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!
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!
Friday, March 14, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Typhoon-hit Philippine Farmers to Reap Harvest
Farmers in the
Philippines will soon reap a harvest after using emergency seed supplies
to grow crops following a devastating typhoon that struck during
planting season, the UN food agency said Monday.
Super Typhoon Haiyan raked across the central Philippines last
November, killing at least 6,200 people with around 2,000 others still
missing, while also displacing four million and leaving tens of
thousands of farmers without their livelihoods.
Haiyan hit at a "terrible time" between rice planting seasons but
timely seed replacements have ensured a second harvest is not lost,
said Jose Graziano da Silva, director-general of the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Last year the agency had voiced concerns that without the
harvest, vulnerable farmers would not have been able to collect rice for
almost a year -- until October or November 2014.
"I am pleased to say that our support got there in time," he said
in a speech to local farmers who received 1.76 million tonnes of seeds
from the FAO after the typhoon.
"When the crop is harvested (in March or April)... it should
yield enough rice to feed 800,000 people for more than a year," he
added.
"This means that they will not only be able to feed their
families, but also sell the surplus and generate extra income which is
crucial for them to fully recover."
Graziano da Silva said Haiyan had destroyed 1.1 million tonnes of
crops, along with 33 million coconut trees in a major farming region
described by the Philippine government as among the poorest.
He said providing coconut farmers with other sources of income,
such as helping them plant faster-yielding crops, was a top FAO priority
in the six to eight years it will take for new coconut trees to start
bearing fruit.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Constant Vigilance Needed in Fight versus Computer Scammers
It happened all over the world. Computer Scammers are increasingly moving away from email and into social media to exercise their fraudulent activities. A Canadian consumer watchdog said this in a report several days ago.
With the growing popularity of such social media as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and You Tube, the increasing number of platforms was just adding to the avenues where fraud was occuring.
Interesting to read is Danielle Primrose's opinion. Danielle is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland British Columbia in Canada. Danielle states, "Emails still prevail, and I myself get them as well, but now with texting and smart phones and just the rapidity of social media platforms, Twitter, all of these new accounts are just opening up an absolute new form of scammers to get in there."
Example: By hooking to an app that promised the latest gossip, gullible users are directed to an online survey that puts an advertising commission into a spammer's coffers. Whether the content is non-existent or fake, in come cases a person may end up installing malicious software on a computer after clicking through to the video content, according to the report.
Other scams included "astro-turfing", the practice of posting fake online reviews to boost a business's profile, and "curbers", unlicensed car dealers who sell junk vehicles or others that may be stolen.
There were also phone telemarketers demanding money for fake services and mail lottery scams that targeted not only seniors.
With the growing popularity of such social media as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and You Tube, the increasing number of platforms was just adding to the avenues where fraud was occuring.
Interesting to read is Danielle Primrose's opinion. Danielle is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland British Columbia in Canada. Danielle states, "Emails still prevail, and I myself get them as well, but now with texting and smart phones and just the rapidity of social media platforms, Twitter, all of these new accounts are just opening up an absolute new form of scammers to get in there."
Example: By hooking to an app that promised the latest gossip, gullible users are directed to an online survey that puts an advertising commission into a spammer's coffers. Whether the content is non-existent or fake, in come cases a person may end up installing malicious software on a computer after clicking through to the video content, according to the report.
Other scams included "astro-turfing", the practice of posting fake online reviews to boost a business's profile, and "curbers", unlicensed car dealers who sell junk vehicles or others that may be stolen.
There were also phone telemarketers demanding money for fake services and mail lottery scams that targeted not only seniors.
Monday, February 24, 2014
New Bureau of Immigration Departure/Arrival Cards
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) launched the new immigration departure and arrival cards which will be used nationwide effective next month.
The BI-NAIA said the newly designed and printed immigration cards is just one of the projects of the bureau in its coming efforts to simplify frontline services and improve access by the traveling public.
The arrival card is coded blue, while the departure is in red. These cards are used to document passengers, for border management and compilation of tourism statistics.
Unlike the old immigration cards which are printed by airline companies, the BI-NAIA said the new cards are funded by the government, distributed by authorized personnel, and are free of advertisements.
The design and data fields of the cards are aligned with the BI's existing computer systems - the upgraded BI-Information-System (BIIS). The size of the color-coded forms are aligned with that of the standard passport page.
The BI-NAIA said the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) provided valuable inputs to the new cards while the National Printing Office (NPO) was tapped to print the cards and to ensure regular supply.
Happy travelling everyone!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Philippines has World's 3rd Most Journalists' Killings
The Philippines had the third most number of journalists killed last
year and has continued to be among the countries where press freedom is
imperiled, according to two international media watchdogs.
In its "Killing the Messenger" report released Tuesday, the
London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said that last
year 14 journalists were killed in the Philippines, next to Syria with
20 journalists killed and Iraq with 16.
The INSI reported that 134 journalists and media staff were killed
in 29 countries in 2013, of which 69 happened in peacetime while the
rest during armed conflicts in different parts of the world.
Of the 14 journalists killed in the Philippines, four were
officially listed as having died while they were working at a radio
station in Tacloban City in central Philippines when super typhoon
Haiyan hit the area on Nov. 8, 2013.
According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR),
a local media watchdog, 10 other media workers, who were on duty when
the typhoon struck, have remained missing and were presumed to have
died.
Also late last year, three radio commentators in southern
Philippines were gunned down within two weeks but up to now the killers
have not been apprehended.
In the Philippines, particularly in the provinces, anyone can buy
radio time where part-time commentators attack or malign their enemies
on air. The object of these attacks often resort to hiring a
professional killer to "silence" the commentator. Killings like these
almost always remain unsolved in the Philippines.
According to the INSI, of the total casualties, 65 died covering
armed conflicts, primarily in Syria and Iraq, while 51 were killed in
peacetime covering issues like crime and corruption, and 18 died in
accidents.
The total was down from 152 deaths recorded in 2012, but there was
an accompanying rise in assaults, threats and kidnappings directed at
journalists that largely go unreported, the INSI said.
Last week, the international media group Reporters Sans Frontieres
(Reporters without Borders) also said that the media situation in the
Philippines has remained in a "difficult situation" and the environment
of freedom "has even worsened."
According to the RSF's "2014 World Press Freedom Index" the
Philippines went down two notches to the 149th among 180 countries
included in the index.
The Philippines ranked 156th in 2010 after the Maguindanao Massacre
on Nov. 23, 2009 when 32 of the 58 people killed were journalists.
According to the RSF, the Philippines and Pakistan are among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.
When Philippine President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010,
the country managed to climb to the 140th spot in 2011 before sliding
down again to the 147th place last year.
Even the troubled countries of Mali (now ranked 122nd) and the
Central African Republic (now 109th), which dropped more than 120 spots,
were better off than the Philippines, the index showed.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Aquino administration has
failed to make any "significant progress" last year to address impunity
in media killings.
The HRW listed only 12 Filipino journalists killed in 2013 which has
brought to 26 the total number of journalists killed since Aquino
assumed office in June 2010.
According to HRW of the 26 media killings, police have arrested
suspects in only six cases and the government has secured convictions in
only two cases.
Reacting to the media watchdogs' findings, Communications Secretary
Herminio Coloma said the Aquino administration is " committed" to pursue
and prosecute the assailants of slain journalists.
"We will continue to ensure that there are no prior restraints to the exercise of press freedom," Coloma said.
But the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) said
that killing of journalists in the Philippines has remained unabated
even during the present administration.
"The apparent apathy of the government toward killings and attacks
against press freedom emboldens attackers to inflict harm as they go
unpunished," the NUJP said in its Facebook page.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Philippine Christians on Charity Walk for Typhoon Victims
Thousands of members of an influential Christian group in the
Philippines have walked in a fundraising rally for victims of November's
typhoon. Former footballer and UNICEF ambassador David Beckham also
paid a visit.
Police in Manila said 200,000 people took part in the walk on Saturday
to raise money for survivors of one of the country's worst-ever
typhoons. All those who walked the three kilometers along the capital's
seaside avenue bought special white t-shirts to wear during the march,
with all proceeds being donated to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The walkers were members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ)
which has at least three million members in the largely Catholic nation
of 100 million people. The group's conservative members tend to vote as a
group and are, as a result, politically significant.
It is a hundred days since
Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines
on November 8, killing more than six thousand people and displacing
four million. A million homes were either damaged or destroyed. Many
people are still living in tents and other temporary shelters supplied
by an international humanitarian effort led by the United Nations.
"We cannot afford to be complacent," Luiza Carvalho, the UN coordinator
for the Philippines, said on Saturday. "The need for durable shelter for
millions of people whose homes were damaged or destroyed is critical."
"Millions of livelihoods were similarly destroyed or impaired when the
typhoon tore down or damaged 33 million coconut trees, flooded fields
with saltwater and took away or wrecked 30,000 fishing vessels,"
Carvalho added.
Carvalho also called for more donations to help the survivors. She said
that only 45 percent of the UN's aid appeal for $788 million (575
million euros) launched in December has been raised so far.
Beckham benefit
Former footballer David Beckham paid a two-day visit to typhoon-hit
areas in his role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF). On Friday he played football with children on
the sports field of a ruined school in Tanauan, one of the towns worst
hit by the typhoon. Earlier he had visited a health care center.
“As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, seeing how children are being given a
sense of normality amidst the rubble of their communities has been
amazing,” Beckham said via a UNICEF blog. “I want to show people around
the world how their generous donations have had an enormous impact on
children and their families and how thankful people here are for their
kindness.”
jm/dr (dpa, AFP)
(C) DW.DE
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Get Serious
Re-published Editorial from MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR dated February 11, 2014 with friendly permission of publisher Marietta F. Siongco.
"The bus accident that claimed the lives of 15 people - including comedian Arvin "Tado" Jimenez and former Ateneo de Davao University Grade School teacher Leah Abrasaldo Reyes - is yet another tragedy that need not have happened had government only taken seriously the calls for it to clamp down on wayward bus companies. The accident in Bontoc, Mountain Province last Friday happened less than two months after the fatal fall of a bus from the Metro Manila Skyway on December 16 last year which killed 18 people, and at the time an outraged populace had demaanded that government do something to keep passengers safe while in public transport. Indeed, a big fuss made officially on the issue for a while, only to die down as the matter got buried in other news.
As it is, our roads often seem like highways to hell, each trip we make a gamble on whether or not we would live to tell the tale. For a country whose people must regularly travel through hundreds of kilometers of concrete and asphalt, this is a totally unacceptable state of affairs. Bus drivers literally have our lives in their hands as they weave in and through roads and traffic as breakneck speeds, with obviously no regard for safety. Many such drivers seem to feel earning money is the be all-end all, and they drive recklessly in order to achieve it. Caught helplessly in the middle are the passengers who often have no choice but to take the bus, especially on long trips.
Each time an accident like this happens, we ask: How many more mishaps need to happen before government does something? The answer is obviously, "Much more". The Skyway accident last December passed without any real solutions being made, and now the Bontoc tragedy has really overwhelmed it. Not even the fact that a celebrity was one of the fatalities seems to be moving the authorities to doing something about the problem of abusive bus companies. The proper agencies have not yet gone around inspecting buses to make sure they are roadworthy, and none has bothered to check the licenses and franchises given to the companies. Last week's accident need not have happened, but government allowed it to. It's time to get serious about transport safety."
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Philippinen Tours: Typische Verkehrsmittel auf den Philippinen
Wer Reisen in fremden Ländern als aktive Unternehmung versteht, der
ist auf geeignete Verkehrsmittel angewiesen. Dabei mögen die Meinungen
über das Prädikat geeignet weit auseinander gehen. Wichtig ist in diesem
Zusammenhang, eine Wegstrecke von A nach B zu überwinden.
Bei einem Aufenthalt auf den Philippinen wird der Reisende schnell
erkennen, dass sich die Möglichkeiten der Fortbewegung nicht immer so
einfach darstellen, als das in der Heimat der Fall ist. Nach einigen
Erfahrungen mit den hier beschriebenen Verkehrsmitteln mag sich jedoch
ein anderes Bild ergeben.
Auf gemütlicher Fahrt mit dem Fahrrad-Taxi
Ganz gleich, ob in der Stadt oder in kleineren Dörfern – der Verkehr
wird meistens von einfachen, unscheinbaren Fahrzeugen dominiert. Eines
der wichtigsten Vertreter ist dabei das sogenannte „Sikat-Sikat“. Beim
Sikat-Sikat handelt es sich um ein meist kleineres Fahrrad, ähnlich
einem BMX, dem ein massiver Fahrgastraum hinzugefügt wurde. Mit einem
solchen ‘Gefährt’ transportiert der „Sikat-Taxler“ mitunter bis zu 4
Personen, zumindest, wenn es sich um Filipinos und um einigermaßen ebene
Wegstrecken handelt. Im Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis sind diese
Fahrrad-Taxen kaum zu schlagen.
Der „Chauffeur“ schreckt auch nicht vor längeren Wegstrecken zurück.
Zwei bis drei Kilometer liegen da durchaus im Bereich des Machbaren. Der
einheimische Filipino wird für eine solche Dienstleistung vielleicht 5 –
7 Pesos bezahlen. Das sind etwa 20 Eurocents. In der heißen Sonne wird
man als Europäer den Fahrrad Taxler auch für eine Wegstrecke von 500
Meter bemühen und ihm dafür gerne den doppelten Preis bezahlen.
Das Schöne bei diesem Angebot von Dienstleistungen ist, dass es keine
Wartezeiten und keine festen Fahrpläne gibt, auf die man achten müsste.
Mit dem Tricycle geht’s weiter
Nach einem ähnlichen Prinzip sind Motorrad Taxis konzipiert, kurz
Tricycle genannt. Diese Personenbeförderungsmittel bestimmen vielerorts
das Straßenbild nicht nur durch ihre Anzahl, sondern auch durch ihre
Lautstärke. Mit diesen Fahrzeugen lassen sich natürlich größere
Entfernungen meistern und vor allem darf zusätzlich auch sperriges
Gepäck “mit an Bord“.
Auf den Philippinen gehören Tricycles zum normalen Straßenbild. Auf
einer Philippinen Reise sollte es daher keinerlei Vorbehalte geben, auf
solche Möglichkeiten zurückzugreifen. Der Spaßfaktor ist garantiert und
eine solche Fahrt ist in vielen Fällen schon ein kleines Reiseerlebnis.
Es gibt viele Gründe diese, für europäische Verhältnisse
ungewöhnlichen Transportmittel in Anspruch zu nehmen, sei es für den Weg
vom Flugplatz zur Unterkunft, für den Besuch auf dem Wochenmarkt, für
die Fahrt zum Hafen oder für eine kleine Sightseeing-Tour. Die
Fahrpreise liegen meistens erheblich niedriger als eine Fahrt in einem
regulären Taxi kosten würde.
Das Habal-Habal für spezielle Fahrten
Auf den Philippinen gibt es durchaus gute Straßen, allerdings sind
diese meistens auf wichtige Verbindungsstrecken beschränkt und
keineswegs flächendeckend vorhanden. Für den Weg zur Schule und für
viele andere Anlässe sind alle Menschen aus Dörfern und Ansiedlungen,
die nicht über gut befestigte Verbindungsstraßen verfügen auf ein sehr
spezielles Fahrzeug angewiesen, das Habal-Habal. Mit dem Motorrad ohne
Beiwagen lassen sich auch steinige und steilere Wegstrecken meistern.
Damit mehr als nur eine Person chauffiert werden kann,wird am
Habal-Habal die Sitzbank künstlich verlängert. Ohne diesen Eingriff
könnte diese Art von Personentransport ansonsten nicht ökonomisch
betrieben werden.
Auf einer Philippinen-Reise kann es allerdings auch für den Besucher
gute Gründe geben, auf eine solche Dienstleistung zurückzugreifen.
Schöne Wasserfälle und andere interessante Ausflugsziele in den Bergen,
vielleicht auf einem der zahlreichen Vulkane auf den Philippinen, können
oftmals nur mit dem Habal-Habal realisiert werden.
Das Jeepney – Markenzeichen im philippinischen Straßenverkehr
Alleine schon durch ihren Glanz und ihre liebevolle Gestaltung und
Aufmachung sind Jeepneys die Krönung im philippinischen Straßenverkehr.
In den Anfängen waren es vom US Militär nach dem 2. Weltkrieg
zurückgelassene Fahrzeuge, die die Improvisationskunst der Filipinos
angeregt hatte. Heute werden die Karosserien in mühevoller Handarbeit
individuell angefertigt und mit gebrauchten Motoren fahrtüchtig gemacht.
Neben dem tollen Aussehen werden viele Freunde exotischer Fahrzeuge
auch von der Rauchwolke und vor allem dem Klang des Motors begeistert
sein, wenn ein Jeepney Fahrt aufnimmt.
Auf der Fahrt mit einem Jeepney lernt man vieles über die
ungezwungene und unverfälschte Lebensfreude kennen, die den Filipinos
eigen ist. Haltestellen sind überall dort, wo der Passant auf der Straße
mit einem Handzeichen andeutet, dass er gerne mitfahren möchte. Auch
hier sind Fahrpläne überflüssig.
Jeepneys fahren in regelmäßiger Unregelmäßigkeit, und Rücksicht ist oberstes Gebot.
Alle Fahrgäste werden respektvoll behandelt und kleine, zeitliche
Verzögerungen, die durch die Mitnahme von sperrigem Gepäck oder gar
eines Haustieres, wie einer Ziege oder einem kleinen Ferkel entstehen,
werden ohne Murren von den Fahrgästen akzeptiert. Besonders die
kleineren und die älteren Fahrgäste werden mit besonderer Rücksicht
behandelt.
Und noch eins
Ausdrücke wie: Silat-Sikat, Habal-Habal oder Balik-Balik stammen aus
den Landesteilen der Philippinen, in denen Vorzugsweise der Visayan
Dialekt gesprochen wird, also in den Visayas und auf der südlichen
Hauptinsel Mindanao. Alle Dinge und Handlungen, die mit Dynamik
verbunden sind, sind häufig dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der zugehörige
Name doppelt benutzt wird.
Das Jeepney ist unter dieser Bezeichnung eher im nördlichen Teil der
Philippinen zuhause, auf der nahezu ausschließlich die eigentliche
Landessprache, Tagalog, gesprochen wird. In den Visayas und auf Mindanao
werden Jeepneys meistens als Armak bezeichnet.
Auf der Philippinen-Reise können also gerade im Straßenverkehr und
mit der Nutzung der hier beschriebenen Beförderungsmittel sehr viele
schöne Erlebnisse und Erkenntnisse über Land und Leute gewonnen werden.
(C) by Philippinen Tours
Gastartikel
Sie wollen einen schönen und informativen Gastbeitrag verfassen? Dann lesen Sie hier weiter, um bei Philippinen Tours mitzuwirken.
Zudem suchen wir auch Mitarbeiter, die uns in Sachen Filipino lernen und Visaya / Cebuano unterstützen:D
Zudem suchen wir auch Mitarbeiter, die uns in Sachen Filipino lernen und Visaya / Cebuano unterstützen:D
Suche
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
What's the Internet's Worst Password?
Regarding a report of AFP Washington the number sequence "123456" has overtaken "password" as the most common worst passwort among Internet users, an online security firm says.
Releasing its annual "Worst Password List", SplashData said it was the first time "password" had lost its number-one position, changing places with its numerial rival.
In third place was "12345678", unchanged from 2012, while "qwerty" and "abc123" came in fourth and fifth - and "iloveyou" climbed two spots to number nine.
Swinging the results, SplashData said, was a major breach involving Adobe software that laid bare the widespread use of weak passwords among users of such Adobe products as Photoshop.
"Seeing passwords like 'adobe123' and 'photoshop' on this list (for the first time) offers a good reminder not tyo be base your passwort on the name of the website or application you are accessing," said SplashData Chief executive Morgain Slain, whose company markets password management apps.
Like other passwords experts, SplashData encouraged Internet users to opt for "passphrases" - a bunch of random words, like "smiles-like-skip?" - that are easy to remember, but harder for online scam artists to crack.
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