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by Erica Jahn

Travel Restrictions Imposed Upon DOST Scholars Lifted, Tuesday, June 14

In Airports, Travel, Travel Documents, Uncategorized
October 8, 2022
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2022 Note: This blog post was originally published in 2013, but since it is one of the most-viewed posts, I update it every time to include the latest research, up-to-date information, and most helpful tips on this topic. 

Please check the comments section especially THE FEATURED COMMENT on the Disqus thread. As of today, the travel ban is still lifted. DOST/CHED/SUC scholars are removed from the BI watchlist.

Just got back from my Taiwan trip last week. As usual, I didn’t secure travel clearance from DOST before leaving yet didn’t encounter any problem with immigration at the airport. 

 

This just proves, DOST scholars like me can travel outside the Philippines without having to apply for clearance. 

If you are a DOST scholar and you want to travel abroad, you may travel without applying for any document/ clearance to get through the BI officers. Unless you have other lawful cases, nothing can prevent you from traveling abroad! 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

You can verify if there is a derogatory record against you that may prevent you from departing the Philippines. I also did this a week before my flight schedule.

    • HOW TO VERIFY YOUR NAME FOR A DEROGATORY RECORD:
      • 1) Visit the Immigration office near Intramuros, Manila and file a request for verification at the Clearance and Certification Section.

        2) Fill out the small form, and present it along with your passport at Window 10. You don’t need to pay anything but if you wish to obtain a certification, you’d have to pay respective fees. 

 

 

*** *** ***

 

 

The distressing and controversial travel restrictions imposed upon DOST scholars were lifted Tuesday, June 14, 2012,  in a memo released by the Bureau of Immigration Commissioner, Ricardo A. David Jr.

Please refer to the screenshot below for the signed copy of the Memorandum.

 

Memorandum lifting DOST/CHED/SUC scholars watchlist

The memorandum is addressed to the Chief of Information and Communications Technology Chief, Jolly Bert G. Galleon, and Airport Operations Division Chief, Benito G. Se, Jr., stating the removal of the names of DOST scholars from the watch list. Thus, starting from June 19, 2012, DOST Scholars will no longer be required to secure TRAVEL CLEARANCE from DOST nor any document from the Bureau of Immigration to travel out of the country unless the concerned scholar is prevented to travel by some other lawful case.

Indeed this is great news for scholars who wish to travel abroad!


 By the way, for those who haven’t applied for their passports yet, you might want to apply now. 



Don’t worry, you just need your PSA Birth Certificate and two valid IDs. 

Please don’t use your NBI clearance with travel restrictions as I’m not so sure if you’d be required to present DOST-related documents because of the travel restriction hit.

Let’s keep updating one another down the comment section below! Thanks!  

 

 

Author

Erica Jahn

Erica is a former PR pro turned entrepreneur. Her greatest joys are family, blogging, music, skin care and social justice. As a Muay Thai enthusiast, Erica prides herself on working with increased focus, humility and diligence. She believes in living a fit life doing everything with a flair of creativity and love! Stalk her social channels @thegirlwiththemujihat

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Wanna try the world’s best coffee at Florentine Grand Hyatt Manila?

In Uncategorized
August 2, 2019
0

Canisters of Port of Mokha displayed at Grand Hyatt Manila Pool House

Rather than just ordering another mediocre cup of coffee for the sake of selfies or wifi availability, why don’t you experience coffee unlike anything you’ve ever had before? At Florentine Grand Hyatt Manila, you can enjoy these coveted beans, regarded by coffee connoisseurs as the best in the world, in a cup or a decadent cake.

So what are these coffee beans that we are talking about? Where do they come from?

You might be surprised if I say that these $240 per pound coffee beans are from Yemen. Yes. The war-torn country that’s said to have the lowest human development index (HDI), a measure of life expectancy, education, and standard of living, among the Arab countries, now exports to the United States and other parts of the world coffee bean cultivars that sell up to $16 per cup.

The Girl with the Muji hat (that’s me :)) with Mokhtar Alkhanshali during Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila

To be fair, Yemen is the country where coffee was first commercially cultivated. From the 16th century for over 150 years, Yemen was the sole supplier of coffee in the entire world. Thanks to Yemen, coffee was introduced to the world and has transformed our life since. I learned all this during the “Coffee Exploration” at the Grand Hyatt Manila Pool House last July 30th.

But when you hear about Yemen, do you immediately think about coffee?

The Port of Mokha 

Yemeni coffee is exquisite. There is nothing like it due to the country’s “unique microclimate and high elevation”. These factors resulted in highly-adaptive plants that yielded “complex coffees with sweet, chocolatey flavours”.

Coffee industry giants like Blue Bottle Coffee founder James Freeman, and George Howell, the roaster who created the Frappuccino and co-founded the elite Cup of Excellence coffee grading program, swear by its uniqueness and superiority.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy to source because the ongoing war in Yemen has aggravated both its quality and availability.

Mokhtar Alkhanshali pours coffee for media tasting at Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila
Bloggers tasting Port of Mokha at Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila
Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila

How to resolve this decline in quality and availability was the challenge Mokhtar Alkhanshali remarkably overcame with the Port of Mokha—a coffee company reviving Yemen’s rich coffee history and stature.

Mokhtar’s miraculous journey to restore Yemen coffee farms and to bring Yemeni coffee back to global business is beautifully captured and told by the renowned best-selling author Dave Eggers in the book The Monk of Mokha.

Port of Mokha’s beans is now being sold by its existing clients such as Coutume Café in Paris and Tokyo, Equator Coffees in the San Francisco area, Blue Bottle in New York, and Slate Coffee in Seattle, to name a few.

Here in the Philippines, you can experience this coveted cup at Grand Hyatt Manila’s grab and go café Florentine, many thanks to Michael Harris Conlin of Henry and Sons for paving the way to bring this precious coffee to the Filipino palate.

Trying out Port of Mokha at Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila
Trying out Port of Mokha at Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila
Mokha Hazelnut Cake at Coffee Exploration at Grand Hyatt Manila

Mokha Hazelnut Cake

If you have a sweet tooth, you can also enjoy Florentine’s “Mokha Hazelnut Cake”—a delicate yet rich cake made with layers of chocolate cremeux with a hint of Mokha, hazelnut dacquoise, and a hazelnut sponge base soaked in Baileys and Mokha coffee.

This signature offering is topped with a sheet of dark chocolate and sprinkled with chocolate coffee beans and roasted hazelnuts. You can try it for PHP 1,500 for a whole cake and PHP 225 per slice.

Parting Words 

The next time you hear about Yemen, I hope Yemeni coffee comes to your mind first. And the next time you try coffee, I hope you go for that life-altering coffee experience, with Port of Mokha—to borrow the words of Mokhtar, “drink Port of Mokha because you want to support a worthy cause or because it just happens to be the best coffee in the world”. Enjoy it from Yemen, with love, at Cafè Florentine – open Mondays to Fridays from 7AM to 7PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 12NN to 6PM. You may call +6328381234 for inquiries and reservations.

What do you think about the Port of Mokha? Do you know where coffee originated from? Have you tried Yemeni coffee? Do you want to try it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Surprise! I got flowers from Flower Chimp!

In Lifestyle, Uncategorized
March 23, 2019
0

The second Saturday of this month was a surprise. I woke up to a call from a delivery guy telling me I’ve got flowers—a box of flowers! Yes, it is from someone who cares, and no, it is not from a suitor. It was prepared and delivered by Flower Chimp!

Have you heard of Flower Chimp?


 Flower Chimp is an online international flower brand that’s currently operating in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and also here, in the Philippines. It’s Manila office is located in Makati.

While Flower Chimp delivers to only five countries at the moment, orders are placed by people across the world. I know some friends abroad who use this shop’s service to send out flowers and fruit baskets to the Philippines. Florist shops collaborate with Flower Chimp so people (like my friends) can choose from its collections online which flowers they want to send to their loved ones here in my country.

I checked Flower Chimp‘s website and I understand why my friends like to shop there. Truly, the site showcases convenience to shoppers; browsing around is user-friendly. Customers can immediately choose to shop by flower types: hand bouquets, boxed blooms, flower baskets, table arrangements, or flower stands. They can also search by flower type: tulips, sunflowers, roses, gerberas, lilies OR opt to search by occasion: anniversary, birthday, graduation, funeral/ sympathy. The cost of each flower/ fruit basket is indicated next to the item. The mode of payment is guaranteed secure and safe.

Here are some sample flower bouquets from Flower Chimp online shop:

If you want to send flowers with fruits, you can opt for fruit baskets.




Below are samples of boxed blooms.

This one is called Everglow – a dainty and ethereal box full of blooms. You can surprise your loved one with this stunning arrangement made with: Peach Roses, Orange Roses, Yellow Eustoma, Eucalyptus, Matthiola, Purple Eustoma. The golden hexagon hat box size is 7.6 inches (Height) with 6.6 inches in diameter.

If you click on each item, you can see further details like dimensions, types of flowers included, delivery availability, and the cost.

If you feel like making your order extra special, you can opt to add chocolates, balloons, cakes or even teddy bears!

Flowers have long been a symbol of love. Although they wither in time, one can’t deny their precious role as gifts to brighten up someone’s day.

So, if you are thinking of sending something to your mom this Mother’s Day or if you have anyone here in the Philippines you want to send a personal greeting, you can express it with fresh flowers from Flower Chimp.

Flower Chimp has a wide collection of flowers beautifully arranged by professional florists. The flowers they use are guaranteed fresh. In fact, they stay fresh for at least 7 days. These flowers are delivered across the Philippines for free. If you place your order before 4PM, they can deliver the same day. Talk about last-minute gift needs!!!

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Got this beautiful bouquet of fresh blooms from @flowerchimp.ph 💗💗💗 Thank you so much for remembering me on International Women’s Day 🌷💐🌹🌸 You can also send flowers or fruit baskets to your loved ones in the Philippines. Flower Chimp delivers for any occasions, nationwide! 🌷💐🌹🌸 . . . . . . #flowerchimp #flowerdelivery #fruitbasketdelivery #bouquet #sendflowers #orderflowersonline #orderfruitbasketonline #onlineflowerdeliver #onlinefruitbasketdelivery #womensday #internationalwomensday2019 #internationalwomensday #roses #daisies #pinkflowers #pinkigfeed #igfeed #curatedigfeed #onlinebusiness #flowerchimpph #giftdelivery #giftideas #bloggers #bloggersph #femalebloggers #pinaybloggers

A post shared by Erica Poyauan (@thegirlwiththemujihat) on

🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹🌸🌷💐🌹

How to order flowers at Flower Chimp:

1. Open Flower Chimp website. Find a bouquet that you like. On the product page, they offer options (e.g. including a glass vase).

2. Add the bouquet to your cart.

3. Open the cart. Here you may tell Flower Chimp when to deliver your bouquet, type a personal message, and tell them what they should write as the sender name.

4. Proceed to checkout. Provide them with your email address, the recipients address and how they can reach out if there are problems with the delivery.

5. Pick your shipping and payment method – Payment can be done via Visa and Master Card, OTC Banking, OTC Non-banking

Contact Flower Chimp Philippines

EMAIL: info.ph@flowerchimp.com (replies within two hours)

TEL. NO.: +63 2 639 6736  (Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm)

VIBER:  +63 9182846374 

Conclusion

Whether you want to remember someone on a special occasion or you want to patch things up, sending flowers is one great way to do it. If you live far, sending flowers through online delivery shops like Flower Chimp Philippines is your best pick.

Parting Words

The next time you think of surprising someone, send him/her a bouquet from Flower Chimp Philippines. You can include a simple note conveying your feelings. The person to receive it will feel happy. Trust me, I just felt it!

Do you like receiving flowers? How about sending a bouquet or a box of flowers with chocolates or maybe a fruit basket? Do you want to try ordering flowers from Flower Chimp? Whom do you want to send flowers to? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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