The cover of the BizNews Asia, vol. 13, no. 22 reads “If you want to start a business, don’t start it in the Philippines”. This is further expounded on in a paragraph also found on the lower part of the cover page:
The World Bank ranks the Philippines 95th in ease of doing business, 161st in starting a business, 124th in dealing with construction permits, 108th in registering property, 104th in getting credit, 127th in paying taxes, 124th in enforcing contracts, 65th in trading across borders, and 50th in resolving insolvency. Considering that there are 189 economies, the Philippine rankings are a disgrace and put a lie to claims of Daang Matuwid. There is so much red tape and graft every time businessmen try to start a business or do business.
The World Bank data quoted can also be found here.
Photo courtesy: Facebook page
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Recall that in September 2013, BizNews Asia featured in its cover Philippine Congress with the caption “the Philippines’ biggest criminal syndicate” in light of the controversy surrounding lawmakers and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), better known as the pork barrel.
Red tape, graft, and an extremely inefficient government bureaucracy are some of the most obvious signs of the corruption that investors, both local and foreign, have cited as one of the biggest issues and hindrances to doing business in the Philippines.
What can be seemingly noted here, is that despite all the rhetoric of president Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino’s Daang Matuwid (straight path) – and especially with its supposed emphasis on fighting corruption – the current government has been rather ineffectual at curbing it. Perhaps one can be forgiven for thinking that it has been complicit in maintaining it.
After 5 years, the Aquino administration still has very little to show in its “fight against corruption”. There is only so much blaming on the predecessor and on BS Aquino’s political enemies that can be done before his incompetence is bared.
Actually, that mark has already been crossed. Many times over.
Now that the 2016 national elections are on the horizon, Filipinos can expect corruption to become a hot-button topic once again during the campaign period.
Whether Filipinos and all who intend to run for government positions can do anything different in the future will remain a big, debatable question for years.
А вы, друзья, как ни садитесь, все в музыканты не годитесь. – But you, my friends, however you sit, not all as musicians fit.
The article’s conclusions are absolutely correct. The Philippines is not a place to do business, especially if you are an outsider. Too many crooks and too much corruption. No justice. Very sad as it just means only the very rich make money and the rest of the people are subjects and servants.
It’s like everyone is doomed once they’re born in the Philippines. There’s no way out but to get out of the country. Still, hope and faith keeps us Filipinos going. We’re still hoping that one day, corruption ends and everything will be alright.
They prefer posting and retweeting aldub instead on focusing the real issues. Just imagine 14m tweets for aldud..wtf.
“…put a lie to the claims of Daang Matuwid.”
Now that’s strongly worded for some, but still a bit kind for me. hehe
The hallmarks of the typical 3rd world economy are all prevalent in the Fail-ippines. Doing business in the country is impossible for any entity that is not a Multi-national Corporation. In that case terms are dictated downward: Corporate entity to the people that run the country.
Fuggedabowdit if you are anyone else looking to CA$H in on the local economy.A great place to retire if you can avoid all the thieves and get to a beach on Camiguin/Romblon/Dinigat/Surigoa or Northern Luzon.Otherwise the country is a waste of time and, due to the murder rate and targets hung on the backs of Ex-pats entering the country, should be avoided.Too many better alternatives.
Very well said.
The Political leaders in the Philippines even exceed the Mafiosi in America, in terms of criminality. At least , the American Mafia has some Codes to follow. And once they do not abide by the Mafia code…the Mafia enforcer, is there , to put a bullet in their brain.
If our leaders , who are running our country are the thieves. Who will Police these thieves?
The Thieves investigate themselves…will you expect an indictment on these thieves? They are the : investigators, prosecutors and judges. They judge, themselves.
So the verdict will always be :”not guilty”…even if the evidences against them are glaring.
The “Daan Matuwid” of Aquino goes straight to their pockets and overseas bank accounts.
YEP, and thats one reason you cant do biz there.You just get robbed and no one can even get an ounce of justice. How many guys did I see start business’s there that just got crushed by red-tape,hand outs, even families robbing them.I knew a guy on Camiguin that bought a place, put up a biz, then 15 months later the REAL landowner showed up, case closed…the Ex-Pat got FUCKED!!!
**NOTE*** a few guys,EX-PATS, I have seen were able to do OK because they had GF’s/Wives that were not thieves AND looked out for their Man.
I started two businesses in the Philippines and both failed. The reasons had nothing to do with lack of funding from me or not doing my part. The reason for the failure is I could not turn my back on my employees. You cannot trust Filipinos because “all” of them have this “every man for himself” and a “one-day millionaire” attitude.
That’s one reason why Chinese corporations bring Chinese labor with them when doing any work outside of China, they get robbed by their employee’s if they don’t.
yep. True
Yep. Employees are high maintenance.
If you pay them livable wages, make them work in safe and engaging working environments, and let them enjoy the privileges as well as cope with the obligations of working for you, they will appreciate it, for it’s in their best interest that your workers continue working for you to sustain themselves, or if they can’t, at least depart with good tidings.
Kung gago ka sa mga empleyado mo, gagaguhin ka ng mga empleyado mo. Kung ang tingin mo sa mga empleyado mo e gago, talagang gagaguhin ka nila.
Hah, how naive! There have been plenty of cases where good bosses have been left hung to dry by their employees just to get a quick buck.
In short, people are assholes and it’s the owners obligation not to get suckered by the people under his payroll. If he/she has to be Machiavellian about it, then so be it. Your child like assertions don’t hold a candle to the real world.
People can be assholes, people can act like assholes, but are they always assholes? You prefer being an asshole to protect yourself, I prefer not being one so that they could reveal themselves. That, and I’m not a flipping dick to people in general. It’s how I roll, and in more than two decades it has paid off.
I’m real sorry your life turned out like shit, but shit ain’t the human condition.
Tama ka dyan Mr. P ! Me and my brother have our own business in Cebu and Makati and happy to say we have been doing well for the last 8 years thanks in majority to our workers na very loyal and hard working. Inspite of our very small scale biz, meron silang 13th month pay and medical benefits. Kasama na rin yun option na pag lahat ng anak nila nagaaral at makagraduate ng high school, sagot ko kalahati ng tuition nila sa trade school or even college.
Ive started 2 companies as a foreigner here and both have done exceptionally well. Maybe you just had a bad business plan, twice! But i must admit this cirrent admin is screwing things badly. Nothing works anymore; dfa, lto, doh etc etc etc
I’m done doing business in the Philippines and am ready to go back to the states. Insane family members, employees not comprehending the work ethics, difficulty finding competent employees, government bureaucracy, inefficient banking are all but a few reasons why I’m done. I’ll look at the time as learning experience. I am so ready to go back.
Sorry for that, Aryianna. I hope time will come you, me and a lot of people will find a different, and better, Philippines very, very, very soon. I worked abroad a few years ago, decided to come home because I’ve seen and experienced discrimination, albeit subtle, little did I know that that discrimination is nothing compared to being overworked and underpaid in the Philippines.
Thanks, Vincent. I doubt “very soon” will happen, so am taking action to get out of here.
@Aryianna, I think it’s the best decision you can do at the moment; get the hell out!! FAST if I may add.”Very soon” may not be in our lifetime for the Failippines to improve. With 2016 election and looking at the candidates vying to govern this land, very soon may never ever come.
Just come back to enjoy, but I myself don’t even find it enjoyable looking at the sad state of my country and my countrymen.
Where are the writers and the bloggers of Get Real Philippines. Are you people reading all this guys comments.. All they are saying are true I’m born Cavitenos and I’m here in states I left Philippines during martial law ,,, and I never even thinking of putting buseness in the Philippines because of that reason everybody saying here . It’s been like that since I left 1973 It is worse right now ,Pinoy yellow ,turd erap , GMA , Marcos , Cory, Fidel Ramos, none of them even concentrate of changing that . It is the root of poverty in the Philippines NO Jobs. And all the writer here in GRP are bringing up topics how f….. Up Filipinos and the country, very seldom I read anyone bring up this subject until now ….
fallen angel … I salute you for bringing this up , for this is the root of the problem in the Philippines,,,, I am also an ex patriot. U S Navy retired .. Spread this topic here and educate the Filipinos ,,,, pressure your politicians to make changes , do not stop till you guys stuck this issue up their behind for this is the root of poverty in the Philippines
The Philippines is not FOCKED UP. The Filipino people’s mentality are FOCKED UP. All Filipinos care about is themselves—not their country nor people.
Based on my experience 100% true
so damn true. in my hometown LGU’s seems hellbent on preventing SME’s from growing by stifling business opportunities and basically choking the owners out of the business arena… insane red tape, facilities way below standards and a lot of business fuckery and dickmoves…
@ Monica, it is called ‘killing the competition’.The country is fucked.
Start Business with the 32 years of MADPNOY=matuwid ang daan President noynoy Aquino Bribed and bacon barrel scam and hire a Senator Tanda enrile alibaba of the guiness book of records, the longest running money bathub auditors of the 100 century robbers of the Philippine treasury that span for almost a hundred years of hacienda luisita self interest of a greedy haciendero..
The family card of 32 years of MADPNOY yellow oligarchs media deception works well with the blame card of blaming the apo macoy marcos legacy of the masagana99 agrarian reform legacy for 22 years of Martial law, which is upto now the Senatong Tanda of 30 years rubbing the Pilipino taxes with the nitty gritty money bathub auditors of napolis list of Senathieves and representhathieves for making the marcost first world country status into a third world status of pagpag eaters and cemetery dwellers, which is the works of the economic hitmen of the controversial files of the illuminati
world bank ease of doing business Philippine ranking
2015 – 95
2008 – 136
so at least meron improvement
source table 1.3 page 6 of the document or page 13 of the pdf
http://www.doingbusiness.org/~/media/FPDKM/Doing%20Business/Documents/Annual-Reports/English/DB09-FullReport.pdf
The Filiipino oligarchs like to fudge the figures, and cover up their dirt, to make themselves look good in the eyes of the world.
Yes its all they do and they are all the same, not much different to those in the west though
I must state that I agree with many of the comments that have been published in relation to your well written article
I am one of those idiot foreigners who started a Resort business on Camiguin Island thinking that I could make a difference in this country and help in reducing poverty, I was looking for a lifestyle change so was not motivated to make a return on my financial investment or I would have stayed in Canada. I am still operating my Resort and it is almost 17 years since I first opened but the NIGHTMARE of operating a business on this Paradise Island is almost impossible to describe. Every year when we must renew our Mayors Permit the Municipal Government and Provincial Government Regulations put you through so many asinine procedures that it is like as if you are opening a new business, instead of just implementing a simple License Renewal procedure. My Resort is small, only 7 rooms, a restaurant & bar yet I must pay almost P30,000 a year for the “privilege” of obtaining a Mayors Permit so that I may continuing to remain opened.Many of the other Resorts on the Island pay less then 1/2 of the amount I am charged even though they have far more rooms some of them even have swimming pools yet their Mayors Permit is considerably less than mine. Could this be a ‘foreigner’s tax’?
As far as Justice in the Philippines it is almost impossible to obtain. 2 1/2 years ago I filed administrative complains with the Supreme Court against 2 of the Islands Judges against my attorneys advice, he told me that they will be offended and will be vindictive and more then likely try to deport me, since that filing of my complaints with the Supreme Court, at the age of 65 yrs I have been arrested twice (on false charges) for the first time in my life on 3 charges and am currently out on bail, the 2nd time I was arrested,after completing the fingerprinting and mug shot procedure at the PNP station I was handcuffed when we went to the Provincial Court House to pay the bail, when I asked the Officer who accompanied us in our vehicle why this was required when I had turned myself in and was not resisting, the officer told me that he had been ordered to have me handcuffed when I exited our vehicle and entered the Court building to pay my bail, he stated that as soon as we were inside the room where I pay the bail he would remove the cuffs, this humiliating procedure was done to me even though I had turned myself in to the Police Station when I was told they had a Warrant for my arrest and I was NOT in any way resisting being arrested, yet I was put through this humiliating procedure at the request of one of the Justice department employees. In addition to this humiliating experience one of the prosecutors in his SWORN AFFIDAVIT stated that the Mambajao Municipal Council had inquired to the Provincial Prosecutors Office requesting to have me designated Persona non Grata (banned me from the Island?) When my wife met with the Mayor and the Congressman at the Mayor’s Office she was told that many people complain about me (not one complaint is in writing) and that is why they made the inquiry to the Provincial Prosecutors Office.
2 days ago I was again subpoena to appear for a Mediation Hearing in CDO in relation to the 2 charges of Grave Slander, the subpoena clearly states “Fail not under the penalty of the Law” yet one of the complainants, a Regional Trial Court Employee, did not show up, when my wife phoned the Provincial Court to find out what the ‘Penalty of Law’ is, she was told that they did not know what the penalty is for a Subpoena’d person who is a no show. I have to wonder what would have happened if I was the ‘No Show’ person instead of a Justice employee.
The Justice system in the Philippines needs to be completely revised, the method of making some cash payment to a complainant and having the charges dismissed is unethical and only encourages false charges, the penalties for filing false accusations needs to be very severe in order to dissuade individuals from obtaining financial benefits by filing false accusations, the Court must implement strict time frames in dealing with legal procedures and not allow unnecessary delays. JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED
In closing I must state that in MY OPINION, President Aquino has tried to institute Honesty and Integrity into the Government and the Justice System and to hold elected officials and bureaucrats accountable for their crimes, in the 25+ years that I have been living here he has accomplished more changes to the Justice System then any other President in that time period.
My final comment is.. if you are a foreigner in this country and you want to avoid having problems ‘keep your wallet opened and your mouth shut’ do as I say, not as I have done. Let the citizens of the country stand up for themselves or continue to live as a third world entity and condemn their children and grand children to a life of misery and injustice.
>> The Justice system in the Philippines needs to be completely revised
Surely after what you’ve been through, you’d understand it a bit more clearly? The justice system doesn’t need to be revised. They need a justice system.
Like everything else in the Philippines, the legal system is (a) there for the sake of appearances and (b) an employment agency for certified idiots.
When you go to any gov’t agency, watch carefully. Nobody is actually doing anything of administrative value. They’re simply shuffling papers around and putting stamps on things. It’s make-work, to keep the dolts off the streets.
Try this: go to an office that has some important function (say, the Land Registration Office) and ask for a copy of land title. Any title, it doesn’t matter. When you get it, note that it has nothing on it that identifies where the land IS. If you go to the actual land location, you’ll find that the DENR has a map drawn in 1985 which bears no relation to today’s plot sizes and locations, which (if you’re lucky) are actually noted down at the Barangay, but more than likely are just agreed between neighbours. In other words, the LRA has no purpose. The documents it issues are meaningless. Likewise, the DENRs maps are meaningless because they’re (a) out-of-date and (b) inaccurately drawn. However, both departments offer huge opportunities for extracting bribes, and keep thousands of people with double-digit IQs off the streets. Thus, from the third-world perspective, they’re a huge success.
The Justice department is no different. Ever had to use a lawyer for anything? In the West, a lawyer is someone who knows the law and advises you on its use. If you need a contract, he’ll help you draw one up. Try asking a Philippine lawyer to write a contract. He won’t know how to. His job is merely to sign the bottom, sprinkle some fairy-dust over it, and take a fee. Employment agency, see?
If you start a business, don’t get involved with the government AT ALL. Stay off the grid and under the radar. And do it out in the sticks, where – as per the Chinese proverb – the sky is high and the emperor is far away. You won’t make much money, and you’ll still encounter Pinoy screwups who want to rip you off or destroy you, but at least the screwups don’t have official support.
@ Tom Skolski,Barangay ‘YUMBING’ is very nice place. The ‘HOT SPRINGS’ at ‘ARDEN’ are unbelievable. Going there during the week for Eu0.50 and staying all day, I could have stayed there forever. I could have done exactly what you did, but knew that I would lose my investment…and every time I tried to do something,I got robbed ,cheated,lied to,extorted…so after not enough time spent at the ‘ARDEN HOT SPRINGS’ (200 visits at least, but not enough….)….the restaurants in the area…….they have it rough……not enough tourists…and the poor guys whose plane crashed 3-4 years ago?Killed the guy and his wife and child. Guess who sold the nationally televised video from the wreckage two minutes after it happened to ‘the network’? they still owe the Pesos,P5,000.
Cant get it as there is no remedy for someone that fails to pay, the cheep FUX! but its different if an Ex-pat doesn’t pay:’Victimizing Filipino’s..’.
Good news is the prisons there could not hold a squirrel inside and they are easily broken out of.Also you could turn a prison into a resort in that country, if you have enough money!
Word to the wise! STOP USING YOUR REAL NAME HERE !!!!
and use a VPN, untraceable !!!!
Who the fuck is UMMAGUMMA? U KNO? a guy who heard “EUGENE, one of these days I am gonna chop you into little fuckin pieces…”, at an early age?
……. best pizza in the whole country @ LUNA RESTAURANTE !
oh, so thats where you got your handle. see you on the dark side of the moon!
…its a long way…(to the top)….
Unmagumma it is SOLSKI not Skolski, yes from Yumbing. I am from the old school that teaches you to stand up for what you believe in, not hide behind ‘nom de plume’
It is very difficult for me to respond to someone who espouses an opinion but is not prepared to identify themselves.
NO, not really.
Solski,Skolski,IDGAS,I am not big on names.I have walked into your office on a few occassions and never mentioned it.I never ever tell anyone my real name in the Philippines. “Hi, my name is Joe Romano.”,people seem to believe it. and that is it.”,I am not hiding behind anything,if I were you I would not use my real name on this web-site. You are charged with ‘Grave-SLANDER’, well if you talk about it here, it will come out in court.
As for standing up for ones-self, I’ve done more than the average person’s share of that,scars/convictions to prove it.This particular web-site will never see my real name and never will 99.8% of Filipino’s….as well as 99.9% of Ex-Pats.
You must be f’ing crazy, Tom Solski. You don’t “stand up for what you believe in” in a country like the Philippines unless you have a death wish. Filipinos kill each other for singing off-key. Foreigners are imprisoned for saying anything even remotely non-complimentary.
Just because you want to do the right thing – which is admirable – doesn’t mean anyone will appreciate it in the Philippines. Quite the opposite.
@ Marius, after being in the country 25 years ,he should understand that,yes? BUT after taking so much shit, from Filipino’s…it can get difficult.
EXAMPLE:There is a guy at immigration I’d like to beat the living fuck out of,a coma is what the POS needs for what he has done.Another scumbag at Immigration at NAIA, an old Man w/Glasses, that fuckhead……I have lost my mind at these people, been surrounded by ten coppers (after the pussies called them), and had an illegal .357 in my waistband…and walked away, no shots fired,no punches thrown, my partner is a Saint!
@TOM SOLSKI
I’ve heard this from a businessman who set up business here:
“When applying for business in the Philippines, you’re assumed to be guilty unless you prove yourself innocent.”
No wonder we got tons of inefficiencies here.
I feel your pain, filos are filos, they dont deserve to be trusted bc they are not trustworthy people i learnt the hard way also, we are not alone, millions of foreigners have been scammed. There should be lectures before we are allowed to travel to the Philippines giving examples of how the system is there from people who have been there and done it business wise and other in the Philippines, bc it is so strange to us that people could behave the way they do with the lack of moral compass. If we could be alerted early we would be able to prepare for it so much better and perhaps actually enjoy the Philippines moreso, lets face it their women are great fun, much more so than the common white controlling woman who hate to see us men happy lol… sad but true
FILIPINOS DO NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES AND EACH OTHER.
All Filipinos care about is PROFIT, by transforming this once agriculturally productive land–that fed millions of its population at an affordable price–into a “concrete jungle” full of high-rise condominiums, shopping malls, and privately-owned vehicles to clog the roadways.
The saddest part is ‘ALL’ Filipinos are buying into the insanity so they can brag to everyone about having a similar ‘socialite’ lifestyle as the country’s elites. What a self-serving and arrogant people we Filipino really are.
It is evident in my condominium building in Cebu. When I look in the garage I would estimate that 80% of the cars are SUVs in 2 million+ peso price range, and the average price/value of the shoe box condo is 1.8 million at the most. People with a little money here need to show to people they have “arrived” so to speak, and yet live in a small room. It is about appearances…. To me it shows misplaced priorities. But, that is just me.
Kane,
I’m with you on the “misplaced priorities.” Filipino are known to be an “inggitero” (envious and covetous) and “hambog” (arrogant/aristocratic) people, to cover up their insecurities of being known as people from a “Third World” country. Filipinos have this deep-seate desire to rank among people of more successful countries, but their “dysfunctional” moral compass and ‘destructive’ lifestyles prevent them from doing so.
Aeta
The truth has been spoken!
@ Aeta & Kane, you are both right, but in general….that is the way it is around the globe.People want to be seen in a flattering light and make themselves look good. An Ex-pat in the Fails is best to go around looking like a ‘Down-and-out’ Loser than to FLASH his/her wealth. ‘A fool and his money soon go separate ways…..’.I am driving around that country in a POS ‘Multi-cab’ and could easily buy a ‘Hi-Lux'(‘Tundra’ in other countries…) but know it would get stolen. Could buy a beach front property but would NEVER receive a valid ‘Land Title’, so they can keep their shit and just rent it. The only person met in the entire country that did not have an ulterior motive in their dealings w/moi is the partner who has my back wherever travels go, and the faithful German-Shepherd dog and .357 Snub-Nose AKA ‘BULLY’….it is all that is required,
FUCK WITH ME,loud sounds WILL follow.
OOH-BAH-LOO-BA,
Every Filipino is out for a profit and how they can look glamorously regal in other people’s eyes, regadless of how their aristocratic attitude and self-serving lifestyle negatively affect their own country and each other. That is how FOCKED UP Filipinos are: it’s “every man for himself.”
Aeta
OOH-BAH-LOO-BA,
“Aeta & Kane, you are both right, but in general….that is the way it is around the globe.People want to be seen in a flattering light and make themselves look good.”
Unfortunately for Filipinos, all their attempts of trying to “look good”–by being arrogant and self-serving–end up backfiring on their asses. Their “every man for himself attitude” makes them look like FOCKED UP people from a FOCKED UP country.
Filipinos really need a complete “moral Compass” overhaul if they expect to survive as one nation.
Aeta
There’s a guy near me selling a 7ha plot of land for 1 billion pesos. Yes, 1 billion. He genuinely believes some idiot foreigner with US$25m in his pocket is going to buy his flyblown plot on the edge of a tinpot city, as opposed to (say) a 500ha country estate in France or prime real estate in London.
Apart from the sheer insanity of the price, what would a Pinoy do with US$25m? There are only so many KTV parties and crates of red horse you can get through in one lifetime.
@ Marius, the price of land in the Fails is HILARIOUS. A condo bldg. in CDO(across from a Mall on the Norhtern HWY.) is advertised internationally as a futuristic glamour destination when in reality it is surrounded by tin-shacks/2 Kms. from the nearest water body, has linoleum floors and is laughable priced at over P12MILLION PER 100 SQ.METERS($300,000.00 FOR A DUMPY ASS APARTMENT THAT IS ADVERTISED AS ‘SHANG-GRI LA’, but is nowhere near it). Even worse it was built with ‘FREE LABOR’ where guys were promised jobs if they worked 1 month at no pay and would be hired after the ‘probationary’ period.Of course, none were ever given a job after they worked for nothing.
The entire country is a scam.
OOH-BAH-LOO-BA,
Every greedy land developer in the Philippines has hopped on the “bandwagon,” of building condominiums, subdivisions, and shopping malls on every available square inch of land, just so they can capitalized on the ongong trend of turning this once agriculturally-rich country–that fed millions of its citizens–into a ‘concrete jungle or wasteland.’ The sad part is we Filipinos–in the Philippines and abroad–are buying into that insanity.
Aeta
Because of course you can house a hundred million people in nipa huts without somehow converting thousands of acres of farmland and forest into concrete jungle.
Tell us how that utopian dream works, won’t you, Aeta?
Pallacertus,
That “utopian dream work that you are talking about is called “proper zoning law,” and making sure all Filipinos adhere to it regardless of how vast their land holding is or how much money they have.
This is how you ensure these agricultural farmland are preserved, water natural drainages/runoffs can be maintained free of concrete blockages when it rains, and the roadway free of traffic and smog. You are obviously sold on the idea of modernizing a country that does not have a solid zoning infrastructures in place to keep every “Tom, Dick, and Harry” from building whatever he or she wants, wherever he or she wants to build it.
Therefore, that makes you just as FOCKED UP as the rest of them greedy Filipinos and FOCKING UP your country at the same time, just so you can look like other modern and successful countries in the world, when the truth is it is just a big ‘façade’ when it comes to the Philippines on how successful our country really is.
Aeta
yep you know how the system truly is
I know where Ruben Ecleo Jr. is and I want my P4 million reward so why would none of the 7 different PNP offices I have approached do anything? They tell me I have to go to the local police office and tell them. What do they not understand about the word “National” in “Philippine National Police” and expect me to go to the place where every member of the PNP is also either a relative of, or beholden to, Ecleo himself? I would never survive the day.
@ Jerry,its a ruse, as you know, they do not want to catch him. IF YOU KNOW, so does the PNP ,LOL!!!the reward has been reduced to 2Million Peso’s.
http://pnp.gov.ph/portal/images/most_wanted/7.jpg
I would have sworn I saw him @ ‘The Homestead Inn’ in Valencia recently.BUT, I figured he is dead already and thats why he is still wanted.Anyway, Eu 35,000 is not enough to buy a decent car.
What is with the real name Jerry?
Voting power of their church is in the millions. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have protection from higher up the ladder, or the from the “top” itself.
most likely hiding out in that big castle in san jose,dinagat…lots of locals still believe in him and his family,i know someone who took a bullet for him during the military’s attempt to bring him to justice….
I knew that guy looked familiar.
What the Filipino people need is a complete frontal lobotomy of their ‘moral’ oblongota.
You my friend know exactly what the problem is A++++++++
Study Liechtenstein. There is an anecdote that says there are more corporations in Liechtenstein than there are ‘steiners. GDP and standard of living are at the top among nations, unemployment is statistically non-existent.
Compare to the Philippines – among the lowest of the low in ranking among nations.
Lol a country that’s only 160 square kilometers with only 37,000+ people? Like in the case of Singapore, it’s small size makes it easier to govern,educate and develop if they get their shit together. It’s a good case study for tiny countries but not for a bigger country such as the Philippines. Japan’s a better example.
Good luck doing that in an archipelago of 7107 islands(Which are poorly connected with horrible transportation/communication infrastructure)with 100+ millions of people who are divided into several regions with their own identities, languages, beliefs, issues, and greed.
Heck even up to now we are not that united.
I cant beleived that this phrase “daang matuwid” is meant by some commentators to make Filipino into a very bad reputation. Please stop using Filipino or Philippines in words for your political election motives.How dare you biznews asia, how much did you received from politicians just to fabricate this issue?
If you want to make a quick millions in the Failippines and you are an EXpat/foreigner, then the best bet is claim you are sent by god and start a cult or religion. It’s a damn proven business in the failippines.
Hassles free and no tax!!!
Sorry for all of you – foreigners and Filipinos alike – who agree with thics article. It is factually ifncorrect. And how! I have no idea why the authors or this publication have it in for Acquino, but they seem perfectly willing to vilify, misrepresent, distort and outright lie to achieve their ends. The extremes they go to are ludicrous and would be laughable – if the issue was not so important.
In what follows, I use 2010 reports since they are based on 2009 data (the year before PNoy became president and the latest reports, based on 2014 data). On corruption, the big failure according to this article. According to Transparency International, THE leading international corruption monitoring organization, in less than 5 years, the Philippines improved from #142, well in the most corrupt quartile, to #85, in the top (least corrupt) half. Wow!
Yes, the Philippines ranks #95 on the World Bank’s Doing Business Index. BUT this article fails to note that this is up from #144 in such a short period.
A highly positive improvement was also achieved the ranking of the Philippines in the Global Competitiveness Report. (From 85 out of 144 to 47.)
Even in the United Nations Human Development Index (a combination of income, health, and education), that reflects long run trends, the rank of the Philippines increased 20 positions, i.e. it jumped over 20 countries to #97.
Sure much more needs to be done. But this is the greatest performanc5e improvement in these reports of any country in the history of these reports. FACT.
We’re a site filled to the brim with racists, rightists, free-marketeers, messiah worshippers, and armchair revolutionaries. (Add the occasional idealist, contrarian, and moderate, and you have GRP, slayer of yellow monsters.) Some of us openly or with as few veils as possible hanker for the Marcos years; others want whatever restraints to the free market still remain blown completely to bits; still more would bomb the Philippines to smithereens just to get rid of the outright inferior populace and its mostly degenerate culture (“mostly”, as the whole “dancing girls” fracas shows).
Is it any wonder that we are not satisfied with any performance other than the unrealistic? For all the emphasis on realism, most of us here (including me, or else I wouldn’t be here) are idolators.
What do they worship? Ideas. Ideas unchecked by reserve and restraint, ideas untrammeled by contrariness, ideas unadulterated by the saving shred of compromise.
You still wonder about us? You probably should.
Please, everything is rigged for the ‘dynastic rulers’, and always will be…until the people wake the fuck up.
How vague of you.
@ Palla, do u really need it spelled out for U ? EE-GAD MON, U seem 2 B reasonably bright and able to figure it out. Each ‘Dynasty’ has a ‘fiefdom’…..etc etc ……
Oh c’mon, you know 70% of those indexes are based on perception, and this administration has been focused on perceptions. Nothing wrong with that for business is afterall driven by perception.
But, if it is all about perception, and nothing really done in terms of concrete projects, sooner or later, that bubble they created will unravel. Just look at the hundreds of PPPs they have been advertising and advertising, only nine are serious, of that, only four are under construction with 200 days to go before his term ends.
Right now, I wouldn’t trust those indexes, I will check everything on the ground. And when you check on the ground, you know they lie. So the hell with your facts. With your indexes, I could lose big money, and I ain’t gonna allow that.
You can praise him all you want, and good luck with that. Me, I wouldn’t trust a mentally unstable who thinks managing by perception is the best.
Well, Add, it’s easy for you to discount this article; you didn’t make it after all. You can still concentrate on attacking Noynoy with the verve and vitriol required.
I can imagine it’s a little harder for FallenAngel to back away slowly, given what he has said in support of the article he cites.
No, my dear friend. One puts up a Be Careful sign, which in the end business proponents will appreciate. The other is being an instrument to a reckless delusion. Let us go by what we encounter day by day.
You are just blinded by your Filipina love interests and the novelty of living in a Third World country Philippines, where your dollars or pounds will take you a little farther than the pesos.
Here’s what your statement looks like to me and to others who have made their remarks in support of FallenAngel’s take on the BizNews article —
Aeta: Noynoy didn’t do good? Doggone it! That confirms my innermost sentiments! Lynch Noynoy!!!
Lecraw: Well, his administration still did better on all metrics BizNEws uses when compared to those measured 5 years ago.
Aeta: Doesn’t fucking matter!!! Facts are STOOPID THINGS!!!!!!!!!! LYNCH THE MOTHERFUCKING INTERLOPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But of course this is an opinion blog and opinions can never be wrong, right?
Pallacertus,
The fact is you are a delusional dimwit who does not live in reality—and still wet behind the ears.
Aeta
And you’d rather attack Lecraw than check up the info he provided. Was Lecraw wrong because his info was wrong, or was he wrong because of who he chooses to affiliate with?
Your ball.
Pallacertus,
My “ball” stays the same: you’re still a ‘delusional dimwit.’
Aeta
Are we playing dodgeball? No we’re not — answer the question.
Pallacertus,
If I answer your question, you’re just going to come up with another delusional, hypothetical question—and the “dodge ball” continues. So let it rest.
Aeta
So you won’t answer my question. OK — feel free to misrepresent me, just as I feel free to attack you.
Still desperate to sabotage this site eh jonas?
Pallacertus,
If attack you must, then do so. I’ll be ready for you.
Aeta
Aeta, you are the man, you have summarised everything that the filipino is, i was here for 2 yrs and the amount of shit i went through trying to help people and start up businesses and giving people the benefit of the doubt was truly insane and left me disturbed…your comments made my day bc they are right in line with the truth…the philippines is a hard learnt lesson and cost me more than I care to imagine and if i stayed longer could have cost me everything…thanks for your insightful comments, if only i had guidance from someone like yourself from the start before all this craziness of my last 2.5yrs went down. Now that i know the true filipino (male or female) after my dreadful experiences i will never look at them the same way ever again and have since returned home away from the insanity and moral decay
In the Philippines it doesnt matter if they are rich or poor, short or tall, city or country, catholic or muslim, in the end they will all screw you over and not think twice about it…zero moral compass and whats worse is that they will actually be proud of screwing a good person that only had intentions of helping them, they wont feel even the slightest bit of remorse for their wrong doing towards you
Thanks for being honest, I respect you
regards,
Tom
Yes 100% true
the saying is ‘comparisons are odious’ but humor me along, I can’t help but compare when I got married here in 1994, my wife had to draw a map for some people as to where we were, where we wanted to go etc. It’s the first thing I noticed – very few maps of a city the size of CDO!
And yet when I was a kid in the early 50s sharing a bicycle with my brother, I remember going to the local Shell service station or any other and asking for a (FREE)map of the city of Montreal so I could cycle around the different parts of town and know where I was and how to get back home.
You simply couldn’t do that here – street signs are either missing, dilapidated, or pointing in the wrong direction.
So people have to rely on landmarks or vague references like “over there, ba!”
Even a decent up-to-date map of the whole country would be nice, but not at P100 for a cheap garish foldout with lots of ads – that’s not a map, that’s advertising flyers!
Maybe one day Google earth will publish something – but it’ll have to be a work-in-progress with lots of corrections, like wikipedia, for something as simple as a map.
>. Even a decent up-to-date map of the whole country would be nice, but not at P100 for a cheap garish foldout with lots of ads – that’s not a map, that’s advertising flyers!
This is one of my pet annoyances in the Philippines: the LRA and the DENR are so useless it would actually be an improvement if they were merely incompetent. Modern surveying equipment is nothing short of magical. You could do the whole country with a team of 1000 people in about a year. But they can’t do that because every plot of land has at least six owners arguing over who REALLY owns it, often because the various Agricultural Reform programmes (I’m trying not to LOL here) handed out random overlapping titles. 70% of the country is, in effect, missing, because it isn’t properly titled or surveyed. Nobody can do anything with it.
>> Maybe one day Google earth will publish something – but it’ll have to be a work-in-progress with lots of corrections, like wikipedia, for something as simple as a map.
You realise this is illegal, don’t you? That’s right: it’s illegal for a foreigner without a Filipino civil-engineer license to survey land and produce maps.
Hey Pallacertus! Come over here and “refute” this one too so everyone can correct you on your dumb shit.
I’m no cartographer.
Feel free to correct me. Much obliged.
Well, as of this moment, we do have OpenStreetMap.
From their site:
The map is available under liberal copyright license. Basically, you can get it, use it, even profit from it.
Ex. Map of City of Manila
There are mobile applications that use this map, like the one I’m using, OsmAnd.
Nonetheless, I’ve noticed that some remote area doesn’t have a detailed map.
You can get it from this site, the Ease of Doing Business Page of WB. Very current, and certainly, it’s hard to set up a business here.
Reading through it, though I might need further clarification as I read on regarding interpretation of historical trends and the like. Given that the publication is after all about doing business, and expectations from the business side may turn out to be unreasonable for reasons beyond the control of the current administration, or indeed inimical to the interests of the country as a whole.
Yep.
@Pallacertus:
Here ya go: QUESTION:
How do you make a SMALL FORTUNE in the Fail-ippines?
ANSWER:
Start a business with a LARGE FORTUNE.
I know quite a few Ex-Pats that have done exactly this.Multi-National corporations excluded.
An oldie but a goodie
SAMPAL SA MUKHA ng Makati Business Club. Another bad reputation from d international community. -_-
Confucious says: Any foreigner that opens a business in the Philippines has no business experience….
but he soon gets some 🙂
I strongly disagree with that specific Confucius saying. Yes many naive foreigners with no previous business experience come here and set up a business and most of them if not all fail, the majority of foreigners that do obtain relative success in the Philippines have extensive business experience and high rate of success in their home countries
You’re disagreeing with a made-up Confucius saying from an intellectual wannabe(Biffa Bacon)? I bet that guy can’t even count from 1 to 10.
What I meant was if any intelligent person had done their due diligence,they would come to the conclusion that doing business as a foreigner in the Philippines is a hopeless proposition…
And to you,litte miss wow..confucious say person who open big mouth and jump to conclusion gets nuts slapped…if you have any…
As previously stated I strongly disagree with your opinion especially when you stated “any intelligent person” I guess that is your indirect method of stating that any foreigner who starts a business in this country is not intelligent, you are wrong
I was in denial just how f*cked up the Failippines is and just how incompetent or dishonest people are there. My ex wife’s family should have been a clue as as many as possible leave there and don’t go back. The court system is a hopeless case and people there do not respect other peoples property. My father-in-law fought 28 years to get a deposit back from PNB only to have the Court of Appeals get bought off by the bank. The Supreme Crooks have had the case 2 years now and still have not ruled.
That was the conclusion I arrived at, after a mere few months. If a business succeds in the FAILS, say a bakery, five bake shoppes pop-upwith in a kilometer due to no zoning enforcement/regs.. so I did not even attempt it as I did not have to.
However I have seen one Ex-pat do pretty well for himself and as I figured MIGHT happen, he had many problems and ended up getting shot in Opal. Right down the highway from where I lived for a year. WOW, I felt bad for the guy (NO idea why it happened BUT IT SURE DID).
was glad I realized opening a business was a losing proposition.Hanging on the beach in Romblon/Camiguin/Dinigat was/is such a pleasure…not even the NPA bothers moi.
Tom,
No such thing as ‘respect’ in the Philippines—for properties and people’s lives. Everything is game to the Filipino mind.
Aeta
And that is the root of the problem in the Failippines. It doesn’t matter who is president, the corruption is throughout the society. The better the crook the higher up they rise. The oligarchy of crooks are at the top. One be shit hole. After 7 years of spending a lot of time there I don’t believe I found one honest or competent person. The one’s who smile in your face are scheming to get what they can from you.
I dont mean to insult anyone by saying that they lack intelligence,maybe I should have said that any person,in my humble but very experienced opinion,who opens a business in the Philippines,doesnt have much horse sense.I have been to the phils 15 times for a total of 2.5 yrs,been married twice to Filipinas,travelled very extensively to Luzon,Visayas and parts of Mindanao.I have lived in the big cities,and in Nipa huts in some very remote areas.I have been to places I doubt any other white person has been to.I didnt just hang out in resort areas with all the other white boys.I have seen the best and worst,had an expat friend murdered in Surigao.I could go on and on.I did my due diligence !! Do yours !!
@ Biffa Bacon, No Way….you are not the only white guy to go to Catobato/Zambanga/Dinigat/Palawan/Sirigao Island/Baguio/Cebu/Borocay etc, etc, etc…..
I been Island Hopping in the Philippines for 7 years and I C other ex-pats in my travels all the time.
did u know Harry Doyle? his wife is up for extradition and is wanted by INTERPOL.
Yes,I knew Harry,the wife,and the driver Gerome,who according to what I’ve read was one of the triggermen….
True i learnt the hard way, you cannot do business with a culture of thieves with no ethics and zero respect or empathy
They all have one ulterior motive which is purely to separate you from your money and that all, nothing more, nothing less and once they have achieved this and cannot extract anything more then you will never see them again. Male, female, urban, province, rich or poor, catholic or other, they all have one goal and secretly hate you and are jealous of what you have and believe its their moral right to help themselves to it and lie, cheat, steal and utilize any such methods to help them in their quest
filipinos work hard!!! hardest workers, most patient! and creative, they’re good with direction and trustworthy, as workers filipinos are great! like anybody, pushed to efficiency and structure, with a right leader! filipinos will exceed, especially as a “worker”
Compared to who, THE TRUTH? Nigerians? Yemenis?
Ah…Bullshit.
I think “The Truth” has been eating too much ‘Pinoy Pride Chicken,’ and can’t tell the difference between the truth and bullshit.
And “the truth” shall set you free
Amen
Some people can’t detect sarcasm. SMH
Entrepreneur, noun: someone who takes calculated risks to add value to wider society with the hope of making money and building wealth.
I am on my third business venture in the Philippines. I never expected very much in terms of profit as I am blessed with a nice pension and need something to occupy some of my time. As a foreigner, I have witnessed discrimination, personal verbal attacks that were untrue, typical red tape that makes you crazy, inefficient government bureaus, slow, I mean slow services when dealing with any city organizations, constant brownouts, long lines, dishonest employees, and the list could go on and on. Why do I stay? I think after almost 20 years of living in the Philippines I am actually developing the Filipino mentality to a certain degree (God help me). BTW, my first business was taken over my a greedy family member at a minimal loss but a maximum education for me. My second business went belly up because my “trusted partner” and many employees were robbing me blind. Yes, my own lazy fault. My third business is small and simple. There is only my wife and I who run it. In the four months since we opened it, we have an overall profit after expenses of about P 19,000. Many who read this are probably laughing at the small profit but we’re happy and no one to date has their hands in our back pockets and I go to bed at night with a smile on my face and wake up with a pleasant rise.
Neil,
I had a very similar business experience by trusting my wife’s family to help me run my business. They literally took me to the cleaners with just a simple “pasenya na po” (we beg your pardon) for an excuse. I’ve finally decided to hire a non-family manager and other Filipinos as employees; they, too, pulled their own rackets to steal from me. The bottom line is you cannot trust a Filipino when it comes to money, unless he or she is your spouse and you both have a vested interest in the business; and, make sure you have your hands on all aspects of your business every single day. Filipinos will always look for chink in your armor to steal from you. I know it’s hard to say that because I, too, am a Filipino. But the truth has to be told about the true nature of my people.
Aeta
We value ourselves and see ourselves apart from the community and see no shame when we steal from it to benefit ourselves or our clan. I think this is common in most tropical third world countries. Clan based thinking, the idea that it is ok to steal from the community just as long as it benefits you and the people you care about. I think this also ties in with the way a lot of people here tend to rely on other family or clan members for their source of living. They see themselves as someone helpless and that they have accepted this as a fact of life and that it will never change. They look to other members in their families to save them rather than working on their own to relieve them from their suffering. We modeled our society after capitalism yet we do not have the ideologies and ethics to embody it. The idea of Capitalism was supposed to be that anyone can make their lot in life by working hard and that being unproductive makes you worthless.
You have to admit the common filipino is one very bizarre creature and as a westerner you will never truly understand them. You see the reason is simply because a westerners mindset is not prehistorically narcissistically hard-wired (thankfully otherwise we would ALSO be third world monkeys).
They can appear so calm, friendly and innocent and it is so easy to fall into their premeditated sociopathic trap which they have instinctively woven. You have to admit it is both beautiful and grotesque at the same time to watch it in action. Forget the chameleon, they are the true masters of disguise in this vast animal kingdom!
Bravo pinoys you must be truly proud (as only third world pinoys with absolutely nothing can be) of your desperate attempts to get out of the disturbing culture that you are solely responsible for, just please leave your culture at home where it belongs and try to assimilate with those higher up on the food chain when you do eventually emigrate to greener pastures or should I dare say bananas!
Just my two cents from years of observations and frustrations
yours sincerely,
Hahaha.
Doing business in the Philippines is almost like doing business in any other country outside of the world class countries. Its how you plan and implement your plan. Business pinoy style does not have preplanning, vision, R & D and networking hence the short lifespan. Most balik bayans are very successful in their retirement business only because they applied what they’ve learned overseas. Pinoys are more like copycats. They don’t have the educated intellect or maturity to sustain longevity for their business. Me and my brother have businesses in Makati and Cebu and going strong for 8 years now. By implementing our well thought plan, we have succeeded in steadily growing our revenue and business. Our small group of workers are very happy and contented with their competitive pay and benefits.
While the commentaries regarding the Philippine government officials are true to most of the officials, still starting a business in Philippines is possible despite of the issues on its gov’t officials and its ranking in the world bank. First, because Philippines has blessed of natural resources especially raw materials that are necessary for manufacturing or production of goods. Secondly, Filipino’s has something better within themselves than what we know about them. Thirdly, there are companies which grew and penetrated the market while starting their business in the Ph. Hence, starting a business in Philippines is always possible, in the end, the life span of the company depends on how the executives manage their accounts, personnel, operations, strategies, and responsibilities. Yes, government is one of the external sources of information that can influence the decision-making yet top management can do analysis and strategies that will bring the best of the company. We can always do better!