2008 - Good or Bad?

Sure, it’s to early for looking back… . This year is not yet finished. But if I look back up to 1999, when I  moved here for good, I must say, that 2008 wasn’t my worst year. Hold on again, and don’t get me wrong! I would say, it was a roller coaster year from its best… .

Yesterday (November 29), while joining a German friend’s birthday party, strokes of fate came our way: within two hours our beloved auntie (living not in our compound, but in the closest neighborhood) and the mother of my sister-in-law Ellen passed away… .Some friends and family members called it really “harvest time”. In our family, friends circle and business partners we counted now 11 obituaries since June 2008. Fate’s irony: the business is going up and up - we don’t know what to do first sometimes.

2008 - good or bad? To be or not to be? To say it clearly: without faith we are really nothing. Faith is belief, believe in us, belief in our work, talents and our personalities. Believe in our families and in our friends, even it seems to become very difficult many times. I can’t say, that I didn’t do that while still staying in Germany. Here in the Philippines, it became easier for me to believe in faith. I was able to find a real family and very good friends. If not, i would have reach the rock bottom. Don’t say, it’s a likely story… .

The German poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller 91759-18150 mentioned in his drama “Maria Stuart’; ‘even the word might be dead, but faith keeps it alive!” Faith is tantamount to convincing and conviction. Richard Wagner (German classical composer and poet, 1813-1883) found the following lyric: “Blessed are those people, who know how to live their life in humility and faith!” Faith is trust or reliance. Faith is really a pledged word.

2008 - a good or a bad year?

What do you think?

Filipinos vs. Poverty

Last year, the Philippines had the most number of people who stood up against poverty in the Stand Up Against poverty campaign, according to Minar Pimple, United Nations Millennium Campaign deputy director. To achieve 15 million people who would stand up and take action against poverty for this year in order to sustain the country’s first place position, President Arroyo led the campaign at the Asian Conference on Religion for peace at the UST (University of the Santo Tomas) in Manila last October.

This year, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts followed up this achievement and supported this campaign for global mobilization to end poverty and inequality.

I would be the last, who wouldn’t support such campaigns and events. But, will they bear fruits?

The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB XI) released data here over the weekend, showing us that at least 14 of the country’s 20 poorest municipalities are in Mindanao. The town of Siayan in Zamboanga del Norte is the poorest in the country, with a poverty incidence of 97.46 (!) percent.

The NSCB data also indicated that in Southern Mindanao, five of the poorest towns are in Davao del Sur. These are Jose Abad Santos, Don Marcelino, Sarangani, Malita and Sta. Maria.

But with all these poorest towns, Kidapawan City in North Cotabato emerged as Mindanao’s richest municipality, with only 12.46 (!) percent poverty incidence. Other areas in the list of Mindanao’s 10 richest municipalities are General Santos City (13.98 %), Polomolok (14.29%), Davao City (14.94%), Tagum City (15.42%), Cagayan de Oro (15.50%), Korondal City (16.18%), Digos City (18.22%), Padada (21.99%) and Hagonoy (22.60%).

Filipinos vs. poverty… . How looks reality?

What do you think?

I Was In Jail

It was my second time to stay in jail! Hold on, I wasn’t send to prison! Heaven forbid!

Since living in the Philippines I am “always on the way”. One thing I tried to visit, has been a prison, because I got a lot of questions in mind. But whom could I ask? At first I asked my brother-in-law JO1 Ricardo Sarong JMP (Jail Management and Penology), if he could set an appointment with new Davao City Jail Warden, Mr. J/SINSP Noel P. Guerrero. Ricky’s designation is custodial, at the same time also jail investigator.

Warden Guerrero agreed spontaneously last week. I went to jail. The city jail in Davao houses almost 1,000 male and 200 female prisoners.

After visiting another Philippine jail during the 1980s, I must confess: I felt again mixed emotions. I think, every one of you, my dear readers, can imagine, how “it is inside the jail”. How many prisoners have to share one small cell? How about the sanitary installations? How about the food?

I learned from Warden Guerrero, that the Philippine “govern national support” is 45 Pesos per head per day. That’s less then a dollar… . I remember stories about Western jails, where prisoners “enjoy” television, computer and other things, while getting three meals a day.

So, what’s badly needed? Of course, any kind of support from the private sector as well as NGO’s (Non Government Organizations) is very, very welcome.

The City Jail in Davao is very blessed having supporters like the NCCC-Mall, city mayor Duterte and his daughter, vice mayor of Davao as well as the Archdiocese of Davao.

How about human rights and torture? I was really surprised when I listen Warden Guerrero, who mentioned with vigor and emphasis, how he would pursue and investigate the even smallest impression or incident, which might happen in his jail. “Every prisoner is also a human being and has the right of a human treatment’, the warden stressed.

I was able to talk to some prisoners awaiting trial. being in detention awaiting trial for months or even a whole year is more than depressing. But, undisputed, Philippine courts are also more than  overtaxed with thousands of cases… .

I like to express my gratitude to Warden Guerrero for taking time for me and answering my questions and walking around with me.

Illegal logging

It’s not long time ago, I wrote an article entitled “Philippine Bookworms”. Being in the publishing business since 1969 I know very well about the demand for paper (trees!) if one talk about books and magazines.

I was surprised to read the following news:

“Despite the myriad problems bugging the Philippine wood industry, wood products have remained one of the country’s biggest exports over the years. Wood-craft and furniture exports racked up nearly 102 million US dollars in August this year, according to the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB).”

More of the Philippines wooden furniture and wood-craft were shipped to the US, the Philippines’ largest market with 61 percent of total market share. Other markets for Philippine wood products include Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, and Italy.

Trade Under Secretary Merly Cruz expressed optimism that the ongoing industry cluster capacity and development program of the government will help further in the growth of the Philippines’ wood industry.

And the medal’s other side?

I received a message from Butuan City telling me the following:

“Tribal leaders of the different tribes in the Caraga Region have called for an end of what they described as silent but dangerous, unabated illegal logging (and mining activities) in this region. Under the auspices of the church-based Caraga Conference for Peace and Development some two weeks ago, the summit attended by more than 500 lumad leaders from seven provinces. Among members of this conference have been the Armed Forces of the Philippines, PNP, national government sectors and others, like the Roman Catholic’s Dioceses of Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Surigao, Tandag and Malaybalay, where the tribes Manobo, Higaonon, Talaandig, Banwaon, Mamanwa and many more are still living… .

“The Sleeping Dinosaur” Peninsula, 8 km Badas zigzag road going down town to Mati.

Try to count the trees…

Where have all the trees gone…?

Nature…

I grew up in nature. I love nature. I try my best to protect the environment - also here in the Philippines.

Nature is important for me. I can relax. I get strength and power for my daily life.

I am glad having also this possibility also here in the Philippines. In my friends’ garden - or, even in my own…

I found this flower somewhere in Bukidnon. She graces now my garden…

One of my daily visitors…

Isn’t this flower cute???

I enjoy very much living in the Philippines…

Philippine Bookworms

I love books. Any kind of books… . That’s why, when I decided to move to the Philippines there were no doubts to ship my whole library here in a 20 feet container. Books are very valuable and really a treasure for me. They are now in our house  in Davao in three different rooms…

Why do I love so much books? There might be different reasons. Since my first step into a publishing house I really got fancy about the smell, and I loved the feel of a freshly printed book. Even now I get nostalgic over my all-time favourites such as Goethe, Schiller or Shakespeare.

While working in different publishing companies from 1969 - 1998 I tried to get hold of “any” book. Name the topic - I might have it… .

Since living in the Philippines such things changed dramatically personally for me. Good books are indeed hard to come by here. I met a lot of Philippine bookworms, and I , as I self-confessed, I am one of them. Nationality doesn’t matter!

BUT, honestly, the Philippine book publishing industry is really not in a good shape.  I still remember my annual attendances , for example  at the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany with innumerable new book releases. Sad to say, but the Philippine book market is dwindling based on new book publications.

Let’s go to a National Book Store and let’s ask for Filipino-authored and published books from the last five years…  Filipinos still like to read and to enjoy a book launching. If there are some… .

I am very glad and honoured to be informed of some. My mentor, our former Philippine Chaplain in Berlin, Professor Dr. Hermogenes Bacareza, who is still teaching at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, published a lot of books there. The UST Publishing House is really one of very active companies. Last month its new roster of books, as always very inspiring and interesting, came out. In a press release the UST Assistant Professor John Jack Wigley talked about 40 annual book productions. Celebrating its 400th year in 2011 (!) UST Press is indeed a milestone for one of the earliest printing presses in the Philippines.

Right now Philippine bookworms (or expat bookworms, interested in Philippine literature, of course!) can enjoy in UST Press more short stories, historical researches (for example Bacareza’s “Philippine-German History - A Modern History 1834-2006″), or biographies. Very enjoyable is the  reading of Rebecca Anonuevo’s fifth (!) book of love poems, or Chona Trinidad’s “The Way We Were and In The Kitchen” with many interesting facts of the Filipino food lifestyle. You will also find in UST Press veteran journalist and journalism professor Nestor Cuartero’s first-ever book “At Large, At Leisure”. “No topic is too small or large to write about” - as he said… .

All in all UST Press launched 22 different books. If you are a bookworm and interested in Philippine literature, you will also find “your book” there.

Some of my top books are still:

- Primitivo Mijares, “The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos”, printed in the US in April 1976,

- Margie Moran-Floirenda (1973 Miss Universe titlist and Mindanao promoter), “Mindanao - A Portrait” and “Mindanao On The Mend”,

as well as

- Jose Rizal, “Noli Me Tangere” (by the way: in Spanish published in Berlin/Germany, 1887; translated into German and published 1987 in Frankfurt/Germany).

Now I am really curious how many bookworms will leave a comment here… Maybe, only a few. The others are busy - reading a book….!

Samal, Global Crises, atbp

Hi, I am back from a week’s time out on Samal Island. Sure, I stayed in my favourite resort, the Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort. First time I came here was  in 1982… . I don’t wanna give any promotions for this place, but I still get the service here I love to enjoy during those holidays…:and,  great food, affordable prices, very clean surroundings and a wonderful beach… .

While staying there I was informed about a comment of Tourism Council President Araceli Ayuste, of the Island Garden of Samal, the official name of this island-city: “We don’t want this island to become the next Boracay because we know it can become much better than Boracay,” Ayuste said. I can only strongly agree. I also don’t want to see Samal Island becoming too crowded and ‘over-commercialized’. I love, what Ayuste added: “We don’t like to see our island’s natural resources over-exploited by many investors!”

Many foreigners who visited Samal as tourists in the past fell in love with the island  and ended up as foreign expats and permanent residents. One of them is my friend Ulrich Kronberg, editor and publisher of two German sail boat magazines based in Hamburg/Germany. Uli runs his company by internet from the island. This time he is back in Germany to attend another tourism fair.

This and that… - as my friend Bob Martin entitled one of his last columns here in LiP… .

Crises!!! Even hanging out and relaxing on Samal Island during the last week, one can’t avoid to receive all these “dramatic financial news from all around the globe”.

Before heading to China President Gloria Arroyo asked the congress to pass a law quadrupling bank deposit insurance to boost confidence in the banking system amid a global credit crises. The maximum insured deposit guaranteed by the state-run Philippine Deposit insurance Corp. never satisfied me and many other expats and Filipinos. 250,000 Pesos shall be increased to one million Pesos (about 20,800 US$).

The Philippines’ banking system seems to be stable. The increase was felt necessary to help underline confidence. As Arroyo spokesman Jesus Dureza stressed: “There are no bank runs now!” Now… .

This is that… .

When relaxing on Samal Island, Boracay came again along my way. Headline : “GREEN VEHICLES CURB POLLUTION IN BORACAY”... .

The use of electric-powered vehicles has received the green lights on the resort island as part of efforts to curb air and noise pollution in this (world-famous) Philippine tourism spot. Two “e-cars” and six “e-bikes” imported by the Malay Municipal Government from China arrived over the last weekend and were taken on a test drive on the island to encourage resort and hotel operators to have their own fleet of e-vehicles.

Of course, e-vehicles are cheaper to operate compared to gasoline-powered models. The price of a brand new e-car ranges from 300,000 Pesos to 700,000 Pesos. These vehicles will also reduce toxic emissions and noise pollution, which have been largely blamed on regular motorcycles - not only in Boracay, as we all know, living in the Philippines for good or coming here as tourist.

Boracay’s charms indeed had been made fragile by a host of environmental threats over the past years. And, I am pretty sure, not only there… .

This and that… .

While writing this post it rains cats and dogs. Another ITCZ or rain system with low pressure hits Mindanao/Davao… . I love it… I am looking forward the cooler season… .

Expats meetings

Where ever you live in the Philippines, you will find venues where expats meet and gather together. That’s great and should be.

If you live in Davao City, you have another new possibility to meet expats, talk, change ideas, discuss important matters, or - just come together, eat, drink and have fun.

The Apo View Hotel, Davao City, offers for a short while a “Bavarian Morning-/Lunchtime - Drinking” every Sunday from 10.30 am until 3.00 pm in the Hotel Garden Pavillion for the whole expat community. Sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes - and of course beer can be ordered and will be served.

Oktoberfest is over - but it must not mean that we have to miss it. Drop by the Apo View Hotel. I am sure you will meet us there one Sunday.

I am taking a little time out from tomorrow on. But, be sure, that I shall return here… .

Philippine History

One of my favourite subjects already in elementary (and later in high school and college) has always been HISTORY (besides GEOGRAPHY and - later Mass Comm). Before my several journeys to many different countries I always tried to learn more about the nation, its people - and its history.

Being back from South Africa in 1980 I really got surprised to find more then 50 letters of different Filipinas, who answered one of my advertisements in a national Philippine daily looking for a penpal. This was the time I started also being interested in Philippine history. And, of course, it’s more then interesting:

Named after Philip II of Spain, the Philippines is a beautiful country  and has been called “Pearl of Orient”. No wonder, if more and more people plan to come here - as tourist, as business people, or - permanently for good. With a fertile soil, healthy climate, and rich natural resources and fishing grounds, it is poised on the brink of of an agra-business and aquaculture revolution. It has the world’s longest discontinuous coastline of about 34,000 km. Can you imagine this?

The Filipinos are a racial mixture due to their reception of different cultures in their history. Intermarriages have been - and, are still common. the majority of the people have mixed blood. Aboriginal tribes populate the mountain interiors. Most Filipinos belong to the Malay race, with a twany complexion, black hair and black eyes.

The Philippines is indeed a unique nation with four cultural heritages - Asian, European, Mexican, and American. No other nation in the world can claim to have such a varied experience with all four cultures. Thus, it is not unusual for Filipinos to look Oriental, have a Spanish sounded name, speak English with an American accent, and have a Latin temperament.

Philippine history is more then interesting: the Early history (back to the 13th century), the Spanish colonization, the three centuries of Spanish rule (1565-1898), the Filipino nationalism, Philippine revolution and War of Independence (1896-1901) up to the “Third Republic” (1946-1972). Knowledge of  Philippine History, to my opinion, is a must, for every one, who plan to stay here. Such knowledge eases the first problems of adjustments while staying here for good.

Or, what do you think?

Postscriptum: No wonder, that “I didn’t leave my heart in San Francisco” (even having in-laws there!) - but IN DAVAO CITY/PHILIPPINES.

Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest!

The last days kept me very much busy “celebrating”. One thing, which many of my countrymen living in the Philippines appreciate very much, are the different Oktoberfest possibilities. Sausages, sauerkraut - and, of course beer! Name it, and you will get: many restaurants and hotels offered and are still offering Oktoberfest celebrities or special menus. Last Saturday, for example, we joined the last Oktoberfest day in SWISS DELI here in Davao City. This coming Friday Rotary East Davao is looking for its first very special Oktoberfest. I was appointed to be one of the co-hosts.

Let me explain a little bit about the history of Oktoberfest:

It started with the Royal Wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I and Prince Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on the 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields have been named “Theresienwiese” (Theresa’s Fields) in honour of the Crown Princess ever since, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the “WIES’N”.

Today the Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world, with an international flavour characteristic of the 21st century: some 6 million visitors from all around the world converge on the Oktoberfest each year in Munich.

During the last days I always got the same question: Why is Oktoberfest called “Oktober”-fest, when it actually begins already in September? Well, as per historical background, the festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended October 17. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated, and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward to September. By moving the festivities up, it allowed better weather conditions. Because the German September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “DE WIESEN” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly.

If you join the Munich Oktoberfest you will find beer prices like 7.50 up to 8 Euros (about up to 480 PHP) for a one litre beer order…

Oktoberfest means a lot of fun, dancing, eating and drinking. Wine, sparkling wine, of course beer AND chicken, pork sausages, and pork knuckles…

Cheers everybody!!!