It is possible for foreigners to do business here, but from what I’ve seen, two or three things must be kept in mind before you try. The most important is to have a pre-programmed sense of humor, and to bolster that you just might want to take up chanting.
Case in point: a Scandinavian buddy recently started a club down in Balibago. With years of club management experience in
Europe he has lots of know-how on how to succeed in that tough racket. A basic business requirement, among a score of others of course, is electric power to your establishment. He went to the power company and paid his 12,000 peso advance. A month after he opened and still no electric bill had arrived. He sent his secretary down to the company looking to pay for whatever electricity he had consumed. Their response was noncommittal, a typical “we’ll get back to you shrug.”
Two days later they turned his power off. He went back down to the company and learned he owed them 8,000 pesos and could get no adequate answer as to why they blacked him out. Evidently someone just decided to pull the plug. It took several more days to get the power turned back on. When I saw him he was so mad he could hardly contain himself. I just told him, “My hats off to you for even trying man. Better you than me.”
Check this out: when I moved in to my rented house a few years back I couldn’t get them to turn power on to my place because they said the previous renter still owed for three months. Excuse me? So what does that have to do with me? Perhaps they thought I would go ahead and pay the previous occupant’s bill to expedite my service.
I guess you have to be from here to fathom the thought process behind the actions, but I don’t think I’ll ever live here long enough to get the proper insight. In the end it all works out, but in the meantime… take a tranquilizer and enjoy the balmy weather.
It is possible for foreigners to do business here, but from what I’ve seen, two or three things must be kept in mind before you try. The most important is to have a pre-programmed sense of humor, and to bolster that you just might want to take up chanting.
5 comments:
NOW THAT OUTLOOK SOUNDS LIKE THE P.J. I USED TO KNOW. THAT OLD HILARIOUS VIEW ON LIFE. IT'S NICE TO SEE A LITTLE PEEK OF HIM NOW AND THEN. PO
P.S. HOPE YOU WERE HIGH AND DRY DURING THE TYPHOON. PO AGAIN
Hiya PO... Yeah, when i take my pills the old me reemerges on occasion.
The typhoon passed well south of here. Hardly even any rain made it to us. No complaints from me on that score.
No Rhyme or Reason to their madness, ha?
"no rhyme or reason..." That is the definition of this place. In other words, chaos. All one can do is shake one's head and marvel that anything gets done.
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