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!

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Monday, April 24, 2023

26 areas under Covid-19 Alert Level 2 status—IATF

BY ANALOU DE VERA


Twenty-six areas in the country were placed under Covid-19 Alert Level 2 status until the end of this month, based on the recent resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

Areas under Alert Level 2 until April 30 are: Benguet, Ifugao, Quezon Province, Palawan, Camarines Norte, Masbate, Antique, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu Province, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Western Samar, Lanao Del Norte, Davao De Oro, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, and Davao Occidental.

Also included are: North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Dinagat Islands, Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

"The following provinces, HUCs, and ICCs shall be placed under Alert Level 2, without prejudice to their respective component cities and municipalities which may be under a different alert level classification," the IATF said.

Under Alert Level 2, Some establishments or activities, “shall be allowed to operate, or be undertaken at a maximum of 50 percent indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below 18 years of age, even if unvaccinated, and 70 percent outdoor venue capacity,” the Department of Health (DOH) stated in its website.

Alert Level 1

Meanwhile, the IATF placed the following areas under Alert Level 1:

National Capital Region

  • Caloocan City
  • Malabon City
  • Navotas City
  • Valenzuela City
  • Pateros
  • Pasig City
  • Marikina City
  • Taguig City
  • Quezon City
  • Manila
  • Makati City
  • Mandaluyong City
  • San Juan City
  • Muntinlupa City
  • Paranaque City
  • Las Pinas City
  • Pasay City

Cordillera Administrative Region

  • Abra
  • Apayao
  • Baguio City
  • Kalinga
  • Mountain Province
  • Benguet: Buguias, Sablan, and Tublay
  • Ifugao: Alfonso Lista (Potia), Kiangan, Lagawe (Capital), Lamut

Ilocos Region

  • Dagupan City
  • Ilocos Norte
  • Ilocos Sur
  • La Union
  • Pangasinan

Cagayan Valley

  • Batanes
  • Cagayan
  • City of Santiago
  • Isabela
  • Nueva Vizcaya
  • Quirino

Central Luzon

  • Angeles City
  • Aurora
  • Bataan
  • Bulacan
  • Nueva Ecija
  • Olongapo City
  • Pampanga
  • Tarlac
  • Zambales

Calabarzon

  • Batangas
  • Cavite
  • Laguna
  • Lucena City
  • Rizal
  • Quezon: Alabat, Atimonan, Candelaria, City of Tayabas, Dolores, Gumaca, Lucban, Mauban, Padre Burgos, Pagbilao, Perez, Plaridel, Polillo, Quezon, Sampaloc, San Antonio, Sariaya, Tiaong, Unisan

Mimaropa

  • Marinduque
  • Occidental Mindoro
  • Oriental Mindoro
  • Puerto Princesa City
  • Romblon
  • Palawan: Cagayancillo, Culion, El Nido (Bacuit), Kalayaan

Bicol Region

  • Albay
  • Camarines Sur
  • Catanduanes
  • Naga City
  • Sorsogon
  • Camarines Norte: Basud, Capalonga, Daet (Capital), San Vicente, Talisay
  • Masbate: Balud, Batuan, City of Masbate (Capital), Mandaon, Milagros, San Fernando

Western Visayas

  • Aklan
  • Bacolod City
  • Capiz
  • Guimaras
  • Iloilo Province
  • Iloilo City
  • Antique: Anini-y, Barbaza, San Jose (Capital), Sebaste, Tobias Fornier (Dao)
  • Negros Occidental: Cadiz City, Candoni, City of Himamaylan, City of Talisay, City of Victorias, Enrique B. Magalona (Saravia), Ilog, La Carlota City, Murcia, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Sagay City, San Enrique, Silay City, Valladolid

Central Visayas

  • Cebu City
  • Lapu-Lapu City
  • Mandaue City
  • Siquijor
  • Bohol: Alburquerque, Balilihan, Batuan, Calape, Corella, Dimiao, Duero, Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Lila, Loay, Loboc, Maribojoc, Pres. Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo), San Isidro, San Miguel, Sevilla, Sikatuna, Tagbilaran City (Capital)
  • Cebu: Alcoy, Borbon, City of Naga, City of Talisay, Oslob, Pilar, Poro, Santander, Tudela
  • Negros Oriental: Amlan (Ayuquitan), Bacong, Dauin, Dumaguete City (Capital), Valencia (Luzurriaga), Zamboanguita

Eastern Visayas

  • Biliran
  • Eastern Samar
  • Northern Samar
  • Ormoc City
  • Southern Leyte
  • Tacloban City
  • Leyte: Abuyog, Albuera, Bato, Barugo, City of Baybay, Dulag, Hindang, Inopacan, Javier (Bugho), La Paz, Leyte, Matag-ob, Matalom, Palo, Pastrana, Tabontabon, Tunga, Villaba
  • Samar (Western Samar): City of Catbalogan (Capital), Marabut, Motiong, Pagsanghan, Paranas (Wright), San Sebastian, Talalora, Tarangnan, Zumarraga

Zamboanga Peninsula

  • City of Isabela
  • Zamboanga City
  • Zamboanga del Norte
  • Zamboanga del Sur
  • Zamboanga Sibugay

Northern Mindanao

  • Bukidnon
  • Cagayan de Oro City
  • Camiguin
  • Iligan City
  • Misamis Occidental
  • Misamis Oriental
  • Lanao del Norte: Bacolod, Baroy, Kauswagan, Kolambugan, Lala, Linamon, Tubod (Capital)

Davao Region

  • Davao City
  • Davao Oriental
  • Davao de Oro: Mawab, Montevista, Nabunturan (Capital), New Bataan
  • Davao del Norte: Braulio E. Dujali, Island Garden City of Samal, Santo Tomas
  • Davao del Sur: Padada
  • Davao Occidental: Don Marcelino, Malita, Santa Maria

Soccsksargen

  • General Santos City
  • South Cotabato
  • Cotabato (North Cotabato): Antipas, Arakan, City of Kidapawan (Capital), Kabacan, President Roxas
  • Sarangani: Maitum
  • Sultan Kudarat: Bagumbayan, City of Tacurong, Kalamansig, Lebak, President Quirino

Caraga

  • Butuan City
  • Surigao del Norte
  • Surigao del Sur
  • Agusan del Norte
  • Agusan del Sur
  • Dinagat Islands: Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo (Albor), Loreto, Tubajon

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

  • Cotabato City
  • Lanao del Sur
  • Maguindanao: South Upi, Upi
  • Sulu: Hadji Panglima Tahil (Marunggas)
  • Tawi-Tawi: Turtle Islands

The DOH said that under Alert Level 1, "intrazonal and interzonal travel shall be allowed without regard to age and comorbidities."

"All establishments, persons, or activities, are allowed to operate, work, or be undertaken at full on-site or venue/seating capacity provided it is consistent with minimum public health standards," it added.

Group bats for a ‘more strategic approach’ to address extreme heat in schools

BY MERLINA HERNANDO-MALIPOT


While it recognized the move of the Department of Education (DepEd) reminding schools to shift to distance learning due to extreme heat, a group of teachers pushed for a “more strategic approach” that will address the concern of students and personnel who attend in-person classes during the hottest months of the year.

Students DepEd MB Visual Content Group.jpg

(DepEd / MB Visual Content Group)

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) issued a statement acknowledging the action taken by the DepEd in response to the constant cries of teachers and children to consider the extreme heat and suspend face-to-face classes.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/22/schools-may-suspend-classes-switch-to-distance-learning-during-extreme-climate-conditions-dep-ed

In the memorandum signed by DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas issued on April 20, the agency reiterated its policy "to suspend in-person classes and implement modular distance learning in cases of unfavorable weather and environment such as, but not limited to, extremely high temperatures which may considerably affect the conduct of classroom learning and put the learners' health and wellbeing at risk.”

However, TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas said that a “more strategic approach” is needed to address the issue.

For example, he mentioned lowering the class size to no more than 25 students. TDC also suggested the construction of “more stable classrooms designed for student comfort and provision of electric fans or even air -conditioning system.”

To implement such adjustments, he noted that “funds and policies” will have to be in place.

Reverting to the old school calendar

The DepEd’s reiteration of the policy came after some school children fainted in Laguna and Mindoro due to the extreme heat.

Before the implementation of distance learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, public schools held classes from June to March. They spend “summer” vacation from April to May.

With the resumption of in-person classes, groups of teachers and even parents called for DepEd to return to the old school calendar.

However, TDC pointed out that it will take at least four years to gradually return to the old school calendar where the months of April and May are designated as school breaks.

“For now the alternative methods that can be used are shortened teaching time and modular and online learning,” Basas, who is also a teacher in Caloocan City, said.

Basas also noted that returning to the old academic calendar “would require adjustments that could take years to implement, while the suffering of teachers and students is felt in real-time.”

Related to this, TDC reiterated that public school teachers “have the right to a two-month school break that could be compromised if DepEd immediately reverts to the old system.”

The group cited DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2022, which sets the August opening of the school calendar for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 school years.

“We need to fix it and make sure that the welfare of our teachers is taken into account before implementing the return to the old school calendar,” Basas said.

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Mehr Geld für Beschäftigte im öffentlichen Dienst


Innenministerin Faeser (SPD, r.) bei den Tarifverhandlungen

Foto: Monika Skolimowska/dpa

Potsdam – Bund, Kommunen und Gewerkschaften haben sich auf mehr Geld für die 2,5 Millionen Beschäftigten des öffentlichen Dienstes geeinigt.

Das teilten alle Tarifparteien nach mehrstündigen Verhandlungen am späten Samstagabend in Potsdam mit. Damit sind weitere Streiks im öffentlichen Dienst vom Tisch.

So viel gibt es mehr:


► Steuer- und abgabenfreie Sonderzahlungen von insgesamt 3000 Euro in mehreren Stufen. 1240 Euro davon sollen bereits in diesem Juni fließen, weitere 220 Euro dann jeweils in den Monaten von Juli bis Februar 2024.



► Ab März 2024 soll es dann als Lohnplus einen Sockelbetrag von 200 Euro sowie anschließend 5,5 Prozent mehr geben. Wird dabei keine Erhöhung um 340 Euro erreicht, soll der betreffende Erhöhungsbetrag auf diese Summe gesetzt werden.

Bei dieser Lösung orientierten sich die Tarifparteien in großen Teilen am Kompromissvorschlag aus dem vor einer Woche beendeten Schlichtungsverfahren. Die Laufzeit der Vereinbarung soll 24 Monate betragen.

„Wir sind den Gewerkschaften so weit entgegengekommen, wie wir es in schwieriger Haushaltslage noch verantworten können“, teilte Bundesinnenministerin  Nancy Faeser (SPD) im Anschluss an die Verhandlungsrunde mit.

Verdi-Chef Frank Werneke zufolge waren es keine leichten Verhandlungen. „Mit unserer Entscheidung, diesen Kompromiss einzugehen, sind wir an die Schmerzgrenze gegangen“, sagte er.

Von der Erhöhung profitieren Angehörige etlicher Berufe – unter anderem Erzieherinnen, Busfahrer, Angestellte von Bädern, Feuerwehrleute, Krankenschwestern, Verwaltungsangestellte, Altenpflegerinnen, Klärwerksmitarbeiter, Förster und Ärzte.



Origin of Filipino Names

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Schools can call off classes due to heat – DepEd


SCHOOL BETTER BE COOL | It may be critical these days to keep classrooms well-ventilated, like here at Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City. This photo was taken on Aug. 22, 2022. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)


By: Dempsey Reyes - Reporter / @dempseyreyesINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM April 23, 2023


MANILA, Philippines — As several parts of the country try to cope with the summer heat, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Saturday that school authorities could call off in-person classes to safeguard the health of their students and staff.


The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said the government should start considering reverting to the old school calendar as public schools are not fully equipped to deal with high temperatures during the dry season.


DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said that principals and school heads had been reminded that they have the “authority and responsibility to suspend in-person classes and switch to alternative delivery modes (ADMs) if it is really hot and already affecting the health of our learners and personnel.”


Poa was asked by the Inquirer about the DepEd’s contingency measures or plans to address the concerns of parents and teachers regarding the hot weather over the past several days.


“We also don’t want our learners’ health to be affected especially with the very hot temperature we are experiencing, which is why we are again reminding our school heads that they can immediately switch to ADMs,” he pointed out.


Cabuyao example

One local official, Mayor Dennis Hain of Cabuyao City in Laguna province, took action in response to the hot weather that affected students of Gulod National High School Extension in his city.


Hain suspended classes on March 24, a day after 83 students were hospitalized for heat exhaustion during fire and earthquake drills.


Some of the students had difficulty in breathing and complained that the afternoon heat was “too much for them to bear,” the City Schools Division of Cabuyao said in a statement.


The incident prompted Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, to call for the return of the old school calendar and called on the national government to bring back the April-May “summer vacation.”


‘Not conducive’

ACT secretary-general Raymond Basilio said that the hot weather, which may last until next month, should push the DepEd to revert to the old school calendar where classes start in June.


Basilio said that ACT wrote to the DepEd last month requesting the agency to return to the previous school calendar to avoid holding classes during the hot and dry season.


“In the Philippines’ context, it is not really conducive to have classes during this period since we lack the facilities to handle this, especially in public schools,” he told the Inquirer.


Basilio said the decision by the DepEd central office of tasking the school heads to suspend classes was only a “temporary solution” to the problem.


“The DepEd should really take this seriously by consulting with teachers and other school personnel on the field and come up with mechanisms that would bring us back to our old school calendar,” he stressed.


In a department order on May 11, 2020, the DepEd decided to move the opening of the school year 2020-2021 from June to August 2020, because of the pandemic.


This new August-April school calendar was continued by Vice President Sara Duterte, the education secretary, in the school year 2022-2023.


Duterte’s order was based on Republic Act No. 11480, the law which authorizes the education secretary to set the date for the start of the school year, especially during a state of calamity.


‘Init’ factor

On Friday, April 22, the highest temperature recorded in Metro Manila was 36.2 degrees Celsius, up from 35 C the previous day. It was 32°C on April 22 last year.


The weather bureau has also been reporting on the “heat index,” or the so called “init factor,” the apparent temperature felt by the human body from the combined air temperature and humidity, which is different from what is recorded by a thermometer.


Heat indices between 41°C and 54°C are considered “dangerous” and could likely cause heat cramps and heat exhaustion, and a heat stroke is probable with continued activity. Above 54°C is “extremely dangerous,” when heat stroke is imminent, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).


Weather specialist Daniel James Villamil said that the recent hot days “is all because of the dry season we are experiencing.”


Pagasa monitors tropical cyclone outside PAR

By Arlie O. Calalo


THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Sunday that it is monitoring an active tropical cyclone outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)


It was moving westward and had maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 55kph.


Weather forecaster Grace Castaneda said most parts of the country will have cloudy skies but the weather will remain hot and humid in the next 24 hours.


"There would only be occasional rain showers and thunderstorms that may occur during late afternoon or at night," she told The Manila Times.


Castaneda said the easterlies or winds coming from the Pacific Ocean that bring warm and humid temperatures are affecting the eastern sections of Visayas and Mindanao.



Libanan wants Pinoy students to be like Rizal, speak more foreign languages

BY ELLSON QUISMORIO


AT A GLANCE

  • House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan wants Filipino students to master more foreign languages aside from English.

  • Libanan said the students should be inspired by the great Dr. Jose Rizal, who mastered a bunch of foreign languages.


20230423_102116.jpgHouse Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan (left), and Dr. Jose Rizal (Facebook, Wikipedia)


House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan wants Filipino students to emulate national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in terms of the latter's mastery of foreign languages.

For this purpose, Libanan penned and filed House Resolution (HR) No. 910, which urges the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate foreign language studies into the K-12 Program.

“Our school system by tradition has been teaching Filipino children to emulate and aspire to be like Rizal. We might as well encourage them to study foreign languages, just like Rizal,” Libanan said.

Doing so would "acquaint learners with foreign languages other than English" and "encourage them to learn foreign language that will vastly improve their employability in the global labor markets of the 21st century", the veteran solon said.

Owing to his fascination with foreign languages, Rizal--often described as a polymath--became conversant in Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, and Swedish.

Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte, in her 2023 Basic Education Report, had declared that the department intends to revise and improve the K-12 program, with the aim of developing lifelong learners who are competent and job-ready.

In his resolution, Libanan said that “The whole world has become a global village with multilingual labor markets, thus creating a strong demand for workers with foreign language skills.”

Global corporations based in the United States, China and Japan – the world’s three largest economies – have been known to prefer hiring staff who can speak a second foreign language besides English, Libanan pointed out.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippines deployed a total of 2,150,000 workers to overseas labor markets in 2019, or an average of 5,890 every day, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The number of Filipino workers deployed abroad has since dropped to less than one million yearly.

Despite the deployment slump, the World Bank estimates that the Philippines received up to $38 billion in cash remittances from all channels in 2022, making the country the world’s fourth-largest recipient of money from overseas workers, after India, Mexico and China.

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Extremely rare albino form of an orchid species discovered

Dr. Miguel David De Leon discovered an exceptionally rare and beautiful albino form of an endangered orchid, the Aerides lawrenceae fma. composii.


By JAMES TABABA

Dr. Miguel David De Leon, a vitreoretinal surgeon and a field biologist, has been studying orchids, birds, and mammals for years, including the Aerides lawrenceaeorchid. The nominate—or the original—species of Aerides lawrenceae is predominantly white and purple, with some green, but it can also have certain varieties or forms.

340636178_941242313570748_3123120067265931372_n.jpg
Aerides lawrenceae fma. composii (Dr. Miguel David De Leon/Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservatory)

According to Dr. De Leon, one of the most noteworthy and glorious forms of the Aerides lawrenceae is its  extremely rare albino form which does not have red or purple pigments, resulting in pure white and green coloring.

Since the 1800s, Europeans have collected many orchids in the Philippines, scouring the forests of the Philippines for remarkable orchids, but they have never actually found this rare albino form of the Aerides lawrenceae

In 1935, renowned botanist Oakes Ames and Eduardo Quisumbing described a white form of this orchid,  Aerides lawrenceaevar.fortichii, in honor of Representative Manuel Fortich who collected two specimens from his ranch in Bukidnon. Eventually, in 2007, Wolff and Gruß suggested recombining it as a forma, citing the previously published white form as var. Fortichii. Since 1935, white forms or mostly white forms have been presumed to be albino specimens and have been called fma. (var.) fortichii.

That is, until Dr. Miguel David De Leon discovered the true albino form, the Aerides lawrenceae fma. composiiin Bukidnon. 

While browsing the complete 1925 volume of the Philippine Journal of Science for bird descriptions, Dr. De Leon came across the original description of Ames and Quisumbing's white form of Aerides lawrenceaevar.fortichii. Upon reading the description and looking at the illustration carefully, Dr. De Leon realized that the white form they described was not truly an albino form, as it had pink in the middle of the flower. The true albino form of the orchid is completely white and green.

340624470_988728219140325_725146028953468126_n.jpg
Aerides lawrenceae fma. composii (Dr. Miguel David De Leon/Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservatory)

This exceptionally rare and beautiful variety is named after Joselito "Butch" Campos III, a prominent business tycoon, philanthropist, and supporter of wildlife conservation in the Philippines. Dr. De Leon emphasized that he has been a dedicated supporter of the Philippine Eagle Foundation and the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy (RSKBC) and has been actively involved in various conservation projects. Moreover, as a philanthropist, he selflessly assists countless individuals in need, while providing livelihood for thousands of Filipinos in the companies he owns.

Aerides lawrenceae is a species that is classified as endangered by IUCN (Union for Conservation of Nature) and is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The Aerides lawrenceae fma. composii is exceptionally rare because “only one plant remains in the wild and it is protected in a private conservation site along with the conservation of birds by the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy,” Dr. De Leon said. He also added that due to its sterile nature, propagating this plant can be a highly challenging task.

Partnerships and captive breeding

Dr. Miguel David De Leon is a conservationist who has been working with  indigenous peoples and private landowneres to preserve the biodiversity of the Philippines. He discussed the importance of partnerships and captive breeding in conservation efforts. He is the Director of the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy which aims to contribute to science, with the ultimate goal of conserving Philippine habitats and wildlife. By working with these landowners and landowners, they are able to protect the existing biodiversity while also helping to restore the degraded land. This partnership approach is recognized by major conservation organizations such as the United Nations and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), who have made it their slogan for the year.

Dr. De Leon also acknowledges that land development cannot be stopped and that it is necessary to establish captive breeding and propagation programs to conserve plants and animals that are affected by infrastructure development. This is mandated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Republic Act 9147, also known as the Wildlife Act.

“Whatever plants that are affected by infrastructure development, we rescue and grow them in partnership with DENR. We cannot stop development so what do we do with the displaced plants and animals? We have to put them in botanical gardens and farms dedicated to conservation,” Dr. De Leon said.

The importance of discovery and research of plant species

Dr. Miguel De Leon emphasizes the importance of discovering and naming plants, animals, and orchids for conservation efforts. He emphasizes that it is difficult to protect something that we do not know or understand. Naming and identifying a species can lead to increased public awareness and policy-making, enabling us to identify and protect critical habitats.

The Philippines is one of the world's most biodiverse countries, and Dr. De Leon highlights that discovering new species further highlights the country's exceptional biodiversity. Naming and identifying species can also strengthen the concept of biodiversity in the Philippines, promoting conservation efforts.

340859031_901802641106074_7674269968762031708_n.jpg

Aerides lawrenceae fma. composii (Dr. Miguel David De Leon/Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservatory)

Dr. De Leon said, ”many Philippine orchid species have been grown and traded in other countries. It is ironic that the country of origin of these species lags way behind those countries. Many Philippine orchid species are economically important and can be a viable means of livelihood for Filipinos.” He believes that the promotion of horticulture and conservation efforts can go hand in hand, benefiting both the environment and the economy.

“Something so noteworthy, so horticulturally important, and something so glorious compels everyone else to do everything because extinction is forever. We should exert all efforts to preserve what remains of our vanishing treasures while the Philippines is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Otherwise, our country will become the most biologically bankrupt,” Dr. De Leon said.

The discovery of the true albino form of Aerides lawrenceae is not only a testament to the beauty and diversity of the Philippines reminding us that though we have seen so many attractive orchids, there is still much to be discovered and explored. It is not only a scientific achievement but also a crucial step towards protecting endangered plant species through conservation of habitats and plant propagation.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Miguel David De Leon/Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservatory