Culture Smart! - Philippines--Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Adapted from Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past.

ISBN 978 1 78702 284 3

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library

First published in Great Britain

by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440

www.culturesmart.co.uk

Inquiries:

Design Bobby Birchall

Printed in Turkey

The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. All Culture Smart! guides are available as e-books, and many as audio books. For further information and latest titles visit www.culturesmart.co.uk

GRAHAM COLIN-JONES is British by birth, a linguist by training, and an international civil servant by profession. He has lived and worked for many years in Asian cultures, including fifteen years in the Philippines. He is currently a consultant editor for the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

YVONNE QUAHE COLIN-JONES is Singaporean by birth, a sociologist by training, and a cross-cultural trainer, facilitator, and coach with a human resources background. She has lived in three continents and works with multicultural, globally mobile populations.

JORGE MOJARRO is a Spanish academic with a Ph.D. from Salamanca University who is teaching and researching at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He has traveled extensively through the Philippines and southeast Asia and has written for both scholarly and general publications, including Philippine newspapers such as Business World and The Manila Times.

COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 affected millions of people around the world, causing unprecedented social and economic disruption. As the impact of this global crisis continues to unfold, in many countries social norms are being challenged, and enduring changes will be reflected in future editions of Culture Smart! titles.

The Philippines, a scattered archipelago of seven thousand six hundred islands, appears to be one of the most Westernized countries in Asia. However, the realities of Filipino life are complex, and not immediately evident to the foreign visitor. Many Filipinos work abroad, far from home and their families, and this is of great significance, not only for the families themselves, but countrywide and internationally. Business is not carried out in quite the same way as in the West. There are social situations and ways of behaving that visitors might well misunderstand.

The Philippines has a unique colonial history, which has been described by its inhabitants as three centuries in the Convent and fifty years in Hollywoodit was governed by Spain for more than three hundred years and by the United States for fifty. As a result, certain Western beliefs are well entrenched and prevalent: 85 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholics, the government is democratically elected, and freedom of speech and education are highly valued.

Underneath the Western veneer, however, lies an Asian soul. Filipinos share many values and attitudes with other Asian people, although the distinctive blend of East and West is subtle and can sometimes be difficult to fathom. The foreigner who fails to realize that the faade of the English language (in which most signs in Manila are written), fast food, pop music, and rich lawyers does not run deep will soon commit a faux pas that may have long-lasting effects.

Side by side with great wealth, much of the country lives in extreme poverty, although there have been substantial improvements during the last fifteen years, and there is now a growing middle class especially thanks to the business process outsourcing industry. Culture Smart! Philippines looks at the social, economic, and political problems that have brought this about. Despite their material disadvantages, the Filipino people show an amazing resilience. They are warm, charming, and welcoming. Beyond the chaotic traffic jams and heat of Manila there is so much to enjoy and appreciate in the Philippines that the open-minded visitor will be vastly enriched by the experience.

Culture Smart! Philippines also includes among its pages case studies, true stories, and advice on what to expect and how to behave in many different situations. First-time visitors and long-term foreign workers will find an abundance of practical information and key insights into Filipino society and business life that will enable them to make the very most of their time in this unique and intriguing country.