NAIA cuts overnight parking to ₱600 for 'verified' travelers

 

Cars parked at the Manila airport terminal 2 (New NAIA Infra Corp. photo) 

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) significantly lowered its overnight parking rates for verified passengers and other legitimate airport users, effective Friday, Aug. 1.

In a Facebook post, the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) said the new parking system aims to enable more efficient management of parking facilities while ensuring accessibility for those who genuinely use the airport.

The NNIC noted the new system helps keep parking slots available and convenient for NAIA’s intended users.

To get the discounted rates, verified passengers who park their vehicles at any of the NAIA Terminals—Terminal 1, 2, or 3—must park and keep their ticket. They then need to bring their ticket and boarding pass on their trip and present both at the validation counter upon return. Once verified, passengers will pay only half the standard overnight rate.

This new overnight parking rate for verified passengers is ₱600. While this is still more expensive than the original ₱300 overnight rate, it represents a 50 percent reduction compared to the ₱1,200 rate the NNIC implemented last October.

The priesthood

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

AUGUST 4 being a Memorial of St. John Mary Vianney, patron saint of priests, is a good occasion to review who a priest is and how he should be. St. John Mary Vianney (1786-1859), also known as the Cure of Ars, can provide us with a good idea about this since he was well known for his heroic priestly and pastoral work in a parish in France that resulted in a radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings.

To be a priest is actually a profound calling to serve Christ and the Church that necessarily involves a deep relationship with God, a commitment to holiness, and a dedication to lead others to Christ. It is a ministry of sacrifice, love and availability to the people entrusted to his care. 

With the sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest shares in the priesthood of Christ himself, that is, Christ as Head of the Church and not just a member of it. This is another proof that God shares his power with us since, in the end, we are meant to be his image and likeness, sharers precisely of his life and nature.

The priest, so ordained, should realize more deeply that he should transform himself into Christ, and to love and suffer as Christ did for everybody, and to see the things of the world through the eyes of Christ. His lifestyle should be that of total self-giving, unafraid of the effort and costs it involves. This, of course, would require a special vocation.

As such, a priest is expected to be a model individual, a living example of faith, love and holiness that should effectively inspire others to follow Christ. He has to see to it that people see and hear Christ through him. He is not just a good orator, an amusing comedian, or a creative artist. Of course, it would be good if he could integrate all these good traits but seeing to it that it is Christ that is seen and heard by the people.

This is, of course, a very overwhelming ideal for a priest to pursue. Thus, a priest should be so deeply rooted in prayer and to spend time with God that he can fairly say he is acting “in persona Christi capitis” (in the person of Christ as head of the Church). He has to realize that his formation—human, doctrinal, spiritual, pastoral, etc.—is a continuing affair, a till-death pursuit.

A priest should have a very deep love for souls, always making himself available to the people, offering guidance, comfort and support. He should give priority to the celebration of the sacraments, especially Confession which is a means of grace and healing. Of course, the daily celebration of the Holy Mass holds the most important duty for him.

If every person is supposed to be “alter Christus” (another Christ) since we are all created in God’s image and likeness which is what Christ is, the priest should be the first one to show it to the world, aware that he is called to be the very instrument of God’s love and grace.

To be a priest should be an all-time affair. Once a priest, he is a priest forever. He cannot say that he is a priest at certain moments of the day only when he celebrates the sacraments, or in certain situations and conditions in life. He is and should be a priest at every breath he makes. 

What do Filipinos think of half Caucasian/half Filipino people, especially those who were born and raised in Europe or the US?

 

Robin Wilson

 · 

Entrepreneur-in-Training

What do Filipinos think of half Caucasian/half Filipino people, especially those who were born and raised in Europe or the US?

I can speak from personal experience as a half-Filipino, half-white woman, but I have never been to the Philippines myself. Here is what I notice from the first-and even second-generation Filipinos in America in my family or extended family. Maybe not all Filipinos are generally like this, but the ones I have been exposed to are.

• Their initial reaction will always be, “Whose white kid is that?” This would mostly be a thing that happens at gatherings I guess, but I know this because even my own family does it. Honestly, I forget that I am half white and find myself doing it. Filipinos tend to be quite gossipy, so they are all curious about who went out and found themselves a white person to have a child with. Usually, they are proud that they found a white spouse.
• They favor white people over any other. This is sad but true. My half sister is fully Asian. Her father was very tan, so she is too. My grandparents would always say that I am their favorite because I am white. Growing up, she would not be allowed to play in the sun, God forbid she got any darker. Many Filipinos I know, not all, but the ones that my family knows, seem to favor white people over many other, sometimes even their own. I often hear what equates to, “Find a nice white boy to marry! Or a Filipino.”
• They love to point out that you don’t look like them. This one hurts me a lot. To this day, my family is always making comments like, “You’re so pale!” “Your hair is so much lighter than ours!” “Your skin burns but ours doesn’t!” “You don’t have the same genes to stay thin.” All things I am aware of, but it hurts to hear all the time. When I am with them, sometimes I can pretend I look like them and I fit in, but then they say something like this or I walk by a mirror and I’m reminded I’ll never look quite right in my family.
• They also love to point out what you do more American. I’ve started doing this to myself, because if someone is going to make jokes about you, it helps to join in with them. If I choose to eat with a fork over chopsticks, my hands, or a spoon, they sometimes will make a comment like, “You’re so American.” Once again, I am aware, but it used to bother me a bit. They also say the same thing if we go to a restaurant and I order something more American.
• They seem to forget you’re Asian as well. My family sometimes quizzes me on Tagalog, the language that they all understand but failed to teach me. I know a handful of words, and they taught me all of them, yet they seem so surprised when I know the word. The same goes for when I know the name of an Asian food. They seem to think that I am completely out of touch with Asian culture. I’m not that close to Filipino culture, but it’s not my fault that my upbringing was quite Americanized. Once, a relative said to me, “I forget sometimes that you’re Filipino.”
• You are only seen as Filipino when you do something extra Filipino. When I am running extra late, they say, “You run late all the time. You’re so Filipino!” When I eat rice with my hands, or enjoy a Filipino dish, they say “I knew you were Filipino!” As if they had believed I was switched at birth, just some random white kid swapped into a Filipino family.

Overall, the Filipinos I have encountered seem to like white people a lot. However, as a half-white, half-Filipino, raised by my American born parents in America, they tend to overlook my Filipino side. Even my own family has said that they occasionally forget that I am Filipino, and I am sure that that statement is primarily based on my looks. They have never said the same to my sister, who was raised by the same parents as me, in the same family as me, but only is genetically more Asian than me.

I want so badly to teach my children about Filipino culture, but it will be hard because I haven’t been taught much about it. I have been accepted to be a white person, not a Filipino, so although my fondest childhood memories are immersed in Filipino culture, I have been treated as nothing but white. (Not to say that being fully white is bad. Sometimes I wish I were one or the other.) I just want to be treated as a Filipino-American, because that’s what I feel like I am.

18 Things Mentally Strong People Do

1. They move on. They don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

2. They keep control. They don't give away their power.

3. They embrace change. They welcome challenges.

4. They stay happy. They don't complain. They don't waste energy on things they can't control.

5. They are kind, fair, and unafraid to speak up. They don't worry about pleasing other people.

6. They are willing to take calculated risks. They weigh the risks and benefits before taking action.

7. They invest their energy in the present. They don't dwell on the past.

8. They accept full responsibility for their past behavior. They don't make the same mistake over and over.

9. They celebrate other people's success. They don't resent that success.

10. They are willing to fail. They don't give up after failing. They see every failure as a chance to improve.

11. They enjoy their time alone. They don't fear being alone.

12. They are prepared to work and succeed on their own merits. They don't feel the world owes them anything.

13. They have staying power. They don't expect immediate results.

14. They evaluate their core beliefs and modify as needed.

15. They expend their mental energy wisely. They don't spend time on unproductive thoughts.

16. They think productively. They replace negative thoughts with productive thoughts.

17. They tolerate discomfort. They accept their feelings without being controlled by them.

18. They reflect on their progress every day. They take time to consider what they've achieved and where they are going.

QUALITY OF LIFE

 

Quality of life is defined as an individual's perception of their position in life relative to their culture, values, goals, and standards, influenced by factors such as physical health, psychological state, independence, social relationships, and environmental features.

I am not a doctor. I am just a normal person with a different education and past experiences. I am an expat in the Philippines. I experienced the following things here.

Quality of life is a highly subjective measure of happiness that is an essential component of many financial decisions. Factors that play a role in the quality of life vary according to personal preferences, but they often include financial security, job satisfaction, family life, health, and safety.

Four domains common to QOL in health have been defined as: physical health, mental health, social health and functional health.

Intellectualization is a transition to reason, where the person avoids uncomfortable emotions by focusing on facts and logic. The situation is treated as an interesting problem that engages the person on a rational basis, whilst the emotional aspects are completely ignored as being irrelevant.

We all know that positive thoughts and emotions help you feel better, but they also do some other pretty cool things. They help you:

Improve your memory and attention. Take in more information and hold several ideas in your mind at once

understand how different thoughts relate to each other. Handle tough situations more easily. Positive thoughts and emotions help open you up to new possibilities. You’re better able to learn and build on your skills. That leads to doing better on tasks and tests.

Do you know where I learned this? In the Philippines. My family taught me all these things.

Building habits that encourage you to think and feel more positive can help you be more satisfied and have fewer unwanted feelings. This is especially important if you’re already dealing with a lot of negative emotions like fear, sadness, anger, frustration, or stress. Everyone has negative thoughts and feelings sometimes, but try to look on the bright side as much as you can.

Try these tips:

Notice and name any positive emotions you feel during the day. Track them in a list to be more aware of positive feelings you experience and situations or activities that cause them. For example, you might feel proud when you answer a question right, joyful when your dog or cat does something funny, or loved when a parent shows up at your game.

At the end of each day, try to find at least 3 good things that happened to you. This trains you to notice positive things and encourages you to do more stuff that causes positive emotions.

Pick a positive emotion and make it stronger. Let’s say you choose confidence. What helps you feel confident? How can you get more of that feeling? You might give yourself a “Yes, I can!” pep talk before a test. Or maybe you stand up straighter and try walking through the halls in a confident way, feeling strong. Think of positive emotions as muscles you should exercise by the way you look at things and what you do.

Be grateful. Make an effort to practice gratitude every day. This means pausing to notice and appreciate the things you often take for granted, like having a place to live, food, clean water, friends, family, even computer access. It's taking a moment to reflect on how fortunate you are when something good happens — whether it's a small thing or big thing.

Gather reminders of good experiences. Consider making a positivity box or folder filled with things like photos of good times, cards from special people, and favorite song lyrics. If you have trouble thinking or feeling positive some days, the box can lead you back to a happier emotional place.

Positive thoughts and emotions are powerful tools. So find ways to make time for them in your everyday life. Try to create room in your day for joy, fun, friendship, relaxation, kindness, and gratitude.

Als Rentner im Ausland? Lebensnachweis kann notwendig werden

Stand:01.08.2025, 12:19 Uhr

Wer im Ruhestand im Ausland lebt, benötigt unter Umständen einen sogenannten Lebensnachweis, um weiter die Rentenzahlungen zu erhalten. © Clara Margais/dpa/dpa-tmn

Manche im Ausland lebende Ruheständler müssen nachweisen, dass sie noch leben. Nur so kann die Rentenzahlung fortgesetzt werden. Auf welche Schreiben man da achtgeben sollten.

Berlin - Erhalten Sie Ihre Rente auf ein ausländisches Konto? Oder leben Sie im Ruhestand selbst im Ausland? Dann kann es sein, dass Sie einmal im Jahr nachweisen müssen, dass Sie noch am Leben sind.

So soll sichergestellt werden, dass keine Rentenzahlungen an Verstorbene weiter fließen. Den dafür notwendigen sogenannten Lebensnachweis hat die Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) den betroffenen rund 500.000 Rentnerinnen und Rentnern bereits im Juni und Juli mitsamt ihrer Rentenanpassungsmitteilung geschickt.

Den Nachweis können Betroffene entweder in Papierform oder digital erbringen. Der für den digitalen Weg erforderliche persönliche QR-Code ist dem Schreiben zu entnehmen. Eine Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitung finden Ruheständler auf der Webseite des Renten Service. Dort kann zudem eine Ersatzbestellung beantragt werden, falls Unterlagen ganz oder teilweise verloren gegangen sein sollten.   

Kein Nachweis, keine Rente: Zahlungsstopp vermeiden

Angeschriebene, die es versäumen, ihren Lebensnachweis fristgerecht zu erbringen, müssen damit rechnen, dass ihre Rentenzahlung eingestellt wird. Das erfolgt regelmäßig zum 30. November eines Jahres. Die Zahlung wird erst dann wieder fortgesetzt, wenn der Lebensnachweis erbracht wurde.

Übrigens: Obwohl der DRV zufolge zwar rund 1,7 Millionen Renten ins Ausland überwiesen werden, müssen trotzdem nicht alle diese Empfängerinnen und Empfänger einen Lebensnachweis erbringen. Mit Ländern wie etwa Australien, Italien, Spanien oder Österreich erfolgt zwischen den Behörden ein automatischer Datenaustausch, der den Vorgang vereinfacht. 

Nur Menschen, deren Konto in Ländern ohne automatischen Datenaustausch liegt, müssen den Lebensnachweis selbst erbringen. Rentnerinnen und Rentner, die ihren Lebensabend in Deutschland verbringen, müssen ebenfalls keinen Lebensnachweis erbringen. dpa

LPA outside northern boundary of PAR may develop into tropical cyclone — PAGASA

 

By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Published Jul 31, 2025 05:50 pm

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Thursday, July 31 said a low-pressure area (LPA) just outside the northern boundary of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours.

PAGASA weather specialist Leanne Loreto said the LPA was first monitored on Thursday morning.

As of 4 p.m., the weather disturbance was located 955 kilometers east-northeast of extreme Northern Luzon.

Although it is not expected to directly affect the country at present, Loreto said the weather system may briefly enter the PAR before moving out again.

If the LPA intensifies into a tropical cyclone within the PAR, it will be named “Fabian.”

Loreto also noted that based on historical data, two to three tropical cyclones enter or form within the PAR during August.

Meanwhile, cloud clusters east of Mindanao are being closely monitored for potential development into a tropical cyclone.

The southwest monsoon (habagat) continues to affect Central and Northern Luzon but is expected to gradually weaken in the coming days, bringing improved weather conditions.

In the next 24 hours, Loreto said residents of Ilocos Region, Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Apayao, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Pampanga can expect cloudy skies with scattered monsoon rains and thunderstorms, accompanied by moderate to occasionally heavy rains that could trigger flash floods or landslides.

Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, and Visayas will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to the habagat, while Mindanao will have similar conditions brought by localized thunderstorms.

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Which Philippine destinations are most worth visiting for long-term residents?

 

Ronna Lou

Matchmaking Consultant (2016–present)Jan 22

I guess it depends on your preferences.

For example, if you like the beach vibe, you can visit Siargao, Boracay, or Palawan.

El Nido, Palawan

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

If you are into fresh mountain air and the smell of pine, Baguio or Banaue are good destinations.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Photo by John Renzo Aledia from Pexels

For a more modern feel, with a skyline that can compete with other beautiful cities around the world, Metro Manila and Cebu City should be on your list.

Downtown Cebu

Photo by Gil Aguirre from Pexels

But if you prefer an open wilderness and experience exotic wildlife with the amenities of a developing city, Bohol or Davao are your best options.

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Photo by Jondave Libiran from Pexels

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, offers a wide variety of destinations that even locals will want to visit soon. Whether you go to the beach, explore a modern city, or hike up a mountain, you’ll get to experience firsthand the rich culture, history, and heritage that the country is founded on.

The art of ending the day well

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

YES, we have to learn the art of how to end our day well. That’s because it is our way also of how to end our life well, ready to meet God in judgment. We just have to be realistic about the real purpose of our life here on earth, so that we avoid getting entangled in things that are not actually necessary for us even if they seem to us as indispensable at the moment.

We are reminded of this need in that gospel episode where someone asked Christ to mediate on the inheritance issue with that person’s brother. (cfr. Lk 12,13-21) Of course, Christ, knowing the motive of that fellow, refused to do so. Instead, he reminded the person to focus more on what truly matters in life, that is, to seek the real treasure. Rather than focusing on earthly treasures, he told him to be “rich in matters of God.”

In our daily life, we should have a running account, so to speak, of how our life is going in terms of achieving its real purpose. We are not here mainly for earthly gains, although they figure as a means to pursue our real goal. We are here to gain our own sanctification through all the events and circumstances of our life, whether ordinary or extraordinary.

Let us remember that every moment in our life, irrespective of how it affects us—whether good or bad according to some earthly or temporal criteria—is an occasion to interact with God who always intervenes in our life, testing us but also guiding us and giving us all the means that we need. Yes, we have to be aware that every moment is a moment for sanctification.

We need to train ourselves to think that way and to act accordingly. That’s why we need to have some running account of how we are faring in this ultimate concern of ours in this life. And so, at the end of the day, we should make some kind of accounting to see if we are progressing or not, if there are things to be improved or to be more focused on, if we are equipping ourselves adequately to pursue our real goal, etc.

The ideal thing to happen is that at the end of the day, before going to bed, we should make some kind of examination of conscience so we would have a good idea of how things are going in our life. This way, we would always be ready to face God in judgment.

We have to learn to leave our earthly and temporal concerns so that we can focus more on the definitive eternal life that is promised to us. This is just to be realistic about our life, cutting away whatever fantastic and fictional ideas we have about our life here on earth.

To be sure, this will give us a lot of confidence and hope no matter how things go. We would know what to do, both in good times and in bad times. The only thing necessary is to do the will of God which, as Christ spelled out to us, can involve denying ourselves, carrying the cross and following Christ himself wherever he leads us. (cfr. Mt 16,24)

We avoid getting entangled in an unnecessary drama that would only complicate our life without leading us to where we should be in the end.