training module for expatriate
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PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT ANDBUSINESS ETIQUETTES
Activity 2-
Cross-cultural Training module forPhilippines
In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the
course for MBA FT- II
Submitted to:
Prof. Nina Muncherji
Submitted By:
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Ashish Singh
(121206)
Contents
Contents............................................................................................................... 2
Introduction.......................................................................................................... 4
Politics............................................................................................................... 4
Economy............................................................................................................5
Geography.........................................................................................................5
Family Values........................................................................................................6
Culture.................................................................................................................. 7
Major Festivals and Celebrations..........................................................................8
Panagbenga Festival .........................................................................................8
Moriones ........................................................................................................... 8
Turumba ........................................................................................................... 9
Flores de Mayo .................................................................................................9
MassKara ........................................................................................................ 10
Giant Lanterns ................................................................................................ 10
General Etiquettes..............................................................................................12
Meeting Etiquette ........................................................................................... 12
Gift Giving Etiquette .......................................................................................12
Dining Etiquette ..............................................................................................12
Table manners ...............................................................................................13
Business Etiquette & Protocol ............................................................................14
Relationships & Communication .....................................................................14
Business Meeting Etiquette ............................................................................14
Business Negotiation ......................................................................................15
Dress Etiquette ..............................................................................................16
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Business Cards................................................................................................ 16
Most Popular Costumes...................................................................................... 17
Barong Tagalog Costume ............................................................................... 17
Maria Clara Costume ..................................................................................... 17
Rural Costume ................................................................................................ 18
Cordillera Costume..........................................................................................18
Major Holidays.................................................................................................... 19
Filipino Body Language......................................................................................20
Greetings ........................................................................................................ 20
Negative Gestures ..........................................................................................20
Room Etiquette ............................................................................................... 20
Respect for Family Elders ............................................................................... 21
Smiling.............................................................................................................21
Labor Laws..........................................................................................................22
References.......................................................................................................... 23
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Introduction
The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a sovereign island
country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. Its location on the Pacific Ring of
Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but
have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it a mega diverse country .
The Philippines is the 73rd largest independent nation, covering almost 300,000 square
kilometers (115,831 sq mi) and comprising 7,107 islands, and is categorized broadly into
three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila.
With a population of more than 98 million people, [13] the Philippines is the seventh most
populated Asian country and the 12th most populated country in the world.
Politics
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of
a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head
of state and the head of government within a multi-party system.
This system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches: the
legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Executive power is
exercised by the government under the leadership of the president. Legislative power is
vested in both the government and the two-chamber Congress: the Senate (the upper
chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Judicial power is vested in
the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body.
Elections are administered by an independent Commission on Elections every three years
starting 1992. Held every second Monday of May, the winners in the elections take office on
the following June 30.
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Economy
The Economy of the Philippines is the 40th largest in the world, according to
2012 International Monetary Fund statistics and it is also one of the emerging markets in the
world. According to the CIA Factbook , the estimated 2012 GDP ( purchasing power parity)
was 424.355 billion.
Primary exports include semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment,
garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. Major trading
partners include the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea,
the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Taiwan, and Thailand.
The Philippines has been named as one of the Tiger Cub Economies together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Geography
The Philippines is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000
square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). The 11 largest islands contain 94% of the total land area.
The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq mi).
The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islandsinclude Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate and Batanes Islands.
The Visayas is the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which
are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar . The Mindanao islands include Mindanao
itself, plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and Tawi-
Tawi.
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Family Values
The family is the centre of the social structure and includes the nuclear family, aunts,
uncles, grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such as godparents, sponsors,
and close family friends.
People get strength and stability from their family. As such, many children have
several godparents.
Concern for the extended family is seen in the patronage provided to family members
when they seek employment.
It is common for members of the same family to work for the same company. In fact,
many collective bargaining agreements state that preferential hiring will be given to
family members.
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Culture
The Philippines exhibits aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay
heritage, yet its culture also displays a significant amount
of Spanish and American influences.
One of the most visible Hispanic legacies is the prevalence of Spanish names and
surnames among Filipinos. The names of many streets, towns, and provinces are also
in Spanish.
The common use of the English language is an example of the American impact on
Philippine society. It has contributed to the ready acceptance and influence
of American pop cultural trends. This affinity is seen in Filipinos' love of fast food,
film, and music.
Filipinos regularly listen to and watch contemporary American, Asian, and European
music and film just as they enjoy Original Pilipino Music (also known as OPM)
and local films.
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Major Festivals and Celebrations
Panagbenga Festival
Date: February
Panagbenga is month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio. The festival, held
during the month of February, was created as a tribute to the city’s flowers and as a way to
rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The festival includes floats that
are decorated with flowers unlike those used in Pasadena’s Rose Parade. The festival also
includes street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is
inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region.
Moriones
Date: Holy Week
The Moriones is an annual festival held on Holy Week on the island of Marinduque,
Philippines. The “Moriones” are men and women in costumes and masks replicating the
garb of biblical Roman soldiers as interpreted by local folks – Morion means “mask” or
“visor,” a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face. The Moriones or
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Moryonan tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in the Philippines where
cultural practices or folk history is turned into street festivals.
Turumba
Date: Between April and May
Every year during the months of April and may, the people of Pakil, in the province of
Laguna celebrates the Turumba Festival. It commemorates the seven sorrows of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. It is held 7 times each year between the months of April and May. The first is
held on the Friday before Palm Sunday and the last falls on Pentecost Sunday.
Flores de Mayo
Date: 1st May – 31st
May Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It
lasts for a month, and is held in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santa Cruzan is a parade held
on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of Reyna Elena.
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MassKara
Date: 3rd weekend nearest to 19th October
The MassKara Festival is a week-long festival held each year in Bacolod City, the capital of
Negros Occidental province. The festival features a street dance competition where peoplefrom all walks of life troop to the streets to see colourfully -masked dancers gyrating to the
rhythm of Latin musical beats in a display of mastery, gaiety, coordination and stamina. The
word MassKara has a double meaning. First, it is a fusion of the English word “mass” or
many and “kara”, the Spanish word for “face.” MassKara then becomes a “mass of faces,”
and these faces have to be smiling to project Bacolod already known in the late 70′s as the
City of Smiles.
Giant Lanterns
Date: December – Saturday before Christmas Eve
The Giant Lanterns Festival is an annual festival held in December (Saturday before
Christmas Eve) in the City of San Fernando in the Philippines. The festival features a
competition of giant lanterns. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been
nicknamed the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines”. Read more on Giant Lanterns Festival
Misa de Gallo Date: 16th December – 25th December Traditionally, Christmas Day in the
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Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. Known as
the Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) in the traditional Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang
Gabi, or “Night Mass”, this novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas
tradition.
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General Etiquettes
Meeting Etiquette
Initial greetings are formal and follow a set protocol of greeting the eldest or mostimportant person first.
A handshake, with a welcoming smile, is the standard greeting.
Close female friends may hug and kiss when they meet.
Use academic, professional, or honorific titles and the person's surname until you are
invited to use their first name, or even more frequently, their nickname.
Gift Giving Etiquette
If you are invited to a Filipino home for dinner bring sweets or flowers to the hosts.
If you give flowers, avoid chrysanthemums and white lilies.
You may send a fruit basket after the event as a thank you but not before or at the
event, as it could be interpreted as meaning you do not think that the host will
provide sufficient hospitality.
Wrap gifts elegantly as presentation is important. There are no colour restrictions as
to wrapping paper.
Gifts are not opened when received.
Dining Etiquette
If you are invited to a Filipino's house:
It is best to arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited for a large party.
Never refer to your host's wife as the hostess. This has a different meaning in the
Philippines.
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Dress well. Appearances matter and you will be judged on how you dress.
Compliment the hostess on the house.
Send a handwritten thank you note to the hosts in the week following the dinner or
party. It shows you have class.
Table manners
Wait to be asked several times before moving into the dining room or helping
yourself to food.
Wait to be told where to sit. There may be a seating plan.
Do not start eating until the host invites you to do so.
Meals are often served family- style or are buffets where you serve yourself.
A fork and spoon are the typical eating utensils.
Hold the fork in the left hand and use it to guide food to the spoon in your right hand.
Whether you should leave some food on your plate or finish everything is a matter of
personal preference rather than culture-driven.
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Business Etiquette & Protocol
Relationships & Communication
Filipinos thrive on interpersonal relationships, so it is advisable to be introduced by a
third party.
It is crucial to network and build up a cadre of business associates you can call upon
for assistance in the future.
Business relationships are personal relationships, which mean you may be asked to
do favours for colleagues, and they will fully expect you to ask them for favours in
return.
Once a relationship has been developed it is with you personally, not necessarily with
the company you represent. Therefore, if you leave the company, your replacement
will need to build their own relationship.
Presenting the proper image will facilitate building business relationships. Dress
conservatively and well at all times.
Business Meeting Etiquette
Appointments are required and should be made 3 to 4 weeks in advance.
It is a good idea to reconfirm a few days prior to the meeting, as situations may
change.
Avoid scheduling meetings the week before Easter.
Punctuality is expected. For the most part your Filipino colleagues will be punctual
as well.
Face-to-face meetings are preferred to other, more impersonal methods such as the
telephone, fax, letter or email.
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Send an agenda and informational materials in advance of the meeting so your
colleagues may prepare for the discussion.
The actual decision maker may not be at the meeting.
Avoid making exaggerated claims.
Always accept any offer of food or drink. If you turn down offers of hospitality, your
colleagues lose face.
It is important to remain for the period of social conversation at the end of the
meeting.
Business Negotiation
You may never actually meet with the decision maker or it may take several visits to
do so.
Decisions are made at the top of the company.
Filipinos avoid confrontation if at all possible.
It is difficult for them to say 'no'. Likewise, their 'yes' may merely mean 'perhaps'.
At each stage of the negotiation, try to get agreements in writing to avoid confusion
or misinterpretation.
If you raise your voice or lose your temper, you lose face.
Filipinos do business with people more than companies.
If you change representatives during negotiations, you may have to start over.
Negotiations may be relatively slow. Most processes take a long time because group
consensus is necessary.
Decisions are often reached on the basis of feelings rather than facts, which is why it
is imperative to develop a broad network of personal relationships.
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Do not remove your suit jacket unless the most important Filipino does.
Dress Etiquette
Business attire is conservative.
Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit, at least for the initial
meeting.
Women should wear a conservative suit, a skirt and blouse, or a dress. . Women's
clothing may be brightly coloured as long as it is of good quality and well-tailored.
Appearances matter and visitors should dress well.
Business Cards
You should offer your business card first.
Make sure your business card includes your title.
Present and receive business cards with two hands so that it is readable to the
recipient.
Examine the card briefly before putting it in your business card case.
Some senior level executives only give business cards to those of similar rank.
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Most Popular Costumes
Barong Tagalog Costume
The Barong Tagalog, this is the official national costume of Filipino men, originated from
the northern part of the Philippines, and is originally made of jusi or pineapple cloth called
“pina” (woven from pineapple leaves). It is worn over a Chinese collarless shirt called
camisa de Chino. It exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical
appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the
ornamental restraint of European men's clothing.
Maria Clara Costume
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The Maria Clara, this dress was named after a mestiza heroine of one of the novels of the
Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Its origin was the national costume of Filipino
women which is baro't (shirt) saya (skirt). The Maria Clara gown features a floor-length
paneled skirt of silk or satin and it consists of four separate pieces: the collarless waist-length, bell sleeved camisa; the bubble-shaped, floor-length saya; the stiff, neck-covering
pañuelo; and the hip-hugging, knee length tapis, or overskirt.
Rural Costume
The Kimona, this dress originated from the Visayas, can be worn for everyday activities as
casual dress or for formal occasion. Its origin was the baro't (shirt) saya (skirt), the national
costume for Filipino women during the early years. A casual kimona dress is always worn
with matching West Visayan wrap around called "patadyong" as a skirt.
Cordillera Costume
The Igorot, this attire is used by the tribes in Mountain Province of The Cordillera ranges,
called Igorots. They have their own unique costume that makes them distinctive from other
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tribes in the Philippines. This costume reflects their way of life, cultures, personalities,
religious practices and rituals. Igorot costume is very simple. The men wear long strips of
hand-woven loin cloth called "wanes". The woman wear a kind of wrap-around skirt called
"lufid".
Major Holidays
Date English Name Filipino name
January 1 New Year's Day Araw ng Bagong Taon
April 9 Day of Valor Araw ng Kagitingan
April 17 (2014) Maundy Thursday Huwebes Santo
April 18 (2014) Good Friday Biyernes Santo
May 1 Labor Day Araw ng mga Manggagawa
June 12 Independence Day Araw ng Kalayaan
August 25 (2014) National Heroes' Day Araw ng mga Bayani
November 30 Bonifacio Day Araw ng Kapanganakan ni Bonifacio
December 25 Christmas Day Araw ng Pasko
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Filipino Body Language
Greetings Filipinos usually greet each other with a smile and eye contact.
As soon as they make eye contact they raise and lower their eyebrows as an
additional greeting sign.
This instantly establishes their relationship as friendly.
Negative Gestures
There is another form of eye contact – something called “the evil eye.”
It is simply a hard stare without the smile or the eyebrow movement. This is
considered both arrogant and rude.
And so is standing with your hands on your waist with your elbows stuck out.
Another extremely rude gesture is the single finger pointed straight out with the other
fingers curled in.
Room Etiquette
When you have to move to another part of the room and have to go between people
who are standing and talking, the Philippine custom is to clasp your hands together in
front of you, and pass with your head lowered.
This is both a sign of respect and a silent apology for interrupting them.
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Respect for Family Elders
Filipinos show great respect for family elders.
A traditional sign of respect is for the younger person to hold the elder’s hand and
place his knuckles on her forehead.
Smiling
Filipinos always smile – they smile when they are happy, they smile when they are
embarrassed, they even smile when they are angry. In fact a smile when angry helps
defuse the situation, unlike western cultures where anger often leads to fisticuffs.
To a westerner all this smiling makes it difficult to know exactly what Filipinos mean
when they smile at you. Your first interpretation will usually be correct – that the
smile is one of friendship – but sometimes you will have to judge the smile in light of
the situation.
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Labor Laws
The normal hours work of an employee shall not exceed 8 hours a day.
However, Health Personnel shall have a maximum of 40 hours a week. If made to
work in excess of 40 hours, they are entitled to 30% additional pay.
Generally, everyone is covered by the law on overtime. However, the following
have been exempted by the law: managerial personnel, government employees, non-
agricultural field personnel whose hours of work cannot be determined, family
members dependent upon the employer for support, househelpers, those in the
personal employ of another, and piece rate workers.
Overtime Work is work rendered beyond 8 hours. Every hour worked in excess of 8
hours earns an additional pay of 25%. The rate is 30% if done on a rest day or
holiday.
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References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_Philippines
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Philippines
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Philippines
4. http://philippineculture.ph/Phil-political.htm#parties
5. http://philippineculture.ph/Traditions.htm
6. http://philippineculture.ph/Culture-beliefs.htm
7. http://philippineculture.ph/Food-index.htm#table_manners
8. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Culture_of_the_Philippine
s