Komplizierte Situation um Flüge auf die Philippinen

 

 

Die Situation um Flüge auf die Philippinen ist momentan etwas kompliziert.

Richtig ist, dass Philippinischen Staatsangehörigen und deren Ehepartnern und Kindern sowie Diplomaten und Personen mit Langzeitvisa (ab 01.08.) die Einreise in die Philippinen wieder gestattet wird.

ABER: Die Philippinische Regierung möchte die Zahl der Einreisenden nach wie vor möglichst gering halten. Darum gibt es seit Monaten schon so genannte „arrival limits“ – also eine maximale Anzahl an geduldeten internationalen arrivals. In den letzten Wochen lag dieses Limit in Manila bei 1.200 bis 2.000 Personen pro Tag (je nach Quelle). Nur zum Vergleich: 2019 waren es im Schnitt über 30.000 int. arrivals pro Tag!

Wir und auch die Länderbüros der Airlines kennen den Verteilungsschlüssel nicht, mit dem diese wenigen erlaubten arrivals auf die Airlines und Routen aufgeteilt werden. Fakt ist aber, dass derzeit nur wenige Airlines wegen dieser Limitierung überhaupt Umstiegsverbindungen von Europa oder Amerika aus auf die Philippinen anbieten. Die wenigen, die man momentan findet, sind dazu a) sehr teuer (das könnte eine Limitierungsmaßnahme der Airline sein) und werden b) kurz vor Abflug sehr oft und ohne Vorankündigung ersatzlos gestrichen.

Die Buchung eines solchen Fluges ist also nicht nur kostspielig, sondern auch absolutes Glücksspiel. Da wir die Durchführung dieser Flüge derzeit nicht ansatzweise garantieren können, bieten wir bis auf Weiteres keine Tickets für die Route Europa-Philippinen mit Abflug bis mindestens Ende August an.

Dies gilt nicht für Flüge AB den Philippinen – die sind möglich, siehe unsere Infoschiene „Infos für alle Reisenden, die noch auf den Philippinen sind“.

Beobachten kann man, dass die wenigen arrival slots aktuell eher mit Direktverbindungen aus Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Singapur, Hongkong etc. (also meist heimkommende OFWs) als mit Umstiegsverbindungen aus Europa und Amerika gefüllt werden.

Sie werden ab August in Manila wohl auf 5.000 arrivals/Tag angehoben (auch die Kapazitäten in Cebu und Clark werden leicht erhöht): https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/…/more-inbound-intl-passenger…

Im Vergleich zu Vor-Corona natürlich immer noch minimal, aber vielleicht hat es trotzdem einen positiven Effekt auf das Ticketangebot für Interkontinentalflüge auf die Philippinen. Das wird man dann wohl im Verlauf der nächsten Wochen sehen.

Beachten Sie abgesehen von diesem Buchungsumstand die immer noch sehr restriktiven Bestimmungen auf den Philippinen selber. Also selbst wenn es Ihnen gelingt, eine Verbindung zu buchen, auf der Sie auch tatsächlich mitgenommen werden, erwarten Sie auf den Philippinen nach wie vor strenge Quarantänemaßnahmen und Reisebeschränkungen.

Wir bleiben natürlich am Ball und werden Sie weiterhin mit Infos versorgen.

Bleiben Sie gesund, Ihr Kirschner Reisen Team!

HOW BEING ISOLATED HAVE ALTERED US

Did our personalities are shaped by our experiences and social interactions? Being isolated from friends, family, and colleagues is indeed strong tobacco for all of us.


There wasn’t just one lock-down – we all had our own experience. Some people - including me and my family - were forced into months of unbroken solitude, others trapped for weeks on end with an estranged spouse. Some saw it as a positive experience – a welcome opportunity to slow down, go for walks and relax with a loving partner, or enjoy quality time with the children.



Whichever way the lock-down played out, there has been one near-universal aspect to the past months – it abruptly disrupted our daily routines and living arrangements in ways that would not normally occur. Nothing new. And we don't know how long this will last.



The Senior editor at Aeon+Psyche Christian Jarrett asks interesting questions: Will this strange time have left its mark on us, not just superficially, but deep down? As we venture out tentatively, do we do so with our personalities somehow altered? And if so, how will our new selves cope as we begin to mix and travel once again?



I strongly agree with his answers. For much of psychology’s history, personality – the set of enduring habits of behavior, emotion, and thought that form each person’s unique identity – was considered set in stone, at least beyond early adulthood. Research over the last few decades, however, has led to a consensus that, while personality traits are relatively stable, they are not completely fixed. Instead, they continue to evolve through life and in response to major life events.



In other words, from a theoretical perspective, there is every possibility that at least some of us will have been left changed by the lock-down.



Honestly, I have problems getting along without the usual daily face-to-face contact with friends, family, and colleagues. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest the same. Although conscious that I’ve been more fortunate than many in my experience of the pandemic so far, I also know that I’ve been feeling less stressed due to less rushing around, but also more withdrawn and introverted. Friends of mine (also not too adversely affected) agree they feel different – more reflective, perhaps, but also less sociable. In one of my previous write-ups at this corner, I praised my status at the home office. Maybe you still remember it?



The many months of changes to our routines may have led to changes in our behavior that will stick long after the pandemic has finished. It “may lead to new norms, which may over time also shape our personalities,” says Wiebke Bleidorn at the Personality Change Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. I am sure, she is so very true.

DTI-DdO distributes livelihood kits to 100 MSMEs

Davao de Oro --- Some 100 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in 20 identified barangays in the province received livelihood starter kits under the DTI’s Livelihood Seeding Program–Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB) on Friday.

DTI Davao de Oro Provincial Director, Atty. Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque said the first twenty beneficiaries that received a package of livelihood kits amounting to PHP5,000 were residents of barangay Bawani, Mawab. The LSP-NSB also aims to boost micro enterprises by providing basic business advisory and information to qualified individuals affected by natural and human-induced calamities such as pandemic brought by COVID-19.

“This livelihood assistance may be small but with a right entrepreneurial mindset, it can push your business into a better position”, Balleque added.

The MSME beneficiaries of the LSP-NSB program include sole proprietors that are located in identified barangays, including those in Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDAs) under the government’s End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program. They also underwent four modules of capability building seminar to develop and strengthen their entrepreneurial competencies during the turn-over ceremony.

For his part, Mayor Ruperto S. Gonzaga III acknowledged the government’s program to his constituents in teaching and helping them improve their businesses thru series of sessions.

Rosie T. Ignas, beneficiary from Brgy. Bawani expressed gratitude for granting her as one of the beneficiaries of LSP-NSB program.

“Dako kaayu ning tabang dili lang kay sa akua apil na usab sa uban pang naka-benepisyo sa maong programa gikan sa gobyerno nga magamit ug ma sustain sa matag-adlaw namu nga panginahanglanon labaw na sa kapait sa panahon nga dala sa pandemya,” Ignas added.

The program is in partnership with provincial and local government units. The barangay LGU has a fundamental role in identifying the MSMEs in their areas who have potential of becoming mega business.

DTI-DdO targets to finish the distribution of livelihood kits by the end of October. 

(Rheafe C. Hortizano, Information Division Davao de Oro).

Davao de Oro celebrates Nature’s Day

Davao de Oro Province--- From the most complex products such as medicine, clothing, furniture and food down to raw materials come from nature. As mankind’s life was brought to greatest heights for ages, nature is always behind its back and it is our duty to replenish the favor.

With this, in cognizance to the Provincial Ordinance No. 15-2012, PLGU-Davao de Oro celebrated the “Nature’s Day” spearheaded by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources office (PENRO) with the theme “Time for Nature.”

This year Nature’s Day was celebrated at the Provincial Rehabilitation Center, Sta. Maria, Nabunturan, Davao de Oro wherein Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy with Board Members Vivencia L. Secuya, Nena G. Atamosa, Macario T. Humol, Raul C. Timogtimog, Charlemagne Bautista, Joseph T. Jauod, Nicky R. Opisan, DepEd representative Division’s Chief Ruben Reponte, PLGU Executive Committee Members and NGA representatives pressed the earth’s bosom by planting trees in the grounds of the rehabilitation Center.

The pandemic does not solely brought fear among the hearts of individuals, but it also brought most of us back into nature’s welcoming hands through planting ornamental plants, vegetable gardening and tree planting reviving green thumbs and relieving boredom due to months of lockdown.

Trees are of great help. From its trunks down to its roots can be used for various purposes. Aside from giving off fresh air, prevention from landslide and shelter for animals it also gives comfort in times of weariness and stress and even play an important role in combating climate change.

The tree planting activity was held at the rehabilitation center as it will provide additional comfort and beautify the area as our detained brothers and sisters will redeem themselves to a journey for a much better life.

(Jasteen P. Abella, Information Division, Davao de Oro, photo by Albert Dayao)

Wake Up in Northern Mindanao | Philippines Tourism Ad

Philippines reimposes non-essential foreign travel restriction for citizens

By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

The Philippines reimposed the restriction on non-essential outbound travel for Filipinos, Malacañang announced Thursday.

In a televised briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the government’s COVID-19 task force made the decision since only one insurance company agreed to provide travel and health insurance in relation to the pandemic.

However, those with confirmed bookings as of July 20, 2020 will be allowed to leave the country subject to the conditions imposed by the government. The task force earlier lifted the ban on non-essential overseas travel on July 6.

Under the guidelines, a traveler must have adequate travel and health insurance to cover rebooking and accommodation expenses if stranded, and hospitalization in case of infection.

A traveler must also submit confirmed round trip tickets for those traveling on tourist visas.

Roque also announced that the government allowed the resumption of essential outbound travel for Filipinos.

Essential trips include those for business and work, medical, emergency and other humanitarian reasons which cannot be postponed, the task force said.

The conditions include a declaration signifying knowledge and understanding of the risks involved and compliance with the guidelines for returning Filipinos. —KBK, GMA News

DAVAO CITY ALSO IMPOSES STRICTER COVID-19 SCREENING FOR LAND TRAVELERS

The Davao City government has also strengthened the health screening at the entry and exit checkpoints for land travellers entering and exiting the city.

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte on Monday said that the people arriving from other Mindanao airports that do not require a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and travel by land to the city will be screened at the checkpoints.

“Gipakusgan napud nato atong mga land checkpoints sa entry and exits diri sa Davao City, because we expect na dunay musakay sa ubang airport tapos mag by-land sila padulong diri sa atoa (We have also strengthened screening at our entry and exit checkpoints in Davao City because we expect that there are passengers who landed from other airports and will enter the city by land),” she said.

The Task Force (TF) Davao has created a screening process to check the travel history of passengers entering the city. TF Davao will also coordinate with the City Health Office (CHO) if ever they find Davao residents who arrived from other airports.

Mayor Inday Sara said the TF Davao has also improved the health screening at the checkpoints.“For the past two weeks naa tay gina-construct nga mga facilities para mas ma-paspas nato ang health screening nato dinha sa mga checkpoints nato (For the past two weeks we constructed facilities to speed-up the health screening at the checkpoints),” Mayor Sara added.

The thermal scanner was already installed at the Lasang checkpoint on July 19 while the installation in the Sirawan checkpoint will be done on July 21 and on July 25 at the Lacson checkpoint.Mayor Sara also said the city may conduct a voluntary and random RT-PCR testing for land travellers if the number of cases with a history of land travel will increase. This was previously done for air passengers due to the surge of positive cases since the resumption of commercial flights in Davao International Airport.

“We’ll see with the numbers because makita man nato kung unsay history or unsay exposure sa usa ka-confirmed Covid-19 case (We’ll see with the numbers because we can identify that with the history and exposure of a confirmed Covid-19 case),” she said.

Air travelers entering Davao City are required to present before boarding the negative result of RT PCR test conducted within 72 hours before the trip.Davao City had earlier required Davao-bound passengers to submit upon check-in at any airport of origin a negative RT-PCR result taken 48 hours before the departure date as one of the measures to control the transmission of the coronavirus infection.The requirement was adjusted to 72 hours.The city government was prompted to require a negative RT-PCR after the data from the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit showed that the highest confirmed Covid-19 cases in Davao City were travellers from Manila. CIO

Philippine Bureau of Immigration Press Release

21 July 2020
PRESS RELEASE

Only permanent residents can enter PH starting August 1, BI clarifies

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) clarified that only foreigners with permanent or immigrant visas can enter the country starting August 1.

"For the information of the public, the entry of foreign tourists, non-immigrant visa holders, and other categories of aliens are still prohibited. They will be turned back if they land in any of our ports of entry," BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

The BI Chief issued the statement upon learning that immigration offices at the airports, and other field offices of the Bureau were being swamped with calls and queries from persons who wrongly thought that the country has opened its doors to all foreigners.

"The resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is clear - only foreigners with existing long-term visas will be allowed entry beginning August 1. So if you are not a permanent resident here, do not attempt to travel to the Philippines because you will be excluded and denied entry by our immigration officers," Morente said.

He appealed to the public to stop spreading fake news that all foreigners are now welcome to enter the Philippines as it will only sow confusion, and create chaos in our airports if there is a sudden surge in the arrival of foreigners still covered by the travel ban.

According to BI Port Operations Division Acting Chief Grifton Medina, there are only four visa categories of aliens who will be allowed entry starting next month.

Medina said these aliens must fall under the following categories: those who were issued non-immigrant visas under Section 13 of the Immigration act; those who acquired resident status under Republic Act 7919 or Alien Social Integration Act; those who availed of Executive Order 324 or Alien Legalization Program; and native-born foreign nationals.

Medina also stressed that foreigners married to Filipinos and their dependents, as well as foreign diplomats, can also come here as earlier resolved by the IATF.

"We are therefore advising the different airlines to take note of these latest travel guidelines so that they can accordingly inform their foreign customers who may wish to book their flights to the Philippines," the BI official said.

Medina added that the BI does not expect a major upsurge in foreign arrivals despite the lifting of entry restrictions on immigrant visa holders as the Bureau's records indicate that there are only about 15,000 of them who are stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

THAT MOVES ME

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

TWO major issues concern me: climate change and the coronavirus Covid-19. Millions of people around the world are exposed to the virus and dangerous levels of heat stress - a dangerous condition that can cause organs to shut down. Many live in developing countries and do jobs that expose them to potentially life-threatening conditions. These include being out in the open on farms and building sites or indoors in factories and hospitals.

Science editor David Shukman shares the worries with me and many others. Summers are becoming hotter and hotter for humans. Global warming will increase the chances of summer conditions that may be "too hot for humans" to work in.

When we caught up with Dr. Jimmy Lee, his goggles were steamed up and there was sweat trickling off his neck. An emergency medic, he's laboring in the stifling heat of tropical Singapore to care for patients with Covid-19. There's no air conditioning - a deliberate choice, to prevent the virus from being blown around - and he notices that he and his colleagues become "more irritable, shorter with each other".

Predictions shake me: more than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070. The monetary Siberian heatwave is clear evidence of climate change. 2019 was Europe's warmest year on record. And Dr. Lee's personal protective equipment, essential for avoiding infection, makes things worse by creating a sweltering 'micro-climate' under the multiple layers of plastic.

We can all imagine that working in a tropical climate can be extremely uncomfortable. One danger is that overheating can slow down our ability to do something vital for medical staff - make quick decisions.

Another is that they may ignore the warning signs of what's called heat stress - such as faintness and nausea - and keep on working till they collapse. If the body is unable to cool down properly so its core temperature keeps rising to dangerous levels and key organs can shut down. It happens when the main technique for getting rid of excess heat - the evaporation of sweat on the skin - can't take place because the air is too humid.

According to Dr. Rebecca Lucas, who researches physiology at the University of Birmingham, the symptoms can escalate from fainting and disorientation to cramps and failure of the guts and kidneys.

What impact will climate change have? As global temperatures rise, more intense humidity is likely as well which means more people will be exposed to more days with that hazardous combination of heat and moisture.

Another study, published earlier this year, warned that heat stress could affect as many as 1.2 bn people around the world by 2100, four times more than now. It's not a new thing for me and you: people need to drink plenty of fluid before they start work, take regular breaks, and then drink again when they rest.

But scientists around the globe agree:  avoiding heat stress is easier said than done. There's a practical problem as well - some people do not want to drink so they can avoid having to go to the toilet. And another fatal attraction in my opinion: For many people, there's a professional desire to keep working whatever the difficulties so as not to let colleagues and patients down at a time of crisis.

Highly motivated people can actually be at the greatest risk of heat injury, says Dr. Jason Lee, an associate professor in physiology at the National University of Singapore. He's a leading member of a group specializing in the dangers of excessive heat, the Global Heat Health Information Network, which has drawn up guidelines to help medics cope with Covid-19. It's spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the US weather and climate agency Noaa.

This climate change will be a bigger monster and we really need a coordinated effort across nations to prepare for what is to come.

A Sitio’s thirst finally quenched

Davao de Oro Province--- Chasing the right spot in a drying river for a source of water is an everyday challenge for Rosalie, a resident of Purok-Gemelina, Sitio Lawaan, Kingking, Pantukan, Davao de Oro.

When water runs out, most of them opted to transfer to higher parts of the river’s trail, carrying pales and basin to do laundry and heavy containers holding fresh water that would quench their thirst and aid them to finish daily household chores.

“Pasalamat mi nga naa nami tubig dire, kay ug muadto mi ug sapa nga layo kaayo sa tanan, mag sige mi ug balon, usahay mag gukod pa mi sa tubig kay mahubsan naman.” said Rosalie Chiokiet.

More or less four months since the PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan) started their project to construct and improve the water system of the community, the long-wait for a good source of potable water is over.

On July 16, 2020 the Blessing and Turn-Over Ceremony of the Water System was held in the community, formally giving them what they need and deserve. The project was made possible through the coordination of the Provincial Local Government of Davao de Oro and Municipal LGU of Pantukan.

With the new water system, about 90 households in Sitio Gemilina will now benefit from the project, giving them the comfort, making chores easier, thereby eradicating difficulty in getting a good source of water.

Sitio Lawaan is one of the beneficiary in extending development interventions to isolated, hard to reach and conflict-affected communities under the national government’s convergence program, the PAMANA which partners with implementing agencies, ensuring that there will be no communities left behind.

For the residents of the sitio, the fulfillment of their hardship brought a big impact in their lives. The importance of water is eternal as thousands have lived without love, but no one without water.

(Jasteen Abella, Information Division Davao de Oro)