Regarding working as a foreigner in RP I think you have to look at making your own income from outside and try to be self-sufficent within the Philippines. Im currently in the process of setting up a piggery with my wife and a few houses to rent out. Long term this will expand into Goats, ducks, catfish and maybe a few paddy fields. But its more to do with being self-sufficent than trying to make a “western” salary which is unrealistic.

I dont think the Philippines is in for a change any time soon because quite simply people put up with it. Its very difficult to change things when people dont fight for rights.

Loans.. Ive had to dish a few out but thats why a cooker sits in my house. I would never give out a loan without taking something in return as a deposit. BUT I do prefer putting people to work for a day or a week rather than giving out hand outs..
that way if they need the money so bad they have earned it and I get some repairs done.. both parties are happy and no debt for the person needing the money.

@ John … Thanks for posting this. It needs to be brought out into the open for discussion. It’s a frequent problem, and one foreigners in particular should be well aware of. I intend to live here for some time. Yet if my circumstances were changed so that I had to take a Philippines-based job I believe I would leave for home the next day. As American Lola pointed out, even people in coveted government jobs don’t get paid on time … or are required to pay back salary under the table … the main reason public schools are in such a deplorable state.

@ Mark C .. I share many of your views regarding unions … I’m even probably more pro union than many US men my age … I watched my son get tricked and cheated for thr first 10 years of work until he got union work. The Philippines has many unions. They do not seem to be the answer here though. The government also has stringent employment laws, much more “liberal” to the worker than in many US states … but as Am Lola pointed out, getting a government office to take action on the law is ever so much different than the law being on the books.

@ Malcom. Indeed my thoughts. I no longer ‘lend’ money to anyone. If I perceive their need is real, I will ‘gift’ them something to tide them over. If they ask about repayment, I tell them their obligation is to help someone else. Many times the money isn’t even used for the original purpose. If it were a loan I would be livid. If it’s a gift, it’s theirs to use as they see fit and that’s the end of it.

For guys and gals who keep asking about coming here and seeking employment? I would advise that you rethink your plan … in general, especially for a foreigner, it will not work … but God bless and best of luck whatever you decide

Sad, but true. But there are still a few Filipinos that have a decency to keep their Word – usually learned from their associations with foreigners. The rule of thumb is to give a little and expect gratitude through their service. Anything you loan is a gift and if they pay you back its a bonus.

Great post!

http://www.carlosonweb.com/articles/2008/03/23/wheres-the-money-part-2/

And I don’t think the problem is exclusively found in the Philippines. It has a global scale, as long as someone ‘wants’ to be exploited, there will always be another one who exploits.

Jobs are so scarce and hard to get that employers can, and often do, whatever they want; hire people they never intend to pay, pay whenever they feel like it, fire people after 5 months and hire a new group to avoid paying full-time benefits, give overtime with little or no extra pay. House helpers are probably among the most abused when it comes to pay and hours of work. I knew one woman whose father owed a rich woman money and so she worked as a slave for years to ‘pay it off.’

Frankly, I get really mad when I hear people saying Filipinos are just lazy and need to work. How?! When?! Where will they work?! And if they work, will they be paid? No wonder so many Filipinos go abroad. In the places where they are not abused, they are esteemed for their hard work and cheerful attitude. And who wouldn’t be happy to be getting paid for a job well done?

On the other hand, people are often hired for the wrong reasons (someone’s sister, or cousin, or godchild, etc.) and do not earn what they make. There are terrible employees who are almost impossible to fire, once they pass a certain time there. They can steal, stir up trouble and be completely incompetent, and yet there they remain, year after year. My observation is that many of these work in government offices. Ahem.

I don’t think this is only true with Pinoy’s. This is also very true here in the West…only it’s done in a very sophisticated way….with esoteric terms like retrenchment, bankruptcy, foreclosure, etc.

With money you either give it away and say goodbye to it ( I aqree with AmericanLola on this) or get a good collateral that is more valuable than the amount to lend. This is why pawnshopping is a huge business in the Philippines.

If you go furtherto the next level the lender should investigate the borrower’s potential to pay later. This is how the banks do it….or used to do it. You let down your guard and you have ’subprime’ lending. The borrower will just walk away. The borrower knew all along he can’t afford that house but some some Dutch or French town was trusting their money to UBS or Bank Paribas to lend to the borrower the towns’ money with the borrower’s cooked up/shoddy credit credential.

Everybody suffers. Nobody trusts anybody. The lender won’t lend anymore and a legitimate borrower can’t convince the lender to let go of his money—that’s credit crunch.

My point is when it comes to money the Ronald Reagan’s cold war principle holds: Trust but verified. This is true with small change or with trillions of dollars.

The same principle holds true with employment I think.