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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Wednesday, November 16, 2022

OVP to open more satellite offices next year—Duterte

Published November 16, 2022, 1:49 PM

by Raymund Antonio, MB

Vice President Sara Duterte announced on Wednesday, Nov. 16, the planned opening of three more satellite offices of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) next year to make its services and programs more accessible to the people.

Vice President Sara Duterte delivers her message after the Office of the Vice President (OVP) signed the memorandum of agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (Raymund Antonio/MANILA BULLETIN)

The OVP has seven existing satellite offices in Bacolod, Surigao del Sur, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Dagupan, and Zamboanga. 

Its central office is housed at the Robinsons Cybergate Plaza in Mandaluyong City.

Duterte said they could open one to three satellite offices depending on how these could be funded from the OVP’s budget. 

“I-assess lang namin kung gaano ‘yung budget namin, paano niya ma-accommodate ‘yung (We only have to assess how much is our budget, how can it accommodate) one to three satellite offices,” she said in a media interview.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Vice President met with the OVP satellite managers to discuss the concerns of their respective offices.

OVP satellite office in Cebu City (Photo from Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)

“There was a discussion na dapat maglagay ng (that we should open a) satellite office sa (in the) eastern side ng (of) Luzon,” she noted. 

“Meron pang mga areas sa (There are areas in) Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao na walang kami (that we don’t yet have) presence,” the official added.

Duterte cited those in need from Isabela who had to hire a jeepney to go to the OVP’s Dagupan office.

The OVP will open satellite offices based on the demand in a particular area of coverage.

“Ang nangyayari ang tao ang pumupunta dun sa (What happens is that the people go to our) satellite offices namin so iyon ang tinitingnan namin kung saan magiging parang i-divide (that’s what we’re looking at, maybe divide) geographically iyong (the) areas ng (of) coverage ng (of) satellite offices making it more easier para mga kababayan natin (for our fellowmen),” she said.

Palace moves Araw ng Kagitingan, Bonifacio Day to new dates; Jan. 2 is special holiday

Published November 16, 2022, 1:32 PM

The dates of some regular holidays for 2023 have been changed, Malacañang announced on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

Proclamation No. 90

Through Proclamation No. 90 the following regular holidays were moved to another date:

  • Araw ng Kagitingan – April 9 (Sunday) to April 10 (Monday)
  • Bonifacio Day – November 30 (Thursday) to November 27 (Monday)

January 2 was also added as an special non-working day.

Other regular holidays and special non-working days previously declared through Proclamation No. 42, which was issued in August 2022, will remain unchanged.

According to the Palace, the changes were made to encourage domestic travel and increase tourism expenditures.

“There is a need to adjust these holidays pursuant to the principle of holiday economics wherein a longer weekend will help encourage domestic travel and increase tourism expenditures in the country,” the proclamation stated.It also explained that adding January 2 to the list of special non-working days is “in consideration of the Filipino tradition of visiting relatives and spending time with their families for this occasion.”  

Remittances sustain growth as expats help ease inflation's sting


Ramon Royandoyan - Philstar.com


MANILA, Philippines — Money sent home by Filipinos overseas inched up in September as they rushed to support their families weathering the impact of expensive consumer prices.


Remittances coursed through banks inched up 3.8% year-on-year to $2.84 billion in September, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported Tuesday. This, however, was slower than 4.3% recorded in August. 


Year-to-date, cash remittances amounted to $23.83 billion. 


Remittances are considered the lifeblood of the consumption-dependent Philippine economy. Money sent home by overseas Filipinos augment their families’ income here. 


These remittances are also crucial sources of dollars for the country. Remittances amounted to $31.42 billion last year, expanding 5.1% compared to the 2020 haul. The collections slightly missed the central bank’s forecast of 6% growth, but the BSP hopes remittances would rise this year.


That said, the surging dollar trend has left the peso sinking to new lows, which convinced many this will benefit families of overseas Filipinos. But that has not been the case as a strong dollar trend is only adding fuel to painfully high inflation that’s squeezing household budgets.


Domini Velasquez, chief economist at China Banking Corp, attributed the growth in September remittances to three economic events.


“The increase in pace in the growth in cash remittances were likely driven by 3 factors: better economic outlook in some of the host countries such as the US, ASEAN, and the Middle East; high domestic inflation may compel overseas Filipinos to help out more in terms of sending money from abroad; and OFs may want to take advantage of a weak peso,” she said in a Viber message.


BSP data broken down showed 41.7% of cash remittances in the first nine months came from the United States, while the rest came from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, Taiwan, and South Korea.


Remittance from land-based workers grew 4.1% year-on-year to $2.25 billion in September. Sea-based workers sent $590 million, inching up 2.4% on a yearly basis. 


Velasquez cited that opportunities in remittance-rich countries such as the US and other parts of Asia, and the Middle East will offset the decline recorded in money sent by Filipinos based in Europe.


“The move towards full face-to-face classes in November will also bring in more remittances towards end of 2022,” Velasquez said, as expats send more money to their families to pay for tuition fees.


“Lastly, we might see more holiday remittances as Filipinos will likely celebrate with looser restrictions this year compared to last (e.g. physical company/school Christmas parties),” she added.

PH is world’s top beach, dive destinations

by Jun Marcos Tadios

The Philippines bagged the highly-coveted World’s Leading Dive Destination and the Leading Beach Destination for 2022, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the two awards were given during the 29th World Travel Award (WTA) held in Muscat, Oman. 

“These global victories for the Philippines evince the unparalleled beauty of our country and the distinct warmth of the Filipino people,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.

“We sincerely thank the World Travel Awards and everyone from all over the world whose vote of confidence is timely as the Philippines fully opens its arms to welcome tourists to our shores,” she added.

To date, the Philippine dive portfolio continues at its four-year winning streak in world recognition.

The Philippines bested the world’s finest diving destinations like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and other distinguished islands like the Cayman Islands, Maldives, Fiji, Mexico, Azores Islands, French Polynesia, Galapagos Islands, St. Kitts, and Belize.

As the leading beach destination, the Philippines also topped other beaches globally, including previous awardees such as Maldives, The Algarve in Portugal, Jamaica, Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Meanwhile, three partner tourism of the DOT also bagged recognition at the WTA: the famous Amanpulo (World’s Leading Dive Resort 2022); City of Dreams Manila (World’s Leading Casino Resort 2022); and the Ascott Bonifacio Global City Manila, as the World’s Leading Serviced Apartments 2022.

The DOT was also nominated as the World’s Leading Tourist Board this year, as well as Siargao as the World’s Leading Island Destination and Intramuros as the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction.

The 29th World Travel Awards gathered the best travel and hospitality industries from its regional awardees across Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, North America, Oceania, and South America.

Earlier this month, Palawan was also hailed as the Most Desirable Island in the world, and Cebu has nominated Most Desirable Region (Rest of the World) at the 21st Wanderlust Travel Awards in the United Kingdom (UK).

The Philippine Tourism Board, through the Philippine Department of Tourism-Central Visayas Office, also placed 6th among hundreds of entries in the Wanderlust Sustainability Initiative Category for its Dive7 Program. 


Earlier this year, Conde Nast Travel (CNT) also named the Philippines among the 40 most beautiful countries worldwide, specifically citing the remarkable cave system of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the mysteriously uniform Chocolate Hills of Bohol, and the panoramic views of the Banaue and Cordilleras Rice Terraces.

Time Magazine also named Boracay as one of the 50 World’s Greatest Places of 2022.

“These Awards are a source of inspiration for us in the Department of Tourism to work even harder as the Marcos administration ushers in the resurgence of the tourism industry as a major pillar of economic growth and source of livelihood for millions of Filipinos,” Frasco noted.

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Flying home for the holidays will cost you more this year

By Associated Press/Manila Times


PEOPLE still looking to book trips home to visit family or take a vacation during the holidays need to act fast and prepare for sticker shock.


Airline executives say that based on bookings, they expect huge demand for flights over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Travel experts say the best deals for airfares and hotels are already gone.

  

On social media, plenty of travelers think they are being gouged. It's an understandable sentiment when government data shows that airfares in October were up 43 percent from a year earlier, and US airlines reported a combined profit of more than $2.4 billion in the third quarter.


Part of the reason for high fares is that airlines are still operating fewer flights than in 2019 even though passenger numbers are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.


"Fewer flights and more people looking to head home or take vacation for the holidays means two things: Prices will be higher, and we will see flights sell out for both holidays," says Holly Berg, chief economist for travel-data provider Hopper.


Yulia Parr knows exactly what Berg is talking about. The Annandale, Virginia, woman struggled to find a reasonably priced flight home for her young son, who is spending Thanksgiving with his grandmother in Texas while Parr visits her husband, who is on active military duty in California. She finally found a $250 one-way ticket on Southwest, but it's not until the Tuesday after the holiday.


Parr figures she waited too long to book a flight.


"My husband's kids are flying home for Christmas," she said. "Those tickets were bought long ago, so they're not too bad."


Prices for air travel and lodging usually rise heading into the holidays, and it happened earlier this year. That is leading some travelers in Europe to book shorter trips, according to Axel Hefer, CEO of Germany-based hotel-search company Trivago.


"Hotel prices are up absolutely everywhere," he said. "If you have the same budget or even a lower budget through inflation, and you still want to travel, you just cut out a day."


Hotels are struggling with labor shortages, another cause of higher prices. Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, which owns travel-search sites including Priceline and Kayak, says one hotelier told him he can't fill all his rooms because he doesn't have enough staff.


Rates for car rentals aren't as crazy as they were during much of 2021, when some popular locations ran out of vehicles. Still, the availability of vehicles is tight because the cost of new cars has prevented rental companies from fully rebuilding fleets that they culled early in the pandemic.


US consumers are facing the highest inflation in 40 years, and there is growing concern about a potential recession. That isn't showing up in travel numbers, however.


The number of travelers going through airport checkpoints has recovered to nearly 95 percent of 2019 traffic, according to Transportation Security Administration figures for October. Travel industry officials say holiday travel might top pre-pandemic levels.


Airlines haven't always done a good job handling the big crowds, even though they have been hiring workers to replace those who left after Covid-19 hit. The rates of canceled and delayed flights rose above pre-pandemic levels this summer, causing airlines to slow down plans to add more flights.


US airlines operated only 84 percent as many US flights as they did in October 2019, and plan about the same percentage in December, according to travel-data firm Cirium. On average, airlines are using bigger planes with more seats this year, which partly offsets the reduction in flights.


"We are definitely seeing a lot of strength for the holidays," Andrew Nocella, United Airlines' chief commercial officer, said on the company's earnings call in October. "We're approaching the Thanksgiving timeframe, and our bookings are incredibly strong."


Airline executives and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blamed each other for widespread flight problems over the summer. Airline CEOs say that after hiring more pilots and other workers, they are prepared for the holiday mob.


Travel experts offer tips for saving money and avoiding getting stranded by a canceled flight, although the advice hasn't changed much from previous years.


Be flexible about dates and even destinations, although that's not possible when visiting grandma's house. In a recent search, the cheapest flights from Los Angeles to New York around Christmas were on Christmas Eve and returning New Year's Eve.


Look into discount airlines and alternate airports, but know that smaller airlines have fewer options for rebooking passengers after a flight is canceled.


Fly early in the day to lower your risk of a delay or cancellation. "If something goes wrong, it tends to progress throughout the day — it gets to be a domino effect," says Chuck Thackston, general manager of Airlines Reporting Corp., an intermediary between airlines and travel agents.


There are plenty of theories on the best day of the week to book travel. Thackston says it's Sunday because airlines know that's when many price-conscious consumers are shopping, and carriers tailor offerings for them.


For the most part, airlines have dodged the accusations of price-gouging that have swirled around oil companies — which drew another rebuke this week from President Joe Biden — and other industries.


Accountable US, an advocacy group critical of corporations, linked airline delays and cancellations this summer to job cuts during the pandemic and poor treatment of workers. "But generally, we would say the airline industry is not currently at the same level as big food, oil or retail in terms of gross profiteering," says Jeremy Funk, a spokesman for the group.


Brett Snyder, who runs a travel agency and writes the "Cranky Flier" blog about air travel, says prices are high simply because flights are down from 2019 while demand is booming.


"How is it gouging?" Snyder asks. "They don't want to go (take off) with empty seats, but they also don't want to sell everything for a dollar. It's basic economics."


Travelers are sacrificing to hold down the cost of their trips.


Sheena Hale and her daughter, Krysta Pyle, woke up at 3 a.m. and left their northwestern Indiana home an hour later to make a 6:25 a.m. flight in Chicago last week.


"We are exhausted," Hale said after the plane landed in Dallas, where Krysta was taking part in a cheer competition. "We started early because the early flights were much cheaper. Flights are way too expensive."


They're not going anywhere for Christmas.


"We don't have to travel. We're staying home with family," Hale said.

Senate approval of OVP’s P2.3-B budget shows ‘trust’ — VP Sara

by Raymund Antonio

Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, Nov. 14, thanked the Senate for approving her office’s P2.3-billion 2023 budget, including the controversial P500 million in confidential funds, emphasizing how the move showed “confidence” and “trust” on the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

(Photo from Inday Sara Duterte via Facebook)

“My deepest gratitude to the members of the Philippine Senate for approving the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President,” she said in a statement. 

Duterte stressed the decision “demonstrates confidence and trust by the honorable senators of the integrity, commitment, and dedication of the OVP to good governance and public service.”

The swift approval from the Senate further “bolsters” the OVP’s “determination to ensure that social services and other government programs and projects reach communities and bring about positive development and provide solutions to the problems of our fellow Filipinos across the country,” the statement read. 

This is especially true for “those who are living in underprivileged communities and those battered by natural calamities and armed conflicts,” Duterte added.

The OVP’s 2023 budget is 300 percent more than the office’s 2022 budget at P702 million.

During the Senate deliberation on Monday, only Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel questioned the OVP’s 2023 budget, particularly its P500-million confidential funds, as well as the alleged “replication” of existing government programs by the OVP. 

The bulk of the OVP budget will be allocated in its social services program or what it called “good governance program.”

Earlier, Vice Presidential spokesman Reynold Munsayac said that the program will cover free rides, “PagbaBAGo” campaign, food trucks, livelihood projects, and medical and burial assistance.

Stocks rise as market turning bullish

by James A. Loyola, MB

The local stock market continued to rise on fresh corporate earnings reports as well as the easing of inflation rate in the US announced last week.

The main index added 67.99 points or 1.08 percent to close at 6,354.76 as Conglomerates led the advance although the Mining and Oil counter retreated. Volume improved to 634 million shares worth P5.65 billion as gainers beat losers 103 to 85 with 39 unchanged. 

PSE

“Philippine shares picked up from last week, continuing their ascent after stellar corporate earnings and growth data encouraged investors to buy into the markt,” said Regina Capital Development Corporation Managing Director Luis Limlingan.

Philstocks Financial Assistant Research Manager Claire Alviar said “The PSEi continued its bullish momentum this Monday, amid good third-quarter earnings, so far, and positive spillover from Wall Street as investors cheered the slowdown of the October inflation rate.”

She noted that, “So far, the sentiment at home is turning bullish. Market participation has improved as well. Moreover, the PSEi’s short-term movement is an uptrend, with the 50-day exponential moving average pointing upwards already.”

Typical Filipino (XXXII) - Typisch Philippinisch (XXXII): Children in the Philippines/Kinder auf den Philippinen

 


 

Young children are often raised by an extended family household with various relatives taking on child-rearing responsibilities. Children are often take on responsibility at an early age. Girls especially are expected to help with cooking and household chores and look after younger siblings. This is especially true if the wife in a family is engaged in economic activity.


Filipinos are typically highly indulgent of their children, especially boys, so may well tolerate children’s anti-social behaviour in public. In contrast, public displays of anger towards children, even just overt chastising or reprimanding, are not well regarded. [Source: Canadian Center for Intercultural Learning+++]


Infants are raised by family members. Young children are sent to live with their grandparents or aunts for extended periods. People who live outside the country leave their children with the family for the preschool years. Children are seldom alone in a system in which adults desire company and do not understand the need for privacy. Children have no pressure to become toilet trained or to learn to eat at the table. They are spoon fed or eat from a parent's plate until the age of six. They must learn respect for authority, obedience, and religious faith. Self-esteem is fostered.

In ländlichen Gegenden werden die Kinder zu Hause geboren. Die ganze Familie nimmt an dem Ereignis teil. Nicht allein die Mutter kümmert sich um das Kind, alle anderen Verwandten nehmen irgendwie teil. Das "westliche Kind": kulturelle Unterschiede zu wesentlichen Lebensstilen wurzeln in den Kindheitserfahrungen.

Monday, November 14, 2022

First Time in Davao, Largest City in Mindanao, Philippines 🇵🇭