Can I please give you some money?

I have a personal policy.  When somebody wants to give me some of their money, I make it as easy as I possibly can for them to do so!  I mean, I’m a businessman, and if somebody wants to buy something from me, I try to make it as painless as possible for them!  Sometimes, in one of my businesses or another, I will realize that something is set up in a way that makes it difficult for people to purchase from me.  When that happens, I do my best to fix it, to make the process easier for the customer.  I mean, if they want me to have some of their money, who am I to argue with them?

My friend, Dave Starr, and I have been having a little discussion lately about how difficult it is to get a Philippine business to take your money sometimes!  Sometimes, it would seem that businesses here will do all they can to make you stop from giving them any cash!

How?

Well, this is just a small example, but about 2 weeks ago I went into a computer store here in Davao.  I used to shop in this store very regularly.  Like, I went in there 4 or 5 times a week, back in the day.  They were the only good computer shop in the City at the time, so although they made shopping difficult, I clinched my fist and tried my best to keep my discomfort from spilling out, but I went there.  Well, it had been a while, but I decided to stop in and see if they had anything that I really needed (wanted?).  Also, I did have one specific need.  I needed a new power supply for my laptop.

I brought my old power supply cable with me to the store, and also I had the model number and manufacturer of my laptop in hand as well.  When I went in and said hello to one of the ladies working there – we knew each other quite well, since I used to be a very regular customer – I showed her the old power supply, told him my laptop model number, and asked if they had a new power supply for it.

To say the least, I was disappointed in her answer.

She replied that I needed some number off the back of my laptop.  But, I had given her the model number, and had the actual power supply in hand.  It’s all no use, though, I had to have that one specific number.  I asked if she could not just look in some parts book and let me give her the money for the power supply.  Nope, she wouldn’t even take the time to check her catalog.  And, this was a dealer for the laptop brand that I was looking for (Compaq).

I left the store feeling kind of bad about it, I had worked in this type of business before, and I know that she should have the ability to check if the power supply was available.  On a whim, I went to another computer store on the way home.  Did the same thing.  I walked out with the part that I needed too.  No hassle, no fuss, just 5 minutes and I had what I wanted.

Over the past few weeks, Dave has been telling me of similar experiences that he has been having with an Internet provider in his area.  He really wants to upgrade his service, but finds it very hard to get the company to be interested in getting the extra money out of him!

This is so very common here, it’s really unbelievable.  Sometimes it seems like businesses here not only don’t go the extra mile to get your business, but when you want to give them business, they actively do anything they possibly can to make you keep your money!

Well, like so many of the ways that I see things, or the ways that I do business, things are different here.  I suppose that variety is the spice of life!

Filipino Endeavors

Sometimes it’s really interesting to research and analyze polls in the Philippines. For me, I am still keep on learning when it comes to this country and its people.

Sure, many things are known when we let Filipinos talk and explain about the fields of endeavor most Filipinos tend to excel in.

Allow me enumerate several examples, and please let me know if they are correct or not. Don’t get me wrong, these are examples, which have been voiced out by Filipinos.

Love of family is the most important value of Filipinos. This is the reason why Filipinos work hard and grab any opportunity they can, even to the point of leaving behind their love ones, sacrificing loneliness and disregarding all the hazards along the way, even risking their lives in order to make sure food is on the table for the family and enough money for children’s education!

Filipinos excel in the field of labor export , as evidenced by the fact that 10 million Pinoys are out of the country helping the Philippine economy afloat.
Philippine Oversea Workers can be find all over the world.

Filipinos are excellent in the medical field. It’s sad however, that they have to practice their profession outside the country to sustain a life of comfort. Care giving – nursing – just to add two more.

Filipinos can do a portion of everything. This, however, isn’t very effective, when specialization is highly in demand.

Filipinos really excel in any endeavor – good or bad. It’s really up to them to choose.

Yes, Filipinos are really excel in the field of entertainment, sports, music or science. Filipinos love to sing and dance. Filipinos are really great entertainers.

Filipinos do very well in micro or medium-scale businesses. Putting customer first in their endeavors have made them very successful entrepreneurs.

Filipinos talents are unlimited. They can be the best in any field.

As I said, these have been some of many examples, voiced out by Filipinos themselves. Interesting… .

What do you think as Filipino or Expat reader?

The Many Uses of the Calabash Tree!

The Plants, Trees and Flowers that cover the grounds of Cambridge Farm Hotel are all the handiwork of my wife Ellie as she is the one with the Green Fingers, I am more of a Green Concrete person as this type of garden does not need too much maintenance unlike a living garden which is a full time job! Ellie spends hours outside under the sun watering the garden but she will bully me if I leave the faucet open while brushing my teeth as she says that I am wasting water! When we bought this piece of land in 1989, it was just a rice field but today there are probably hundreds of different types of Trees and Plants growing here! many are just normal but some are very strange to me especially the African Calabash Tree!

In Africa, this tree had a local nick name which was, the Tupperware Tree because the fruits were multi purpose and could be used to make several useful household items! By cutting the top off and cleaning out the inside of the Calabash Fruit, letting it dry out, you have made a Storage Jar with Lid! By cutting the Calabash Fruit in half and letting the  2 cleaned halves dry out you

have 2 food bowls! In our Lounge and Bar area, I cut the tops off of several Calabash Fruits, dried them out, drilled  hole in the bottom for an electrical wire to pass through, added the Bulb holder and made Hanging Lamp Shades from them! From different sizes and shapes of Calabash Fruits there was no end to the household items that could be made! I even saw one guy here on a motorbike with one hollowed out Calabash Fruit on his head like a crash helmet! If he had a serious accident, I do not think his head would be too well protected somehow!

The Calabash Tree actually came to this country with us by accident as we had used some sticks in order to protect some delicate items when leaving Africa and when we unpacked them here we threw out the dried sticks onto our garden waste and compost heap! Some time later, surprise, surprise, as many thing do here, the sticks had grown and when Ellie saw the small plants with green leaves on them she recognized them instantly as the Calabash Trees which they were! These must be a tough plant to have survived the journey from Africa via England in total darkness and suffering several temperature changes over the months in a shipping container before they ever even arrived here but once here, they flourished!  There were actually 4 stems that survive and grew into mature trees, this does not take too long, maybe 2 to 3 years before they bare fruit!

Now, with this tree, just by cutting the ends of the branches and planting them in pots is all it takes to reproduce these trees so there are easy to grow as there are no special techniques required to grow them! This is how they were spread around the area as many of our customers cut branches without permission and planted their own! The Calabash Fruit itself grows from any part of the tree even growing from the trunk of the tree at ground level to any branch! The tree must really be quite dumb as some time the fruits grow on the very end of thin limbs but as they mature, the fruits can weigh up to about 6 kg so the thin limb, not being able to hold this weight tends to collapse! On a couple of occasions we have had the whole tree fall over has all the weight has been on one side! To say the least, this is a weird and scruffy  looking tree as the limbs and fruits grow anywhere from the trunk and do not seem to have any form of order as do most trees!

I am not sure if many people remember but a few years ago there was a tree called the NONI Tree which was said to contain the most wonderful healing properties within its fruits so everyone started to grow this king of trees for the fruits! Weather the juice worked or not I do not know but the tree lost its popularity after a couple of years! Now Guess What! The African Calabash Tree has taken over from the Noni tree as somehow it has been discovered by some local people that the juice which can be squeezed from the smelly contents of the fruit will cure anything and people come here regularly to buy the ripe Calabash Fruits so that they can concoct the Magic Potion and cure all!

To make the juice is not too difficult to do, the choice of the fruit is very important because if you choose a immature fruit, the smell is reminiscent of a football stadium urinal which has been starved of flushing water for a while! Not a nice memory really! According to Ellie, you must choose a fruit which has a pleasant but not strong smell for juice making! You then open the fruit and scrape out all the inside material, chop it into small pieces and then squash it! Once it is well squashed into a mush, you then boil it for 30 minutes before draining the juice through a cloth to remove the juice and leave the unwanted matter for disposal as nothing will eat this waste product! Once it cools it is put into bottles and refrigerated, then simply drink it and heal!

I am assured by many people that once you drink the Calabash Juice your health will improve and any illness that you have will leave your body for ever! The taste of the juice in not unpleasant, a bit like a flat Root Beer to me but I am sure that you could add a bit of flavor to make it more to your personal taste if required! I do not drink it personally but Ellie has been drinking it for some years now and seems no worse after drinking it!

There is no medical proof that the juice of the Calabash Tree has any healing properties but there sure plenty of people who said that they have been cured of all kinds of of illness just by drinking it. There are many things in nature which cannot be explained as in this case! Is it the placebo effect that the people who want to believe in it get so they thing that they are being cured or does it really cure all ills! I do not know so I will leave it up to the people who drink it to decide on what is truth or not! As long as it makes people believe that they are cured and they feel better then this tree is definitely doing a good job!

Maid in the Philippines

As I mentioned last time I have a big house, and the main reason for this was that the original plan was that my friend from UK, Steve, was going to be moving here too so it make sense to have a bigger place. The collapse of the economy and some of the domino factors involved from that make this a longtime off. Also at the same time I had inherited two Pinoy guys who were staying here and keeping the place clean and looking after me in my naivety, in return for staying.

They were great  as they did the marketing,cooking,cleaning and errands and made me feel like a king. They took so much pride in making sure that I was happy, that it was a pleasure to have them in the house, and they became more like family than workers.

Of course back in the UK, I would be doing it all myself and this help would be frowned on. Now as time goes by the two guys took jobs out of Davao and were replaced by a number of others who worked hard and became friends too. I cannot understand people who have maids on helpers in the house and cannot communicate with them, or be nice to them as its not slavery. This went on for a longtime  until I suddenly found that my natural pool of helpers  ran out , because  they all moved on to better things. So I asked around for other helpers and had a huge list contact me, of which only half, never turned up and some were just  more interested in the contents of the house than getting jobs done.

Others would turn up one day and not for the next few, some would text a minute before starting saying they were unavailable. So in the end I thought what the hell, I have always done it myself in the UK , so why don’t I do it myself now? So For last few months you will see me on my knees scrubbing, going to the laundry and marketing and doing the amazing queuing thing when trying pay a bill or arrange anything simple. Now this was k ok for me, but some of my neighbors  would inquire am I ok? Why am I doing my own cleaning, I even got told it doesn’t look good.

Wow, even as a visitor to the country I had to see that being seen doing these domestic duties was looking bad on me. The assumption I guess is that if you can afford cleaners you should have one, or maybe its the fact that it looks like I am too tight to spend my monies on domestic help. Anyway I still continue to do it, but I do have a friend who comes in about once a week for those extra difficult cleaning jobs. CR!!

And on top of his monies he sits watches a film with me and a beer. Or is that wrong too?

My Island Adventure

Ah, I just got some serious rest this morning!  I needed it, too, because I just got home from an Island Adventure!  Specifically, I just got home from visiting Dinagat Island.  I’ve been wanting to go to Dinagat for a year or more now.  Why?  Well, Dinagat Island is the newest Province of Mindanao.  As the Owner/Publisher of Mindanao Magazine, it is my goal to visit each and every Province in Mindanao.  There are a total of 26 Provinces that compose Mindanao, and so far, I have visited 24 of them (and I’ve also visited a few others that used to be Provinces, but no longer exist).  Dinagat Island was my 24th Province of Mindanao on which I set foot.

What a trip it was.  I had some “first time” experiences too, one of which is something that I never thought I’d ever do!

For about 2 weeks, I have been thinking about making the visit to Dinagat, although I didn’t make the final decision to do it until Monday evening, August 24 at about 6pm.  I was on the road at 9pm!  Ha ha… I am really a spur of the moment kind of guy.  I rarely plan these things much in advance, I just do it!  As you will see as you read about my trip, I might have been better to have spent a little more time planning this one, though!

For the trip, I decided to bring along my oldest son, Chris.  I figured it would make a nice time for some Father/Son bonding, which it did.  I also decided to leave the driving to a bus driver this time rather than driving myself.  So, Chris and I set out on Monday night, slept on the bus while making our way to Surigao City.  It’s a long ride of about 10 hours, and the bus fare (aircon bus) was P606 per head.

When we were in Surigao City, which is where you catch a boat to Dinagat, I surveyed some of the boats, and found only one which would be departing for Dinagat.  It was scheduled to depart as 12:30pm, so we toured around the City for a few hours before going to catch the boat.

When we went back to the Pier, around 11:30am, I talked to the Captain of the boat.  We didn’t really plan to stay overnight on Dinagat, so I just wanted to make sure that the boat would be returning that day, and what time.  The Captain assured me that the boat would return in the afternoon, at 5:30pm, back to Surigao City.  OK, everything was set.  We soon departed for a one hour boat ride to Dinagat Island.

The ride on the boat was beautiful.  It really opened my eyes as to the beauty of Surigao del Norte.  I had been to Surigao City in the past, but never did any island hopping, or even riding a boat in the area.  I was kind of amazed at the beauty of the many, many islands in the area.  White beaches, and from what I saw, it appeared that there were plenty of resorts in the area too.

As we neared Dinagat Island (still 30 to 45 minutes from where we would set anchor, though), I was surprised to see the number of beautiful, and obviously expensive houses on the Island.  I didn’t expect that.  I was really kicking back on the boat taking in the scenery of the Island, and I was loving it!

Now, after disembarking from the boat, the surprises of the day were just about ready to begin.  We had gone to the Port of Dinagat.  When we got off the boat, we found that basically there was nothing there!  Oh, there were a few houses.  I found a single Sari-Sari store, and a Police Station.  Other than that… nothing!  I started talking with a fellow at the Sari-Sari store, a very friendly guy, but he didn’t have good news for us.  He asked me:

When did you arrive here?

About 5 minutes ago, I replied.

Do you have friends here? he asked me.

I replied that I had none.

Oops, he went on to inform me that there were no hotels or restaurants in the place.  Well, at least it was only about 3 hours until the boat would be taking us back to Surigao City!  That is when he informed me that it would be 3 days until that boat went back to the City!

Oh man… they told me 5:30pm, it would return.  “Change of plans” the man told me.  What would I do?  Where would I stay?  Where would I eat?  The guy told me that if I didn’t have a friend in the area, I would be in trouble.

“There is one other option,” he told me.

You can go to San Jose, it’s a bigger town, with more amenities.  They also have a boat that can take you back to Surigao today!

Ah, that was good news!  But, then he went on to tell me that there were basically no cars, tricycles or jeepneys on Dinagat!  The only way to get to San Jose is to ride on a Habal Habal (a motorcycle that carried a bunch of people).  The ride was 16 Kilometers!  Oh man, I haven’t been on a motorcycle for about 35 years!  Also, I’ve never been a passenger on the back, I always drove it myself.

Here I was, with a couple of big backpacks.  My laptop, my SLR camera, and I had to ride on the back of a motorcycle!  Frankly, it scared me to death!  Poor dirt roads.  No helmet, not protective gear.  Sitting on the back of a motorcycle.  Soon, my butt was as sore as it could get!  We were riding up and down big mountain roads (dirt), lots of sharp rocks along the road.  If I fell off, I might be dead!  Better hold on tight!

I think my son got a nice bit of entertainment out of this.  He rides motorcycles pretty regularly, but I doubt he ever expected me to be on the back of one!  Also, I’m a big guy, and this was a little 100 cc bike carrying me and the driver!  Oh my!

Well, we made it to San Jose, and I was still alive.  When I got off the bike, though, my butt was still not feeling well!  Luckily, we made it just in time to get our tickets for a return boat trip to Surigao City, though.

One thing about it, though, this kind of trip on the back of a motorcycle allowed me to see quite a bit of the island, and I must say that it is picture-postcard beautiful.  If you can rough it a bit, and enjoy the whole “tropical island” experience, this might be the perfect place for you!  I like it myself, but I could not spend too much time there or live there…. it’s too much “off the beaten path” for that kind of commitment for me.

In addition to the motorcycle ride, seeing the many islets surrounding Dinagat while we rode on the boat was really a nice way to see the place.  Dinagat is a beautiful place, and if you have a chance to visit, I’d say to give it a go!

I’d recommend that you sail into the Port of San Jose, though…  you’ll find it a little more able to accommodate a tourist!

College job

Feyma is working with a LiP reader this week.  He is relocating to Davao, and Feyma is assisting him with many of his needs in relocating, things like renting a house, moving in, purchasing his daily living needs and such.  She’ll be back next week with a new article.  For now, enjoy this repeat of an older article of hers!

When I completed 2 years in college my brother asked me to stop my schooling to manage his textile business in Manila.  I was in Cebu for school. I was in my late teens at that time. He had around 5 different stores, some were managed by his wife’s siblings. He also had a dressmaking shop. He had around 4 or 5 seamstresses. Some of those clothes that they made I was selling it in my store. It was really a successful store. My other sister also managed the other store. Me and my sister managed the stores pretty good.

My brother used to go to Zamboanga to buy fabric because the fabric there usually came from Thailand or from some other Asian countries. A lot of our customers from Northern Luzon liked the fabric from there. Sometimes he would go to Hong Kong for our upper class clientele. At least there he can really choose what design would be on the fabric. Somehow they like the fabric from there. I remember when my brother and his wife would be back from the trip, as if we would not sleep for almost 24 hours. We have to sort the fabric and measure it for it to be ready to be shipped for our customers. A lot of times when my brother bought the fabric from Zamboanga or abroad more than half of it is sold already. Some of the fabric my brother already had orders for already made clothing. Most of those went to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Some of the fabric that we still had left in stocks remained on the shelf for awhile. What I do I will have our seamstress make one for me and I would be wearing it in my store. A lot of the customers would notice the fabric then and they would want to buy it. I guess they can’t really see the nice fabric in the shelf, but I guess seeing the fabric that its made then they can see the whole picture then. Thinking about it now, I wonder what would my customers reaction if I was not so conservative back then? Wow, I think my fabric would be sold before the days end. My dad and mom might just want me to stay at our house instead.

I was talking to my niece, shes working in my brother’s business. She told me that some stores of my brother and a lot of my brother’s friends are closing. She told me that the business is really slow right now. I know because of the economy. I feel bad for them though because that’s how they keep their income to survive. Now a lot of the clothing that are being sold here in the Philippines are really cheap. It is more costly if you have to buy the fabric and have somebody make it for you. I’ve seen here in the kiosk in Davao the price for a nice blouse its just Php99. Some are even cheaper. With that price you have to be size 0 to at most a size 8. If you are more than that size it is harder to find clothes in the kiosk even in the mall. I guess just have to buy the fabric and have it made it then.

Have fun shopping and try to bargain too!

Hard To Take

Gee, some things in life are hard to take.

I’m not referring to the thunderstorms that frequent this time of year, keeping me mostly indoors.   I’m not speaking about repairing the pressure sensor switch on the deep well water pump.  Nor am I talking about getting grass to take root and flourish in a back yard that resembles a huge sandbox (a huge pond during rainy season).  A fellow takes care of certain chores – maintaining his property and buildings by giving it his best shot before calling in the professionals.

Those chores, at times, are some of the simple pleasures of life.  At least they are for me; I don’t really enjoy washing dishes, sweeping floors, etc.  Being successful at just one of those “guy things” makes me feel complete and makes me think my late Father would have been proud and pleased.  (Sorry, ladies – it’s a boomer generation guy thing that doesn’t mean to insult or injure anyone.)

No, the things that are hard to take are those things that most Westerners don’t do back in their “old country.”  Today, for instance, I was called away from that sensor switch (I know I was just minutes away from success) by my wife Emy.  She told me the manicurist was here and I should have a manicure and pedicure.

What’s that?  A manicure and pedicure while a sensor switch’s life hangs in the balance?  Well, I guess peace in the family is worth about a half hour of fussing over digits.  Things could be worse.  The manicurist could be fresh out of clear nail polish and could pull a substitute before I’d notice.  That sensor switch can wait.

Life in the Philippines is quite different from that in other locales.  Here, conveniences like manicures and pedicures are commonplace.  So too is being treated like a king by your katulangs (maids).  Years of doing certain tasks for yourself makes it difficult to let go and let a katulang do it.  Go to the market and pick up some items?  Nope – that’s not your job anymore.  Do you feel like having a snack?  Here comes merienda, freshly prepared for you.

Being retired just adds to it all.  I’ve never been a king before; not even a jack or a ten.  I’ve worked my way to this third retirement, doing the menial as well as the monumental.  Now, when it is supposedly time to rest, I find any number of chairs offered to me for my seating pleasure.  When my stomach growls, there’s food on the table and a request for me to take my “rightful” seat at the head of the table.

Royalty and privilege have their cost in duty, largess and responsibility, however.  Since returning to the Philippines, I’ve heard three stories of problems among family members, two requests for largess, and one invitation to be a guest speaker at the municipal central elementary school (you just can’t refuse a principal and four teachers when they come to visit).  I’m certain there’s more to come as we continue our adventure.  I’m just as certain that I will comply.

I can get used to this treatment, however.  In very younger years, I found myself ready to lean toward laziness.  School material came extremely easily to me, so I’d lazily wait for my classmates to catch up.

I could have surged forward in glory, but I was smart enough to know that skipping a grade (they actually used to do that when I was younger) meant not only more challenging assignments, but also meant that the rest of the new class would catch up sooner – not as much “relaxation” time between questions.

So now, it’s time to relax and let someone else do what needs doing.  My job, if any, is that of overseer or kibitzer – making sure that the job is done right.  Of course, whichever way it’s done is the right way.  Don’t want to embarrass anyone or make him or her lose face.  I also provide advice when asked, serve as a Ninong (godparent or sponsor) on occasion; and just try to be an “all-round good guy” to all.

To some degree, Westerners living in the Philippines must make living adjustments.  I found it easy to accept change (laziness in my background?).  I want to fit in, and certainly do not want to hurt anyone in doing so.  I have good friends and plenty of relatives to help me along with my adjustment.  Having someone to “mentor” your adjustment is not a bad idea, either.

I’m sure you have good ideas on helping adjustment occur – care to share them?

Now, if I could just get the katulang to repair that darned pressure switch!

Best Addresses

Sometimes I take the little things for granted. Like all of you, I’m a busy person. Most of the time I assume that readers who come here to the Small Business File already have a fair bit of knowledge about small business. That’s simply not the case. I know there are people who are just starting out. I remember when I was first getting involved in entrepreneurial activities, and I’m happy to admit, I too was very ‘green’. So this week I’m going to offer my views and reviews of three websites I think offer excellent information to people who have recently been bitten by the ‘entrepreneurship’ bug. I’ll revisit this topic at different times in the future, so I’ll only start with a handful of sites today.

I personally find the three sites below are extremely useful. I can recommend them simply because they are comprehensive, and, in the case of the third site, laden with the correct information many small business owners need to not only understand, but to fully comply with the laws and regulations associated with undertaking a business venture in the Philippines. Moreover, these three sites offer both breadth and depth. What I mean by this is that most topics on small business in the Philippines that you could possibly think of are in fact covered, and normally in rich detail. In many instances there are links to related topics or articles that provide guests with more than a cursory understanding of the most pertinent issues associated with whatever happens to be the topic of interest.

The first site I would like to review and recommend is the website for Entrepreneur Magazine (Philippines). The website is no substitute for the actual print issue, but it is still an excellent resource, especially for OFW’s and people living abroad and thinking about opening a small business in the Philippines at some point in the future. This website contains many articles and links of use to entrepreneurs in the Philippines. There are sections on finance, technology, human resources, etc. Of course there is also information on current and upcoming issues of Entrepreneur Magazine (Philippines). The ‘workbook’ section of the site is especially good for those hoping to expand their list of small business ideas.

The second site I would like to review and recommend is the website for EntrePinoys. This particular website is one of the best internet ‘hubs’ devoted to small business investment and livelihood opportunities in the Philippines. The amount of excellent information on this site is very impressive. Guests can search for topics or can browse according to a number of categories that includes food related businesses, agricultural businesses, and a wide variety of other small business opportunities. There are even ‘How To” videos that guests can watch so as to learn different tips and techniques used in a wide variety of small business pursuits.

The third site I would like to recommend is the website for the Department of Trade and Industry in the Philippines. Every small business owner will have to register with the DTI before they begin operations, so I highly recommend visiting the DTI website so that you can get comfortable with the different rules and regulations required in establishing a small business in the Philippines. But the DTI website offers even more than the usual pages associated with rules and regulations. There is also a whole lot of additional information of use. There is information on upcoming trade fairs. There is information on upcoming trainings. And there is a very interesting section on the OTOP Program (One Town, One Product). If you want to learn what different towns in the Philippines are best known for in terms of local products or services offered, the OTOP site can help!

I hope you all decide to bookmark these sites and visit them regularly. If you’re like me, you’ll constantly be amazed at how much terrific information is available on these sites.

I would be interested to know what sites many of you small business owners find especially useful, so please feel free to submit comments on the websites you find are most useful for entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Philippines.

Trying to Cope

Regular readers might have noticed that my postings have been less frequent recently. Well, quite frankly, you would not know there is an economic crisis given the current state of our business. In fact, I’ve largely typed my articles and responses while waiting around in airports (like now) before moving on to the next place.

I’ve talked about the computer systems my company makes in previous articles, but in the last year, demand for our product has skyrocketed. In fact, we are opening large offices in both Japan and Singapore in the very near future, with most non-accounting functions moving to Asia in the next few years. I am talking about a company of 35 employees growing into a company of 500 employees in the span of a year. All of the responsibility squarely resting on my shoulders.

Why all the growth? Well, in the marine industry, there is an organization known as the IMO (International Maritime Organization). This organization is responsible for determining the standards of virtually everything that floats and the enforcement of those regulations. Part of the IMO’s mandate is the development of pollution regulations, such as allowable emissions, restricted dumping areas, and so on. There was a convention on marine pollution in 1973, known as MARPOL, and the latest regulations that ship owners must observe, Annex VI, Tier 3, go into effect in January 2016.

What has happened is that this year, the political pressure on ship owners to control pollution is getting very heated, and many large shipping lines are currently trying to figure out how to cope with these regulations. As is usual in issues that have become political footballs, the regulations quickly outstripped the technological ability to comply.

Yes, the Philippines is a signatory to the MARPOL Annex, however, realistically, if someone sees smoke on a ship in Filipino waters, who are you going to complain to? But think for a minute: Where do these ships travel? Japan, America, Australia. The developed world. The places where politics matter.

My company has developed a solution to clean 96% of the emissions from commercial ships. It is a combination of computer software, scrubbing equipment, sensors, filtration equipment, and charting technology. A highly complex solution (from an engineering point of view) to a very complex problem (You cannot ignore the laws of physics, regardless of what the politicians say.)Our customers are guaranteed compliance with all regulations for the next ten years, operating ships that effectively emit only water vapor, and, despite the cost, self-financed, so economically feasible. The regulations are themselves highly complex. Every country is different. Some places, like Canada, go into effect next year. Some, like the Philippines, are at the back of the pack. We are completely unique in the market at this time and have no competition anywhere in the world.

So, this is why I haven’t been so up-to-date recently. My sales and marketing strategy has changed. Customers are approaching me, rather than the other way around. Add in the back and forth I do to Abulug, and you will quickly see why my time is so limited. So, an apology in advance if I am a bit late answering comments, or a bit late in a new article. I have several articles that I would like to write that I have had no choice but to put on the back burner for a while.

Have I got a plan?

Plans, why do we bother, as they are doomed to fail, and It’s not like we have to be somewhere on time anyway.

Example (1): Just before Christmas (Am I allowed to say Christmas?) I went to Olongapo City to make a deposit at my bank and take my Wife to the Night Market. I parked by OG’s Point Bar on Fender St. and go in for lunch. Bad idea! It was like old home week and the beers were flying, everybody I knew was there, I tried to leave twice and failed.

Remember the original plan, Lunch, Bank and the Night Market? I tell my wife at 3:15PM (or 1515) lets go to the bank, and was informed we missed the 3:00PM (1500) closing. Hey I tried! Then I ask about the Night Market, and was informed that due to the amount of bottled SMB’s I had consumed, that it was wiser to go home. I opted to stay at OG’s and finish what I started! How did I justify that? It was a new plan!

Example (2): While sailing with MSC (Military Sealift Command, Navy owned ships crewed by Merchant Seaman) the buzzword was “flexible”, we would man up for UNREP (underway replenishment) and then be informed of an hour delay. I’m on the clock with overtime, and the coffee is hot, and I’m flexible. The second hour of delay, we are advised now to remain “fluid”.  One hour later the Cargo Mate walks up and uses the “fluid” buzzword again. I smiled and told him that with the overtime I’m getting, I’ll stay “gaseous” because they just made fresh coffee up in the galley.

Example (3): My good buddy had a great plan, or so he thought. He flew into the Philippines on a Friday, visited a “friend” in another town for the weekend, went back to Manila on Monday, called his wife and requested she pick him up at the airport. Foolproof! One would think. Not unless he forget what he had done, and three weeks later hands his wife the passport and asks her to extend his visa down at the immigration office in Olongapo.

The moral is, “Scheme don’t plan, and deceit prior to disaster!” Or never give your wife your passport!  He did choose to live here, and almost died here!