Best Posts in Thread: Business in the Philippines

(Mr Rye - I know this needs to be moved to off-topic!)

You talk great sense - but that is not how they do things here. IF they did then the country would not be in the mess it is. As a foreigner, looking at what happens in your own country, you could make thousands of suggestions how to improve services here - but they would not listen. They want to do it their way and I think that relates to superiority/inferiority issues.

I read recently of their plan to do research on some proven Western tests used for Covid-19 - the chances they could improve on it by testing are about zero. They don't want to accept the 'wheel' but invent their own!

Apart from services, think of all the land that is lying redundant because various family members own bits of it (in case you are not aware, here the Inheritance laws tell them who their beneficiaries are - they have free choice on about 25% only) - if they did something a bit more Western then problems such as that would not happen as frequently.

We could all write huge lists of the areas that need improving (how to run a business in 2020 being one of them), but it is their country. It makes sense to look at the best systems worldwide and copy them - but they are not interested (in fact, many are not aware there is a world outside!). A pity for them and their country as it could be so much improved - but it is their country and so their choice, but they will still be struggling years after all of us are gone.

 

That seems quite typical of things here, in my limited experience. I've been trying to contact a local surveyor. The only contact number I can find no longer exists, but apparently they are still in business. Makes me wonder how businesses could improve with proper communication to potential customers (e.g, up-to-date info, a proper website, not just some useless facebook page with selfies on it (not expensive to do and surely worth the investment for most businesses other than tiny stores)).

Does anyone think that 'selling' will ever get into the 21st century here (and I don't mean those annoying fb ads that plague your wall). Simple provision of information on goods/services and price is very helpful when looking for bespoke items or somewhere for a meal etc.