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https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1486797/bi-allows-overstaying-foreigners-to-extend-stay-in-ph

"MANILA, Philippines — Orders to leave given to foreigners who have overstayed their temporary visitor’s visas amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been temporarily suspended, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Sunday.

“Pursuant to various resolutions from the IATF directing the public to exercise social distancing and minimize travel, and in the interest of public safety and welfare, we will be implementing this order as a form of regulatory relief for foreigners,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente explained in a statement.

The directive will cover holders of temporary visitor’s visas who have reached the 24-month period maximum stay for visa-required nationals and a 36-month period maximum stay for non-visa required nationals as of March 1, 2020.

The relief shall also apply to holders of temporary visitor’s visas who have overstayed in the country starting March 1 regardless of the maximum allowance period.

However, concerned foreigners will still be assessed and will be required to pay immigration fees and penalties in lieu of the order.

Morente likewise said the order reciprocates the leniency of other countries for Filipinos who may also be experiencing a similar situation overseas."

 

For those interested. If you have funds in Philippines banks, if you do not provide the bank with a copy of your last will and testament, the bank is not allowed to let anyone access your funds and the government will lock up your funds while whatever survivor research is done. Took over a year for a friend’s (former forum member) wife to get access to the funds, even though they had a joint account. This was about 9-10 yrs ago.

 

Recently I bought a Flux Cored Mig Welder, it is a Lotus brand and quite cheap P5,250 it comes with a free 250grm spool of welding wire and the company I bought it from gives a free 1kg spool worth P500 (Shopee) Co name, Far eastern hardware based in Iloilo 4 day delivery.
For anyone that wanted to have a go at welding this is the way to go, it is just that easy by the time you have used up the free 250grm spool you will be producing very good strong welds, unlike Arc welding you do not need to strike and Arc, just point and shoot.
Up till now we have used up 30kg spools of welding wire on this machine and it is still going strong replaced around 4 tips again very cheap and available everywhere. Other tools will be required; Welding helmet it does come with a free basic one, but a self darkening one is the best P1500, Grinder around P1500, various G clamps, cheap in Tops and Bottoms, source of metal Zenith Hardware they store all under cover, First project has to be? build a Table to weld on, at a later date you may want to add a Chop Saw, again I used the Lotus brand P6000 On Line, P10,000 in the DGTE hardware stores for the same model. So a basic set up is less than P10K and around 15K total to add a chop saw. If anyone does have an interest in this PM me and we can talk a bit more on the subject, I don't claim to be an expect and was given some tuition by a DIY welder that helped me a lot. Dave

 

When it rains it pours. From so-so southeast asian (other than Philippine) to several greats. The newest is Soowan Asian, with food built around several southeast Asian cuisines.

It's hard to do "fusion" cuisines, because you either do one thing well or none at all. Soowan has managed this difficulty quite nicely. Thanks to the young woman chef, whose background includes working at Atmosphere and Salaya resorts, she has confected a convincingly authentic menu of Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese food. Parking in front of cozy/comfortable, clean dining room. Excellent food priced competitively with restos on the Blvd. Must eat to believe!

Up from Silliman Med Cntr, Soowan is 100 meters west of the Hi-Point Vehicle Emission Test Center at National Hwy and Aldecoa, at the Blue Horizon Hotel. One theory is that the shrinkage of staffs at closed restaurants has encouraged a few good chefs to break out on their own, joining the couple dozen great restaurants in and around Dumaguete. SUPPORT LOCAL / TIP WELL

 

Do you have books or learning materials that you no longer need or want? We have a loving home for your old books!

The Kalma Bukid neighborhood in Ajong, Sibulan is setting up a library for the children (and adults) in the nearby community. PhilX generously donated a room for the "Community Library" which the children will be able to come in to read or 'check out' books.

Our belief is reading is the key to a child’s success in school and in life, so our goal is to provide access to books for those who are not financially able to buy books for themselves, and to assist with their reading in our children class on the same site. We hope to provide a diverse library with many books encompassing a large array of knowledge and perspectives. We hope you will consider donating your extra books to our library and know they will be well cared for and greatly loved by the children.

For more information about how you can donate books or help, please call or text Margriet: 0956-588-3398

 

The final sentence of this article is of great interest, bearing in mind the proven ability of the virus to mutate.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/202...-philippines-procurement-clinical-trials.html

COVID-19 vaccines: Where is PH in the procurement, clinical trials? By Eimor Santos, CNN Philippines, Jan 9, 2021

A few points from this article:

Authorities are in talks with around seven vaccine makers to secure 148 million doses, enough to inoculate up to 70 million people.

Officially, no vaccine has been delivered yet to the country to date, but the World Health Organization said in a January 6 media briefing, the country is “on track” in preparing for the rollout.

There are two ways vaccines could reach Filipinos. One is through procurement, which is being handled exclusively by the national government, although tripartite agreements can be entered into by the private sector and local government officials. The other is through phase 3 clinical trials.

Here’s a rundown of where the Philippines now stands on the road to vaccination:

In November 2020, the country sealed the deal for 2.6 million doses from UK's AstraZeneca through a private sector donation. These are expected to be delivered in June of this year, benefiting more than a million Filipinos, with healthcare workers and vulnerable sectors given priority. Half of the purchase will go to the government, while the other half will be used by the private sector, also for their frontliners.

Over 200 companies are expected to pitch in for a second batch, which would complete the targeted 5 million vaccine doses.

In another tripartite agreement, the Quezon City government purchased in advance 750,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccines for its constituents.

Bacolod City said it has signed a "confidential" agreement with AstraZeneca - it has earmarked ₱300 million for the purchase of the vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration is still reviewing AstraZeneca’s application for emergency use authorization, which would fast track the rollout of its vaccine in the country. US firm Pfizer and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute are also seeking EUA.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. recently said the government is in the “advanced stages of negotiations” with Pfizer, Gamaleya, American pharmaceutical companies Novavax and Johnson and Johnson, and Chinese drugmaker Sinovac.

The Duterte administration believes Sinovac would be the first to supply the Philippines with up to 25 million doses by March or April 2021. It has a pending application for clinical trials.

The country will also receive "fully subsidized" COVID-19 vaccines for 22 million Filipinos through the COVAX facility, a global initiative led by the WHO along with the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to ensure equitable access to safe and effective coronavirus vaccines.

An allegedly bungled deal with Pfizer, which boasts of a vaccine efficacy rate of 95%, would have ushered the arrival of 10 million doses this month - officials now estimate the supply to come in by mid-year.

Two other US firms, Moderna and Arcturus expressed willingness to send 4 million to 25 million vaccine doses beginning the third quarter, but this has not been put in paper.

Meanwhile, Filipinos could volunteer for clinical trials soon, after the FDA approved the applications of Janssen Pharmaceuticals Company, a US-based vaccine maker owned by Johnson & Johnson, and Clover Biopharmaceutical of China. These may start in the next few weeks after the vaccine experts panel identifies trial sites and participants are recruited.

Aside from these independent initiatives, the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Trial is slated for this month, but it remains unclear which vaccines it would test for efficacy. Galvez said it would enroll up to 15,000 volunteers, preferably from Metro Manila.

The country remains under varying levels of community quarantine – all face-to-face classes suspended, business operations limited, and work-from-home setup encouraged. It is banking on the vaccination program to further open the economy, but health protocols should still be followed as it may take three to five years to inoculate enough people to achieve herd immunity.

 

On October 15, Ceres Liner will be starting a new route from Dumaguete - Valencia - Bacong.

First trip is 5:45am from Valencia and 6am from Dumaguete.

Last trip is 6:45pm from Valencia and 6:30pm from Dumaguete.

Sent from my SM-A207F using Tapatalk

 

I guess most forums probably have 10% who get off criticising posts. Is it an envy vs. jealousy issue? Is it their own lives are so miserable and their pasts were no better? Are they stuck alone here with Rosy? Are they without assets? Are they perfect and can’t handle those they feel don’t meet their standards? Are they weaklings who hide behind their laptops? Maybe they are just complete ********.

 

There is an Android APP available for free. It is supposed to get you in contact with Emergency Services like the Dumaguete PNP, Rescue One, Fire Department NorecoII etc.
According to the description if you have an internet connection it can transmit your location.
I'm not in Dumaguete so I didn't download the APP but it sure sounds interesting.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...ohhFV4lLpdY3JiPjBitYV1y6trLY0qLOyHibl0efOjytg

Dumaguete Emergency Free Android App is a medical, fire, disaster, police, and public utility emergency android application for Dumaguete City.

It provides landline and mobile numbers of One Rescue EMS, SUMCFI Emergency Medical Services, Dumaguete PNP, Dumaguete Fire Department, NORECO II Customer Welfare Desk, and Dumaguete City CDRRMO.

This application includes the official Facebook page of these emergency departments.

It also has a messaging, picture, and location sending functions for more convenient use – however, these application features require an internet connection for successful transactions.

But in cases when you cannot access the internet for some reason, you can still use the app by clicking the numbers you need to contact.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

This application is a must-have in case of emergency and will help you feel safe wherever you go.

Just a few clicks and voila!

Everything you need is flashed on your screens.


Dumaguete Emergency App is a proposed emergency app for CDRRMO of Dumaguete City

 

Imagine you were born in 1900.

When you're 14, World War I begins and ends when you're 18 with 22 million dead.

Soon after a global pandemic, the Spanish Flu, appears, killing 50 million people. And you're alive and 20 years old.

When you're 29 you survive the global economic crisis that started with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, causing inflation, unemployment and famine.

When you're 33 years old the Nazis come to power.

When you're 39, and your children are of military age, World War II begins and ends when you're 45 years old with a 60 million dead. In the Holocaust 6 million Jews die.

When you're 52, the Korean War begins.
When you're 64, and your grandchildren are eligible for the draft the Vietnam War begins and ends when you're 75.

A child born in 1985 thinks his great grandparents have no idea how difficult life is, but they have survived several wars and catastrophes.

Today we have all the comforts in a new world, amid a new pandemic. But we complain because we need to wear masks. We complain because we must stay confined to our homes where we have food, electricity, running water, wifi, even Netflix! None of that existed back in the day. But humanity survived those circumstances and never lost their joy of living.

A small change in our perspective can generate miracles. We should be thankful that we are alive. We should do everything we need to do to protect and help each other.