Free 4-year cadet program to Filipinos offered by United States Coast Guard

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are encouraging Filipinos to apply for a free four-year International Cadet Program which will be sent to United States.


The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) has invited the PCG to choose among qualified Filipinos for the International Cadet Program of the USCGA Class of 2024.

The program will start on June 2020 until 2024 (4years) at New London, Connecticut, USA, confirmed by PCG.

According to PCG, minimum qualifications include:
- natural-born Filipino citizen
- must not be less than 17 years old or more than 22 years old by July 1, 2020
- must be medically and physically fit and able to swim
- single with no legal dependents
- excellent communication skills
- proficient in English and Mathematics


Free tuition, monthly pay and allowance, inclusion of free board and lodging free transportation expenses and other government befits will be given to the successful applicants.

Upon graduation, cadets will be automatically ranked as Ensign in the PCG as regular Coast Guard officer.

Four-year courses include Civil Engineering, Cyber Systems, Electrical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Operations Research and Computer Analysis, Marine and Environmental Sciences, Government, Mechanical Engineering and Management.


Interested Filipino applicants are instucted to visit the official PCG’s website to check the other qualifications and the application procedure for the free international training. (Photos from PCG facebook)

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Dating OFW at single mother naggraduate bilang Cum Laude sa edad na 42

Hindi pa huli ang lahat para sa isang dating Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) na makapagtapos ng kolehiyo.  Sa kabutihang palad, nagtapos ito ng pagaaral at bilang isang cum laude.


Si Michelle Sison, 42 taong gulang na ex-OFW at single mother ay nagtapos ng degree sa Secondary Education sa National Teachers College (NTC).  Hindi lang iyon, siya ay iginawad din cum laude ng institusyon.

Dahil siya ang pinganay sa limang anak, nagpasya si Sison na magtrabaho nang maaga upang suportahan ang kanyang mga nakababatang kapatid. Noong nakapagtapos na ang kanyang mga kapatid, nagpasya siyang magaral muli upang siya naman ang makatapos ng kanyang pag-aaral.  


''Walang maayos na trabaho mga magulang ko. May isa akong kapatid ngayon na teacher din, isa siya sa tumulong sa akin para ako naman ang mag-aral'' sabi ni Sison.

Ginawaran din si Sini ng 'Gawad Haraya' ng NTC, isa ito sa pinakamataas na award ng naturang eskwelahan.


''Sa lahat, huwag mawalan ng pag-asa kasi kapag gusto ay makakamit natin ang ating mga pangarap,” sabi ni Sison.

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Catch the 15meter floating super moon at Bitan Scenic Area in New Taipei

Famed artists Jimmy made the floating super moon that appears in Bitan Scenic Area in New Taipei. You can see the 15meter floating in the lake of Bitan until November 13, 2019.


This marked the 20th anniversary of Jimmy’s picture book “The Moon Forgets,” The moon signifies warmth, care, and guardianship with many lonely and hurt hearts were healed.

The 2019 Bitan landscape art exhibited by the Jimmy team and the Bitan Scenic Area of ​​New Taipei City will let the "Super Moon" float on the lake, combining warm radiance with natural landscapes.


The best time to see the moon is at late afternoon until it lights up at 05:30pm until 10:00pm. You can watch the three moons shine together and radiate to soothe people's hearts.

How to go to Bitan Scenic Area?
From Taipei Main Station, ride MRT red line going to CKS Memorial Station then transfer to green line going to Xiandian, drop off at the last station. Right across the exit of the MRT station is Bitan Scenic Area.


Trivia:
 “The Moon Forgets” that published in 1999, tells the story of a boy from a single-parent home who encountered the fallen moon one day and what happened afterwards. At the same year, the devastating 921 earthquakes occurred in central Taiwan, and the book soothed the minds of many people. 

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Taipei ranked 22nd safest city in the world; Manila at 43rd

Taipei City in Taiwan has been ranked the 22nd safest city in the world while the City of Manila is at 43rd place according to the 2019 Safe Cities Index where it ranks 60 cities around the world.


The Safe Cities Index 2019 is conducted by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit and  sponsored by NEC Corporation. It has four categories namely: digital, infrastructure, health and personal.

They look at qualitative and quantitative indicators in all of the categories. The city of Taipei has an overall safety index of 82.50 while Manila has an overall index of 59.2 (see complete list below).


Security continues to relate with a country’s income though wealth is no means the only factor governing the security performance of cities

Tokyo of Japan continues to be the supreme city when it comes to safety followed by the city of Singapore on 2nd and another city in Japan which is Osaka at 3rd.


Other Asian cities enters the list where the city of Seoul in South Korea at 8th, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai in China ranked 20th, 31st and 32nd respectively.

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Main Line South Train that links Manila and Camarines Sur opened by PNR

The Main Line South or MLS journey to Iriga City has been opened and is ready to take rolling stock material from Manila and Bicol and back according to the Philippine National Railways (PNR).


This was after the PNR's inspection trip was smooth and successful on its train from Tutuban, Manila to Camarines Sur and back.

The train left Tutuban on September 20 to Camarines Sur and returned on September 23. The routes include San Pablo, Laguna;  Lucena City, Quezon Province;  and Sipocot, Naga City and Iriga City.


The PNR inspection team from PNR Operations Engineering, and Rolling Stock Management and Planning, were on board the inspection trip.

The inspection trip lasted for 12 hours and 44 minutes from Naga to Tutuban, three hours faster than the normal trip from Naga to Manila. The inspection was conducted in preparation for the PNR's Sipocot-Naga-Legazpi commuter service.

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Massive Taiwan Gay Pride Parade set in Taipei; more than 80,000 to attend

Taiwan's annual Gay Pride Parade will be held in Taipei on October 26, 2019. This will be the first Prode parade since the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan, reported by Central News Bureau.


The biggest Gay event in Taiwan is Taipei Gay Pride with forecast of 80,000 people from around the world set to attend the event. The Gay parade takes place on the last Saturday in October each year and is the highlight of the event.

The event will have a theme "Together, Make Taiwan Better,"  as it will be the first gay pride parade in Taiwan as the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The route of the parade will start at Taipei City Hall plaza and ends in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard.


Parties will be abundant over weekend, with the most popular of the big parties are Saturday night at the W Hotel Taipei and the weekend circuit parties with famous DJ's from around the word and the hottest go go boys in Taiwan.

Taiwan Gay Pride Parade attracts thousands of gays from neighboring countries like China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. 


This creates a international experience and gives gays from all around the world the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals.

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NAIA Enters The List Of World’s Best Airport For Business Travelers

Travel website Globehunter which is based in United Kingdom has included Philippines main airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as it joins the list of the world’s best airports for business travelers. 


Everyone has a purpose when traveling and NAIA is part of the best when it comes to business travels.

NAIA joins the ranks of airports like the Dubai International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport among other listed. NAIA made it to top 44 airport for business travelers in the world.


“Not all airports are created equal and some offer a far better experience for those who are flying for business.” As such, they have “looked at some of the busiest airports around the world and compared the facilities and services they offer, from the cost of parking to the number of lounges available.”

NAIA has 3 out of 5-star rating with an overall score of 38.19 points out of 100 sitting at 44th place. It has 63.9% on-time arrival performance and with 5 lounges, 93 destinations served and 46 airlines.


Japan’s Narita International Airport ranked first with 75.31 points. Followed by the Los Angeles International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport for the top 5 airport for business travelers.

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Too Much Bubble Milk Tea Can Lead To Diabetes, Stroke and Heart Diseases

Bubble Tea or Pearl Milk Tea is a wildly popular drink across Asia which has gain the international attention due to its delicious combination of tea, tapioca pearls, milk, and sugar.


Drinking tea is good and nutritional specially green tea and black tea that have good benefits into our body due to the polyphenols which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties

Tea is good to our health but not everything that’s added to it. When ingredients like pearl toppings, non-dairy creamer, increase in fat and sugar contents may see tea from being beneficial to a killer.


Non-dairy creamer contains trans-fat in the form of hydrogenated palm oil that increased risk of heart disease and stroke. While more sugar content can lead to diabetes and chronic diseases.

The 500ml bubble milk tea with pearls has amount of 8 teaspoon of sugar and 335 calories with the 700ml has 11 teaspoon of sugar with 469 calories. The recommended daily sugar content is 8-11 teaspoon for an adult, anything more than will lead to chronic diseases.

Bubble tea is considered a sweetened beverage now in line with the likes of soda, energy drinks, instant coffee and others. For a healthier option, choose a smaller cup with lesser sugar (30% and below) and add only low calorie toppings, low fat milk.


This study is published by Mount Alvernia Hospital in Singapore, they also advised to have only 1 to 2 small bubble tea cups in a week.

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OWWA Started Processing Rebate Claims Of Its 556,000 Qualified Members

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) already started processing the rebate claim of its 556,000 qualified members. The rebate claims could be accessed at OWWA’s website owwa.gov.ph which is the official website for rebate applications only.


To qualify in the rebate program, a OFW must be a OWWA member for at least 10years and have at least five (5) or more contributions made as of December 2017 and the applicant and its family members has not availed yet any program or benefit from OWWA.

OWWA members can check in the website if they are qualified for the rebate program and can set appointment to their nearest OWWA office or any office of their choice.


According to OWWA, qualified beneficiaries must present the appointment code that will sent via SMS after setting an appointment to their chosen OWWA office and must bring required documents.

After verification, qualified members must provide bank details where OWWA can deposit the rebate amount. An amount between P941.25 up to P13,177.50 can be refund based on the number of contributions.

OWWA has released P1billion for the first phase of its program and will release another P2billion in its second phase.

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Taiwan grants 'Buy 1, Get 1 free' ticket deal on High Speed Rail for foreign tourists

Taiwan grants a special "buy one, get one free' ticket promo for foreign tourists in the country who will ride  Taiwan's High Speed Rail (HSR) trains to Central and Southern Taiwan that will run until January 20, 2020.


The discount package of the THSR is only available for adult passengers that must travel together for the same interval. The destinations of the promo being only Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan or Zuoying (Kaohsiung).

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau has joined with the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) in launching the "two tickets for the price of one" incentive program. Tourists traveling must hold a visa for a "short term" stay which is less than 180 days.


Foreign nationals in Taiwan that hold residency for work or study in a extended period are not eligible for the discount, according to the bureau. The number of free tickets are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tickets are available from KKday (https://thsrc.kkday.red-digital.com), KLOOK (https://www.klook.com/en-US/promo/klkthsrc2019) or Lion Travel (https://thsrc.journeyonapp.com/index_en-US.html).

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Russia Treats Simplified Free E-Visa Entry For Filipinos

Filipino tourists and businesspeople are eligible to visit St. Petersburg on a simplified electronic visa starting October 1, 2019 under President Vladimir Putin’s new orders.


There were 53 countries listed for the free e-visa which include the Philippines. Visitors and tourists will be able to stay in Russia for eight days out of the 30-day validity period. There are considerations that must be folowed, namely:

1. Only those visitors who are looking to travel for tourism, business, and humanitarian reasons are eligible


2. Visa is only valid for stays in the bug city of St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad Region

3. The free e-visa is only valid for a maximum of 8 travel days (which is good enough for travel)

4. Application for the free e-visa must be made no later than four days and no earlier than 20 days before expected entry 

Some tourist spots and activities to do in the city are vitit the Church of the Spilt Blood, visit Peter and Paul Fort, walk along Nevsky Prospekt, watch a Ballet at Mariinsky Theatre, be mesmirized at Palace Square and many more.

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Love problems harms mental health; may lead to depression or suicide

Love problems are the leading cause of mental health problems and suicide. It is stated by mental health expert Dr. Bernard Argamosa a psychiatrist at the Dept of Health-National Center for Mental Health (DOH-NCMH), reported by Philippine News Agency.


According to the doctor, many of their patients have psychotic breakdowns because to breakups, love woes. Breakups have psychological meanings and it may lead to depression.

Broken-hearted people usually “exhaust all their coping mechanisms when exposed to a stressful situation like breakups'' Argamosa said.


Love is a universal emotion that is important to everyone, hence, lack of it could also lead to behavioral and mental health issues, stressed by Cel Gonzales, quality control director of One Algon Place. Others are unable to cope with breakups that someone may lead to suicide.

“Love is important to a couple, and even to a child who loves his parents and needs love from them,” Gonzales added.

Doctors advised parents of broken-hearted teenagers to monitor their children’s actions.

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5 Popular Fried Chicken Store Among Filipino OFW and Tourists In Taiwan

One of the favorite meals of Filipinos in Taiwan is fried chicken, pair it up with the best drinks in the country. Based on survey and on the number of Filipinos working, living and travelling in Taiwan, here are the top 5 popular friend chicken store and restaurants among Filipinos:

5. Two Peck

Popularly known for its crispy fried chicken among OFW's working in Taiwan. Two Peck Chicken Cutlet is normally freshly made with a weight of 330g, thickness of 1 cm and length of 15cm.

4. Hot Star Fried Chicken

Popular among Filipino tourists which can be found in Night Markets in Taiwan, Hot Star Fried Chicken is a large deep fried chicken served hot and freshly cooked. Hot Star Fried Chicken has also a branch in the Philippines.

3. 21st Century

With its tasty fried chicken and roasted fried chicken, 21st Century also is one of the favorites. You can order a 1 whole roasted chicken with veggies and fries, best shared with family and friends. Its deep fried chicken has the semi-spicy flavor which makes it so good to eat.

2. KFC

No introduction needed for Kentucky Fried Chicken, though the difference is fried chicken in KFC in Taiwan and Philippines is the flavor (no gravy). Making KFC more popular to Filipinos is their roasted chicken and the delicious egg tarts.

1. Napoli

Napoli is known as "the pizza parlor that sells fried chicken", this is the top favorite due its crisp and tasty meat which is an "Italian-style fried chicken". Pair it up with different pizza from the store and mostly, Napoli’s chicken is far more affordable and is better in group sharing.

The best way to work and travel to Taiwan is to fill the stomach with Taiwanese flavored foods. Dine In different restaurants or have your ways into the night markets but having fried chicken is still the most popular on every Filipinos.

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Young mother sells twin babies for US$12,600; pay debts and buys new phone

While some mothers dream about having twin babies, this mother in China surnamed Ma sold her twin baby boy for US12,600. The money then was used to pay debts and bought some new phone.

The local police recently revealed or accidentally knew about the sale of twin babies when investigating a different but related case.

Ma, in 20's of age and lived from Zhejiang province in China, claimed that she did it because she was heavily in debt. Her parents refused to help her because they were angry about the pregnancy happened with no marriage.


The father of the twins, surnamed Wu who are also living in the same village, reportedly refused to be responsible for the babies. The father didnt even show up when the babies are born as Ma has no choice to sell them for money.

The sale happened last year of September until police arrested the pair this year and all the money are alrewdy spent. Twin babies are now reunited and under custody of Ma's parents.

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Taiwanese man marries brain-dead GF right before removing life support

Taiwanese man surnamed Lin marries his brain-dead girlfriend surnamed Wang on the day the family of the girl decided to remove its life support.


The family have decided to donate her 12 organs. Her boyfriend was in front of the bed as she put on the wedding ring and the scene inside the hospital room was both sad and moving.

Wang was riding a motorcycle in Taipei's Beitou district when she was struck by a car that had been making an illegal turn making her brain-dead while in the hospital.

The family of the girl once hoped that there would be a miracle but decides to donate the organs of their daughter, 12 organs that includes heart, liver, cornea, skin and blood vessels. This is also the highest possible record donated by a person in Taiwan.


Wang is a single mother of two sons aged 12 and 13, the school will provide scholarships to help the two complete their studies.

The family said that the donated organs will help lots of people to live their normal lives and see those people living with the organs of their daughter.

Even a single mother, Lin choose to love her deeply. They wear their favorite sports shirt during their marriage while saying "We finally  I can get married''.

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Award Winning National Taitung Library With Scenery In Between Sea And Mountain

The 2019 World Prix d’Excellence Award for Public Infrastructure Amenities was given to National Taitung University Library and Information Center as an addition to its award winning architecture and design.


Other awards for its architecture include 2014 Shopping Design Award (Taiwan Design BEST 100), Best Architectural Design and Spatial Planning 2014 and 2015 The 10 Libraries You Must Visit in Taiwan.

The winning library can be found at National Taitung University located in Taiwan East Coast sandwiched between the mountains and the sea as the whole campus is connecting the imagination of the two physical elements.

The library is adjacent to an ecological pond which is located at the green axis endpoint toward the Pacific Ocean. Its mountain shape has been known as the visual landmark of the campus and blends into the mountain background of campus. The library has 5 floors above the ground and the rooftop view deck.

On the rooftop of the library building, there is the view of superb Pacific Ocean and Taiwan Railway South Link Line. It is not only a campus landmark, but also the interest in Taitung.

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Taiwan introduced the lovely yellow banana inspired Jiji railway train in Nantou

The lovely bright yellow train called the Jiji train line in Nantou County, Taiwan was painted with a theme of banana. Jiji village is one of the rich producing areas of mountain bananas in Taiwan. The painted trains are made of bright yellow and made designed of bananas.


Get on, sit by the window and move with the train, enjoy the scenes, gather the vast mountain scenery and the simple scenery is super healing. The average interval per shift of the designed banana train is about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The Tourism Bureau retained the works of Russian illustrators Kajia Катя Молодцова and Jiang Mengzhi.

Taking a Jiji Line train brings you to the base of Taiwan’s soaring central mountains and close to its geographical center. The Jiji railway offers a panorama of the horticultural industry of central Taiwan, and the lives of those of whom it has sustained for generations

Along the Jiji train line, you can visit the following tourist spots:

1. Checheng Wood Museum
2. Shuili Snake Kiln Ceramics Park
3. Jiji Wuchang Temple
4. Jiji Military History Park
5. Jiji Green Tunnel
6. Daguan Power Station
7. Mingxin Academy
8. Old Residence of Hsieh Tung-min

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OFW sa Taiwan naglabas ng sama ng loob pagkatapos ma-scam ng online seller

Sa isang video na inupload ng isang OFW sa Taoyuan, Taiwan, pinakita niya na iba ang pinadalang sapatos doon sa usapan nila ng seller na kung saan nagbayad siya ng NT$1400 (P2,300) para sa isang sapatos na nagkakahalaga lang ng NT$200-NT$300.


Ayon sa uploader sa facebook na si Ann Brillo, nag order siya ng sapatos online sa facebook page na 'Couple's house'. Hindi umano nakakaintindi ng tagalog ang seller kaya sa wikang english ang komunikasyon.

Marami ng nabiktima ang Couple's house na page dahil marami na nag nagrereklamo base sa comment section ng page nila. Hindi rin actual picture o mismong item ang nakapost na binebenta nila.


Pinapayuhan amg mga OFW sa Taiwan na maging mapanuri sa mga bagay na bibilhin para hindi maloko o ma-scam. Ugaliin basahin ang reviews ng page o magbasa ng comment section. Kung nakakapagduda ang mga post ay ignore na lang ito at mas mabuting sa mga physical stores na lang bumili.

Panoorin ang video:

Video credits to Ann Brillo (Facebook)


Screenshot sa facebook page kung saan siya umorder online:

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