Mercedes-Benz is recruiting in Cebu

German-speaking Filipinos have a good chance

A big celebration at Mercedes-Benz in Cebu was held marking the renaming of the company of "Daimler Group Services Philippines" to the name "Mercedes - Benz". The ceremony was graced by the German ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Thomas Ossowski, who was the guest speaker.

Mercedes-Benz has been based in the Philippines with a Service Office since 2011. The company started with three employees - and today, counting 225 in their workforce, with an increasing number. "We are looking for Filipinos from the fields of accounting and finance. (Accountancy, Finance course), said Mr. Heiko Nitsche, head of "Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines" (MBGSP). The new employees are needed for further development of the company.

Filipinos with German language skills would have a great advantage, as the staff of the head office in Germany are not proficient English speakers. Asides, Filipinos are known for their linguistic skills.

So, those who are interested in a job at the Mercedes-Benz should quickly enroll at a German course! Here in Davao it's best done at the University of South-Eastern Philippines (USEP) at Obrero. The German program is headed by the Institute of Languages (ILs) which offers various international languages - German was one of the first languages to be introduced to interested students, linguists and professionals from different industries. They also know how to prepare the students for the German language tests at the Goethe Institute in Manila.

Well, do it from the beginning right and learn German from German nationals who love to teach you individually or with your friends or workmates in groups at your convenient time of the week! If you like to learn more, drop a message here at www.my-davao-diary.blogspot.com  (below) or email me: lrexrodt@gmail.com - I am more than happy reply to inquiries!

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Jeepney adventure

Hi, use the jeepneys in Davao

It was on a Friday night, somewhere downtown area, when the car did not want to start and it began to rain hard. We did not know what happened car why he let us down, but at the end we decided to call our daughter to inform her. We were really happy when she drove up with her boyfriend... rescue was near! And besides, since it was still  raining, it was agreed that they would take care of the car the following day.

On Saturday  the auto mechanic explained that he could only repair the car in his shop. So the car was towed. On the following Monday, the mechanic explained that the repair would be a bigger matter and that it would take him probably a week or 10 days to fix it.

 So what to do? Should we constantly take a taxi? Oh no, we thought. What a costly hustle! In the stop-and-go-traffic in Davao, it would cost a lot of pesos. So we decided something new: Do it like the locals! Lets ride the jeepneys!

 Driving with the jeepneys is really cheap: per person and route, it costs a maximum of 12 pesos. If it does not rain, driving is very airy and beautiful and  you are sitting close-to-close with the other passengers, like in a crowded Balikbayan box.

 The problem I encountered is my height. "Woah, dako kay siya!" meaning "Woah, he  is so tall!", I would hear the Filipinos 'complimenting' me, when we enter the jeepney. And because of my long legs I occupy more space than the Filipinos. The driver  does not like us much, because he does not come to the maximum passenger amount that can be up to 10-15 passengers.

 My personal problem is the design of the jeepneys: These cars are built for smaller people! It is my head  that is always to near to the metal roof. And there are times that in the roof space is a crossbar, a triangular iron, which makes riding the jeepney a bit more risky for me. I've gotten enough injuries in the meantime. Since some time I wear a hat in order to "reduce" the painful collisions with the vehicle's roof. The only good way out of the debacle is that I have sometimes the chance to get a front seat beside the driver. In front, I have enough space for head and feet - and the view over the Davao traffic is fantastic. Yet, I have to say that this place is quite popular! Getting the highly sought-after seat is like playing in the lottery, it is all about luck! So, my dear follow-giants: when in Davao, ride like a Dabawenyo - but, take the front seat!

 With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Is it worth buying condos in Davao?

Is it worth buying condos in Davao?

There is a lot of constructions in Davao already and more are to come in the next year. So it is no longer a secret place to make money. Many small and especially the big construction companies are pushing to Davao. First of all there are the big companies, like Ayala Land, Mega World and SMDC. The buyer can choose from a variety of purchase options.

According to a statement of the company LAMUDI DATA there are at the moment  about 2,400  offers for houses, townhouses and condos. And who wants to rent, there are about  130 options to choose from.

It is not surprising that in Davao there are a number of super homes that cost more than 40 million pesos, followed by about 130 deals, which cost 10 million pesos and more. Most of the offers are well below 10 million pesos. This explains that the average price is around 4 million pesos.

It is also interesting what is the price of  1 square meter of a new constructed condo . You must spend an average of about 71,000 pesos per square meter. According to a statement of the company LAMUDI DATA  the possible rent is about 650 pesos per square meter. This means a  return of investment  of just under 1%. Not much.

One should note that these are average values - but to compare the offers in Davao it is worth to know these actual numbers.

With best regards,

Ludwig from Davao

Meeting of the Gascal Clan in Makilala

Large family clan meeting

It's always nice to be at a meeting of the families there. It is a lot to see, to hear,   to examine the growth of family members (babies and in-laws) and just  telling the gossips and news.

The great-great-grandfather - he came from Bohol - was quite active in family planning and had 12 children. And the family branches were  increasingly diverse and at the present time one  can actually speak only of 6 branches of the family in Mindanao, who have a meeting once a year. The older ones, so 70 years and more, get fewer and fewer –but  young people are increasing strongly.

The connection to the family members in Bohol is active. The members are  visiting each other. It is planned that even a clan meeting will take place  in Bohol. Since the current clan is focused more to Kidapawan and around, it is not only a long trip to Bohol, but  expensive too. So, we'll see.

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao.

Strawberries in Davao

Soon we will have strawberries?

What a surprise! One of the little plants that we have taken from the region of Arakan (which is a plateau located near the Mt. Apo, about 50 km from Davao and which  is cool)  last year, there is now the first, small fruit: strawberries in Davao. For us, this is a  surprise.

It is not so easy to get strawberries to bloom and then hope that they will also form fruits. The sun here in Davao is just too strong: Shoes that have a synthetic sole or ladies handbags with plastic inserts will be mercilessly destroyed by the UV radiation - and also our seeds brought from Germany , such as basil, cut lettuce, marjoram and chives went  down too. The seeds germinated, developed a little bit and then it was over. Nothing more.

That what you get in vegetables here is small and has a tough skin, such as peppers or tomatoes or grapes. And on the fields where it grows, there are  nets  stretched to mitigate the solar radiation. It's obvious,  we are almost directly below the equator!

So, we hope that the other strawberry plants  will come to flower and will bring fruits. Maybe it's enough for strawberry cake!

With best regards

Ludwig from Davao