What Have You Learned About The Philippines

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f3dragonjedi
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I could probably make a half dozen positive comments and easily a half dozen negative. I'm not the type to write the "really long" notes covering all my thoughts in one, so a quick couple of comments for now.First a bit OT in reply to the references to the post on "another forum". I believe that poster is Fil Am (in the sense that he is completely of Filipino descent, but grew up in the States and now lives between Cebu where he has business and California). Regarding his specific post, I really took the post a being quite tongue in cheek and self deprecating and dramatized by poetic license. You can tell that just by the title of the post. I think he was just exaggerating the frustration some of us feel dealing with nonsensical policies, poor or complete lack of staff training, poor service that we do SOMETIMES experience in the Philippines. More of a dramatization based on a true story than anything else. But of course the preceding is just IMHO. Regarding the OP. I'm an avid scuba diver, the first time I came to the Philippines I had been working in HK and just wanted to come here to check out the diving. That first trip got me completely hooked. The diving at Apo island off Dumaguete is world class and just incredibly beautiful. The diving in remote areas of Southern Leyte, like Sogod, Padre Burgos is amazing. Beautiful undisturbed walls of coral. And sometimes you are at the these stunning sites and when you surface from your dive you are reminded just how secluded the area is....as your boat is the only one in sight.

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Jake
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I could probably make a half dozen positive comments and easily a half dozen negative. I'm not the type to write the "really long" notes covering all my thoughts in one, so a quick couple of comments for now.First a bit OT in reply to the references to the post on "another forum". I believe that poster is Fil Am (in the sense that he is completely of Filipino descent, but grew up in the States and now lives between Cebu where he has business and California). Regarding his specific post, I really took the post a being quite tongue in cheek and self deprecating and dramatized by poetic license. You can tell that just by the title of the post. I think he was just exaggerating the frustration some of us feel dealing with nonsensical policies, poor or complete lack of staff training, poor service that we do SOMETIMES experience in the Philippines. More of a dramatization based on a true story than anything else. But of course the preceding is just IMHO. Regarding the OP. I'm an avid scuba diver, the first time I came to the Philippines I had been working in HK and just wanted to come here to check out the diving. That first trip got me completely hooked. The diving at Apo island off Dumaguete is world class and just incredibly beautiful. The diving in remote areas of Southern Leyte, like Sogod, Padre Burgos is amazing. Beautiful undisturbed walls of coral. And sometimes you are at the these stunning sites and when you surface from your dive you are reminded just how secluded the area is....as your boat is the only one in sight.
Hello f3dragonjedi,I totally agree with you. We all felt the frustration of poor service, even to the point of ignoring you with selective hearing or lack of understanding. But when a foreigner with superiority attitude does not get his/her way in a foreign land, they tend to blow up in public because they're carrying a short fuse anyway, no matter where they go. Could it be that the poster was just having a bad day or doeshe carry around a short fuse ready to be ignited with a superiority complex? With those types of people, you learn to hate them twice as much as they love themselves.Finally, this thread invites us to share our experiences, our hopes and dreams. I must commend you on what you have learned about the Philippines. You wasted no time by exploring one of many faces of paradise, especially below the surface. Perhaps you could share some photos of your adventure.Respectfully -- Jake
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Singers
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I could probably make a half dozen positive comments and easily a half dozen negative. I'm not the type to write the "really long" notes covering all my thoughts in one, so a quick couple of comments for now.I'm an avid scuba diver, the first time I came to the Philippines I had been working in HK and just wanted to come here to check out the diving. That first trip got me completely hooked. The diving at Apo island off Dumaguete is world class and just incredibly beautiful. The diving in remote areas of Southern Leyte, like Sogod, Padre Burgos is amazing. Beautiful undisturbed walls of coral. And sometimes you are at the these stunning sites and when you surface from your dive you are reminded just how secluded the area is....as your boat is the only one in sight.
Hello f3dragonjedi,I totally agree with you. We all felt the frustration of poor service, even to the point of ignoring you with selective hearing or lack of understanding. But when a foreigner with superiority attitude does not get his/her way in a foreign land, they tend to blow up in public because they're carrying a short fuse anyway, no matter where they go. Could it be that the poster was just having a bad day or doeshe carry around a short fuse ready to be ignited with a superiority complex? With those types of people, you learn to hate them twice as much as they love themselves.Finally, this thread invites us to share our experiences, our hopes and dreams. I must commend you on what you have learned about the Philippines. You wasted no time by exploring one of many faces of paradise, especially below the surface. Perhaps you could share some photos of your adventure.Respectfully -- Jake
Hi Dragon & Jake,I had 4 months living at Marabut. S/W Samar... The "Protected" Marine Park allowed fishing BUT the occasional BOOM could be heard as some idiot out fishing used Dynamite!!! Loco -- completely destructive but no follow-up by Police as "Low Priority" !!The locals employed as staff blamed an "element" of the community that had no Fear of the Police??!! and took the boats "without asking for permission" !!:17403: who...?? THEY are!.SugarwareZ-002.gif UK Tom Edited by Singers
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lobo
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wow how quickly an innocent post turns into a PILE -ON - KANO FEEDING FRENZY.. i guess they could all be speaking japanese...

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love2winalot
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Hiya: The topic is, "what have you learned here in the Philippines?" Here is what I have learned. My brotherinlaw told me this joke over 18 years ago, and it is still true today. You have a small project to do. You have 5 Koreans on one site, and 5 philippinos on the other site. Both task with the same job. At the end of the day you stop by the sites. The Korean's are done. The philippinos have not started yet, as they are still arguing over who is in charge, and the best way to finish the project. heheheLack of Leadership, and being Unwilling to Take Charge, is the biggest setback i have seen here. Example. We had Festivials here in sabang, and morong the last 2 weekends before the election. Everyone in the festival is all dressed up, there is a smal band, and ladys singing, and a small generator to power the lights being carried on bamboo poles with electrical wire tied to each pole. The band should play, and everyone should walk along the route, and all is good.That never happens. It is wait, "no one knows why", and start over an hour late, "even though everyone is ready". Get lined up, and walk less than 1/4 of a block, and stop.? The people in the front think there is something wrong in back "there is not" The people in back think there is something wrong in front, "there also is not". After doing this more than a dozen times, the people in the band just give up on trying to play. What should take an hour at most, ends up taking 2-3 hours. I actually bit my tounge to stop from taking over, and telling everyone to follow me....................It is like this in almost everything. Even my own family, and in laws. Last december, nothing i wanted got done. The 2 months here, "without my wife", everything I wanted got done. No family discussion, no we will do it later, no nothing. If you are friendly, and humble, but at the same time, are willing to LEAD, Everyone will follow. The other thing I have learned, "from message boards", is I am kind of glad not to be around a bunch of other Expats. I am in the Province, and Love it. There are No jerks here. All the Guards at the Gates at Subic know me. Sometimes we bring them some food from JollyBee or someplace, on our way home. If i arrive at the ATM machine at the same time as someone else, i let them go first. It does not matter what people think of Americans, or Germans, or Canadians, or anyone, because what they think of, "YOU" is the lone factor in how they will treat you. If you Lead, and say, HI first, and shake their hand first, and ask them is they would like a beer first, and so on, while you are buying one Beer for them, they are buying one CASE for you..........A lot of this may not be true in metro manilla, but it is true where i live........................................

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Mr Lee
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Hiya: The topic is, "what have you learned here in the Philippines?" Here is what I have learned. My brotherinlaw told me this joke over 18 years ago, and it is still true today. You have a small project to do. You have 5 Koreans on one site, and 5 philippinos on the other site. Both task with the same job. At the end of the day you stop by the sites. The Korean's are done. The philippinos have not started yet, as they are still arguing over who is in charge, and the best way to finish the project. heheheLack of Leadership, and being Unwilling to Take Charge, is the biggest setback i have seen here. Example. We had Festivials here in sabang, and morong the last 2 weekends before the election. Everyone in the festival is all dressed up, there is a smal band, and ladys singing, and a small generator to power the lights being carried on bamboo poles with electrical wire tied to each pole. The band should play, and everyone should walk along the route, and all is good.That never happens. It is wait, "no one knows why", and start over an hour late, "even though everyone is ready". Get lined up, and walk less than 1/4 of a block, and stop.? The people in the front think there is something wrong in back "there is not" The people in back think there is something wrong in front, "there also is not". After doing this more than a dozen times, the people in the band just give up on trying to play. What should take an hour at most, ends up taking 2-3 hours. I actually bit my tounge to stop from taking over, and telling everyone to follow me....................It is like this in almost everything. Even my own family, and in laws. Last december, nothing i wanted got done. The 2 months here, "without my wife", everything I wanted got done. No family discussion, no we will do it later, no nothing. If you are friendly, and humble, but at the same time, are willing to LEAD, Everyone will follow. The other thing I have learned, "from message boards", is I am kind of glad not to be around a bunch of other Expats. I am in the Province, and Love it. There are No jerks here. All the Guards at the Gates at Subic know me. Sometimes we bring them some food from JollyBee or someplace, on our way home. If i arrive at the ATM machine at the same time as someone else, i let them go first. It does not matter what people think of Americans, or Germans, or Canadians, or anyone, because what they think of, "YOU" is the lone factor in how they will treat you. If you Lead, and say, HI first, and shake their hand first, and ask them is they would like a beer first, and so on, while you are buying one Beer for them, they are buying one CASE for you..........A lot of this may not be true in metro manilla, but it is true where i live........................................
I guess your post goes along with the mind set of "I will be the one" which I have heard very often from some Filipinos who wish to tackle a job while others are follower and not leaders and refuse to tackle a job. I believe that the way things are often set up with jobs in the Philippines and maybe even in life, that leads many to take the back seat approach rather than trying to tackle the job. Maybe it is lack of self confidence because I have also heard many people tell me that they are ugly when they are not, and I asked them why would they think that, and they would say my parents told me so, so I wonder if some parents also tell them they are not smart and if those things are instilled early on, then people tend to believe their parents and that may ruin them for life's challenges. Also, part of this could also be inherited from the Spanish culture of put off until tomorrow or otherwise known as mañana. I am not sure what the fix would be other than rewarding those who do and not dealing with those who sit on their arses, that is what my wife and I always try to do. 
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Singers
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wow how quickly an innocent post turns into a PILE -ON - KANO FEEDING FRENZY.. i guess they could all be speaking japanese...
Hello Lobo, Please enlighten me as to the meaning of your comment -- "PILE -ON - KANO FEEDING FRENZY".. -- Perhaps I can join in??.Many thanks,UK Tom :no: :(
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lobo
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wow how quickly an innocent post turns into a PILE -ON - KANO FEEDING FRENZY.. i guess they could all be speaking japanese...
Hello Lobo, Please enlighten me as to the meaning of your comment -- "PILE -ON - KANO FEEDING FRENZY".. -- Perhaps I can join in??.Many thanks,UK Tom :no: :(
think of it as rugby and america is the football... maybe that helps huh??my pinay wife (53) has been reading these anti american jabs and slights and the blaming of the AMERICANS for how the filipinos are and the AMERICANS MADE THEM THIS WAY BULLsh&t...her parents raised her telling her how good the AMERICANS were to them whenever they had contact with them and that they were always generous and respectful and kind to them and their needs.. i dont think my wife is a liar... she suggests that you read the real history of the filipins going back to when the spanish invaded and turned them all into slaves along with the catholic church who to this day dictate to the population EVERY THOUGHT THEY HAVE AND WHO THEY WILL VOTE FOR..as evidenced in last weeks election.. w/o the churches endorsement AQUINO would not have enjoyed such a margin as he did.. that is fact..... in case you havent noticed when you look around the entire country is built in spanish architecture.. its not because it is quaint and fashionable..the fact is that the filipino has never had their own identity and never will.. (the lack of self confidence you refer to is genuine and endemic)they have been enslaved by everybody BUT THE AMERICANS who to this day are pumping millions on a daily basis to keep this lost paradise afloat and of course to keep them as allies..the purpose of the government is to keep the people poor and as ignorant as possible and they are doing an excellent job.. the expressions on the faces of the people reflect their dilemma and is from centuries of subjugation , exploitation and a constant nagging poverty that they see no end to and rightfully so.. from the president all the way down to the barangay captains and everyone in between they have their thumbs pressed firmly down on the people who just want some of the action... its normal to be swindled here, yes.. its a way of life they have learned and i havent met anyone yet here that doesnt live that way.. deal with it and adjust your life accordingly is my only advice..ive made friends with everyone from the mayor to the thieves and murderers and i trust the criminals more.. a few cigarettes and a p27 bottle of ginebra and youve got someone watching your back that no one else will f#@k with.. that is a fact.. my biggest gripe is that you can never be alone here..ever, unless you buy 30 hectares on the mountain and then you still have to fence it and have guard dogs.. the place is spiraling out of control population wise and so LIKE RATS IN A MAZE THE PATH BEFORE US LIES.. IM NOT A JADED ARROGANT AMERICAN a**h*le.. im generous and give and help all i can and it pays me dividends.. adults will back bite you regardless of how much you help them , but i have found my true allies to be their kids who remain very loyal and always come and tell me what is being said behind my back... and trust me whoever you are , wherever you are , if you are white someone is talking behind your back everyday.. beyond daily survival they have no lives and so you are the topic at any time and it matters not how much you are helping... someone is not happy about it.. when i first came here i lived at aplaya.. on the beach in squatterville.. beautiful location spoiled by you guessed it.. a young girl needed her tooth fixed and so i took her to the dentist.. from that point on i was her keeper and quickly was asked to adopt her.. or just take her and she is yours.. she is 12 yrs old.. the situation got seriously ridiculous and i had a hard time keeping her out of my house and she was into everything she could put her hands on.. eventually i put an end to it and from that point on i could count on having my roof stoned on any random night.. here it is the squatters revenge.. next i gave a halloween party which no one had had ever seen or done.. it went ok and lots of kids got cash prizes for their home made outfits.. it was fun..next i gave a christmas party for about 60 close neighbors kids and it was a disaster .. i had a santa costume made for only p600 and one of the uncles played santa.. it went well until outside squatters invaded the food line and were pushing my little guests out of the way just to get some free macaroni and soda pop.. women holding babies were stuffing food and sodas between themselves and their babies and the scene was pathetic.. i stopped everything and pulled the tables back and handed the rest of it out myself one at a time.. after that santa gave out gifts to everyone whos name was on the list and it went well.. some of the girls performed a little dance for us that they had been practicing and i videoed them and then one of my neighbors started up the videoke for them.. my wife was so angry and ashamed at the adults crashing in and she quickly told them so.. that night our house was stoned ... after that we stopped trying to do things and basically it wasnt fun anymore.. my greedy landlord kept raising the rent and despite the renters law the sheriff and bar captain took their side , so i moved off of the beach and into a nice place about a mile away.. we didnt see any of the kids for a while, so we went back to remind them that we still loved them and missed them and eventually they started visiting us and now we see them regularly.. one if them told us that a rumor was spread that we steal kids and sell them, so none of them were allowed to visit us .. i went to the beach and discussed it in as calm a manner as i could and now things are better for the kids again.. they come and eat those nasty green mangos off my trees and they love them.. they run and play in my lawn sprinkler which is like a day at the water park for them.. we live as far out in the province here as you can go in lobo batangas.. a google search of la verdes passage will show you that it is the center of the center of the wolds most diverse marine environment with over 60% of all marine life living here.. and of course they are ruining it as fast as they can..one thing i love though is that there are no fishing boats that pollute the water.. all of them have inboard non-water cooled briggs and stratten engines made in china and leave no petrol behind.. to explain why the squatters have the best beach front properties in the nation is easy.. they werent wanted in the cities anywhere.. they were long ago pushed to the shores to eek out their living and there they remain today.. you see the filipinos have no love or desire to live anywhere near the beautiful shores , so in the past they didnt care who lived there and it was relegated to the poor.. out of sight out of mind.. now though the big fight is on to reclaim it all after it has been ruined with human waste to the point that it is probably not reclaimable.. they still use the shore as a toilet here and it is a sad situation.. i am doing my best and slowly making inroads with the politicos here to address these problems and to see it from a tourist/development angle which is the only way to get any interest from them.. my former biz was solid waste disposal in the states , but have no d illusions that i could pull that off here... but i am educatiing and pushing for it all the time , but it is an art knowing when to push and when to pull... i have allies and everyones agenda must be met in order to succeed at just one project.. they are now beginning to see that they have an opportunity to be a model community/barangay/county and save some environment while profiting at the same time.. as always roads , sewage and trash are the 3 big items.. i am doing my best to get the expats here to get their wives into politics and steer this ship into a better direction..sorry to have hi-jacked this post ... study groups like WHO and the ASIAN WORLD BANK and the monies SENT FROM THE WICKED AMERICANS for the development of certified landfills and sewage treatment plants and water resource conservation and human rights and ad-infinitum and ask yourselves where are these projects.. its billions of dollars... im sorry about the arrogant kanos.. thats life.. its d fils you know..:(
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Mr Lee
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First thing I think needs to be said here is that many of the locals often use kano to refers to all round eye white or black, so I do not believe it was being used to insult Americans or any others, as Traveler is an American and I am pretty sure Oldutot is also an American or at least lives in the US, I am an American and some of the others in the thread are Americans as well as from other countries, and IMO, and from my personal experiences in the Philippines, many of us will be considered to be kanos or at least referred to as being kanos. So all, please let us not take this thread in any direction other than the original topic and lets not take it, or make it about attacks on anyone or any culture. Thank you. Whoops, I forgot to add, Lobo thank you for your second post in this thread.   :no:

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softail
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Lobo……..that was a great post, shows a lot of insight of the local culture and the mindset of the local people and government. These types of thoughtful posts are what make forums like this great.Doug and Sally

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