A German Expat in The Philippines - Ein deutscher Auswanderer auf den Philippinen

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!

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Who Is My Neighbor? The wrong question

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THE lawyer in Luke 10:25–37 thought he had Jesus cornered. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It sounded like an honest question, but there was a catch. He wanted the minimum requirement. He was searching for the finish line without running the race.

Jesus turned the tables. "What is written in the Law?" The lawyer answered perfectly: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself. He knew the right words. His problem was not ignorance but reluctance. Wanting to justify himself, he asked, "And who is my neighbor?"

That is still the question many people ask today. Who deserves my kindness? Who has earned my forgiveness? Who qualifies for my concern? We like clear boundaries because they make love manageable. We prefer selective charity to unlimited compassion.

Jesus refused to play that game. Instead of defining "neighbor," He told the story of a man beaten, robbed, and left half dead. A priest walked by. Then a Levite. Both saw the victim. Both kept walking. Their eyes worked perfectly. Their hearts did not.

Religion without mercy becomes a performance. It is possible to know every prayer, observe every ritual, defend every doctrine, and still fail the simplest examination: seeing Christ in the person who needs help.

Then came the Samaritan. The listeners would have expected him to be the villain. Instead, he became the hero. He stopped. He drew near. He treated wounds. He carried the injured man. He paid the bill. He promised to return.

Compassion was not an emotion. It became action. Love is never measured by beautiful intentions. It is measured by what our hands, feet, wallets, and schedules are willing to do.

The parable also tells the story of every human soul. Sin leaves people wounded, stripped of dignity, and unable to save themselves. Divine mercy does not pass by at a safe distance. It comes close. It heals. It restores. It pays the price.

What the Samaritan did for the wounded traveler points beyond itself to the saving mission of Christ, who found humanity helpless and refused to leave it that way.

That changes everything. If Christ has treated us with such mercy, excuses for withholding mercy from others disappear. Christians are not merely admirers of compassion. They are meant to become channels of it.

Notice the question Jesus asks at the end. Not, "Who was the wounded man's neighbor?" But, "Who became a neighbor?"

That single change shifts the entire discussion. The issue is no longer identifying the right people to love. The issue is becoming the right kind of person.

Every encounter becomes an opportunity to practice mercy. The difficult colleague. The demanding family member. The lonely elderly neighbor. The stranger no one notices. The person everyone avoids. Love refuses to ask whether they deserve it before offering help.

The final command is wonderfully brief: "Go and do likewise." Not, "Go and discuss likewise." Not, "Go and admire likewise."

Go and do.

The world does not need more experts in compassion. It needs more practitioners. Eternal life belongs to those whose love for God overflows naturally into love for others. The shortest road to heaven often begins by crossing the street to help someone lying on the side of the road.

The real neighbor is not the one we manage to define. The real neighbor is the one we choose to become.

Friday, October 2, 2026

5 WAYS TO SAVE YOURSELF

#Rahziansforlife #selflove #loveyourself

1. Do not share the personal matters of your home with anyone.

2. Don't tell your personal things to anyone.

3. Always keep your illness a secret.

4. Don't tell anyone directly how much you earn or how much money you have.

5. And what work are you doing, what are you going to do, what is your next step, do not share all these things with anyone.

CINEMAGIS 16

Catch The Northern Mindanao Short Film Festival, Opening Program, And Special Film Feature

CINEMAGIS 16: Northern Mindanao Short Film Festival returns on 23 – 26 September 2026 at the Little Theater, Xavier University as part of the Philippine Film Industry Month and Philippine Creative Industries Month.

With this year’s theme, “Frames of Truth, Stories of Accountability,” CINEMAGIS celebrates the diverse voices, stories, and realities of Mindanao through film.

CINEMAGIS 16 Opening Program features “Kappa-tiran” | 23 SEPTEMBER 2026 | 3:30 PM–6:30 PM

Presented by Mamay Productions, and directed by Neal “Buboy” Tan, “Kappa-tiran,” is a thriller directed by Neal “Buboy” Tan which  explores the dark and secretive world of fraternities, sororities, and the dangerous traditions surrounding hazing.

CINEMAGIS celebrates the Northern Mindanao filmmaking frontiers as it develops and sustains the community of filmmakers, audiences, critics, and patrons.  In the previous tranches of Cinemagis, a wide range of film content and representations were harvested.  A strong sense of bravery and boldness in film meaning-making was successfully curated.  The films reflected the aspirations, experiences, images, lore, narratives, and voices of the people of Northern Mindanao.

Two years ago, in 2024,we saw the rebirth of Cinemagis and began the count anew as the 14th installment of the festival.  We called it REGENESIS.

Last year, CINEMAGIS 15 – Northern Mindanao Short Film Festival presented new folds of filmmaking engagements as it tests its impact not only through audience development but also through the filmmakers' regard on their communities' reverberations as language and text for film where realities are captured such as, folklore, gender, physical-emotional-mental health, environment and climate change, preservation of life and human dignity, values and family solidarity, and the sustainable development goals.

This year, CINEMAGIS wishes to promote frames of truth and stories of accountability. 

CINEMAGIS continues to recognize and strengthen our filmmakers' skills, enabling them to produce a significant body of work that will lead to national recognition and contribute to the growth of the Mindanao Film Industry.

This year’s programs are LANTAW PROGRAM (Short Film Competition Category); CINEMAGIS EXTRA – A Short Documentary Category; CINE MGA INDAY, MGA ONDO; VIVA MINDANAO; EVOCATIVE CINEMA; image + NATION; CINEMAGIS RAW; and SPECIAL FILM FEATURES.

CINEMAGIS: Northern Mindanao Short Film Festival was established in 2009 to recognize the region's filmmaking potential.  It is recognized as one of the film festivals in the region by the National Committee on Cinema, as it has been branded and popularized as Cinema Rehiyon – a recognition of the rich filmmaking surge that represents the region's talented filmmakers. 

CINEMAGIS exists along with CINEMA REHIYON.  CINEMAGIS hosted Cinema Rehiyon in 2014 in Cagayan de Oro, and it was hailed as one of the most memorable installments of the festival. 

In 2020, it was rebranded as the Northern Mindanao Film Festival.  It had its gap year in 2022 and 2023 (following the pandemic), and it is now undergoing its renaissance in 2024. Now, in 2025, Cinemagis will celebrate its 15th anniversary. 

From harvesting and harnessing the filmmaking potential of Northern Mindanao, CINEMAGIS evolves into something larger in scope, reach, and significance in the filmmaking sector, ensuring its impact on the community and its role in sustaining the conversation about regional cinema, as well as its transcendence toward a more solid national and international cinema. 

CINEMAGIS pushes filmmaking frontiers as it strives to develop and sustain its community of filmmakers, audiences, critics, and patrons.  In Cinemagis 10, a wide range of film content and representations were harvested.  A strong sense of braver and bolder meaning-making in films was successfully curated, reflecting the landscape of Northern Mindanao, yet they were proudly identified with their roots.

This year, CINEMAGIS 15 features full-length films; short films on culture and folklore, gender, physical-emotional-mental health, environment and climate change, preservation of life and human dignity, values and family solidarity, and social realities; the competitive program; memorable short documentary films; Viva Mindanao - a showcase of Mindanaon films; gender films;  a lecture on Film Appreciation focused on Regional Cinema; and a workshop on documentary filmmaking and directing.

Our target audiences include the Xavier University community, faculty, and students from other higher education institutions with Art Appreciation, Communication, and Understanding the Self general education courses, the Special Program for the Arts of the Department of Education, as well as the Cagayan de Oro film cineastes and enthusiasts. 

Admission to the film screening is free.

Additionally, CINEMAGIS introduces a new fold of filmmaking engagements, testing its impact not only through audience development but also through filmmakers' regard for the reverberations in their communities, using language and text as a medium for film, where realities are captured with honesty.  Films that yield new understanding and new insights into existence or non-existence will hint at what the 'true self' is in expressing ethos and what a community could have.

CINEMAGIS anchors on doing more for filmmaking's social artistry and relevance. 

With the concepts and rationale discussed, CINEMAGIS encourages filmmakers to address and reflect on Mindanao experiences, voices, aspirations, and issues.  Filmmakers are also encouraged to draw inspiration from local lore or pressing realities that capture the essence of MAGIS — a take on doing more, going the extra mile, or showing greater care for others, doing better things for the greater glory of God through self-renewal. 

Every year, CINEMAGIS suggests the following themes:

Peace, Cultural Solidarity, Human Rights, Gender and Development, Harmony with the Environment, Cultural Understanding and Awareness, Life's funny and subtle contradictions.

CINEMAGIS aims to recognize and strengthen our filmmakers' skills, enabling them to produce a significant body of work that will lead to national recognition and contribute to the growth of the Mindanao and Philippine Film Industries.

CINEMAGIS films are submitted to CINEMA REHIYON and other film festivals for festival curation and programming. 

CINEMAGIS I – 2009                 CINEMAGIS VI – 2014              CINEMAGIS XI - 2019

CINEMAGIS II – 2010                CINEMAGIS VII – 2015             CINEMAGIS XII - 2020

CINEMAGIS III – 2011               CINEMAGIS VIII – 2016            CINEMAGIS XIII - 2021

CINEMAGIS IV – 2012               CINEMAGIS IX – 2017             CINEMAGIS XIV 2024

CINEMAGIS V – 2013                CINEMAGIS X – 2018              CINEMAGIS XV – 2025

CINEMAGIS XVI - 2026 

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Foreign Exchange Rate as of October 2, 2026

LOOK: Foreign Exchange Rate as of October 2, 2026

Source: BSP via https://www.bsp.gov.ph/sitep.../statistics/exchangerate.aspx 

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