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!
Wann werden ihre Nachfolger gewählt? Finanzminister Christian Lindner (45, FDP), Wirtschaftsminister Robert Habeck (55, Grüne) und Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (66, SPD) auf der Regierungsbank im Bundestag
Die Ampel ist Geschichte, drei FDP-Minister sind entlassen. Was sagen die Deutschen zum Ampel-Aus und wie soll es jetzt weitergehen?
BILD hat eine Blitz-Umfrage nach dem Bruch der Koalition in Auftrag gegeben: Das Meinungsforschungsinstitut INSA fragte am Donnerstag 1002 repräsentativ ausgewählte Menschen in Deutschland.
Ergebnis: Die klare Mehrheit fordert sofortige Neuwahlen!
So wollen 57 Prozent so schnell wie möglich über einen neuen Bundestag entscheiden. Nur 22 Prozent sind für den Plan von Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (66, SPD), erst im März wählen zu lassen. 12 Prozent plädieren für den regulären Wahltermin im September 2025.
Noch deutlicher ist die Freude über das Ende des ungeliebten Regierungsbündnisses: Fast zwei Drittel der Befragten (64 Prozent) finden das Ampel-Ende gut, nur 22 Prozent schlecht.
Und wem von den drei Ampel-Männern (Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck) geben die Deutschen die meiste Schuld am Aus der Regierung?
34 Prozent der Wähler sagen: Alle drei sind gleichermaßen verantwortlich! 27 Prozent finden, Kanzler Scholz habe die größte Schuld, 25 Prozent FDP-Chef Lindner und 7 Prozent Habeck (Grüne).
Das glauben nur 13 Prozent. Immerhin 21 Prozent erwarten, der Lindner-Rauswurf wird der SPD nutzen, 11 Prozent nennen die Grünen. 44 Prozent der Umfrageteilnehmer sind der Meinung, dass keine der drei Ampel-Parteien vom Ende der Koalition profitieren wird.
In the family drama ‘Mujigae,’ her character is dead set on not having children and all the responsibilities that come with it
Alexa Ilacad —ALEXA ILACAD FACEBOOK
As a child, actress-singer Alexa Ilacad used to envision herself becoming a mother at the age 26.
Now 24, she would very much like to have the target date she had innocently set for herself pushed back, preferably to “the far future,” she said, laughing.
Ironically, Alexa said, she ended up becoming someone who doesn’t quite know her way around kids.
While she has been appearing in commercials since the age of 2, and acting since she was 8, there are still a lot of goals she wants to fulfill. Working for them is difficult enough as it is, she said, so what more if she had a family to take care of?
“It’s not something I want at the moment. I want to build a career and that will be hard if you’re supporting a kid. I feel like being a mother takes so much selflessness,” she told Lifestyle in an interview. “But whatever happens, it will be my choice.”
As such, Alexa couldn’t help but sympathize with her character, Sunny, in the upcoming family drama, “Mujigae,” which opens in SM Cinemas on Oct. 9. Sunny is dead set on not having children and all the responsibilities that come with it. When her estranged sister in South Korea dies, however, she is left with no choice but to begrudgingly take in her 5-year-old niece, Mujigae (Ryrie Sophia).
While she isn’t fond of kids, Sunny eventually finds herself warming up to Mujigae (Korean for “rainbow”) and her cheerful presence. But just when she’s starting to feel that she finally has it in her to raise Mujigae as her own, the child’s biological and largely absent Korean father, Ji-seong (Kim Ji-soo), enters the picture.
A scene from ‘Mujigae’ — UNITEL STRAIGHT SHOOTERS
Bonding
“I realized how hard it is to be a guardian, to become a mom all of a sudden. I can also relate with Sunny because I’m not naturally affectionate or playful around kids. I find them cute, but I don’t go all gooey. However, having my own nieces changed that in a way. I love them so much,” Alexa said.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons she didn’t have a hard time bonding and working with Ryrie. “I found myself thinking of my nieces on the set,” she said. “It was very easy working with her. She’s cute.
Makulit, but she listens.”
Unlike her past projects—particularly the romantic dramas she did with her perennial screen partner, KD Estrada—“Mujigae” could very well be the “acting piece” she has been looking for. Director Randolph Longjas’ material and vision were challenging to execute, Alexa admitted, because she had to unlearn some of the acting habits she has developed through the years.
“It was hard at first. I’m the type of actress who wants everything polished, perfect. I plan ahead. I come to the set with a plan or strategy on how to approach the material. But the director had to break that because he wanted to see vulnerability. I had to tap something within me. I had to let myself be and show what I feel without worrying about the angles and other things,” she said.
At its core, Longjas said, “Mujigae,” is an exploration of motherhood—or parenthood, for that matter—as a choice and not as a societal expectation. “Not wanting to have a child doesn’t make you bad. I wanted to tackle that idea. A person can also choose not to have a child, but still have the capacity to love and raise one,” he said.
The decision to make Mujigae’s character Filipino Korean, meanwhile, adds a cross-cultural angle to the narrative. “We don’t see a lot of stories about mixed-race Filipinos … We want to show that despite cultural differences, we actually share a lot of things in common, like the value we put on the concept of family,” Longjas said.
After doing the film, Alexa emerged better acquainted with the potential joys of having kids and “the fulfillment that comes with “teaching them and taking care of them.”
But it also reinforced what she knew all along: People can choose not to have kids and that’s okay.
“I’m so grateful that, nowadays, we have more people who are open to the idea of women living the rest of their lives without children, or choosing a child that’s not biologically theirs. We don’t have to vilify them for that or make them feel like less of a woman,” she said.
She’s not closing her doors on motherhood. But for now, Alexa, who has two dogs and two cats, will focus on being a furmom. “It can be hard, too, you know!” she said. INQ
The Philippine peso slipped near its all-time low while stocks almost surrendered a hard-fought wall as the highly divisive Donald Trump returned to the White House to reclaim the US presidency.
The local currency finished Thursday’s trading at 58.73 against the greenback, weaker than its previous closing of 58.661.
The peso’s worst showing yesterday stood at 58.805, few centavos away from the record-low 59. Funds valued at $1.6 billion switched hands during the trading session.
Noel Reyes, chief investment officer for Trust and Asset Management Group at Security Bank Corp., said such volatility might send the peso testing the 59-mark until next week, although he believed the level would provide a “strong resistance” as markets price in the second Trump presidency.
It also did not help that the country’s economic growth slowed to 5.2 percent in the third quarter, which Reyes said necessitated the need for more rate cut easing from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
”And with Trump finally winning, his expansionary policies and tariff plans will be inflationary and will increase their deficit, necessitating prolonged high … interest rates [in the US],” he added.
Over at the stock market, shares slipped by more than 2 percent and nearly gave up the 7,000 level that investors held on to for almost two months.
By the closing bell, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) fell by 2.11 percent, or 150.98 points, to 7,014.44.
Likewise, the broader All Shares Index shed 1.97 percent, or 78.33 points, to close at 3,891.64.
Value turnover was at P9.72 billion for 1.11 billion shares, stock exchange data showed.
The stock barometer briefly touched the 6,900 level during the day—going as low as 6,923.99—before clawing its way back to 7,000, albeit with difficulties.
While Washington is thousands of kilometers away from Manila, Jonathan Ravelas, senior adviser at Reyes Tacandong & Co., pointed out the local economy “faces renewed macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges arising from Trump’s trade and economic policies.”
With the strong performance at Wall Street and the continued appreciation of the US dollar, he said the PSEi might fall further to 6,500 to 6,800—or levels it had not touched since August and September.
Nearly all subsectors were in the red, with investors dumping property and mining stocks the most.
Wendy Estacio-Cruz, research head at Unicapital Securities Inc., told the Inquirer that traders would likely shed property and holding companies due to the “direct and indirect” impact of Trump’s victory on interest rates and business process outsourcing (BPO) demand.
“Overall, a Trump presidency could bring economic challenges for the Philippines, especially in trade, investment and remittances,” Cruz said in a text message.
“Additionally, his ‘America First’ policies and corporate tax cuts could reduce demand for labor outsourcing, impacting the BPO industry,” she added.
Losers overpowered gainers, 167 to 46, while 40 companies closed unchanged, stock exchange data showed.
Maxine Marie Bautista made heads turn asthe Philippine National Figure Skating Championships 2024 kicked off at SM Skating inside Mall of Asia in Pasay City Thursday, Nov. 7.
Maxine Marie Bautista made heads turn as the Philippine National Figure Skating Championships 2024 kicked off at SM Skating inside Mall of Asia in Pasay City Thursday, Nov. 7.
Maxine Marie Bautista (Maxine's Facebook post)
The 23-year-old Bautista scored 50.03 points to rule the senior women's category and beat of Cathryn Limketkai (43.46) and Sofia Frank (41.53), who finished second and third, respectively, in the tournament that serves as selection of the skaters who will compete in the 2025 Asian Winter Games which is set February next year in Harbin, China.
Foreign youngsters from the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea took part as well in the competition that was organized by the Philippine Ice Skating Union (PHSU) led by President Nikki Cheng.
Cheng expressed her hopes that by organizing a local tournament they will find other homegrown talents like Michael Martinez.
“What I really envision is, makapag-produce din tayo ng local talent natin. That's what we're really striving for,” said Cheng.
“That’s what we’re hoping to happen one day. We’re beefing up our programs and there’s a lot of kids na nakikita namin na up-and-coming,” she added. “And hopefully, one day, they'll be the ones naman na nasa international stage.”
Paolo Borromeo, the lone bet in the senior men’s division, tallied 45.56 points and earned an outright spot to the continental showpiece.
Other winners were Indonesian Muhammad Dasha Akbar (Novice Boys), Filipinos Guilana Angeli Dinopol (Novice Girls), Brandon Baldoz (Junior Men), and South Korean Hyojin Jeon (Junior Women).
FILE - A volunteer pours water to cool a man off during a hot day in Karachi, Pakistan, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File)
CHICAGO (AP) — For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it's ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday.
"It's this relentless nature of the warming that I think is is worrying," said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus.
Buontempo said the data clearly shows the planet would not see such a long sequence of record-breaking temperatures without the constant increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere driving global warming.
He cited other factors that contribute to exceptionally warm years like last year and this one. They include El Nino — the temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide — as well as volcanic eruptions that spew water vapor into the air and variations in energy from the sun. But he and other scientists say the long-term increase in temperatures beyond fluctuations like El Nino is a bad sign.
"A very strong El Nino event is a sneak peek into what the new normal will be about a decade from now," said Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist with the nonprofit Berkeley Earth.
News of a likely second year of record heat comes a day after Republican Donald Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax" and promised to boost oil drilling and production, was reelected to the presidency. It also comes days before the next U.N. climate conference, called COP29, is set to begin in Azerbaijan. Talks are expected to focus on how to generate trillions of dollars to help the world transition to clean energes like wind and solar, and thus avoid continued warming.
Buontempo pointed out that going over the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold of warming for a single year is different than the goal adopted in the 2015 Paris Agreement. That goal was meant to try to cap warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times on average, over 20 or 30 years.
A United Nations report this year said that since the mid-1800s on average, the world has already heated up 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) — up from previous estimates of 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) or 1.2 degrees (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit). That's of concern because the U.N. says the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of the world's nations still aren't nearly ambitious enough to keep the 1.5 degree Celsius target on track.
The target was chosen to try to stave off the worst effects of climate change on humanity, including extreme weather. "The heat waves, storm damage, and droughts that we are experiencing now are just the tip of the iceberg," said Natalie Mahowald, chair of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University.
Going over that number in 2024 doesn't mean the overall trend line of global warming has, but "in the absence of concerted action, it soon will," said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann.
Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson put it in starker terms. "I think we have missed the 1.5 degree window," said Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists who track countries' carbon dioxide emissions. "There's too much warming."
Indiana state climatologist Beth Hall said she isn't surprised by the latest report from Copernicus, but emphasized that people should remember climate is a global issue beyond their local experiences with changing weather. "We tend to be siloed in our own individual world," she said. Reports like this one "are taking into account lots and lots of locations that aren't in our backyard."
Buontempo stressed the importance of global observations, bolstered by international cooperation, that allow scientists to have confidence in the new report's finding: Copernicus gets its results from billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.
He said that going over the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) benchmark this year is "psychologically important" as nations make decisions internally and approach negotiations at the annual U.N. climate change summit November 11 to 22 in Azerbaijan.
"The decision, clearly, is ours. It's of each and every one of us. And it's the decision of our society and our policymakers as a consequence of that," he said. "But I believe these decisions are better made if they are based on evidence and facts."
