Three storms outside Philippines ...

... enhancing monsoon rains

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Aug 13 2018 08:00 PM

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MANILA - Several weather systems outside the Philippine area of responsibility will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon (habagat) and bring occasional rains in Luzon, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

In its 4 p.m. weather advisory, PAGASA said a low pressure area (LPA) has developed inside PAR. It was last located 920 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes.

PAGASA weather specialist Ariel Rojas said the LPA is expected to dissipate within the next 12 hours.

Outside PAR, severe tropical storm Leepi, tropical depression Yagi (formerly Karding) and tropical storm Bebinca are all enhancing the southwest monsoon affecting the country.

Mahar Lagmay@nababaha

Weather satellite feed as of Aug 13, 2018 06:02 PM.

6:02 PM - Aug 13, 2018

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As of 6 p.m., yellow rainfall warning was raised over Metro Manila, Bataan, Zambales and Bulacan. Heavy rains may cause flooding in flood-prone areas.

Light to moderate with occasional heavy rains are also expected in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga and Quezon, which may persist within two to three hours, while light to moderate with occasional heavy rains are expected over Cavite, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas within the next three hours.

Monsoon rains will persist over Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Batanes, Babuyan Group of Islands, Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro due to the effects of habagat.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of Central Luzon and CALABARZOn will experience occasional rains, while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains or thunderstorms are expected over the rest of Luzon.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers are also expected over Visayas and Mindanao.

PAGASA, likewise, warned residents in flood and landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant.

Rough to very rough coastal waters are also expected in the western and northern sections of Luzon, while oderate to rough coastal waters due to moderate to strong winds are also expected in the rest of the country.

Different parts of the country experience heavy rains and flooding over the weekend, leaving behind two people dead with another person missing.

• This has also prompted several local government officials to suspend classes.

• Rojas said rains will persist until Wednesday, with the weather expected to improve by Thursday.

Thanks with a bunch of flowers

My column in MINDANAO DAILY

THANKS WITH A BUNCH OF FLOWERS

Well, this won't happened every day and needs a special reason indeed.

Just this morning, one of my good friends voiced out, "I didn't get a lot of thanks for doing it". ... Honestly, nowadays it's really difficult to get even a simple Thank you ... .

"Somebody comes to my place and drinks a lot. I just keep on roaring and flowing and remain happy during my whole life, because I can give and give and share ... even without gratitude!" (Historical fountain saying in Regensburg/Bavaria/South Germany).

"Be in the making means be thankful forever!" What a meaningful quotation in German poet's Goethe's drama "Faustus" from 1831 - but, how very far away from today's reality.

When did you, my dear reader, say THANK YOU recently? I don't mean it as in a disgracing phrase, no, but such as an honest attitude, to which we are all susceptible. A few days ago another very good friend told me, that we all should be very thankful to all leaders in society, clergy and politics - for their mistakes and mismanagement including arrogance and incompetence. Strong tobacco - but true!

"The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed: ... God, I thank you that I am not like that (corrupt?) tax collector over there!" (Luke 18, 11). "What's more transient then gratitude?" asked already the German poet Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) in his drama "Don Carlos".

Gratitude or thankfulness in our daily surroundings: many times it's just forgotten, because we treat sacrifices, services and even the smallest relief without saying as only natural and take it as a matter of course.

Many of our leaders on earth forgot that they only got their position because of our trust and voting. Thankfulness? For goodness sake, just let's be patient and wait for it. I even couldn't care less if the grumpy taxi driver isn't able to say a simple "thanks" after I paid my fare including a small tip. 

Benjamino Gigli (1890-1957), a member of a church choir, who studied singing/chanting in Rome and who performed on most all known stages and in concert halls in Italy and later in North America and the whole world and became a legitimated successor of the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso expressed this:

"After 41 years, when I said Good Bye to my stage performances, I found this: Me, the son of a poor Italian shoemaker, could enjoy all sweet fruits of success and popularity. Kings and presidents became my friends. Millions of people gave me their appreciation and applause. But, I know very well that everything is a gift of God: MY VOICE. I have never forgotten to thank Him for this". 

Having a claim on something, jealousy and envy are a real siblings trio, which plans to settle down in the place of the forgotten gratitude to say THANK YOU. Only those who know how to thank are able to praise the Lord.

Dual Citizenship Granted to most naturalized Germans

By Chase Winter

Exceptions for EU citizens and refugees have led to more naturalized Germans holding two passports in recent years. Some nations prohibit or make it difficult for nationals to give up citizenship when becoming German.

    

An increasing number of naturalized Germans are not required to renounce their original citizenship before receiving a German passport. The rise has been driven by internal EU migration and an uptick in refugee numbers, according to the Federal Statistics Office.

Of 112,211 naturalized German citizens last year, 68,918, or about 61 percent, kept their previous citizenship, Die Welt newspaper reported on Friday citing the statistics office.

At the turn of the millennium, the share of naturalized Germans with dual citizenship was just under 45 percent. It then grew slightly with fluctuations before a continual increase since 2013.

German law generally discourages dual citizenship, but it does not always require that applicants renounce their citizenship before becoming German. Citizens of other EU member states have the right to dual citizenship inside the bloc. Of those 112,211 naturalized German citizens in 2017, almost 39,000 came from EU member states and 99 percent kept their original nationality.

Another exception is made for refugees, who represent a growing share of dual nationals. 

According to Die Welt, in 2017 not a single naturalized German from Iran (2,689), Syria (2,479), Afghanistan (2,400), Morocco (2,390), Tunisia (1,125), Algeria (462), Lebanon (1,294) and Nigeria (954) gave up their original nationality.

For Iraq, another main source of refugees, of the 3,480 nationalized as German in 2017 around 88 percent kept their Iraqi passport.

One reason for the rising rate of dual nationals is that a number of countries where refugees come from do not allow or make it extremely difficult to give up citizenship.

That is the case with countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Researchers at the European Migration Network, an advisory board to European Commission, estimated that the number of dual nationals will rise significantly in the future following the arrival in Germany of 1.5 million migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in recent years. The increase, however, will not be immediate as there is a six-to-eight-year residency requirement to apply for citizenship.

In addition, the share of dual nationals is also likely to rise in the future through the birth in Germany of children from non-naturalized people seeking protection. A number of countries, including Syria and Iran, consider children born to a male national to also be a citizen, even if they were born outside the country. 

Since 2000, the children of two foreign parents can get German nationality as well as that of their parents if at least one parent has legally lived in Germany for eight years.

For many years, the children of such residents in Germany had to decide on their nationality when they turned 23. The government struck down this requirement in 2014.

In all, out of the 73 million Germans living in Germany around 4.3 million people hold at least one other citizenship.

Nationalized Germans with Polish citizenship stand at around 690,000, while there are approximately 570,000 dual German-Russian citizens.

Davao City Government informs

Please be guided on the #KADAYAWAN sa Davao road closures from August 16 to 19. Please plan alternate routes or expect traffic delays.

Bajada Durian

Usually, I don't or seldom, I do post very personal stuff. Today is an exemption.

17 years ago, I planted the first Durian tree in my tropical garden in Bajada, in the middle of Davao City. Today the first harvest ever happenend.

Together with Mangos, Lanzones, Guava, and Rambutan.

Thank you Lord for the blessings.

Philippine National ID to cut red tape

Duterte: National ID to cut red tape, fight crime

373SHARES1021

Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) - August 7, 2018 - 12:00am

No privacy breach, government assures public

MANILA, Philippines — Every Filipino must now secure a unique, permanent national identification number.

President Duterte rolled out yesterday the Philippine Identification System Act, allaying concerns that it would violate privacy and suppress civil liberties.

Duterte said the national ID would cut red tape and reduce corruption, improve the delivery of basic services, and serve as a tool for keeping the public safe.

He noted that several administrations have tried but failed to implement the law because of the apprehensions by some groups about privacy and data security.

“Let me be very clear about this: the information that will be included in the Phil-ID (Philippine identification system) will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or the former NSO (National Statistics Office), GSIS (Government Service Insurance System), PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Comelec (Commission on Elections) and other agencies that gather personal data,” Duterte said as he signed the Philippine Identification System Act at Malacañang.

“There is therefore no basis at all for the apprehensions about the Phil-ID, unless of course that fear is based on anything that borders on illegal,” he added.

Duterte said the PSA would work closely with the National Privacy Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology and the multi-agency PhilSystem Policy and Coordination Council to address all privacy and security concerns.

“If at all, the Phil-ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption and criminal issues, as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” the President said.

The law would also promote good governance, enhance governmental transactions and create a more conducive environment for trade and commerce, he added.

The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act will establish a single and streamlined identification system in the country. Once implemented, users will have just one ID for all government transactions.

“As we all know, the President is averse to bureaucratic red tape. Through PhilSys, we hope to improve efficiency and transparency of public services and promote ease of doing business,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

“For the ordinary Juan de la Cruz, the signing of this Act means that he will no longer have to present multiple identification cards simply to prove his identity. This streamlining of information makes it likewise harder to commit identity theft or fraud,” he added.

Better service

Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones said the law would promote seamless delivery of services, improve the efficiency, transparency and target delivery of public and social services, enhance administrative governance, reduce corruption and curtail bureaucratic red tape.

“This is a historical milestone, a landmark legislation and a life-changing measure all rolled into one. We will never ever be asked again to present multiple government-issued IDs for any transaction,” Aragones said.

“We will no longer need to present multiple IDs to transact with government and private establishments that require individuals to present two or more government-issued IDs,” she added.

“Promote greater convenience to the public, avert fraudulent transactions and misrepresentations, strengthen financial inclusions, promote ease of doing business,” Aragones, chair of the House committee on population and family relations, said.

The Phil-ID could be used for transactions with GSIS, SSS, PhilHealth, HDMF and other government agencies, passports and driver’s license, tax-related transactions, registration and voting identification purposes.

“Admission to any government hospital, health center or similar institution, application for admission in schools, colleges, learning institutions and universities, whether public or private, application and transaction for employment purposes,” Aragones enumerated.

Proponents of the national ID in the Senate assured the people that the law will protect citizens’ right to privacy while making transactions with the government and private entities easier.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Republic Act 11055, which harmonizes and integrates the redundant government ID cards into a single system, would also help deter criminality.

“At long last, we now have a law that breaks the formidable barriers between government and the downtrodden and the poor due to the lack of identification,” he said.

Lacson is the principal sponsor of the measure, aside from being a perennial author since his first term as senator in 2001.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, also an author of the law, thanked Duterte for signing it.

Drilon reiterated the law would not affect data privacy as the pertinent provisions of the Data Privacy Act will still apply.

Sen. Sonny Angara, another author of the law, said the ID system will not only cut down bureaucratic red tape but also empower many Filipinos formerly without appropriate identification cards to access the formal financial system and open bank accounts.

Under the bill, a foundational ID system dubbed PhilSys will be in place. It will have three components: the PhilSys Number (PSN), Phil-ID and PhilSys Registry.

Phil-ID is a non-transferable card with the PSN and basic information.

The PSA is mandated to act as the PhilSys Registry. It protects the individual’s right to privacy, and may release information only under the following conditions:

• when the registered person has given his or her consent, specific to the purpose prior to the processing;

• when the compelling interest of public health or safety so requires, provided the risk of significant harm to the public is established and the owner of the information is notified within 72 hours of the fact of such disclosure;

• upon order of any competent court, and

• when a registered person requests from the PSA access to his or her registered information and record history, subject to the guidelines and regulations to be issued by the PSA.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde welcomed the enactment of the national ID system that assures access by citizens to a wide-range of government services and privileges.

“This much-awaited measure has become a necessity for any developing country to keep pace with global trends of technology in governance. An efficient national ID system offers benefits to practical applications in census, taxation, election registration, banking, travel documentation, social security, social welfare and other transactions with government agencies,” Albayalde said in a statement. – With Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe

The burning Mother Earth

My today's column

A heat wave is ravaging countries around the world. Although many celebrate sunny days, wildfires, wasted crops and health problems are some of the many disastrous consequences hot weather can have. Are we facing now the global heat wave that's been killing us?

This write-up seems to become the continuation of my previous column from last week in this publication. But it looks like much more dangerous:

Portugal breaks temperature records as European heat wave sizzles on! That's how one of hundreds headlines goes while browsing the latest news. Eight locations in Portugal have hit their highest-ever temperatures amid a heat wave across Europe. Two people are reported to have died in neighboring Spain of heat-related causes.

Portugal's weather agency said Friday that eight places in the center, south and east of the country experienced record-breaking local temperatures the previous day, as the Iberian peninsula bears the brunt of a heat wave across the European continent.

Two people in neighboring Spain are reported to have died amid the heat, with climate scientists saying such periods of scorching temperatures in Europe have been made twice as likely by the effects of global warming caused by human activity. The temperature reached 45.2 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) (!) near Abrantes, a town 159 km (99 miles) northeast of Lisbon.

Many other European countries are also suffering unusually extended periods of very hot weather. The current heat wave in the Netherlands is the longest-ever recorded, while Sweden has experienced its hottest July in more than 250 years, accompanied by wildfires across the country.

Germany - my home country - has also been hit by hot weather, with fires breaking out in the national park of Saxon Switzerland in the eastern state of Saxony on last Thursday evening. The drought is so bad in northern Germany that a kindergarten burned down in the far north after firefighters couldn't get enough water. No one has been killed or injured.  

   

Most of us enjoy sunny days and complain on rainy ones — yet behind the clear skies lies a less pleasant reality. Since June 2018, numerous regions around the world have been facing infernal temperatures, which have caused wildfires, ruined crops and killed hundreds of people.

The hottest year ever recorded was 2016, due to a combination of global warming and a strong El Niño episode. Despite 2018 experiencing the opposite climate event, La Niña — which tends to cool temperatures — June has ranked as one of the hottest months on record. 

A heat wave describes a period of at least five days with a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average. Extremely hot individual days can be a one-off, which doesn't always have a link to heat waves or global warming. However, a trend is clear: As a result of climate change, we can expect more extreme and frequent heat waves. That's the opinion of Clare Nullis, media officer World Meteorological Organization.

 For a south European person, 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) is nothing special. But that definitely is hot for people in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the normal temperature in June doesn't exceed 20 degrees. On June 28, Glasgow reached its hottest June day ever, with 31.9 degrees Celsius, and the Irish town of Shannon its highest temperature ever recorded at 32 degrees. 

Germans have enjoyed — or suffered — temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius for most of May and June. In the country of Georgia, July 4 made history with 40.5 degrees Celsius. 

North America has not escaped the suffocating wave either. Denver and Los Angeles were among several cities in the United States that tied or broke heat records.

Montreal, in Canada, recorded the highest temperature in 147 years of record-keeping on July 2. The heat wave there killed more than 70 people.

Thermometers in Japan, Russia and Algeria, among other places, were also on fire. On July 5, the Ouargla weather station in Algeria’s Sahara Desert reported the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Africa: 51.3 degrees Celsius.

This increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Substances like pollen, which can cause asthma, are also higher in extreme heat, the WHO said. Unusually high temperatures at night disturb restful sleep, preventing the body from recovering from daytime heat. 

Vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly suffer the most, stated Simone Sandholz, associate academic officer at the United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security. Most victims of extreme heat live in densely populated urban areas, where ventilation is scarce, she added.

Hot weather coupled with humidity is also a perfect setting for insects to thrive. In England, helpline calls for insect bites almost doubled in early July. And if you've ever felt it was so hot your brain doesn't work, science says you could be right. Hot weather can make your thinking more than 10 percent slower, a new study shows.

Farmers and crops are further victims of heat waves and droughts. In the UK, growers of peas and lettuce have struggled to meet demand due to low yields and crop failure this growing season; wheat, broccoli and cauliflower are also on the list of crops affected by the weather. In Germany, farmers have resigned themselves to a much lower grain harvest due to the heat and dryness.

While writing this piece, I am sitting in my cool office. But every specialist will tell you: access to air conditioning and cooling systems, though vital in a warmer world, can be part of a vicious cycle. Increasing use of cooling devices, currently powered largely by fossil fuels, would further contribute to climate change — and therefore rising temperatures.

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant: Deutsches Buffet/German Buffet Menu

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant

Deutsches Büffet - am Sonntag, den 12. August um 16 Uhr

“Iss so viel Du kannst” – 300 Pesos

Salate

Deutscher Gurkensalat – Geschnittene Gurken mit Zwiebeln,

Sauerrahm und Dill.

Karottensalat – Geriebene Karotten mit Ananas, Rosinen und Mayonaise.

Hauptgerichte

Rouladen – Zart geschmortes Flankensteak mit Dijon-Senf,

Zwiebeln, Speck und Rotwein.

Jägerschnitzel – Zartes Schweinekotelett (ohne Knochen), paniert und mit Pilzsoße.  

Bratwurst – Die klassische (deutsche) Bratwurst.

Beilagen

Deutscher Kartoffelsalat – Gekochte Kartoffeln mit Speck, Sellerie,  Zwiebeln, Käse, Frühlingszwiebeln und Essig.

Käspätzle – Hausgemachte Spätzle mit Emmenthaler Käse und

mit angerösteten Zwiebeln.  

Biere

Oettinger – 125 P  Diebels - 150 P  Paulaner – 200 P

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant

German Buffet Menu

Sunday, August 12 at 4 PM

All You Can Eat – 300 Pesos

Salads

German Cucumber Salad – Sliced cucumbers with onions, sour cream, and dill.

Carrot Salad – Shredded carrots with pineapple, raisons, and mayonnaise.

Entrees

Rouladen – Tenderized flank steak braised with Dijon mustard, onions, bacon, and red wine.

Jagerhnitzle – Tenderized, boneless pork chops, breaded and fried with mushroom gravy.

Bratwurst – The classic German sausage.

Sides

Hot German Potato Salad – Boiled potatoes with bacon, celery, onions, cheese, green onions, and vinegar.

Kasespatzle – Homemade spatzle with baked with caramelized onions and Emmentaler cheese.

Beers

Oettinger – 125 P  Diebels - 150 P  Paulaner – 200 P

See you all there!

Wir sehen uns dann!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Klaus, from everybody at Classic FM!

From all of the team here at Classic FM (and Pavarotti), we wanted to wish you a very happy birthday.

Digital Insecurity

Mindanao Daily Mirror

The cyber attack on Germany's government network several months ago, tells us nothing new about espionage but a lot about risk in the digital age. And that calls for some rethinking, said already German columnist Matthias von Hein.

What is still safe in the digital age? What can even be kept safe? Those questions are a cause for public concern after it was revealed that hackers had successfully breached Germany's well-protected government network — copying, stealing and spying for more than a year. The only thing that is clear at this point is that the digital cat-and-mouse game is heading into the next round. 

Just an hour ago, next news are on my desk. Two of Germany's largest public broadcasters, ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, the 2nd National TV broadcaster and  the WDR (the Westdeutscher Rundfunk - West German Radio), have been attacked by a Russian hacking group, according to reports. It remains unclear what the group's intention was or whether any sensitive data was stolen.

A Russian hacking group known as "Sandworm" targeted them.

Security officials told German weekly Der Spiegel that hackers had managed to compromise the broadcasters' networks already in June. Although the cyber attack was detected relatively quickly, it remains unknown what the group was after or whether any sensitive data was compromised.

ZDF confirmed the attack on Friday, adding that only 10 computers on its network were affected. WDR decline to comment for "security reasons."

Sandworm is a hacking group believed to be run by Russia's military intelligence service, GRU. According to US federal investigators, the group is suspected of also being behind the attack on the US Democrats' computer servers during the 2016 presidential election.

The group first appeared in 2013 and, according to German intelligence, has targeted NATO servers, several western telecom companies and Ukrainian energy suppliers.

Earlier this year, the German government admitted that its computer network had been compromised via a piece of malware. The Russian hacking group APT28 is believed to have been behind the attack.

Germany's intelligence service (BND) had warned two weeks ago of the potential cyber threats facing several key bodies, including the country's public broadcasters and media companies.

The BND also said that the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland, which specializes in chemical weapons research, was also among Sandworm's targets. Its Swiss lab had been tasked with analyzing the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok that was used to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

A spokesperson for Spiez Laboratory said officials had encountered one phishing attack, sent via a document used in a workshop. However, the institute itself had not been affected.

Once again, the prime suspect in the attack is a hacker group with links to Russia’s GRU intelligence agency. Thus far, however, German authorities have found no solid evidence leading to the perpetrators. But the fact that hackers exhibited no interest in economic gain after infiltrating a government network would seem to point away from ordinary cybercriminals. 

This was clearly a case of espionage. And that – as long as one is not dealing with corporate espionage – is something conducted at the behest of the state. And it is most certainly the case when such attacks are carried out with a great deal of sophistication and staffing resources over a long period of time. 

Digital insecurity - an important topic for each and everyone nowadays.