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!
The exclusive contract of the members of K-pop girl group Weeekly has been terminated, their agency announced.
IST Entertainment issued a statement on Feb. 26, saying, “We would like to convey our official position regarding the termination of our exclusive contract with Weeekly members (Lee Soo-jin, Monday, Park So-eun, Lee Jae-hee, Ji-han, and Zoa) and their future activities.”
“After a long discussion with the members regarding their future activities, we have come to an agreement to terminate the exclusive contract while respecting each other’s opinions,” the agency said.
Weeekly (Instagram)
It added, “We would like to once again express our sincere gratitude to the members who have been with us as our artists and to the fans who have been with us on our journey, which has been more shining and warm than anyone else. We ask for your continued love and encouragement for Weeekly members (Lee Soo-jin, Monday, Park So-eun, Lee Jae-hee, Ji-han, and Zoa), who will continue to be active in various fields in the future.”
Weeekly debuted in June 2020 with the album “We Are.”
IST Entertainment is a planning company owned by Kakao Entertainment. Earlier this year, music rights investment company Beyond Music acquired a 100 percent stake in the company. The termination of Weeekly’s contract was conducted without a transfer of the contract, Korean media reported.
Mananambal is a bold attempt by Nora and her director, Adolfo Alix Jr, to explore the nature and intricacies of Philippine folk medicine as it exists in the countryside.
The official film poster of 'Mananambal'
Unfazed by what I read on social media, I set out to watch the latest Nora Aunor film, Mananambal, on Feb. 24. I paid my way to the theatre in the absence of a deputy card, curious about this new output of the superstar and National Artist for Film and Broadcast.
Mananambal is a bold attempt by Nora and her director, Adolfo Alix, Jr, to explore the nature and intricacies of Philippine folk medicine as it exists in the countryside. The choice of tackling such a premise and promise alone signifies artistic intent, an out of the box mental frame. For this alone, Aunor and Alix deserve credit for continuing to blaze the trail in telling stories that depict the lives of ordinary Filipinos. In the process, they expand our appreciation for pre-colonial Philippine lifestyle and culture.
Clearly, such a handle can easily be dismissed as uncommercial, yet Alix turns it around by modernizing the horrific tale, planting elements of social media and youthful adventurism that leads to the downfall of four young men from the city.
Such a compromise, by way of casting GMA boylets Jeric Gonzales, Kelvin Miranda, EA Guzman and Martin Escudero, lends the film a dash of sex appeal to jack up its commercial value. Bianca Umali projects just the right amount of sultriness in the wilderness and makes for an ethereal, acting presence.
Needless to say, Nora shows full control of her role as both the healer and the destroyer. Her scenes are often quiet, which befit her. They lend the film an air of authority (and wisdom) that comes with age.
Given a few excesses, such as scenes that repeat themselves (editable), Mananambal is a good film with a heart for art. Lyrical in cinematography, with subtle music for support, it is possibly one of director Alix’s better films.
Apart from a college degree, she’s also armed with skills in singing, dancing, and competitive martial arts.
Valerie West
It’s been a whirlwind journey for Valerie West, a 22-year-old newly certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) from New York, USA, who now represents the Ifugao region in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
Valerie was crowned Reina Filipina North America on Jan. 25. A few weeks later, she arrived in the Philippines, prepared to compete for the opportunity to represent the country in this year's Miss Universe pageant in Thailand. While it might seem like she was suddenly thrust into the competition, Valerie is no stranger to the pageant scene.
She started her pageant journey after being named Miss York County’s Outstanding Teen in 2017, landing in the top 5 of Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teen in the same year. The following year she was named Miss Luzerne County’s Outstanding Teen and again became part of the Top 5 Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teens. 2019 saw her being named Miss Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Outstanding Teen and 1st Runner-Up for Miss Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Teen.
Then the pandemic struck so pageantry had to take a back seat. In the meantime, she completed her Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Delaware. Valerie wants to get into pediatric cardiology one day to pursue a medical degree.
That “one day” might take a bit more time. However, she has just resumed her pageant journey with the Miss Universe Philippines after becoming the Reina Filipina North America titleholder.
“I'm excited to be representing my Ifugao roots and also the Philippine community in New York,” Valerie said days after arriving in the country. The last time Valerie was in the Philippines was in 2019 and she almost got stuck here just as the worldwide lockdowns were being implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apart from a college degree, she’s also armed with skills in singing, dancing, and competitive martial arts. Singing, in particular, is her passion and she even writes some of her songs. She was a contestant on a singing competition show, The Clash, when she was 17. Like studying medicine, she’d like to pursue it in the future.
“As a Filipino raised by a Filipino mom, of course, a love for pageantry been instilled from a young age. And as I got older it's not just, ‘Oh it's so beautiful looking at these queens walking so gracefully.’ They become role models in my life. They each have such beauty and brains so I tried to model that in my life,” Valerie said. She added that her mom, who hails from Kiangan, Ifugao, inspires her to pursue her beauty pageant dreams.
Valerie also believes that Pinoys' love for pageantry is also innate. “I think it has to do with our culture, our values in the Philippines. When you see all these women empowering women and their strong family values, it's hard not to be inspired and want to be that when you're older, watching as a little girl. Even in the US, the Philippines, and worldwide, we're still Filipino at heart and carry those values no matter where we go.”
She also admires Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, who has “taken the crown and done so much with it even afterwards.” Catriona is known for advocating Filipino culture, which she has continued to do until now.
Valerie has her advocacy through the PUSO Foundation, founded by Robert Banez in 2017. Through various platforms, the foundation has the "purposeful unconditional service to others” in underserved communities in 7 countries. “Through my partnership with PUSO, I spread the message of ‘paying it forward,’ and advocate for the importance of service work, especially amongst younger individuals. Through small and large acts of kindness, and involvement in one's community, kindness multiplies and lives can be changed globally. The message is simple: Give a little, change a lot!”
With her beauty, brains, and heart, Valerie is already a pageant standout and ready to take the pageant world by storm.
Der Monat März bringt wichtige Rentenänderungen. Neue Regelungen und Pläne der Union könnten die Zukunft der Rentner bald beeinflussen.
München – Der dritte Monat des Jahres, der März, und der designierte Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (CDU) teilen quasi nicht nur den Namen, sondern bringen 2025 auch zahlreiche Neuerungen für Rentner mit sich. Sechs dieser Renten-Änderungen sind besonders hervorzuheben.
Im März 2025 stehen Anpassungen für Rentner an – Rentenerhöhung wird bekanntgegeben
Die erste Änderung betrifft die Rentenerhöhung: Nach dem Wahlsieg der CDU/CSU ist der Nachfolger von Bundesminister für Arbeit und Soziales Hubertus Heil (SPD) noch nicht bestimmt. Sobald dieser feststeht, wird er Ende März traditionell die Rentenerhöhung verkünden. Diese Bekanntmachung ist für Rentner in Deutschland von großer Bedeutung, da sowohl der neue Rentenwert in Euro und Cent als auch die prozentuale Erhöhung veröffentlicht werden. Die Erhöhung tritt ab dem 1. Juli 2025 in Kraft und wirkt sich auf die Rentenhöhe der folgenden Monate aus. Es wird erwartet, dass Rentner ab Juli höhere Rentenbezüge erhalten.
Ein zweiter, wichtiger Aspekt ist die Anpassung der Rentenzahlungen im März. Aufgrund der Erhöhung des Krankenkassen-Zusatzbeitrags, die seit dem 1. Januar 2025 gilt, werden viele Rentner erst im März die Auswirkungen bemerken, soRentenbescheid24.de. Dies führt dazu, dass die monatlichen Rentenzahlungen für viele sinken. Besonders betroffen sind jene, die ihre Zahlungen für März bereits Ende Februar erhalten haben – doch es gibt Wege, Geld zu sparen. Der Zusatzbeitrag, der je nach Krankenkasse unterschiedlich ausfallen kann, wird zur Hälfte von den Rentnern getragen.
Folgende Jahrgänge können im März 2025 erstmals in Rente gehen
Als dritten Punkt sind die freiwilligen Beiträge zu nennen. Bis zum 31. März 2025 können Personen, die nicht pflichtversichert sind, diese für das Jahr 2024 leisten. Diese Beiträge, die laut Rentenbescheid24.de rückwirkend gezahlt werden können, bieten die Möglichkeit, zwischen einem Mindestbeitrag von 103,42 Euro und einem Höchstbeitrag von 1.497,30 Euro zu wählen. Diese freiwilligen Zahlungen können spätere Rentenansprüche erhöhen und sind steuerlich absetzbar, was sie für viele attraktiv macht.
Viertens können im März 2025 bestimmte Jahrgänge erstmals in Rente gehen. Dazu zählen Personen, die am 1. Januar 1959 geboren wurden und ab dem 1. März 2025 die Regelaltersrente mit 66 Jahren und 2 Monaten in Anspruch nehmen können. Weitere Möglichkeiten bestehen für langjährig Versicherte, schwerbehinderte Menschen und besonders langjährig Versicherte, jeweils mit spezifischen Voraussetzungen und möglichen Abschlägen.
Rentenzahlungen erfolgen am 31. März – Union plant Einführung der Aktivrente
Die Rentenzahlungen – der fünfte Punkt – für März 2025 erfolgen am 31. März, einem regulären Bankarbeitstag. An diesem Tag werden sowohl die laufende Rente für März als auch die vorschüssige Rente für April ausgezahlt. Rentner sollten ihre Kontoauszüge genau prüfen, um sicherzustellen, dass die erhöhten Zusatzbeiträge korrekt berücksichtigt wurden.
