Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Rain, rain, rain - more then enough...
... in Mindanao. Indeed, Mindanao floods worsen!
Floods caused by intermittent heavy rains and incessant atrocotoes are swelling the number of evacuees in Maguindanano, with inudation alone affected a total of almost 46,000 families.
The city goverment of Cotabato City, meanwhile, declared a state of calamity after floods swelled to almost 20 percent of barangays, while North Cotabato Governor Emylou Talino Mendoza convened her Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Managament Council to address worening floods in Tulunan, Kabacan, Pikit and Mlang, among other towns.
Other flooded towns are Shariff Saidona, Datu Salibo, Shariff Aguak, Rajah Buayan, - just to mention some among many others.
Dozens of families were displaced in villages of Matalam and Kidapawan City, but, not because of rain - due to intermittent fighting between field members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front over territoral or land control.
Seven-hours Daily Blackouts in Zamboanga...
.... for, at least 45 days. Wow. Good, I am residing in Davao City. Bad for those in Zamboanga City... .
The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) has announced that this city will again experience at least seven hours rotational blackouts daily.
Zamcelco president Omar Sahi said, this is due to the maintenance shutdown of STEAG State Power, Inc. power plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental and Agus 2 in Lanao del Norte.
Sahi said the two power plants supply a total of 28 megawatt (MW) for Zamcelco. The ccoperative's daily peak demand is pegged at 87 MW.
The implementation of the rotational blackout (or brownout, as said in the Philippines) per feeder would be three hours in the morning, three in the afternoon and one hour in the evening.
Zamcelco has a total of 24 feeders serving a total of 114,504 member consumers.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Vacation - Ferien
Yes, I am still in vacation.
Ja, ich bin immer noch im Urlaub.
Where? Wo?
Of course: in the Philippines!
Natuerlich: auf den Philippinen!
Beach, sand, sun, good food, relax...
Strand, Sand, Sonne, gutes Essen, ausruhen...
I will be back soon with a lot of new posts and impressions of my life as an expat in the Philippines.
Ich bin bald wieder zurueck mit vielen neuen Artikeln und Impressionen von meinem Leben als Auswanderer auf den Philippinen.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Fuel Pump Prices Seen to Rise Further in The Philippines
Fuel
prices are expected to continue rising this week although at a slower
pace given the substantial increases recently, industry sources said.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Fuel prices are expected to
continue rising this week although at a slower pace given the
substantial increases recently, industry sources said.
Respondents to an informal survey by the
Inquirer estimated the price increases this week to range from P0.25 to
P0.90 per liter on fuel products.
“Demand is subsiding hence the lower price
hikes of P0.25 to P0.35 for diesel and P0.80 to P0.90 for gasoline,”
Eastern Petroleum president Fer Martinez said via text message when
asked to comment on the price trend. Martinez is also the chair of the
Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association.
Other industry sources had varying estimates, some slightly lower and others about the same as those of Martinez.
Department of Energy officials did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Generally, price resistance sets in at
certain levels, energy experts said. Since price hikes in the last few
weeks were substantial, traders cashed in on their gains with more
sales, neutralizing projected higher demand and price this week.
However, since the Philippine market is but a
drop in the global market for oil, outside developments such as
political volatility in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) are
expected to still greatly influence local prices. Syria and Egypt are
not oil-producing but fears of spillover disturbance in oil producing
countries and oil roads tend to spook markets, driving prices up.
Gasoline
is additionally vulnerable due to the summer driving season in the US
(top gasoline consumer) and continued growth in the Chinese economy (No.
2 global consumer).
Platts global director Jorge Montepeque
said at a recent forum that international fuel prices were softening
before the political crisis hit Egypt but fears of a supply crunch has
since driven prices up. Egypt is located centrally in the Mena region
and further escalation of violence could affect supply from major
pipelines of oil suppliers, according to experts.
Fuel price volatility has had the
Department of Energy supporting moves for possible quarterly fare
adjustments based on price movements. Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla
has told reporters at the same Platts forum that such a scheme has been
suggested to the Department of Transportation and Communications and is
up for them to take up or not. Petilla noted, however, there was
feedback that fuel prices are deregulated while fare prices are
regulated.
Why Germany is Opening Market to Filipino Nurses
Germany needs immigrants due to ageing population, labour shortages
- Berlin reduces red tape and boasts liberal immigration laws
- Starting to tackle discrimination, hostility to immigrants
- Migrants have growing share of vote, courted by parties
BERLIN - Ata Ucertas, a doctor from Istanbul with a moustache that
curls up his cheeks, was welcomed with open arms when he came to Germany
this year, evidence of a shift in German attitudes as its population
shrinks and labour becomes scarce.
Helped by a shortage of doctors in Germany, the 25-year-old Ucertas
was issued with a visa to come learn German within two months of
applying. "The immigration officials were really nice to me," he said.
After decades of tending to depict the millions of residents of
Turkish origin in Germany as a drag on society, policymakers are now
courting foreigners and learning to be more inclusive.
A fifth of residents and a third of school children have a migrant background, making up a growing share of the electorate.
With elections approaching in September, the changing attitudes are
reflected in the rhetoric of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives.
A decade ago when unemployment was high and immigration laws strict,
Merkel's party campaigned on slogans like "Kinder statt Inder" (Children
instead of Indians). Now they are calling for a "welcome culture"
towards migrants.
"Germany is making a lot of effort to promote immigration because of
the very severe demographic situation which will affect it more than
virtually any other OECD country," said OECD migration expert Thomas
Liebig.
"The discussion about a welcome culture is part of the whole process of becoming a country for which migration is normal."
With joblessness near its lowest level since the reunification of
East and West Germany in 1990, the country faces a shortage of 5.4
million skilled workers by 2025, despite attempts to mobilise women and
older people.
Nearly 300,000 people, mainly from the European Union, migrated on a
long-term basis to Germany in 2011, OECD data shows, around a third more
than in 2010. Most came from the eastern states that joined the EU in
2004, such as Poland.
UNNOTICED REVOLUTION
Germany has long been notorious for its bureaucratic hurdles and an offputting attitude towards economic migration.
The hundreds of thousands of "guest workers" recruited from Italy,
Greece, Turkey and other southern states in the 1960s to help it rebuild
from the rubble of World War Two were not encouraged to integrate and
learn the language, though many did.
Fearing unemployment in the 1970s oil crisis, Germany shut its doors and tried to repatriate the no longer welcome guests.
Influxes of asylum seekers and ethnic Germans from the ex-Soviet
Union in the 1990s and the challenges of reunification made Germany even
more reluctant to open up. Limits on migration from new EU members in
the 2000s lasted longer than elsewhere in the bloc.
"For decades we turned our authorities into a firewall; we told them
to keep these people at bay, they only want to get into our social
systems," said Peter Clever, a leader of the BDA employers' union. "They
were asked not to be that friendly."
But as Germany's job market improved in the 2000s, shortages
occurred, and stop-gap measures such as deals to recruit healthcare
workers from China and the Philippines were not enough to make up the
shortfalls.
Germany has been unwinding its recruitment ban, starting with highly
qualified workers and slashing the minimum salary and investment that
workers and entrepreneurs needed to immigrate.
This month it jettisoned 40 percent of its immigration rules,
lowering barriers for medium-skilled workers in sectors with chronic
shortages such as train drivers and electricians.
"This little revolution has gone by largely unnoticed," said the
OECD's Liebig. For highly skilled workers Germany now has some of the
most liberal immigration laws of the 34 OECD states.
It is tackling the language barrier by setting up new courses abroad
and helping people get their qualifications recognised so doctors do not
have to work as taxi drivers.
It is recruiting foreigners to study at its universities and for its
highly regarded apprenticeships, with a current focus on areas of
southern Europe with soaring youth unemployment.
The southern town of Mindelheim, which has a jobless rate of 2.2
percent, effectively full employment, recruited 20-year-old Spaniard Jan
Sabater Viñals for a hotel apprenticeship.
"I clearly have a lot more opportunities in Germany than in Spain," he said. "I want to stay three years, maybe more."
LATENT HOSTILITY
Immigration is rising so much that Germany's population grew in 2011
for the first time in nearly a decade. But relative to its population it
still attracts only a tenth as many foreign workers as countries like
Canada that have traditionally welcomed immigration.
And many of the guest worker generation and their families still feel unwelcome, particularly the non-Europeans.
Baris Yesildag, 26, selling baklava pastries on the Berlin Turkish
street market, says he was born in Germany to Turkish parents but had
never been accepted as a German: "I did voluntary military service here,
but an officer told me I was only doing it for the money and not for
Germany."
While the far-right is politically weak, xenophobic views still make it into the mainstream debate in Germany.
A 2010 book by ex-Bundesbanker Thilo Sarrazin slamming Muslims as
welfare spongers became a best-seller, emboldening some conservatives to
attack migrants for failing to fit in.
Experts say hostility has been fuelled by the low status of the guest
workers who struggled to rise up the socio-economic ladder. Many
Germans blamed this on their unwillingness to integrate. In reality, a
school system that streams pupils from a young age and only teaches for
half the day doesn't help guest workers' children learn good German and
means may are later stuck in low-skilled jobs.
The United Nations says Germany has been sluggish to tackle
discrimination in areas like housing, which have led to migrants living
in ghettoised communities. Immigrants are also still underrepresented in
public office, the police and media.
Crucially, however, the latest wave of immigrants face fewer
obstacles to social inclusion, not least because they are mostly highly
educated Europeans who have had language help.
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
Former Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder started the drive
for a more inclusive society with the reform of a bloodline-based
citizenship law dating back to 1913 to enable immigrants to get
nationality. He also brought in courses to familiarise newcomers with
the culture and language.
Merkel has to work harder to win over her conservatives, who are
traditionally tougher on immigrants, but her efforts are having a
trickle-down effect. A 2006 "Diversity Charter" signed by four private
companies now has more than 1,500 signatories.
In a ceremony in Berlin, men and women from as far afield as Nigeria
and China, sporting attire from headscarves to African prints, beam as
they receive their new citizenship papers.
Among them was Karolina Krolicka, a 22 year old Polish-born law
student with a slight accent. She arrived in Germany with her family
years ago and wants to stay.
Krolicka swore her allegiance to the German constitution during the
ceremony, which culminated in Germany's new citizens rising to sing the
national anthem.
"I'm going to celebrate now," she said
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
In Defense of Airline Passengers
Pre-published in MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR on Sunday, July 14, 2013 - with friendly permission of the publisher Marietta Siongco.
Airline passengers will soon get a relief from bad experiences from erring air carriers under a bill creating the Air Passenger Fairness Act of 2013 that seeks to protect the interest of the commuting public.
Re. Marcelino Teodoro (1st District, Marikina City) filed House Bill 36 that aims to ensure that the interest of the public is protected against abuses.
"Air carriers are public utilities exercising public functions. Public functions are powers of national sovereignty which reside in the people and all government authority that emanates from them, "Teodoro said.
He also said, that an airline company as a creature of the State is presumed to exist for the common good and expected not to jeopardize the interest of the public.
"The bill of rights of air passengers is for the people. It is a charter that clearly defines the rights of the passengers, talking to the passengers directly since regulatory measures on air carriers can be a subject of a separate economic regulation or agency resolution, "Teodoro said.
...
The air carrier must establish a system wherein the purchaser is fully apprised of the required disclosures, like printing and attaching the ticket and boarding pass; incorporate the terms and conditions of carriage by reference, explaining by the carrier agent in a language understood the purchaser; and posting in their website, or other online accounts.
...
Every passenger has the right to a safe flight, a convenient and on-schedule conveyance in accordance with contract of carriage with he air carrier.
The measure guarantees every passenger to have access and use of emergency and safety devices, medical assistance, and proper application of first aid procedures during emergency situations or when his or her health requires.
...
Every passenger has the right for a full refund of fares, to rebook a purchased ticket with limited to an administrative fee ONLY, be denied from denied boarding, among others. (PNA).
Well, up, up and away. Have a save and sound flight, guys!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
They Might Come...
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte welcomes any investigation from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) amidst the recent rise of killings of suspected criminals in the city.
"They can come. I welcome them, " Duterte said when asked by media to comment on the possibility of the CHR to include him in the probe.
The rush of killings in the city and without a single case resolved by the police led to suspicions that these are state-supported.
On the other hand, the good mayor's Rody Duterte's nth statement is very clear: "If you are criminals, I advise you to leave."
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Marian Voted Sexiest Woman
GMA Network congratulates primetime queen Marian Rivera for being named as FHM's Sexiest Woman in the Philippines this year, Five years after she won the most coveted title in 2008, the star reclaimed the number one spot after she garnered a total of 890,490 votes via online, text and print ballots making her the Philippines' Finest.
Congratulations Marian and more power!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
27 Filipinos Who Make You Proud to be Pinoy
We’re all just one giant extended family and a freaking awesome one at that.
1. Nicole Scherzinger — Pussycat Doll, X Factor judge, and your mega-fierce pinsan.
Nicole’s dad was Filipino, but her parents split when she was a baby. She changed her surname from Valiente to Scherzinger when her stepfather adopted her.
Image by Michael Buckner / Getty Images
2. Sharon Leal — Dreamgirl and your talented actress ate.
Sharon’s mom is Filipino and her dad was an American military policeman, but they broke up before Sharon was born.
Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
3. Kevin Nadal — author, comedian, and your overachieving Ivy Leaguer kuya.
Kevin was born into a Filipino family in Santa Clara, California. He rose to fame when he started an online petition against ABC when they made Philippine med schools the butt of a joke on Desperate Housewives.
4. Bruno Mars — singer-songwriter and your super-suave kapatid who rocks at karaoke.
Bruno was born Peter Gene Hernandez to a Filipino mom and a Puerto Rican-Jewish dad and grew up in Hawaii. Most likely loves Spam.
Image by Kevin Winter / Getty Images
5. Christine Gambito — celeb YouTuber and your hilarious auntie who does spot-on impersonations of your dad.
Christine, aka HappySlip, is a YouTube star thanks to her comedy skits about her Filipino family. She was born in Virginia and is a super mom to her own three kids.
Via: thepican.com
6. Alec Mapa — actor, comedian, and your fun tito who takes you out shopping.
Alec was born in San Francisco to a Filipino family. He’s best known for his roles on Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives.
Image by Gary Gershoff / Getty Images
7. Lea Salonga — Tony-winning actress, Disney legend, and your fab tita who plays video games with you.
Lea originated the leading role in the musical Miss Saigon when she was discovered in the Philippines as a teenager and won a Tony Award for her performance.
Image by Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
8. Jose Llana — musical theater actor and your cool ninong who takes you to Broadway shows.
Jose was the only native-born Filipino to be cast in a new concept musical about Filipinos, Here Lies Love.
Image by Joan Marcus
9. Vanessa Hudgens — actress and your younger kapatid whose musicals you always saw in high school.
Vanessa grew up with an American dad and a Filipino mom. “I love Filipino food,” she told the Philippine Inquirer in 2007. “I love halo-halo, pancit, and adobo. I eat rice every day.” Girl gets it.
Image by Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
10. Allan Pineda — Black Eyed Pea, rapper, and your awesome Grammy-winning kuya.
Better known as apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, Allan was born in Pampanga, Philippines, to a Filipina mother and an American father.
Image by Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images
11. Charlyne Yi — actor, comedian, and the bunso who will shave her head for laughs.
…while singing “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor. She was born to a Filipino mother in Los Angeles.
Image by Kevin Winter / Getty Images
12. Jo Koy — comedian, Chelsea Lately panelist, and your brother-in-law who brings the 30-rack of San Miguels to the party.
Born Joseph Glenn Herbert, Jo took up “Jo Koy” as his stage name, originally a nickname his Filipino mom gave him.
Source: laughspin.com
13. Manila Luzon — drag queen, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, and your favorite nin@ng.
Born Karl Westerberg, Manila’s mother is Filipino. She fashioned her drag name from the capital city of the Philippines (Manila) and the country’s largest island (Luzon).
Image by D Dipasupil / Getty Images
14. Enrique Iglesias — Platinum-selling artist and your really hot kuya all your friends have a crush on.
Enrique was born in Madrid to the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and the Filipino journalist and socialite Isabel Preysler.
Image by Chris McKay / Getty Images
15. Caterina Fake — founder of Flickr and your ninang who always goes, “Uy! Picture, picture!”
Caterina was born in Pennsylvania to a Filipino mother. She graduated from Vassar College in 1991 before launching Flickr in 2004.
Via: vev.ru
16. Ben Cayetano — fifth governor of Hawaii and your lolo who will sneak you ube ice cream behind your mom’s back.
Ben is the first Filipino-American governor in the United States. His father Bonifacio moved from the Philippines to Hawaii where he raised Ben.
Source: Deborah Booker / via: the.honoluluadvertiser.com
17. Monique Lhuillier — fashion designer and your glamorous tita who will create your wedding gown.
Monique was born in Cebu City to the high-society Lhuillier family that owns a chain of pawn shops in the Philippines. She received the Philippine Medal of Honor in 2006.
Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
18. Lou Diamond Phillips — Tony-nominated actor and your dad’s best pare.
Lou was born at the Subic Bay U.S. Naval Station in Zambales, Philippines, to a Filipino mom and an American military dad.
Image by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
19. Hailee Steinfeld — Oscar-nominated actress and your pamangkin who will go so far.
Hailee’s maternal grandfather is Filipino and her mother is Filipino interior designer Cheri Domasin-Steinfeld.
Image by Mark Davis / Getty Images
20. Vanessa Minnillo-Lachey — actress, model, and your gorgeous ate who did beauty pageants.
Vanessa was born in Angeles City, Philippines, to an American father and a Filipino mother to whom she’s estranged.
Image by Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images
21. Jose Antonio Vargas — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and your kapatid who will fight for your immigration rights.
Jose became an immigration activist after he penned a personal essay in The New York Times about moving from the Philippines and growing up without proper legal documentation in California.
Image by Donald Bowers / Getty Images
22. Jessica Hagedorn — playwright and your funky lola who will impart life lessons over a pot of her delish adobo.
Jessica was born in Manila to parents who were both half-Filipino. She wrote Dogeaters, a novel that illustrates the experiences of the Filipino diaspora. It earned a National Book Award nomination and an American Book Award.
Image by Brad Barket / Getty Images
23. Cassie — singer, dancer, and your ate who taught you how to dance hip-hop while it was raining in the streets.
Cassie’s dad is Filipino — her last name is Ventura — and she grew up in Connecticut.
Image by Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
24. Rob Schneider — actor, comedian, and your wise-cracking tito whose questionable jokes you laugh at anyway.
Rob’s grandmother was a Filipino and married his grandfather, an American army private, while he was stationed in the Philippines.
Image by Noel Vasquez / Getty Images
25. Shannyn Sossamon — actress and your hip pinsan who named her son Audio Science.
Really, though; and her second son’s name is Mortimer. Shannyn cites a mix of ethnicities as her heritage, Filipino among them.
Image by Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
26. Darren Criss — actor, musician, and your other hot, nerdier kuya who all your friends have a crush on.
Darren’s mom was born in Cebu, Philippines. During a recent trip to the Philippines, he told Spot.ph, “All of my aunts are like, ‘Darren, eat! You’re so thin; eat!’” Sounds about right.
Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
27. Charice Pempengco — songstress and your out-and-proud pinsan who is proud of her heritage and sexuality.
Charice grew up in Laguna, Philippines, and rose to fame with the help of Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. She recently came out as gay on the Philippine talk show The Buzz.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)