Klaus Doring

While writing this piece, I must confess: it’s raining. Yesterday my uncle told me, that he, and not only he, experiences climate changes also here in the Philippines. Taifun season already in May???

Anyway, we still have “summer” and Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has warned us already some time ago about the effects of over exposure to heat and sun this summer.

People should drink at least eight to 12 glasses of water a day during this time of the year to avoid dehydration. To be honest, I also can’t bear with such people, laying on beaches to get brown. Guys, avoid too much exposure to the sun - or did nobody explain you details about skin cancer yet??? Beachgoers should really avoid heat stroke and heat cramps… .

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) warned Philippinos AND vacationers against three threats: Road accidents, sunburn and diarrhea.

By the way: did you know that during summer season in the Philippines there are more incidents of children (and adults) being bitten by dogs? Public should be reminded, that dog owners should put their pets on leash and they should be reminded of Republic Act 9482 (Anti-Rabies Act of 2007). The law has stipulated costly penalties as it ranges from hundreds to thousands of pesos depending on the severity of your offense.

Meanwhile the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned against possible health hazards brought by increasing temperature in the country. I myself must confess, that my family and me observing this since 1999, when we move to the Philippines for good. Just a couple of days ago the temperature in Metro Manila hit a new 37 degrees Celsius heat record.

There were increasing reports of Filipinos died of heatstroke, because of the warmer temperature during summer.

Cholera, dengue and malaria are three of the leading diseases and causes of deaths in the Philippines, according to the National Statistics Coordination Board in its latest press statement.

I wish us all a very good time. Enjoy the summer in the Philippines - and, stay healthy and don’t get sick. Cheers!!!

I was really surprised to be invited as guest speaker of the Rotary Club (Rotary International) of Central Davao, District 3860 of Davao City/Philippines on the 29th of January 2001. I enjoyed talking about “Germany in 30 minutes”… .

Time passed by… .
I was again surprised and really blessed and honoured to be invited (together with my wife Rose) by the President of the Rotary Club of East Davao, Mr. ‘Efren’ Elbanbuena (Government Information Service); by the way, the husband of Miss Pattie Elbanbuena, Executive Director of the Institute of Languages of the University of Southeastern Philippines, where I am teaching German language since two weeks.

During the 46th Weekly Luncheon meeting in the Marco Polo Hotel Davao City, I have been glad also to meet, among many others, Vicepresident Mr. ‘Ading’ Macatangay and Secretary Mr. ‘Tony’ Ajero’, former Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of SUN STAR DAVAO, or my German friend Mr. Peter Reger (Business and Economic Development Consultancy) as well as Mr. Reynaldo I. Reyes (Rural Banking) or BDO Banco de Oro Mindanao President Mr. Apollo Alquiza.

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worth enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster.

I am really convinced to learn FIRST about the development of acquaitance as an opportunity for service and SECOND high ethical standard in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

Foreign members are very welcome!

Thanks a lot to Efren and spouse Pattie!

I am happy to be back at school. Yeah, I reached already the second half of my life, but I am back at school. Don’t get me wrong - I am not back at school as student. No, but as teacher or tutor… Please go back to my related posts “German Courses in Davao City” - and, you will understand.

A friend told me: Great, what you are doing - but I hope, you also have fun. Yeah, I have. After one week teaching German Language at USEP, University of the Southeastern Philippines, I really enjoy and I really have fun, because it seems that my students also enjoy. Most students “need to learn German” as soon as possible. Some married a German national or plan to do so; others are planning to move to Germany, Austria or Switzerland to work abroad; again others get the chance to work in a Philippine call center, where German language knowledge is required.

These are my regular skeds: Mondays and Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 11 am and Fridays from 8 to 10 am. You can enrol at any time. USEP offers 20 hours courses.

See you then…

Two days ago we all have been officially informed about the April inflation rate of the Philippines mentioning 8,4%, by the way, the highest rate since some years. If you go shopping - no matter if grocery or market - YOU CAN FEEL IT!!! Even my family and I are longing sometimes for imported products, but, we do try to buy local products. One thing is coffee.

We are really coffee lovers, but when the imported German coffee reached the kilo prize of more or less 1,000 Pesos, we gave up. We joined the Filipino coffee lovers. They got wind that the old folks who worked in the coffee-growing areas of Batangas had been brewing coffee beans of extraordinary quality. They discovered that the beans actually came from coffee cherries that had been eaten by the Philippine Palm civet, a cat-like mammal native to Philippine forests. Eventually this became known as Coffee Alamid or Philippine Civet Coffee. We also love Mount Matatum Cofee. Mount Matutum is a dormant volcano that lies in Southern Mindanao.

By incident we had been introduced to “Monks Blend” - a really premium coffee, made from choice beans from the coffee plantations of the Monastery of the Transfiguration and local farmers of Bukidnon (San Jose, Malaybalay). You can reach the monastery via landline (088 - 2212373 or fax 088 - 2212899 or email Laorden@mozcom.com.

As we all could learn a couple of weeks ago: the Philippine government is prepared to withstand the challenges brought about by a looming economic recession, in example ,in the U.S. I quote Finance Secretary Margarito Teves: “We continue to maintain our fiscal targets. However, we are prepared to finance additional spending if such spending is needed to counter emerging global risks that could dampen the country’s growth prospects.”

Fact is: more and more people are getting poorer and hungrier. For the Philippines these new problems are another ’stumble stone’ on its way to democracy.

May is the month of celebration in the Philippines. 400 years of Spanish colonization had left behind many traditions. One of the most colourful feasts celebrated nationwide is the FLORES DE MAYO. The purpose of this tradition, as well as know, is to honour the “Blessed Mother” - who is suppose to be the model of virtues and love. In a most catholic country, like the Philippines, I learned that, if Filipinos hear something about FLORES DE MAYO, they think of Mary, the Mother of god. Mary, the Lady Fatima, the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of Heaven and much more… .

This coming Sunday is “Mother’s Day”, we are all requested and invited to honour our ‘mothers on earth’.  Mother’s Day was first celebrated 1913 in the U.S. and was quickly adopted as unofficial holiday all around the world. Ever since, it has been a bit controversial because many women feel that a bunch of flowers presented to them only once a year, and very often with guilty conscience, is not JUST ENOUGH! Maybe some pragmatic people must have thought: better once than never!

And they, of all people, must have felt that they should honour their women and mothers who are actively helped - side by side with their husbands, fathers, brothers and whomever - to build up a strong nation.

Meanwhile we have all come a long way. Social structures, on the whole, and family structures, in particular, have changed enormously. Therefore, a family today can well mean a mother raising her children all by herself, or a father doing the same thing.

Anyway, credit where credit is due - but not only for a single day per year. What a miserable and wretched declaration of love to someone who gave birth to us and made it possible for us to stay on this globe, It is not really easy to sincerely shape the great fate of a mother. More difficult is to fulfill an inconspicuous day’s work with vividness and dignity. Innumerable fates of mothers in those times sink unknown like the sun beneath the horizon.

I am glad still to have to mothers - however my mother-in-law starts dramatically not to recognize me any more - while my mother starts also forgetting many things.

A Happy Happy Mothers Day in advance and a hearty salute to all fathers, bind with the wish, that we also find some more days with flower bunches, restaurant invitations or confectionery for our beloved mothers - and for all us!

First time, 1982, when I visited Mindanao I really got amused watching the very few cars i.e. in Davao City. It was also more or less a “ride to hell” using one of the taxis, the “PU’s”… Several times I have been asked by the driver to keep the door myself closed while driving… Or, I tried to avoid watching  the open jeepney tank and the carefree smoking driver…

Time changes many things: but,  until now cars in the Philippines don’t die. We all can observe a “booming car population” and never ending traffic jams - not only in big cities like Manila and Cebu. even driving in Davao sometimes is no more enjoyable.

Why Philippine cars will not fade away? As we could learn from columnist Jullie Y. Daza, Manila Bulletin, Philippine cars never die, because they just get repainted and repaired, repaired and repainted again. Jullie asked the question: How can Philippine cars survive travelling millions of kilometers over some of the worst roads in Asia?

Good question…

So what do you think, dear reader? And, how is your car doing???

A couple of days ago my wife and I visited a mall here in Davao City. After entering the mall we decided to visit one of the ATM’s to check our account balance. Following the line I went straight to the ATM, while my wife followed me being to insert the card. Suddenly from the left side “an English speaking foreigner” tried to make a “short cut” by blocking our way.  We just ignored him, even he planted himself before us while we tried to get our cash amount. Some terrible embarrassing words came out his mouth. I really don’t like to repeat them all here, but when he started to shout at my wife: “You are a pig!” - I really began shaking. I smelt something. I guess the foreigner has been with under the influence of alcohol. His wife tried her best to stop him for affronting us - but he continued with finger pointing and another @*@*@*@* - word… .

This was the time, a Filipino, waiting behind us for his turn, lost his temper and a loud verbal confrontation between him and this foreigner started. I will not bother you, my dear reader, with details - but when my wife and I liked to thank this Filipino, he suddenly shook my hands and hugged me: “I know you, you are living here - but this “old stupid monkey” should go home to his home country!” The Filipino stressed also, that not only he observed many more incidents like that during those days.

My wife and I felt very uncomfortable. We hope,  that this incident remains as individual and isolated case…

How about you, my dear reader: Have got similar “adventures”???

I would like to thank you all, my dear readers, for your innumerable emails from Mindanao and also including readers based in Germany, such in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg. Yes, indeed there is and there will be a strong demand for German courses; and, USEP - the University of the Southeastern Philippines, Davao City, invited me to teach German. I will start with “individual students” on Saturday, May 3, 2008 from 9am to 12nn.

My regular sked will be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 11 am. The first announced course contents 20 hours “Basic German”. USEP will charge the very affordable amount of 3,500 Pesos. Enrolment is still ongoing. Look for Hydee or Sheila, Institute of Languages, UESP, Telephone Davao City 082 - 227 8192 or 082 - 224 4480 or 082 - 225 4696, loc 209 or visit www.usep.edu.ph or www.OLXDavao City.com.

See you then…

Even being on leave for several days and again in near future, I would like to thank many readers of this blog providing me with a lot of emails. One important thing I would like to mention today:

YES, three months from now, as a press release says, renewing NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearances will be trouble-free through the “Clerance Renewal Card” (CRC) and the installation of the automated clearance machine (ACM).

To be installed this July 2008, the ACM will give applicants a more efficient way of renewing their clearances since it operated like an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) used by banks.

NBI Regional Director Romulo Manapsal stressed during the launching in Victoria Plaza Mall here in Davao City, that this was conceptualized to speed up the processing.

The system was conceptualized to avoid identity theft and reduce long queues of NBI clearance applicants, to be seen even inside Victoria Plaza Mall. The  CRC will eliminate the problem faced by many apllicants who have the same name.

Regarding Davao City: before using the ACM, an applicant will need a CRC, which is now availabe at the Victoria Plaza Mall Kiosk of the NBI here in Davao City for 120 PHP. it can be processed in a couple of minutes and can be used for up to a life-time as long as it is cared for.

Readers of this blog might share with us their experiences in other Philippine towns.

… how to “survive as an ex pat” here in the Philippines. In Part I I spoked about your hobbies, and how they could brighten your life as an ex pat. I was surprised to receive a lot of emails, by contacting me, from readers, who didn’t like to leave their opinions as comment after my post. Anyway, of course, I accept your decision very well - and: it inspired me again for this post.

I decided to be happy!

Yes, even as an ex pat living in the Philippines since 1999, I did so and I DO STILL! You know why? The world is full of bad news and all of us are very easy to be influenced by “negative and aggressive people” in our surroundings. Sometimes I get tired, because even I can feel how these people fritter away my energy, strengths and good mood while chatting my time.

Let’s swing ourselves in to the saddle and let’s explore the positive flanks in our daily life. A couple of days a really good friend told me: “Write with an open mind about wh at you see and hear, smell and toch!” How very true… . But more and more many people are becoming blind because of this terrible and negativism and “know-it-all-better-behaviour”… .

Yeah, I decided to be happy, to be glad, to be content, to be fortunate, to be fitting… also as, or especially as an ex pat living in the Philippines. If we like to be happy, we must find people in our surroundings, which have the special talent for listening, people who walked WITH US the first miles and then steadfastly believe that we can go alone after a while. And if not? Go back and read my article ‘Friends forever?’! I stated already before, I got a lot of such friends (Philippinos, German countrymen and other national ex pats). Some left again “my way”… .

During my time as radio host, I received a lot of “lonely text messages of ex pats living in the Philippines”, especially by playing “their music”. Sometimes I couldn’t understand their reactions, but more and more I found out that they become blind seeing the advantages living in the Philippines.

Being happy means also to find the courage, that we can have
it. Ask yourself, what’s your emotional dependence. when we are emotionally dependent, we look to others for happiness, our “self”-concept, and our emotional well-being. We give up what we want and need out of fear of rejection, abandonment or confrontation.

Let’s always try it again to be happy, even while struggeling thru life in a full pot of sluggish and idle mess.