You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

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Saturday, January 4, 2025

Mehr Geld 2025: Zahlreiche Rentner profitieren von maßgeblicher Anpassung

München – 2025 kommen mehrere Änderungen bei der Rente, die ab dem 1. Januar in Kraft treten. Eine dieser Änderungen wird vielen Rentnern einen finanziellen Vorteil verschaffen. Es handelt sich dabei um die Anpassung der Zuverdienstgrenzen bei der Erwerbsminderungsrente – eine Rentenform, die Personen erhalten, die aufgrund von Krankheit nicht mehr oder nur eingeschränkt arbeiten können. 

Die Erwerbsminderung wird anhand der Anzahl der Stunden bemessen, die die betroffenen Personen noch arbeiten können. Eine halbe Erwerbsminderungsrente wird gewährt, wenn sie zwischen drei und sechs Stunden täglich arbeiten können. Wer maximal drei Stunden arbeiten kann, erhält die volle Rente. Bis zu diesen Grenzen ist eine Arbeit und somit ein Zuverdienst problemlos möglich, also auch ein zusätzliches Einkommen.

Rentner profitieren 2025: Hinzuverdienstgrenzen bei Erwerbsminderungsrente steigen

Mit Beginn des neuen Jahres können Rentner mehr dazu verdienen, ohne dass dies auf ihre Renten angerechnet wird. Die Hinzuverdienstgrenzen für Renten aufgrund verminderter Erwerbsfähigkeit steigen 2025 auf 19.661 Euro für Bezieher einer vollen Erwerbsminderungsrente, verglichen mit 18.558,75 Euro im Jahr 2024. Bei Renten aufgrund teilweiser Erwerbsminderung liegt die Hinzuverdienstgrenze bei etwa 39.322 Euro, im Vergleich zu 37.117,50 Euro im Jahr 2024. 

Laut der Deutschen Rentenversicherung gibt es neben der gesetzlichen Hinzuverdienstgrenze auch eine individuelle Grenze für Bezieher einer Erwerbsminderungsrente. Diese richtet sich nach dem höchsten Verdienst der letzten 15 Jahre vor Beginn der Erwerbsminderung. In einigen Fällen können die Betroffenen also mehr verdienen. Die Rentenversicherung bietet hierzu Beratung an.

Rentner profitieren vom Rentenpaket II
Früher als geplant die Füße hochlegen und in Rente gehen. Mit der Altersteilzeit ist das möglich – doch es gelten Bedingungen. © Stephan Scheuer dpa

Wer mehr als die Grenzen verdient, muss eine Kürzung der Rente in Kauf nehmen. Bei beiden Formen, also der vollen und der halben Erwerbsminderungsrente, wird das Gehalt zu 40 Prozent auf die Rente angerechnet. 

Bezieher von Erwerbsminderungsrenten profitieren ab 1. Januar von längerer Zurechnungszeit

Zusätzlich zu den Zuverdienstgrenzen erhöht sich zum 1. Januar 2025 auch die sogenannte Zurechnungszeit bei der Erwerbsminderungsrente. Die Höhe der Rente richtet sich, wie die reguläre Altersrente auch, nach den bisherigen Beiträgen der Versicherten. Da die Versicherungszeit jedoch deutlich kürzer ist als das übliche Renteneintrittsalter und entsprechend weniger Rentenpunkte gesammelt werden konnten, gibt es die Zurechnungszeit.

Diese wird den Betroffenen gutgeschrieben. Konkret handelt es sich dabei um den Zeitraum vom Eintritt der Erwerbsminderung bis zum regulären Renteneintrittsalter. Dieser steigt schrittweise bis 2031.

Friday, January 3, 2025

True love goes all the way




By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com


INDEED, that is how true love is. It never says enough in itself-giving. If it would cost one’s life, so be it. It would always take the initiative, never waiting for some favorable conditions to start loving. It may involve some episodes of anger, but it would always end with mercy.


We can learn these qualities of true love from the first reading of the Mass of Tuesday after Epiphany Sunday. (cfr. 1 Jn 4,7-10) “Let us love one another, for charity is of God. And every one that loves, is born of God, and knows God,” it says. 


And it describes the extent to which this love goes in this way: “In this is charity: not as though we had loved God, but because he has first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.”


It obviously would look impossible for us to have that kind of love which we are meant to have since we are supposed to be God's image and likeness, sharers of his life and nature. We should not waste time worrying about that apparent impossibility. We are told that as long as we do our part, imperfect as it is, it would be God himself who would do it for us and with us!


If we truly love God and everybody else, with a love that is nothing less than a participation of the love God has for us and as commanded by Christ to us, then we will never say enough in our self-giving. 


Even if such an attitude would already seem to be going beyond common sense, our reason and other human and worldly standards that we usually use to measure our love, we would still go on giving ourselves, never saying enough. We would just give and give, even if we seem to consume ourselves in death.


This is, of course, an overwhelming prospect, but that is what true love is. It is some kind of madness that knows no limits. It is given without measure, without cost, without any calculation.


And even if such total self-giving is not reciprocated, it would still go on loving. It is purely gratuitous. Even more, even if it is not only unreciprocated but is also violently resisted and rejected, it would still go on loving.


Obviously, if we are to rely only on our own powers, there is no way we can have this kind of self-giving. This can only take place if we are truly identified with Christ, if we have his grace and are corresponding to it with all that we have got.


It’s only in this condition that we can go beyond the limits of our natural self and above the usual drama in life. We of course have our limitations, physical, mental, emotional, etc. And yet, as long as we are truly with Christ, we can still manage to give ourselves unstintingly. The spiritual and supernatural in us through Christ would enable us to give ourselves despite our natural limitations and worldly conditions.


It is God’s grace that does the trick. It’s when we correspond sincerely to God’s love for us that we get a self-perpetuating energy to do our best in any given moment. It’s when we can manage to do the impossible.


We need to help each other to do and give our best in whatever task we have out of sheer love for God and neighbor. The appropriate training should be established in homes, schools and everywhere. The proper climate and environment should be created for this purpose.


PhilHealth Konsulta: Unlocking healthcare for all

BY MANILA BULLETIN


E CARTOON JAN 3, 2025 (1).jpg

 

Healthcare remains a critical need for millions and the promise of accessible and affordable medical services under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act seems to be a beacon of hope. Yet, for many Filipinos, this promise often seems out of reach — not because of lack of programs, but due to failure in awareness and accessibility. 


One such program is the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Konsultasyong Sulit Tama (PhilHealth Konsulta) — introduced as a key component of the UHC Act. It is a government initiative aimed at providing members with comprehensive primary healthcare services. These include regular check-ups, diagnostics, medical prescriptions, and specialist referrals — all for free or at a minimal cost. The program is meant to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, by offering everyone equal access to quality medical care. This program is a legal entitlement, a right granted to PhilHealth members and dependents, ensuring they receive essential healthcare services, irrespective of income or geographic location. 


According to the PhilHealth website, it has on record 108,505,167 beneficiaries — 62,236,523 members and 46,268,644 dependents as of December 2023. However, only 20,744,674 are registered with PhilHealth Konsulta — 14,545,416 members and 6,199,258 dependents. This underscores how the program is underutilized. The number of people who actively engage with this service is far below what it should be.


A fundamental reason lies in awareness, or rather, the lack of it. Despite being a law-mandated benefit, many PhilHealth members remain oblivious to its existence, much less its eligibility requirements or the extent of its coverage. Whether due to ineffective communication strategies, limited outreach, or a general disconnect between government programs and the public, PhilHealth Konsulta has yet to reach its full potential.


The poor dissemination of information is not just a minor inconvenience — it is a failure in public service. Those who need the program the most, particularly in rural areas or among marginalized communities, remain unaware of their entitlements. This means that millions of pesos in health funds, intended for the well-being of Filipinos, sit idle in PhilHealth coffers each year. The financial resources allocated for primary care services that could help prevent more serious health conditions are not being used to their full capacity. In fact, PhilHealth was in the limelight recently after Congress decided not to grant it any subsidy under the 2025 national budget owing this to its ₱600-billion reserve funds lying idle. While the law mandates that PhilHealth needs to have a reserve fund, the amount reaching as high as ₱600 billion may be too much considering that millions need healthcare assistance. This idle fund represents untapped potential for the prevention and treatment of countless diseases that could burden the nation’s healthcare system in the long run. More importantly, it’s a glaring indicator of inefficiency in public service. Every unutilized benefit is a missed opportunity for improved public health and a wasted investment in a system designed to support the nation’s health needs. 


PhilHealth cannot afford to let this situation continue. While PhilHealth Konsulta’s existence is a powerful tool, its potential will remain unrealized until more is done to ensure its visibility and accessibility. 


The consequences are not only economic but social. The underutilization of the  program perpetuates inequality in healthcare access, especially for the poor and underserved sectors. In the long run, this could lead to a vicious cycle where the lack of primary care services results in the escalation of medical conditions that would have otherwise been preventable or manageable.


PhilHealth Konsulta is a tool for health equity and justice. The funds allocated for this program belong to the people, and they must not go to waste. If the government and PhilHealth officials take the necessary steps to raise awareness and ensure participation, PhilHealth Konsulta can become the cornerstone of a healthier, more equitable Philippines. It’s time for all Filipinos to realize their right to health and for PhilHealth to fulfill its mandate — so that no one is left behind in this health revolution.