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!

free counters

Google

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Coronavirus: Asian nations face second wave of imported cases

By BBC

  • 19 March 2020
Related Topics

A woman wearing a mask helps her son put on his mask at Changi Airport on January 25, 2020 in Singapore.Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionIt comes as these countries had been successful in controlling its domestic cases

South Korea, China and Singapore are among the Asian countries facing a second coronavirus wave, spurred by people importing it from outside.
China, where the virus first emerged, reported no new domestic cases on Thursday for the first time since the outbreak began, a major milestone.
But it reported 34 new cases among people recently returned to China.
Singapore also reported 47 new cases, of which 33 were imported - 30 of them returned Singapore residents.
South Korea saw a jump in new cases on Thursday with 152, though it is not clear how many were imported.
A new cluster there is centred on a nursing home in Daegu, where 74 patients have tested positive.




Japan reported three new cases on Wednesday. But Hokkaido, the worst-affected Japanese region with 154 cases, is lifting its state of emergency in place since late February, after officials said the spread of the virus appeared to be ending.
Officials have urged people to remain cautious and stay at home, but said there had been "no surge of infected patients that led to the collapse of the medical environment".
"We've carried out powerful measures on refraining from going out, but from now on, we will move into a stage of reducing risks of the spread of infection while maintaining social and economic activities," governor Naomichi Suzuki said on Wednesday.
China's National Health Commission (NHC) reported no domestically transmitted cases in China for the first time since the virus emerged in late December.
It also said there were no cases at all in Wuhan, the outbreak centre which was essentially locked down earlier this year, but 34 cases arriving from abroad.
China's death toll stands at 3,245, however there have been ongoing questions over the reliability of China's data.
All four countries had all been showing success in controlling domestic cases, but there is concern that increases elsewhere could unravel their progress.


South Korea has been praised for its response to the epidemic, which has involved tracing the infection, testing large amounts of people and isolating patients quickly.
The pace of daily new infections has slowed since the outbreak peaked earlier this month. Before Wednesday's increase, the number of people contracting the virus had been in double digits for the last four days.
Health officials have warned there is no room for complacency and are once again urging the public to stay away from large gatherings including in churches, nursing homes, internet cafes and karaoke rooms.
Three people from the national fencing team have tested positive for coronavirus after returning from a competition in Hungary. All 26 athletes and coaches are now being tested.


'Stay home, please'

Much of the focus has now shifted to Europe and the US, but the new numbers signal that the outbreak is far from over in Asia.
Malaysia's senior health office on Wednesday begged people to "stay at home and protect yourself and your family. Please".

Image captionMalaysia has brought in a ban on public gatherings and closed schools

Malaysia, which is under a partial lockdown, has tallied 710 people with the virus, the worst in South East Asia. Many of the cases are linked to one religious event in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, in February.
"We have a slim chance to break the chain of COVID-19 infections," Noor Hisham Abdullah, director general of Health Malaysia, said on Facebook.
"Failure is not an option here. If not, we may face a third wave of this virus, which would be greater than a tsunami, if we maintain a 'so what' attitude."
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University in the US, there are 215,955 cases and 8,749 deaths globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the vast majority - 80% - have occurred in Europe and the Western Pacific region, which includes much of Asia.

German Embassy Manila ++SPECIAL REPATRIATION FLIGHTS TO GERMANY++

German Embassy Manila
++SPECIAL REPATRIATION FLIGHTS TO GERMANY++

A) LH 343 FROM MANILA/NAIA T1 TO FRANKFURT/GERMANY ON 19 MARCH 2020 AT 23.30 H;



AUTHORITIES ARE KINDLY REQUESTED TO GRANT GERMANS WISHING TO AVAIL OF THE FLIGTHS ACCESS TO NAIA T1. FROM 15.30 H:



TICKETS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BY EMBASSY STAFF ONLY AT THE AIRPORT AFTER 15.30 H, WITH THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY AND SUBJECT TO CAPACITY:

1) GERMANS WITH CONFIRMATION EMAIL FROM EMBASSY,

2) GERMANS WHO INDICATED INTEREST VIA DEBOMA02@GMAIL.COM,

3) OTHER GERMANS,

4) EU MEMBER STATES NATIONALS



B) UPCOMING REPATRIATION FLIGHTS:

- LH 349 FROM MANILA/NAIA T1 TO FRANKFURT/GERMANY ON 20 MARCH 2020 AT 23.30 H,

- CHARTER FROM CEBU/MACTAN TO COLOGNE/BONN ON 21 MARCH 2020 AT 02.00 H (TBC).



C) FURTHER SPECIAL REPATRIATION FLIGHTS ARE PLANNED IN THE COMING DAYS.



++Bewegungsbeschränkungen im Land und COVID-19-Ausreisen++

Die deutche Botschaft ist bis auf weiteres für den Publikumsverkehr geschlossen.

Ausreisewillige Deutsche im Land werden gebeten, sich in die Krisenvorsorgeliste “Elefand” einzutragen beziehungsweise bestehende Einträge zu aktualisieren. Informationen über das “Rückholprogramm” der Bundesregierung werden an Registrierte per E-Mail versendet. Verfolgen Sie auch die Botschaftseiten bei Facbookund Instagram (#Germanyinphl)

Die Botschaft ist für Fragen von COVID-19-Ausreisen tagsüber bis 17.00 h telefonisch unter +63 (0)2 8702 3030 erreichbar.

In anderen dringenden Notlagen können Sie die Botschaft unter deboma02@gmail.com oder +63 917 867 3000 erreichen.



++WICHTIGE MITTEILUNG++

Die 72-stündige Frist zur Ausreise von Touristen wurde durch die philippinische Regierung wieder aufgehoben. Ausreisewillige Deutsche dürfen auch während der bis zum 12.04.2020 verhängten Quarantäne-Periode das Land verlassen.

SONDERFLÜGE für ausreisewillige Deutsche, die sich für einen Kurzzeit-Aufenthalt im Land befinden (Urlauber):

- LH 343 von Manila/NAIA Terminal 1 nach Frankfurt am 19.03.2020 um 23.30 h,

- LH 349 von Manila/NAIA Terminal 1 nach Frankfurt am 20.03.2020 um 23.30 h.

- Charter von Cebu/Maktan nach Köln/Bonn am 21.03.2020 um 02.00 h (tbc).



Für den Zugang zum Flughafen verweisen Sie bitte nötigenfalls auf die englischsprachige Mitteilung oben.



WEITERE SONDERFLÜGE SIND FÜR DIE KOMMENDEN TAGE ZU ERWARTEN.



Phl. Behörden auf verschiedenen Inseln sind bemüht, für Urlauber kurzfristig Sondertransportmöglichkeiten nach Cebu oder Clark zu organisieren. Bitte informieren Sie sich vor Ort (Hafen, Flughafen) über den letzten Stand.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Dringende Mitteilung der German Embassy Manila/Urgent Advisory of German Embassy Manila

German Embassy Manila

++ Aktuelle Informationen über Einschränkungen aufgrund der Covid19-Maßnahmen im Land ++

++ dringende Mitteilung ++


Wegen der am 16.03. mit sofortiger Geltung verhängten verschärften Bewegungsbeschränkungen (“enhanced community quarantaine”) für den Großraum Manila und ganz Luzon bleibt die Deutsche Botschaft Manila bis auf weiteres geschlossen. Informationen über kurzfristige Ausreisemöglichkeiten für Deutsche aus den Philippinen liegen derzeit nicht vor.

In anderen dringenden Notlagen können Sie die Botschaft unter deboma02@gmail.com oder +63 917 867 3000 erreichen. Verfolgen Sie die Botschaftsseiten auf Facebook und Instagram für weitere Informationen.



++ Urgent Advisory ++

Due to the “enhanced community quarantine” for the greater Manila area and all of Luzon, which was imposed on 16 March with immediate effect, the German Embassy Manila will remain closed until further notice. No information on short-term exit possibilities for Germans from the Philippines is currently available.

For other urgent emergency situations you can contact the Embassy at deboma02@gmail.com or +63 917 867 3000. Follow the Embassy pages on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Germany to reintroduce border controls ...

... with five countries due to coronavirus crisis

UPDATE: Germany to reintroduce border controls with five countries due to coronavirus crisis
A German police officer wearing a facemask controls drivers at the French and German border between the cities of Strasbourg and Kehl on March 12, 2020 as part of measures taken due to the COVID-19 ou
15:43 CET+01:00
Germany will reintroduce border controls with France, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Denmark from Monday morning due to the coronavirus crisis, to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced the closures on Sunday evening during a press conference.
"The spread of the coronavirus is progressing quickly and aggressively...one of the most important measures will be to cut off the chain of infection," Seehofer told reporters as he announced the new border controls.
The measures will take effect at 8am Monday (and from 6am on the Denmark border) with goods and cross-border commuters exempt.
German citizens and people with a residency permit will be allowed to return to the country.
People "without a significant reason to travel" and those suspected of having been infected with the virus will not be allowed to cross the affected borders, he said.
Seehofer stressed the new controls would be temporary, and would be reassessed "from time to time".
But the high point of the coronavirus crisis had not yet been reached, he warned, urging citizens to avoid social contact.
The decision had been taken after the Robert Koch Institute, which is responsible for public health in Germany, had declared that the French border region of Alsace-Lorraine as a risk area.
"This sparked a lot of questions and unrest in the neighbouring states," he said.
Germany is one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The country now has more than 5,500 confirmed coronavirus cases, a jump of over 1,000 compared to Saturday. There are 12 reported deaths.

A source close to the matter had told AFP earlier on Sunday about the planned border closures, confirming a report in the German media.
The popular tabloid Bild had reported that the closures would take effect on Monday.
Closing borders was not only to contain the COVID-19 epidemic but also to prevent panic bulk purchases by foreigners, which was apparently causing supply problems in areas around the borders, according to Bild.
'Limit border crossings to a minimum'
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Seehofer met with state premiers from affected German regions on Sunday to agree the closures, the newspaper claimed.
Paris, meanwhile, said the decision had been taken in coordination with the French government.
Yet the French Interior Ministry insisted that the border would not be fully closed.
"We are going to limit border crossings to the strict minimum, while allowing people and merchandise to go through. It's not a closure," a ministry source told AFP.
While the German measures currently apply to five countries, other neighbouring countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic have also closed their borders or introduced severe restrictions.
Germany had until now resisted closing its borders so as not to endanger the Schengen agreement, which guarantees free travel between European countries and has already been put under strain in recent years by the migrant crisis and the threat of jihadist terrorism.
But with Europe now considered to be the epicentre of the pandemic, calls to close the border with France had begun to emerge shortly before Sunday's decision.
"The spread of the virus has to be slowed. The basic rule should be: anyone who doesn't urgently need to cross the border should not cross the border," said Thomas Strobl, interior minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg state, which borders France and Switzerland.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Dear fellow travelers ...

Tripadvisor
Dear
fellow
travelers,
As a site that millions around the world count on for travel guidance, Tripadvisor is closely monitoring the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on both travelers and the travel industry.
We care deeply about your safety, whether you are at home or traveling. With this in mind, I would like to share some resources we’ve created and the actions we’re taking to help you make informed decisions about your own travel plans.
Helping you make travel decisions
As this situation rapidly evolves, we know there is an atmosphere of uncertainty as travelers wonder if they should change their plans. That’s why, starting today, Tripadvisor will feature alerts for destinations that the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated as heavily impacted. We’ve also launched a new resource page to bring all the latest COVID-19 travel information from trusted sources together in one place.
Keeping you informed if you are traveling
As travel-related business owners continue to adapt as a result of COVID-19, they are making changes to their hours, making changes in service or even temporarily closing. We are making daily updates to the information on our site to keep travelers informed. We’re also doing what we can to help businesses in impacted regions, by providing them with tips and advice on how to weather this challenging time.
What you can do to stay healthy
Whether you’re at home or traveling, the WHO recommends practicing good hygiene to protect yourself against infection — by washing your hands frequently with soap or alcohol-based sanitizer, maintaining distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. If you become sick, please seek medical attention quickly.
For more information, please visit our resource page. You can also connect to other travelers and join discussions about COVID-19 and how it may affect your plans in Tripadvisor's forums.
Stay safe,
Steve Kaufer
Co-founder and CEO
Tripadvisor

Das Auswärtige Amt gibt bekannt / The German Foreign Ministry informs

Philippinen: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise


Lagen können sich schnell verändern und entwickeln. Wir empfehlen Ihnen:

- Verfolgen Sie Nachrichten und Wetterberichte

- Achten Sie auf einen ausreichenden Reisekrankenversicherungsschutz https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/-/350944

- Abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/newsletter/bestellen-node oder nutzen Sie unsere App „Sicher Reisen“ https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/app-sicher-reisen/350382

- Folgen Sie uns auf Twitter: AA_SicherReisen https://twitter.com/AA_SicherReisen

- Registrieren Sie sich in unserer Krisenvorsorgeliste https://elefand.diplo.de/elefandextern/home/login!form.action

Letzte Änderungen:
Redaktionelle Änderungen

Aktuelles

Die philippinischen Behörden haben aufgrund der Ausbreitung der Atemwegserkrankung Covid-19 ein Einreiseverbot für alle Reisenden aus Ländern mit bestätigter lokaler Übertragung des neuartigen Virus  verhängt, hierzu zählt auch Deutschland. Betroffen sind auch Transitpassagiere. Ausnahmen gelten für philippinische Staatsangehörige und Reisende mit einer längerfristigen Aufenthaltsgenehmigung für die Philippinen. Diese unterliegen jedoch nach Einreise ggf. einer 14-tägigen Quarantäne. Diese Regelung gilt bis auf weiteres.

Für den Großraum Manila (Metro Manila) gelten ab 15. März 2020 ab Mitternacht bis zunächst 12. April 2020 Ein- und Ausreisesperren auf dem Land-, See- und Luftweg. Quarantäne-Maßnahmen können von den lokalen Gemeinden kurzfristig beschlossen werden. Mit weiteren Einschränkungen muss gerechnet werden.

• Überprüfen Sie Ihre Reisepläne und nehmen Sie mit Ihrer Fluggesellschaft bzw. Reiseveranstalter Kontakt auf.
• Erkundigen Sie sich ggf. bei der für Sie zuständigen philippinischen Auslandsvertretung vor Reiseantritt nach den aktuellen Einreisebestimmungen.
• Verfolgen Sie die lokalen Medien und folgen Sie den Anweisungen der Behörden.
• Bitte beachten Sie unsere fortlaufend aktualisierten Informationen zu COVID-19/Coronavirus.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Die Deutsche Botschaft gibt bekannt


Liebe Landsleute,

die Ausbreitung der Atemwegserkrankung COVID-19 führt weltweit zu verstärkten
Einreisekontrollen, Gesundheitsprüfungen mit Temperaturmessungen und Einreisesperren.
So haben auch die philippinischen Behörden aufgrund der Ausbreitung der Atemwegserkrankung
Covid-19 für alle Reisenden aus Ländern mit bestätigter lokaler Übertragung des neuartigen Virus ein
Einreiseverbot verhängt – hierzu zählt auch Deutschland. Betroffen sind auch Transitpassagiere.
Ausnahmen gelten für philippinische Staatsangehörige und deren Familienangehörige sowie für
Reisende mit einer längerfristigen Aufenthaltsgenehmigung für die Philippinen. Diese unterliegen
jedoch nach Einreise gegebenenfalls einer 14-tägigen Quarantäne. Diese Regelung gilt bis auf
weiteres.

 Erkundigen Sie sich ggf. bei der für Sie zuständigen philippinischen Auslandsvertretung vor
Reiseantritt nach den aktuellen Einreisebestimmungen und setzen Sie sich ggf. vor
Reiseantritt mit Ihrer Fluggesellschaft in Verbindung.

Für den Großraum Manila (Metro Manila) gelten ab 15. März 2020 ab Mitternacht bis zunächst 12.
April 2020 Ein- und Ausreisesperren auf dem Land-, See- und Luftweg. Quarantäne-Maßnahmen
können von den lokalen Gemeinden kurzfristig beschlossen werden. Mit kurzfristig verhängten
weiteren Einschränkungen muss gerechnet werden.

 Bedenken Sie, dass innerphilippinische Reisen, insbesondere von und nach Manila (einschl.
Flughafen) eingeschränkt, ggf. unmöglich sein werden.

 Erwägen Sie ggf. eine umgehende Rückkehr nach Deutschland und setzen Sie sich vor
Reiseantritt mit Ihrer Fluggesellschaft in Verbindung.

 Nach bislang vorliegenden Informationen sind internationale Flüge über Cebu und Clark
möglich. Diese Flughäfen sind nach derzeitigem Stand auch nach dem 15. März 2020 noch
erreichbar.

 Verfolgen Sie die lokalen Medien und folgen Sie den Anweisungen der Behörden.

Vor dem Hintergrund der Ausbreitung der Atemwegserkrankung möchte Ihnen die Deutsche
Botschaft Manila noch einige Hinweise und empfohlene Maßnahmen weitergeben. Zur Vermeidung
einer Infektion bzw. Weiterverbreitung der Erkrankung sind folgende Maßnahmen empfohlen:

- Bitte beachten Sie die fortlaufend aktualisierten Informationen zu COVID-19/Coronavirus.

- Kein Händeschütteln zur Begrüßung oder Verabschiedung, keine sonstigen Berührungen der Hände.

- Gute persönliche Hygiene, insbesondere regelmäßiges richtiges Händewaschen. Desinfektionsmittel
zur Händedesinfektion sind nicht zwingend erforderlich, wenn die 10 wichtigsten Hygieneregeln der
Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung unter
https://www.infektionsschutz.de/hygienetipps/hygiene-beim-husten-und-niesen.html befolgt
werden. Ggfs. sollte Desinfektionsmittel benutzt werden, dabei bitte auf Wirksamkeitsstufe achten:
Wirksam sind Mittel, die als „begrenzt viruzid“ (wirksam gegen behüllte Viren), „begrenzt viruzid
PLUS“ oder „viruzid“ eingestuft sind.

- Husten- und Nies-Etikette unter https://www.infektionsschutz.de/hygienetipps/hygiene-beim-
husten-und-niesen/

- Vermeidung von engem Kontakt mit Personen mit Atemwegserkrankungen.

- Regelmäßige Reinigung von Kontaktflächen (Arbeitsflächen, Türgriffe, Tastaturen, Handläufe an
Treppen etc.) mit Desinfektionsmittel, v.a. in Räumen, in denen Menschen ein- und ausgehen.
- Ggfs. in Erwägung ziehen einer Impfung mit dem aktuellen Impfstoff gegen Influenza. Influenza ruft ähnliche Symptome wie SARS-CoV-2 hervor. Unabhängig von dem persönlichen Schutzeffekt trägt die Impfung zur Vermeidung unnötiger Verdachtsfälle und Belastungen von Gesundheitseinrichtungen bei.

- Bei Auftreten von Fieber, Husten oder Atemschwierigkeiten in oder nach Rückkehr (bis maximal 14
Tage nach Erkrankungsbeginn) aus Risikogebieten
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete.html soll umgehend
telefonischer Kontakt mit einem Arztes oder einer Ärztin aufgenommen und das weitere Vorgehen
besprochen werden.

- Bei Symptomen wie Husten oder erhöhter Temperatur ab 37,3°C, zuhause bleiben. Sollte Kontakt
zu einem COVID-19-Fall bestanden haben, soll umgehend telefonischer Kontakt mit einem Arztes
oder einer Ärztin aufgenommen und das weitere Vorgehen besprochen werden. Halten Sie sich bitte
zudem an eventuelle Vorgaben durch das lokale Gesundheitssystem.

Weitere Informationen können Sie auch in den Reise- und Sicherheitshinweisen des Auswärtigen
Amts unter dem Link https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-und-
sicherheitshinweise finden.

Sie können die Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise auch als Newsletter abonnieren:
www.diplo.de/newsletter. Für mobile Geräte bieten wir unsere Gratis-App „Sicher Reisen“ an:
www.diplo.de/app-sicherreisen. Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie auch über den Twitter-Kanal des
Krisenreaktionszentrums des Auswärtigen Amts: https://twitter.com/aa_sicherreisen?lang=de

Die Botschaft Manila bleibt für den Publikumsverkehr in der Konsular- und Visaabteilung bis auf
weiteres regulär geöffnet. Sollten Sie nicht in der Lage sein, Ihre gebuchten Termine wahrzunehmen,
stornieren Sie diese bitte über unser Terminvergabesystem. In dringenden Notfällen erreichen Sie die
Botschaft außerhalb der Dienstzeiten unter der Mobilnummer +63-917 867 3000. E-Mail-Anfragen
können nur während der Dienstzeiten eingesehen werden.

Alles Gute und bleiben Sie gesund!

Ihre Botschaft Manila

Perfectionism

My column in Mindanao Daily, BusinessWeek Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro Times

OPINION
By KLAUS DORING
 March 12, 2020

SHARE

MANY of us believe perfectionism is a positive. You may count me in. More often than I’d like to admit, something seemingly inconsequential will cause the same feeling to rear its head again. Something as small as accidentally squashing the makeup, I was bringing my first girlfriend’s family for Christmas can tumble around in my mind for several days, accompanied by occasional voices like “How stupid!” and “You should have known better”.
Falling short of a bigger goal, even when I know achieving it would be near-impossible, can temporarily flatten me. When a former agent told me that she knew I was going to write a book someday but that the particular idea I’d pitched her didn’t suit the market, I felt deflated in a gut-punching way that went beyond disappointment. The negative drowned out the positive. “You’re never going to write a book,” my internal voice said. “You’re not good enough.” That voice didn’t care that this directly contradicted what the agent actually said. And, up to now, I didn't finish my first book, yet... It's already 2020... .
That’s the thing about perfectionism. It takes no prisoners.
If I’ve struggled with perfectionism, I’m far from alone. The tendency starts young – and it’s becoming more common. Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill’s recent meta-analysis of rates of perfectionism from 1989 to 2016, the first study to compare perfectionism across generations, found significant increases among more recent undergraduates in the US, UK and Canada. In other words, the average college student last year was much more likely to have perfectionistic tendencies than a student in the 1990's or early 2000's.
“As many as two in five kids and adolescents are perfectionists,” says Katie, who researches child development and perfectionism at West Virginia University. “We’re starting to talk about how it’s heading toward an epidemic and public health issue.” The rise in perfectionism doesn’t mean each generation is becoming more accomplished. It means we’re getting sicker, sadder and even undermining our own potential.
Here is another great example: a perfectionist, French Claude Monet often destroyed his paintings in a temper while saying, ‘My life has been nothing but a failure'.
Perfectionism, after all, is an ultimately self-defeating way to move through the world. It is built on an excruciating irony: making, and admitting, mistakes is a necessary part of growing and learning and being human. It also makes you better at your career and relationships and life in general. By avoiding mistakes at any cost, a perfectionist can make it harder to reach their own lofty goals.
But the drawback of perfectionism isn’t just that it holds you back from being your most successful, productive self. Perfectionistic tendencies have been linked to a laundry list of clinical issues: depression and anxiety (even in children), self-harm, social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, binge eating, anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia, hoarding, dyspepsia, chronic headaches, and, most damning of all, even early mortality and suicide.
“It’s something that cuts across everything, in terms of psychological problems,” says Sarah Egan, a senior research fellow at the Curtin University in Perth who specializes in perfectionism, eating disorders and anxiety.
Culturally, I learned, we often see perfectionism as a positive. Even saying you have perfectionistically tendencies can come off as a coy compliment to yourself; it’s practically a stock answer to the “What’s your worst trait?” question in job interviews. (Past employers, now you know! I wasn’t just being cute).
It is difficult to tell who is motivated and conscientious and who is a perfectionist. In my daily teaching in Davao , I met the student who works hard and gets a poor mark. If she/her tells herself: “I’m disappointed, but it’s okay; I’m still a good person overall,” that’s healthy. If the message is: “I’m a failure. I’m not good enough,” that’s perfectionism.
That inner voice criticizes different things for different people – work, relationships, tidiness, fitness. My own tendencies may differ greatly from somebody else’s. It can take someone who knows me well to pick up on them. (When I messaged one of my friends I was writing this story, he immediately sent back a long line of laughing emojis).
Perfectionists can make smooth sailing into a storm, a brief ill wind into a category-five hurricane. At the very least, they perceive it that way. And, because the ironies never end, the behaviors perfectionists adapt ultimately, actually, do make them more likely to fail.
Thinking of perfectionism, makes me think of my own childhood peppered with avoiding (or starting and quitting) almost every sport there was. If I wasn’t adept at something almost from the get-go, I didn’t want to continue – especially if there was an audience watching. In fact, multiple studies have found a correlation between perfectionism and performance anxiety even in children as young as 10.
Mental health problems aren’t just caused by perfectionism; some of these problems can lead to perfectionism, too. One recent study, for example, found that over a one-year period, college students who had social anxiety were more likely to become perfectionists – but not vice versa.
In many ways, poorer health outcomes for perfectionists aren’t that surprising. “Perfectionists are pretty much awash with stress. Even when it’s not stressful, they’ll typically find a way to make it stressful,” says Gordon Flett, who has studied perfectionism for more than 30 years and whose assessment scale developed with Paul Hewitt is considered a gold standard. Plus, he says, if your perfectionism finds an outlet in, say, workaholism, it’s unlikely you’ll take many breaks to relax – which we now know both our bodies and brains require for healthy functioning.
After all, many of us live in societies where the first question when you meet someone is what you do for a living. Where we are so literally valued for the quality and extent of our accomplishments that those achievements often correlate, directly, to our ability to pay rent or put food on the table. Where complete strangers weigh these on-paper values to determine everything from whether we can rent that flat or buy that car or receive that loan. Where we then signal our access to those resources with our appearance – these shoes, that physique – and other people weigh that, in turn, to see if we’re the right person for a job interview or dinner invitation.
Fear of failure is getting magnified in other ways, too. Take social media: make a mistake today and your fear that it might be broadcast, even globally, is hardly irrational. At the same time, all of those glossy feeds reinforce unrealistic standards.
In my opinion, and I am not alone with it, it’s the idea that you don’t have to be perfect to be lovable or to be loved. It’s a work in progress. And,  what I’ve noticed too, is that, each time I’m able to replace criticizing and perfecting with compassion, I feel not only less stressed, but freer. Apparently, that’s not unusual.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Davao de Oro: Taking Women to the next level

Davao de Oro Province-- In a fast changing world, it’s the women who take the lead. The role of women goes beyond household chores. Today, we see them as prime movers of change in different areas, be it in academe, legislation, politics or commerce.

In celebration to the National Women’s Day in the Philippines, the province of Davao de Oro through the Provincial Women’s Development Council (PWDC) honors the role of women in the province and envisions their progress in the next three years.

The province of Davao de Oro being notable to be rich in indigenous cultures will continue to unleash the hidden gifts of each IP Group.

As key towards developing and improving the lives of its constituents, the golden province conforms to the policies and mandates concerning Women Empowerment through the implementation of the Women Development Program. This program subscribes to the goal of uplifting and redefining women in Davao de Oro. It promotes equal rights to economic resources, makes public services widely accessible, provides enabling technologies to ease their nature of work and allows women to be competitive and make their own living.



The Provincial Women Development Council has engaged to thousands of women across the province through its socio-economic programs.

These interventions narrowed the gap between the government and its people, it allowed women from Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas to get reached by delivering government services through livelihood, technical and vocational training, caravans, making them active participants in decision making for more sound policies and linking them to institutions to further hone their skills.

Today, Davao de Oro women get featured both locally and globally. This was made possible through the partnership with NGA’s (National Government Agencies), non-government organizations and private sectors. By the full support of the province, products from our women farmers and fisher-folks, muslim, IP’s and all-marginalized women in every municipality who engaged in livelihood trainings starts to rack-up beyond its local market.

These successful product-market linkages are just tidbits of the bundles of success stories of the women of Davao de Oro.

The PWDC was spearheaded by Ms. Sholai Lim, who was awarded as one of the Outstanding Woman Business Leader by the 8th Mindanao Business Leaders and Entrepreneur Awards, she is also the ambassador of the International Women Peace Group (IWPG) was regarded by Philippine National Police General Manuel S. Garlaen as one of 2018’s PNP Region XI Six Most Outstanding Women Leader in Davao Region and was elected as Vice President for Mindanao by the Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women.

Indeed, there will be no greater force than a group of women who are all determined to rise, no challenges too hard to conquer for women whose eyes are fixed on the goal - veer from the usual and conquer the peak.


Photocaptions Women Display Center--- As the province of Davao de Oro continues to advocate women economic empowerment, New Bataan's Women Product Display center recently opened on March 2, 2020. The center will bridge our local women entrepreneurs to more possible markets and partners showcasing the golden province's rich and diverse culture of it's varied IP groups. (photo by the Provincial Women Development Council)

Photocaption Business Award--- Provincial Women Development Council of Davao de Oro Chairperson Sholai Lim was awarded as one of the Outstanding Woman Business Leader by the Business Mindanao Week Corporation in their annual Mindanao's Most Outstanding Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs Awards. The award recognizes untiring and relentless effort to pursue excellence of professional leadership in business and trade, and for the economic upliftment of communities in Mindanao. (photo by the Provincial Women Development Council)