bautista said he is happy to be among YuleStars' lineup of top caliber artists that also includes Joey G. and Angeline Quinto (performing on the Nov. 30, 2023 show of YuleStars) and Ogie Alcasid and Nina (performing on Dec. 2, 2023). Ice Seguerra will be the special guest at both shows.
"We are thankful that the PMAAAI invited us to be part of this wonderful charity project," said Bautista. Addressing the concertgoers, Asia's Romantic Balladeeer said, "We hope the people will be inspired to give more this Christmas."
The YuleStars Christmas Concert is indeed a perfect showcase for Chan or Joe Mari, as he is fondly called, who, last year, was described by Time Magazine as the "face and voice of the holiday season in the Philippines."
A live band will accompany Chan, Bautista, and Nava. An added treat: the singer-songwriter will be singing several of his songs that he has not performed live for some time.
Happy driving days will continue for Filipino consumers next week as oil prices will continue to track downtrend at the domestic pumps, according to the calculation of the oil companies.
Based on the estimates of the industry players, the price of diesel in particular will have a heftier rollback of P1.00 to P1.40 per liter; while gasoline product prices will be trimmed at relatively leaner P0.40 to P0.80 per liter.
For kerosene, which is generally used as a base for aviation fuel and also a key commodity for households and key industries, its price reduction will be P0.80 to P1.20 per liter.
The oil firms will implement their price adjustments on Tuesday (November 7) based on cost swings of the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) index, with integrated impact of foreign exchange rate (forex) fluctuations, market premium as well as biofuel costs.
So far, the MOPS-calculated price reduction across products had been P1.236 per liter for diesel; P1.032 per liter for kerosene; and P0.0643 per liter for gasoline; but the final adjustments will depend largely on the sway of competitive market forces.
Prior to this round of adjustment, a monitoring report of the Department of Energy (DOE) has shown that prices since the start of the year still logged net increases of P14.20 per liter for gasoline; P10.45 per liter for diesel; and P5.04 per liter for kerosene.
As indicated by global experts, the prices of traded fuel commodities were generally on downswing last week as fuel inventories had been on escalation – especially in the United States, signaling a scenario then that the market is well supplied with oil.
Nevertheless, there had been factors which emerged as of end-week trading that affected market sentiments; and that pulled back international benchmark Brent crude prices to the level of $87 per barrel from $84-$85 per barrel most trading days last week.
Market watchers noted that the decision of the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England not to hike interest rates had generally lifted prices by Friday (November 3) trading.
Onward, there are no clear direction yet how oil prices will be taking their stride next week and there are no definitive trend manifesting if the buoyed prices will carry on or if price crash will reign in markets again next week.
As an oil import-dependent country, price rollbacks will always be good news to Filipino consumers because that will take the edge off on household budgets; and will likewise ease inflationary pressures on the economy.
Notably, 94 percent of the 2,000 malapapaya and lago seedlings planted by SBFI last year survived, surpassing the National Greening Program base rate of 85 percent as validated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
PLANTING THE FUTURE Security Bank employees head to the planting site at La Mesa Watershed hand in hand with ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan Program
Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI), along with 200 dedicated volunteers from the bank, marked the second year of its 10,000-tree, five-year reforestation commitment at La Mesa Watershed. Volunteers trekked three hours to plant 2,000 sandalwood and white lauan seedlings, in partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan Program in its mission to protect the largest rainforest and water source of Metro Manila.
Notably, 94 percent of the 2,000 malapapaya and lago seedlings planted by SBFI last year survived, surpassing the National Greening Program base rate of 85 percent as validated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). A quarter of the participants that attended the second year of the tree planting activity were also former participants, displaying a commitment to sustainability as they reused the planting gear kept from last year.
Security Bank’s five-year pledge to reforest La Mesa Watershed encompasses 45 percent of ABS-CBN’s targeted reforestation efforts. Through this initiative, Security Bank helps to curb carbon emissions, prevent floods during rainy seasons, maintain vital water levels during summers, and offer sanctuary to the native wildlife.
“Security Bank’s steadfast commitment to this reforestation project plays a pivotal role in advancing ABS-CBN Foundation’s critical mission of maintaining Metro Manila’s water reservoir within safe levels, which is crucial for supporting the day-to-day water consumption of the region,” said Sarah Agcaoili, operations manager of ABS-CBN Foundation.
“We want this activity to serve as a platform for channeling the passion and energy for community development of our employees. We want them to feel and take pride in knowing that they’ve helped reforest the La Mesa Watershed, something they’ll be proud to tell their children or the next generation,” said Melissa Aquino, SBFI trustee and corporate secretary.
SBFI’s projects are made with the bright future of the next generation in mind. Beyond its five-year tree planting pledge, it also champions education. To date, SBFI has donated 715 classrooms to public schools, granted more than 2,000 scholarships, and trained more than 36,000 teachers and principals. www.securitybank.com
Photos of her arrival in El Salvador were uploaded on the Facebook account of Miss Universe Philippines.
Michelle Dee (Facebook)
Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee has arrived safely in El Salvador for the 72nd Miss Universe Competition.
Photos of her arrival in El Salvador were uploaded on the Facebook account of Miss Universe Philippines. The caption read: "Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Marquez Dee wears tailored denim by @_renzreyes as styled by @teamryujishiomitsu, with accessories from @tiffanyandco, bag from Fendi, and shoes from Saint Laurent, for her trip to El Salvador. A look that's fit for a modern queen!"
Michelle, 28, went to Los Angeles, California, before she headed for El Salvador.
Eighty-six candidates will vie for the title of 2023 Miss Universe in El Salvador on Nov. 18 (Nov. 19, Manila time).
I consider myself to be a linguist and a Slavicist. I am interested in dialects and mutual intelligibility, and I am also a fairly big science fiction fan.
The idea that English is a type of German is one of the biggest misconceptions the general public has about historical linguistics.
English is as much a type of German as German is a type of English. They both share a common ancestor. At the time English evolved from Proto-Germanic, there was no ‘German’ ethnic identity, and speakers of Old High German did not call their language ‘Diutisk’ (the word that evolved into Deutsch). In Old High German, that word meant ‘popular/of the people.’
The German and Germanic label was invented by the Romans as a blanket term to describe the people of Germania (which was not a real country, but a region Romans labelled outside of their borders). After linguists discovered genetic relationships between languages, they called the group of languages comprising English, Scots, Yiddish, High German, Dutch, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Elfdalian, Gutnish, Swedish, Nynorsk, Wymysorys, Norwegian Bokmål to name a few, ‘Germanic.’
This does not mean these languages all evolved from German. They could have called them ‘Barbarian’ or ‘Middle European.’ Just because English is a Germanic language, and the word Germanic comes from ‘German,’ does not mean 1. Germanic languages all evolved from German, 2. German is the prototypical Germanic language that is the most Germanic out of them all, or 3. German is the central language of the family and all the others are offshoots.
No one assumes Polish evolved from Russian, or French evolved from Italian. This is because, by sheer coincidence, linguists named the group of languages comprising Polish, Czech, Slovak, Kashubian, Russian, Lemko, Belarussian, Ukrainian, Serbo-croatian, Slovenian, Upper Sorbian, Lower Sorbian, and others ‘Slavic.’ Likewise, they named the group comprising French, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese, etc ‘Romance.’
Oh and Linguists do also call them Italic but luckily, the general public doesn’t ever use the word ‘Italic’ so no one gets confused thinking French, Spanish, Catalan, and others all evolved from Italian like they do with Germanic languages.
If I had my way, we’d call Germanic languages ‘Middle European’ or something, that way no one would be confused thinking it is a family comprised of languages that evolved from High German. A subset of the family did evolve from Old and Middle High German, but English didn’t.
In reality, the relationship between English and German is more like this:
Just like humans did not evolve from Chimpanzees, and the Chimpanzees did not evolve from humans, German and English did not evolve from each other.
No one consciously invented or introduced English one day. It evolved when settlers from what is now Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark landed on an island mostly populated by Celts. Slowly their speech changed from the mainland as children acquired it from a speech community unique to England.
Of course, it still would have evolved into a very different language from modern German had it remained in mainland Europe. Modern Frisian is very different from modern German.
