A German Expat in The Philippines - Ein deutscher Auswanderer auf den Philippinen

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!

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Miss Universe Philippines 2026 reveals 51 candidates, expands public voting

By Annalyn S. Jusay

The search for the next Filipina Miss Universe officially kicked off as 51 candidates vying for the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 crown were formally presented yesterday at the Grand Ballroom of City of Dreams Manila.

Wearing coordinated pink and red ensembles to reflect the period between Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year, the candidates made their first collective appearance before members of the media, pageant partners, and fans.

Miss Universe Philippines 2026 candidates with Miss Universe 2025 3rd runner-up Ahtisa Manalo (center) - Photo by Melvin Sia

Miss Universe Philippines 2026 candidates with Miss Universe 2025 3rd runner-up (center) - Photo by Melvin Sia

Prior to the indoor presentation, the delegates kicked off the festivities with a parade around the SM Mall of Asia complex, delighting pageant followers who gathered for an early glimpse of this year’s aspirants.

Miss Universe Philippines officials also announced key updates for the 2026 edition, including the confirmation of Misamis Occidental as the official host province and local government partner. Pangasinan was also announced as the venue for the 2026 national costume competition.

New selection format

Miss Universe Philippines Vice President Voltaire Tayag said the organization is introducing a revamped selection process to increase transparency and public participation throughout the competition.“We are introducing a new selection format that is intended to rally public support for the delegates, while also showcasing transparency every step of the way,” Tayag said. “We are bringing the journey closer to Filipinos by allowing them to have a significant say in every stage of the pageant up to the semifinals.”

Under the new system, major preliminary segments - including the evening gown, swimsuit, and closed-door interview - will be filmed and recorded in March. These materials will then be released weekly as part of a multi-round public voting process.

Starting April 5, the competition will roll out its first preliminary week with the evening gown segment, marking an earlier and more sustained evaluation period for the candidates.

All of the videos and photos will be released weekly through the different segments in every round,” Tayag said, noting that candidates are expected to remain at peak form as early as March. He added that designers were asked to complete their creations earlier than usual due to the adjusted timeline.

From left: Miss Tarlac, Miss Pampanga, and Miss La Union at the press presentation (Annalyn Jusay)

At the end of each voting period, a select number of delegates will advance to the next round, beginning with the swimsuit segment. Advancement will be determined through a combination of public votes via Maya app and selections made by the judging panel.

Candidates who do not advance through public voting will continue to participate in official events and provincial tours throughout April. Tayag stressed that delegates still have chances to move forward through selection panel choices, brand awards, and wildcard slots to be announced during the finals.

A new interactive feature will also be introduced during coronation night, allowing registered viewers to vote in real time as the candidates take the stage.

“Every moment matters. Every vote counts,” Tayag said. “Every stage of the competition is an opportunity to showcase your best.”

Showdown of pageant veterans

This year’s competition is also shaping up to be a "puksaan" with several seasoned pageant veterans joining the roster.

Among the candidates are Ysabella Ysmael of Taguig City, MUPH 2020 first runner-up; Apriel Smith of Cebu City, MUPH 2020 Top 16 finalist; Miss Earth-Water titleholders Bea Millan-Windorski of La Union and Roxie Baeyens of Baguio City; Nicole Borromeo, who finished as third runner-up at Miss International 2023; Justine Felizarta of Manila, first runner-up at Miss Tourism World 2023; Ashley Subijano of Luisiana, Laguna, a Miss Eco International 2023 semifinalist; and Imelda Schweighart of Kalibo, Aklan, a resigned former Miss Philippines-Earth 2016.

Miss Universe Philippines officials led by CEO Jonas Gaffud (center) with Miss Universe 2025 3rd runner-up Ahtisa Manalo. (Annalyn Jusay)

Here's the complete list of Miss Universe Philippines 2026 candidates and the provinces they represent:

Albay – Alexandra Krishna Orino

Bacolod City – Megan Larisse Baldevia

Bacoor City – Felicia Fran Aldana

Baguio City – Roxie Baeyens

Batangas – Kathleen Dale Casenas

Cabanatuan City (Filipino Society of Alberta, Canada) – Princess Kyla Hernandez

Camiguin – Erica Jean Cadayday

Cavite – Jencel Cana

Cebu City – Apriel Smith

Cebu Province – Nicole Borromeo

Cotabato – Clarissa Westram

Dasmariñas City – Tyra Jane Godino

Iligan City – Trexy Paris Roxas

Ilocos Norte (Filipino Society of Hawaii) – Charieze Lianne Cacayorin

Iloilo City – Zestah Espinosa

Iloilo Province – Nicklyn Jutay

Isabela – Prima Joy Alamban

Kalibo, Aklan – Imelda Schweighart

Laguna – Ysabel Cecilia Prats

Las Piñas (Filipino Society of Florida) – Avegail Eusebio Kultsar

La Union – Bea Millan-Windorski

Leyte – Kareyl May Cabahug

Los Baños, Laguna – Scarlett de Mesa

Luisiana, Laguna – Ashley Victoria Subijano

Manila – Justin Beatrice Dellosa Felizarta

Mountain Province – Lyneree Montero-Yodong

Muntinlupa – Adela Mae Marshall

Negros Occidental – Alexandria Colmenares

Negros Oriental – Ma. Fatima Alsowyed

Nueva Ecija (Filipino Society of the United Kingdom) – Michelle Tantoco Burchell

Nueva Vizcaya (Filipino Society of Washington) – Jacqueline Aluning

Occidental Mindoro – Neil Silva

Palawan – Aviona Dass

Pampanga – Allyson Hetland

Pangasinan – Donna Rein Nuguid

Parañaque (Filipino Society of Los Angeles) – Maria Pauline Galvez

Pateros – Kristen Joy Marcelino

Quezon Province (Filipino Society of Australia) – Patricia Ella Evangelista

Rizal (Filipino Society of Southern California) – Alicia Chelsea Buendia

Samar Island – Catherine Wardle

San Carlos City – Rose Ann Albania

San Jose, Negros Oriental (Filipino Society of Bellevue, Washington) – Jayka Noelle Munsayac

Santo Tomas, La Union (Filipino Society of Seattle, Washington) – Rachel Hanna Gozum

Sarangani (Filipino Society of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) – Nicole Cruz

Southern Leyte – Renee Rose Patual

Sultan Kudarat – Jenrose Javier

Taal, Batangas (Filipino Society of Northern California) – Juliana Hope Aquino

Tacloban City – Jacqueline Gulrajani

Taguig – Maria Ysabella R. Ysmael

Tandag City – Chrystel Mae Correos

Tarlac – Marian ArellanoTuguegarao City - Janica Francen Aquino

Tuguegarao City - Janica Francen Aquino

Ashes and the mercy of God

By Manila Bulletin

, to some Christian denominations, is the beginning of the . The frames the Christian understanding of human frailty. And as it is written in , “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. This underscores that humanity is finite, accountable, and wholly dependent upon the mercy of God.

Yet Ash Wednesday does not claim to save as salvation belongs to alone. The Scripture affirms that redemption is accomplished not through ritual observance but through the of Jesus when He died on the cross. As the apostle Paul writes, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (). It is through His death on the cross that we are redeemed from sin and reconciled to the Father. The ashes, therefore, do not redeem; they remind. They direct the believer’s gaze toward the cross, where true and final salvation was secured.

The prophetic call resounds in Joel’s exhortation: “Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning… Rend your heart and not your garments” (). The emphasis falls not on outward display but inward transformation. Ash Wednesday opens a season in which Christians are urged to examine the condition of the heart. is a deliberate turning away from sin and a renewed submission to the lordship of Christ.

, long embedded in the Church’s spiritual discipline, acquires renewed significance during this season. Our Lord’s instruction is unequivocal: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do… But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6:16–17). Fasting trains the appetites, reorders priorities, and exposes hidden dependencies. It is a tangible acknowledgment that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (). By voluntary self-denial, believers cultivate spiritual attentiveness and humility before God.

The finds its model in Christ Himself. Following His baptism, “ to be ” (Matthew 4:1). For 40 days and 40 nights He fasted, entering fully into the vulnerability of human hunger and temptation. In that wilderness, He did not rely upon miraculous power for self-preservation but answered each temptation with the authority of the Scripture. His obedience in deprivation foreshadowed His ultimate obedience at Calvary. It reveals the steadfast righteousness of the Son who would bear the sins of the world.

likewise occupies a central place in the Lenten journey. Christ teaches, “When you pray… your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). Prayer is a disciplined return to communion with God. It cultivates contrition, dependence, and trust. Through prayer, the believer aligns personal will with divine purpose, seeking not merely relief from guilt but transformation of character.

Repentance completes this triad of disciplines. The promise of Scripture is both clear and consoling: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (). is an act of faith in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. Because He has borne the penalty of sin, the penitent may approach God with confidence in His forgiveness.

Thus, Ash Wednesday is not an end in itself but a solemn commencement. The ashes signify mortality; the disciplines cultivate humility; the cross secures redemption. In remembering that we are dust, we are directed to Jesus Christ—the one who, through His , grants eternal life to all who believe.

Raising financially smart kids in a volatile world

Ifinished writing a book late last year. The work is now with my editor and soon it will move to layout and printing.

That simple sentence carries more weight than it looks. Writing is exhilarating. Editing—and now letting go—is sobering.

At this stage, you no longer add much. You mostly listen, trim and trust. Somewhere between revisions and margins, I realized again that this book didn’t begin as a publishing project. It began as a life project.

For many, I’m known as a personal finance educator. I talk about discipline, stewardship, investing and long-term thinking. But this book—Blue Chip: A No-nonsense Guide to Raising Financially Smart Kids—was not born out of seminars or spreadsheets. It was born at home.

In investing, a “blue chip” company is stable, resilient and trustworthy. It doesn’t rise and fall with every headline. It performs over time because it is built on strong fundamentals.

As I revisited the manuscript with fresh eyes, I realized that this was the quiet prayer I carried as a parent all along. Not that my children would be wealthy or impressive—but that they would be steady. Because the world they are growing up in is anything but.

Our children are being formed in an environment of constant noise, comparison and instant gratification. Social media tells them they are behind. Advertising teaches them to equate happiness with consumption. And money—whether we talk about it or not—is shaping their hearts earlier than we realize.

One of the clearest convictions that shaped this book is this: children form their relationship with money long before they ever earn it. They watch how we respond to pressure. They feel anxiety even when we try to hide it. They observe how we handle lack, abundance, success and failure.

Money does not create what is in the heart. It reveals it. For a long time, I didn’t understand that.

Before I encountered Jesus at 40, my relationship with money was shaped by fear and self-reliance. I believed provision depended entirely on me. I carried pressure quietly. I made decisions driven more by emotion than wisdom. We experienced seasons of abundance and seasons of stress not because income was inconsistent, but because my understanding of stewardship was incomplete.

Everything shifted when God redefined ownership for me. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” stopped being a verse I quoted and became a conviction I had to live out. Stewardship moved from being a financial strategy to a spiritual posture. And as God slowly fathered me, I found myself learning how to father my children differently.

That’s why Blue Chip does not begin with allowance systems or savings charts. It begins with identity. One conviction I return to throughout the book is simple but crucial: identity must come before allowance.

Children who do not know who they are will eventually use money to compensate. They overspend to belong, compare to feel validated and chase things to fill emotional gaps. But children rooted in identity learn restraint, contentment and purpose.

Some of these lessons came through light, almost humorous moments—like the “Starbucks moment” with my daughter Billie, when a simple request for water turned into a gentle but unforgettable lesson on impulse and awareness. Other lessons came through heavier seasons.

One of the most defining was during the pandemic. When my speaking work disappeared almost overnight, it would have been logical—even responsible—to pull back on generosity.

But I sensed God inviting us to trust Him more deeply. We chose to continue supporting missionaries. What followed were provisions I could never have planned. But more important than provision was what our children witnessed: that God is faithful, even when circumstances are uncertain. Those moments became part of their inheritance.

Beyond ChatGPT: How to use Gen AI to work smarter

Today, all four of our children are adults. My daughters are married to men who steward money with wisdom and humility. My sons carry discipline and discernment beyond their years.

None of them are perfect—but they are grounded. And that, more than any financial metric, tells me something went right.

The greatest inheritance we can leave our children is not wealth. It is wisdom. It is peace. It is a healthy relationship with money rooted in trust in God.

As this book moves closer to print, I’m reminded that Blue Chip is not about raising perfect children. It’s about raising resilient ones—children who are not easily shaken by trends, pressure or fear.

Blue Chip adults are not formed by accident. They are shaped through thousands of small, faithful moments—conversations, boundaries, examples, prayers—lived consistently over time.

My hope is that this book reads less like a manual and more like a conversation. One parent to another. One imperfect father pointing to a faithful God. Because when God fathers us well, He equips us to raise the next generation better.

Randell Tiongson is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal financial planning, attend the 115th RFP program this March 2026. Email info@rfp.ph or visit rfp.ph to learn more about the program.

DIW-Präsident rechnet mit 21 Prozent Mehrwertsteuer

Droht ein neuer Kosten-Schock?

:

17.02.2026 - 08:18 Uhr

TTS-PLAYER ÜBERSPRINGEN

Berlin – Droht Verbrauchern ein neuer Kosten-Schock? Wirtschaftsexperte und Präsident des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) Marcel Fratzscher (55) rechnet fest damit, dass die Bundesregierung die Mehrwertsteuer um zwei Punkte auf 21 Prozent anhebt. Ziel: das Haushaltsloch stopfen!

Denn zwischen 2027 und 2029 fehlen im Haushalt mehr als 130 Milliarden Euro. Eine höhere Mehrwertsteuer würde rund 30 Milliarden Euro bringen.

Wirtschaftsexperte und Präsident des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) Marcel Fratzscher (55)
Foto: Annette Riedl/dpa

Die schwarz-rote Koalition werde es sich am Ende leicht machen und diesen Weg wählen, attackierte Fratzscher gegenüber dem RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) die Merz-Regierung. Doch er warnt: Dies sei sozial fatal, da es Menschen mit geringen Einkommen überproportional stark treffe. „Beide Parteien haben ihre roten Linien abgesteckt und sind offenbar nicht bereit, sie aufzugeben“, so Fratzscher. Die Union lehne Steuererhöhungen ab, die SPD wolle nicht beim Sozialstaat sparen. Das Ergebnis: eine Mehrwertsteuererhöhung, die vor allem die Schwächeren trifft.

Stattdessen fordert der DIW-Präsident die Abschaffung klimaschädlicher Steuersubventionen, darunter das Diesel-Privileg und die Pendlerpauschale. Umfang: 60 Milliarden Euro.

Monday, February 16, 2026

The weight of words

Afriend of mine, who is an infectious disease specialist, once observed that many Filipinos tend to delay going to the doctor unless something hurts. He shared the case of a man who consulted him for a mild stomachache, even though the patient had a visibly bulging goiter. The stomachache was painful and, therefore, was considered urgent, while the goiter was merely seen as an inconvenience.

He noted that part of this pattern may be linguistic. The Filipino word for illness is the same word we use for pain: sakit. When illness is tied to pain in language, painless symptoms, even if they are potentially life-threatening, are easily minimized and tolerated, leading to delayed diagnosis and intervention. It is only when something hurts that we treat it as a serious concern. This is the quiet power of language. It shapes not just how we perceive and describe our experiences, but also the kind of action and attention they require.

Words matter even more when they come from those in positions of authority. What leaders say carries a disproportionate ripple effect, shaping culture, morale, and collective behavior within their sphere of influence. Language, in their hands, can actively construct norms. This is why the remarks made by Sen. Robinhood Padilla during a recent Senate hearing drew such widespread criticism. Padilla suggested that children today are “weak” compared to previous generations, citing their vulnerability to mental health challenges.

Experts and citizens alike were quick to respond. The Psychological Association of the Philippines emphasized that resilience cannot be meaningfully compared across generations, because the challenges young people face today are both “quantitatively and qualitatively more intense.” They also stressed that what appears to be an “increase” in mental health conditions is, in part, the result of greater awareness and significant advances in identification and diagnosis.

Rather than acknowledge how his previous statement could compromise the mental health discourse, Padilla doubled down by claiming that his notions about today’s youth are not simply an opinion, but are based on worldwide data surrounding the rise of suicide rates. He argued that if the public were truly concerned, then the focus should be on responding with solutions to the problem rather than correcting what he said.

What Padilla fails to grasp is that how he talks about mental health is itself a large part of the problem that needs to be addressed. For instance, one of the longest-standing challenges that mental health practitioners have faced is the common word choices in media and public discourse (e.g., “psycho” and “crazy”) along with portrayals that equate mental illnesses with criminality. These have reinforced myths that people who have diagnoses are dangerous and socially undesirable. While greater awareness in recent years has helped dismantle some of these misconceptions, fears of being boxed into stigmatizing terms have led people to delay help‑seeking or avoid mental health care altogether.

When Padilla labeled children as “weak” for having suicidal ideation, he inadvertently framed mental health issues as a personal failure rather than a public health concern. This could feed into one’s self-stigma, where individuals internalize negative labels around their condition, leading to lower self‑esteem, social withdrawal, and reduced hope for recovery.

As proof of his generation’s resilience, Padilla claimed that young people during his time weren’t “crybabies” and did not even know what depression meant. Yet, suicide deaths are also alarmingly high among males in middle and later adulthood, globally, and in the Philippines. This potentially points to long-standing patterns of silence from men who were socialized to suppress rather than articulate suffering, and to cope through socially acceptable but harmful substitutes like substance use. Older generations may not have known the word for depression and other mental health challenges during their time, but they almost certainly felt its weight.

It’s true that mental health language these days can sometimes be used loosely, especially among younger people, which strips these terms of their clinical meaning. But rather than dismiss the experiences behind them, the appropriate response is guidance and education. These are opportunities to build deeper understanding and stronger mental health literacy.

Padilla was correct in pointing out that the problem must be addressed. But how we frame the mental health discourse dictates the kind of action and policies that follow. By recognizing depression as a clinical condition rather than a character weakness, we open the door to policies and evidence-based interventions grounded in compassion, empathy, and care. Our leaders’ choice of words matters because it can determine whether people seek and receive help or continue to suffer in silence.

—————

eleanor@shetalksasia.com