This might not be the typical expat blog, written by a German expat, living in the Philippines since 1999. It's different. In English and in German. Check it out! Enjoy reading!
Dies mag' nun wirklich nicht der typische Auswandererblog eines Deutschen auf den Philippinen sein. Er soll etwas anders sein. In Englisch und in Deutsch! Viel Spass beim Lesen!
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!
BAGUIO CITY: The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) is yet to receive significant damage reports on crops amid the presence of frost starting this week, particularly in the higher elevations of the provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province as shared on social media.
Frost, locally known as "andap," was seen in Benguet, specifically in the grassland of Mt. Pulag in Kabayan on January 24, followed by the vegetation in Paoay, Atok, Madaymen and Kibungan starting January 26.
The occurrence of frost was also reported in Balicanao, Sadsadan, Mt. Data, Pactil and Monamon Sur in Bauko, Mt. Province.
Local government units (LGUs), through the municipal agriculture offices (MAOs), are closely monitoring the frost situations in their area. According to the MAO in Atok, there was no reported vegetable damage to date, but close monitoring and surveillance on the sites affected are being undertaken.
Similarly, in Bauko, the MAO reported that based on their initial monitoring in the frost-affected communities, crops that are likely to be affected are cabbages and potatoes in their vegetative stage.
While minimal damages are recorded in the ongoing monitoring of the LGUs, these are not evident and do not affect the supply of vegetables in the trading centers, hence, the vegetable supply remains stable.
The DA-CAR, through its High Value Crops and Development Program (HVCDP), is also closely monitoring with partner LGUs the frost situation. Frost is a yearly phenomenon that occurs in isolated communities at higher elevations when the temperature drops to a single digit.
Historical data of DA-CAR shows that frost presence in the region is particularly experienced in the higher parts of Atok, Buguias, Kibungan and Mankayan municipalities in Benguet and Bauko in Mountain Province, usually during the months of December, January and February.
In previous interviews with farmers in frost-prone areas, they said frost has been there even when they were not yet born and they have learned to adapt to it.
The farmer's practice relative to the situation is to sprinkle frost-affected crops with water using either rain burst or power sprayers to get rid of the icy water before sunlight reaches the crops.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Thursday, Feb. 2, that they have not issued a new banknote in the denomination of P150 and warned the public of reports about the fictitious bill circulating in social media.
In an advisory, the BSP denied such reports of a new banknote and is encouraging the public to report persons involved in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit currency to the BSP Payments and Currency Investigation Group at email address pcig@bsp.gov.ph or through telephone numbers +63-2-8988-4833 and +63-2-8926-5092.
“(BSP) has not released a 150-Piso denomination banknote featuring Dr. Jose Rizal. Images of the said banknote circulating on social media are fictitious,” the BSP said.
Fictitious P150 banknote (BSP photo)
“The public is advised to always check the legitimacy of information found on social media and other channels regarding Philippine banknotes and coins. To verify, visit the Notes and Coins section of the BSP’s official website www.bsp.gov.ph,” it added.
There are only five banknotes in circulation. These are the P50, P100, P200, P500 and P1,000. Since April 2022, the polymer version of the P1,000 is also in circulation.
The BSP since 2020 — when amid the height of the pandemic, counterfeit money became more rampant – has been aggressively going after perpetrators of fake banknotes production. With law enforcement agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation, the BSP has been actively conducting joint anti-counterfeiting operations.
Under Republic Act No. 10951, those convicted as counterfeiters are slapped with a maximum P2 million in fines and imprisonment of up to 20 years.
The BSP has been working with both the Lower House and the Senate to impose a more rigid package of penalties and sanctions against currency counterfeiting and to criminalize the stockpiling of large amounts of coins.
The BSP is hoping that their proposed measures will further strengthen its currency operations such as production, distribution, deposit-taking from banks, authenticity verification, anti-counterfeiting operations, and retirement.
From 2010 to 2021, the BSP has conducted 110 law enforcement operations and arrested 179 suspects. It has seized 12,400 pieces of counterfeit banknotes worth P7.8 million and more than 14,300 pieces of counterfeit US dollar banknotes worth more than $92.5 million.
PHL declares Siargao town's mangrove forest 'wetland of international importance'
In a bid to get global recognition The Philippines recognized the mangrove forest of Del Carmen in the island of Siargao as a “wetland of international importance” on February 2023.
Philstar.com / Martin Ramos
DEL CARMEN, Surigao del Norte — The Philippines recognized Thursday the mangrove forest of Del Carmen in the island of Siargao as a “wetland of international importance” in a bid to get global recognition under a 52-year-old treaty on the conservation and use of these areas.
Environment officials expect Manila’s recognition of Del Carmen’s mangrove forest on World Wetlands Day to be a “precursor” to its formal listing as the country’s ninth wetland of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.
“We’re going to put Siargao Island into the global map of wetland conservation,” said Anson Tagtag, officer-in-charge of the Biodiversity Management Bureau’s Caves, Wetlands and Other Ecosystems Division.
“Our declaration today serves as a shoutout to all of us and all of you,” Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo Coro II said. “Even the simplest actions can make the loudest noise.”
The local government of Del Carmen has long been working on the recognition of its mangrove forest — one of the largest in the country spanning over 4,800 hectares — as Ramsar site.
The declaration of Ramsar sites is provided under the Ramsar Convention, an inter-governmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
In 2021, biological sciences experts from the National Research Council of the Philippines strongly suggested there is a “high potential” for Del Carmen’s mangrove forest to become a Ramsar site owing to its biodiversity.
Beyond biodiversity, Del Carmen’s mangroves also proved to be life-saving when super typhoon Odette (Rai) hit Siargao in December 2021. Locals here credited the mangroves for having protected them from large waves brought by the strong storm.
World Wetlands Day
“Wetlands provide us with immense benefits that are crucial for survival. Aside from its role as natural water reservoirs, wetlands serve as barriers against strong winds, heavy rain and rising sea levels,” said Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, in a statement.
But the Global Wetland Outlook found that the world is losing wetlands “three times faster than forests” as it lost approximately 35% since the 1970s.
The Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape – Protected Area Management Office said super typhoon Odette destroyed 16% of their mangrove forest.
But with help from private organizations, Del Carmen’s mangrove forests are slowly recovering, with the local government targeting to replant 163 hectares of mangroves this year.
Disclosure: This story was made possible through the support of USAID's Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes (SIBOL), which arranged transportation and accommodations for the Philstar.com reporting team. This article was produced following editorial guidelines and SIBOL did not have input on how the story would be written.
The currency gained 63 centavos to close at P53.845 vs the dollar, its best finish in nearly eight months or since June 17, 2022's P53.75:$1.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange (PSEi), however, lost 49.57 points, or 0.70 percent, to end the day at 6,986.19. The broader All Shares shed 3.39 points, or 0.09 percent, to hit 3,683.78.
"Investors booked gains from the market's steep rally yesterday (Wednesday) as trading remained strong with net value turnover posting P8.23 billion, higher than the year-to-date average of P6.50 billion," said Japhet Tantiangco, senior research analyst at Philstocks Financial Inc.
Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan, meanwhile, said "Philippine shares reverted to selling on news after the Federal Reserve's (Fed) interest rate hike adjustment."
"Without deviating from the script, the central bank bumped the interest rate by 25 basis points, bolstering investor optimism that inflation is cooling enough. However, the Fed gave no indication of an upcoming pause in rate hikes," he added.
Meanwhile, Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said news that the country's debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio had improved at the end of last year could have contributed to the peso's rise.
The Treasury bureau on Thursday reported that the national government's outstanding debt had hit P13.42 trillion as of end-December, 14.4 percent up from the previous year.
The amount, however, was lower than the P13.64 billion at the end of November due to the strengthening of the peso and as the government paid off some of its debt.
Stronger-than-expected economic growth, meanwhile, limited the full-year debt-to-GDP ratio to 60.9 percent, below the medium-term cap of 61.8 percent and improving from 63.7 percent at the end of the third quarter.
The peso opened trading at the day's high of P54.2 and traded as low as P53.835. Volume reached $1.62 trillion, higher than the $958.9 million in the previous session.
At the stock market, sectoral results ended mostly in the green with the exception of holding firms and property, which respectively fell by 1.59 percent and 1.65 percent. Mining and oil led gainers with a 3.04-percent rise.
Just under 1.29 billion shares worth P8.93 billion changed hands.
Advancers again outperformed decliners, 114 to 67, while 56 remained unchanged.
DAVAO CITY — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook parts of Mindanao at 6:46 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Based on information released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the epicenter of the earthquake was noted at 14 kilometers north east of New Bataan, Davao de Oro.
The quake, which was tectonic in origin, had a depth of 11 kilometers.
Intensity III was felt in Davao City.
Varying instrumental intensities were reported in others parts: Intensity V in Nabunturan, Davao de Oro; Intensity III in Kidapawan City, Cotabato; Alabel, Sarangani; Tupi, South Cotabato; Bislig City, Surigao del Sur; Intensity II in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte, Libona and Malaybalay in Bukidnon, Don Marcelino in Davao Occidental, Abuyog in Leyte, Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental, Malapatan, Glan, and Kiamba in Sarangani, Norala, General Santos City, Koronadal City and Tampakan in South Cotabato, and Tandag, Surigao del Sur; and Intensity I in Alamada in Cotabato, Baybay and Dulag in Leyte, Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental, Maitum in Sarangani, Suralla, Santo Nino, T’Boli, and Tantangan in South Cotabato, and Saint Bernard in Southern Leyte, Columbio in Sultan Kudarat, and Surigao City in Surigao Del Norte.
Aside from playing notable characters on the screen, celebrities create a huge impact by using their platforms to raise awareness in saving and protecting Mother Earth.
Besides appearing on the red carpet, posing with expensive cars, or holding unending parties, some celebrities also do great things for society. Their immense fame also comes with significant influence, and many use it for a good cause.
While some are great advocates for human rights, gender equality, and proper governance, a good number of them are pursuing the ultimate fight to care for the environment. These celebrities have been doing their part in encouraging others to do the same.
We applaud anyone who uses their celebrity status to promote awareness about climate change and other threats to our environment.
Chai Fonacier
Chai Fonacier
Using her comedy character named “Kurdapya Jones,” Cebuana actress Chai Fonacier collaborated with Sutukil Sauce to create a six-part series on debunking climate change in 2017.
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Iza Calzado
Iza Calzado (Facebook)
Appointed as one of the female national ambassadors for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) in 2016, actress Iza Calzado has been an active volunteer in spreading environmental education awareness and sustainable living.
Nadine Lustre
Nadine Lustre (Instagram)
As a beach lover, Nadine Lustre showed her support by participating in a beach cleanup with Greenpeace PH’s anti-plastic campaign. Since then, Nadine has been practicing some ways of becoming eco-conscious.
Jasmine Curtis Smith
Jasmine Curtis Smith (Facebook)
Jasmine Curtis-Smith was appointed as the Youth Ambassador for Independence Energy in 2019. Jasmine has always been an active advocate when it comes to environmental aspects. She fulfills her duty to influence the government and private sectors to create alternative energy sources that are indigenous and sustainable.
Pia Wurtzbach
Pia Wurtzbach (Facebook)
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach teamed up with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) for their #speakupfornature campaign. Pia donated P250,000 to support the causes of WWF.
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Pascual (Facebook)
During his stay in Mabini, Batangas, award-winning Piolo Pascual teamed up with Ang Probinsyano Partylist for a coastal and underwater cleanup drive. The community cleanup activity yielded a total of 135 kilograms of waste materials collected by 50 volunteers headed by the local tourism office of Mabini.
Luis Manzano
Luis Manzano (Facebook)
A long-time diver and certified lover of seas, Luis Manzano, champions the organization’s Marine Conservation Programs, which include initiatives on sustainable fisheries plus food security, community-based ecotourism, and biodiversity conservation.
Richard Gutierrez
Richard Gutierrez (Facebook)
Aside from his career as an actor, Richard Gutierrez is also passionate about helping the environment. In 2019, Richard took the initiative of partnering up with Kiehl’s Made Better campaign. As an avid underwater photographer, the actor dedicated the campaign to preserving Anilao beach.
Enzo Pineda
Enzo Pineda (Facebook)
Aside from being an actor and marine reservist, Enzo Pineda also has a passion for the environment. He donated collectibles and fashion items for auction to support families near conservation sites like the Ipo Watershed. The actor is also a plant enthusiast. He advocates for food security and raises awareness of proper urban gardening practices.
Leonard DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio (Facebook)
Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 to help “restore balance to threatened ecosystems, ensuring the long-term health and well-being of all Earth’s inhabitants.” Leonardo has been named the United Nations climate change representative and donated millions of dollars to environmental activist groups.
Ellen DeGeneres & Portia De Rossi
Ellen De Generes (left) and Portia de Rossi (Facebook)
Actress Portia De Rossi gifted her wife television host Ellen De Generes the Ellen Fund, which partly works to save mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
BTS
BTS (Facebook)
In 2019, the seven members of the hit band BTS became Formula E ambassadors, promoting the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the only race in the world that uses solely electric cars. One year later, they became the faces of Hyundai’s IONIQ electric car, and to celebrate the partnership, they released a video full of beautiful earthy imagery.
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda (Facebook)
Before COVID-19 hit, Jane Fonda was just getting started with her “Fire Drill Fridays,” bringing famous friends, scientists, and civilians together in Washington, D.C., to rally for climate change. The Grace and Frankie star even wrote a book about climate change entitled “What Can I Do?”
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo (Facebook)
Aside from starring in various Marvel films, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo is a climate activist who has helped to launch The Solutions Project, which aims to switch Americans to renewable energy. It has so far found over 100 projects and desires for everyone to have 100 percent clean air.
Jaden Smith
Jaden Smith (Facebook)
At 12, Jaden Smith learned that the ocean is alive but dying due to pollution and rising temperatures. So in 2015, he created JUST Water, a company that strives to make an alternative to petroleum-based products that require plastic and emit CO2 in production.
Shailene Woodley
Shailene Woodley (Facebook)
Known for her role in the film “The Fault in our Stars, Shailene Woodley has always been open about her best practices for saving the Earth: foraging for food, sourcing her Water, and making her cheese and soaps, for starters. In 2016, she put her activism to work publicly by joining rallies that have an advocate for clean Water for the indigenous people in North Dakota.
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bundchen (Facebook)
Becoming a Goodwill Ambassador, Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen began advocating for clean Water in her native country in 2004 and has since become a fierce supporter of several of the UN’s environmental initiatives.
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett (Facebook)
Australian actress Cate Blanchett became an ambassador for the Australian Conservation Foundation to help campaign for environmental justice and encourage people to share their real-life concerns about climate change. Cate also took part in putting up a solar-powered roof for Australia’s Sydney Theatre Company and has assisted organizations like I Speak Earth and SolarAid throughout her career.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck (Facebook)
An actor and Philanthropist, Ben Affleck is a lifelong environmental activist who fights for critical environmental issues and raises awareness to combat Climate Change. He was the recipient of the Environment Media Award in 2013. He has always been very vocal about climate change impacts and pollution in nature.
Prince Harry
Prince Harry (Vanity Fair)
The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry is one of the great environment campaigners like his father and grandfather. The royal family has always served their significant commitment to advocate for environmental causes and their preservation. He has always shown his passion for nature and urged others to initiate climate actions to save the planet.
Enchong Dee
Enchong Dee
Aside from becoming an actor and professional swimmer, Enchong Dee has been vocal about his passion for a greener and cleaner Philippines. The actor has been part of cleanup drives and has spoken about how to strengthen environmental protection since 2015.
Bea Binene
Bea Binene
Award-winning actress Bea Binene took her environmental advocacy into her own hands. In 2017, Bea self-produced an indie film entitled “Fading Paradise,” which follows a story about a lush island in Bohol that becomes poisoned by commercialization.
Janine Gutierrez
Janine Gutierrez (Facebook)
Outside her work as an actress and TV host, Janine Gutierrez promotes proper waste management in order to protect wildlife and their habitats. She has visited project sites in Donsol, Sorsogon as a youth ambassador, working closely with WWF-Philippines’ National Youth Council, where young students were taught about relevant species—like the local whale sharks!
Robi Domingo
Robi Domingo
TV host Robi Domingo grew up in an environmentally conscious household that led him to practice sustainability and have a love and passion for the outdoors. Becoming an active ambassador of WWF-Philippines, Robi hosted a nine-part web series called Sustainably Yours, Robi, to invite enthusiasm and active participation from young people through everyday eco-friendly activities.
One hundred twenty three years — more than a century of delivering news, shaping minds, and fully informing the nation.
It is not an easy feat for any media institution to survive the challenges of our times, which included two World Wars, changes in political administrations, tumultuous elections, record-breaking natural disasters, a global health pandemic, etc. Amid these pivotal events, the Manila Bulletin stood not only as a curious observer, but as a veritable witness and opinion shaper to Filipinos who deserve fast, accurate, and reliable news and information. With the changing times and modernizing landscape, dominated with the flow of technological advancements, the newspaper embraced “transformation” and planned for the future, alongside the introduction of the desktop computer, arrival of high-tech printing machines, connection to the internet, ascent of social media, to the emergence of A.I.
The resilience of the Manila Bulletin can be traced back to its strong foundation and storied history. The first issue came out on Feb. 2, 1900. Originally a shipping journal, its purpose was to give “the public accurate and reliable shipping and commercial information.” It was set up by Carson C. Taylor, a teacher from Illinois, who had served in the US Army during the Spanish-American War. Taylor and H. G. Farris, editor, constituted the entire staff of the paper.
“It was a four-page newspaper with pages sized 10″ by 12″. It was distributed free… (and) was printed by El Progreso at 10 Carriedo, Manila up to 1901 when it set up its own plant,” according to historical records. “In 1912, it came out in a six-column tabloid format. Six years later, it switched to the standard size with eight columns.”
“In the next century — except for the four years that it was closed by the Japanese during the occupation — the Manila Bulletin came out every day.” A minor interruption happened during the declaration of Martial Law in 1972. Even with constraints during that time, the paper was able to thrive and stay true to the tenets of journalism.
Indeed, no challenge or tribulation was too gargantuan for the management, editors, reporters, and the staff in different departments for the Manila Bulletin to halt its printing and forget its commitment to the people.
After the People Power Revolution, the paper flourished, retaining its preeminent position as the “exponent of Philippine progress” and “the Philippines’ leading national newspaper.” This was the time, around 1989, when Bulletin Today was renamed the Manila Bulletin.
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Under the guidance of philanthropist-businessman Dr. Emilio T. Yap, the Manila Bulletin became a public corporation traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange. It began a series of changes, including acquisition of the country’s biggest printing equipment — a five-story press that occupies its own building beside the Manila Bulletin’s main office in Intramuros.
After Dr. Yap’s passing in 2014, his son Basilio C. Yap took over as Chairman of the Board, with Dr. Emil C. Yap III as President and Vice Chairman of the Board. They have initiated transformation in the company that allowed the Manila Bulletin to stay relevant in the digital era, gathering a new generation of readers and followers.
Amid all changes, the Manila Bulletin continues to ride on the waves of history, carefully navigating the ocean of information with its brand of responsible, accurate, and fully researched reportage. There’s no doubt that 123 years young is just the beginning of more exciting things as for the Manila Bulletin, the best is yet to come!
One hundred twenty three years — more than a century of delivering news, shaping minds, and fully informing the nation.