By: John Pacson

Capital city: Manila

Primary langue
spoken: Tagalog
and English



Religion: More than
80% of Filipinos
are Roman
Catholic , Another
11% belongs to
other Christian
churches.

PRIMARY LANGUAGE AND RELIGION
Adobo- made from
chicken, pork or
both, stewed in
vinegar, soy
sauce, and garlic.
Pancit- A dish with
chinese roots,
these fried
noodles with
meat and
vegetables are a
common quick
meal in the
Philippines.
NATIONAL CUISINES
STEREOTYPES TOWARDS FILIPINOS
Positive stereotypes
1. Filipinos being handworkers
2. Filipinos being smart
3. Filipinos are family oriented

Negative stereotypes
1. Filipinos always late
2. Filipino tend to have a crab mentality (selfish, short sighted)

SUPERSTITION AND FOLKLORE
Anting-ating - Filipinos often carry amulets, talismans, and charms, called anting-
antings, which are usually strange and rare objects that come from nature
bizarre tree roots, crocodile teeth, guinea bird horns, or peculiar stones. Much
mysticism goes into the origin and the making of the anting-anting, which
originated from the Filipinos instinct for self-preservation and the desire for
supernatural powers to be ever present.
Monsters and Supernatural Beings - Supernatural beings and monstrous creatures
constitute one of the most fascinating aspects of Filipino folklore. Many stories
exist about how certain practices and rituals must be followed to achieve a
harmonious existence with the unseen elemental beings that live among them. A
breach in this delicate balance affects the health and fortune of the offending
party.


HAND-GESTURES USED IN THIS COUNTRY
Finger summoning - Definitely don't
use your curled index finger to
summon them in the Philippines --
that's reserved for calling dogs and is
considered very rude.
The Okay or A-OK or O.K sign is
mostly considered on of the good
hand gestures. The hand gesture is
used by curling the index finger
over the thumb and the remaining
fingers extended above them. This
means that everything is good, well
or O.K.
BUSINESS CULTURE ETIQUETTE AND BODY
LANGUAGE
Rank and power are very important in Filipino culture, as is evident in their style of
instructions. Honoring the business hierarchy is very important, and visitors should
take note in order to understand who the decision makers are. The etiquette of
handshakes is similar to that of the West. Although Filipinos may use a pat on the
side of the side of the arm as a gesture of hospitality or friendship. If there is a
clear status differential between you and someone else at the meeting.
BUSINESS CULTURE RELATIONSHIP
BUILDING


The pace of doing business in the Philippines is leisurely, with meetings often
bookended by small talk. Take care to arrive on time and stick around converse
with the locals, as this is integral to building strong relationships with your filipino
counterparts.
Face to face meetings are always preferred over telephones calls, e-mails, or letters,
and are integral to building relationships. Putting your best image forward at all
times will also help facilitate building business relationships, so choose sharp,
conservative dress for your stay in the country.
BUSINESS CULTURE COMMUNICATION
STYLES IN DECISION MAKING

Filipinos often make significant use of nonverbal language, which may take some
getting used to for Western businesspeople. Pay particular attention to facial
expressions. Lifting the eyebrows without smiling means "no," while lifting the
eyebrows while smiling is used as a friendly greeting. Pointing of the finger is seen
as rude, and directional cues are typically given by the pursing of the lips. Visitors
should avoid prolonged direct eye contact.
though Filipinos use English as a business language, the word "yes" has a variety of
meanings: "I agree," "I understand but do not agree," "maybe," or even "yes, but
highly unlikely" are just a few interpretations. Filipinos do not care for the word
"no," and will go to great lengths to avoid using it in order to avoid disagreement
or tension of any sort
BUSINESS CULTURE POWER STRUCTURES IN
DECISION MAKING


Business structures in the Philippines tend to be strictly hierarchical. All decisions are
made at the top of the company, and it will likely take several visits to meet the
real decision maker. Depending on the size of the company and scope of the
project, there is also a possibility a foreign businessperson may never actually
meet with the real decision maker. Often, getting someone to act on a proposal
has to be done through one or more gatekeepersbut once you make it to the top
of the pyramid, the gears begin to move quickly and deals are completed at rapid
pace.
Similarities: Business
cards are important
for both cultures
especially when first
introduced.

Differences: In the
Philippines people
may use a pat on
the side of their
arm as a gesture of
hospitality of
friendship, but
here in the US
people give out
compliments.

SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES ON BODY
LANGUAGE COMPARED TO THE US
Similarities: Filipinos and
Americans use English as
a business language, the
word Yes has a variety
of meaning such as: I
Agree, or I
understand
Differences: For Filipinos
lifting the eyebrows
without smiling means
no, while lifting the
eyebrows while smiling
is a good friendly
greeting, and for
Americans when you
first meet someone you
instantly greet them with
a hi or Hello and
shakes hand after a
conversation.
SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES ON
COMMUNICATING STYLES
Similarities: For both
cultures decisions
are made at the top
of the company.
Differences: For Filipino
cultures these
companies are
owned by foreigners
from other countries
mostly from many
Asian countries, and
for Americans these
companies are
owned by mainly the
people from their
country.
SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES ON POWER
STRUCTURES
Back in 2000 the
Philippines had
an internet
penetration rate
of mere 2%. But
just between
2012 and 2013, it
increased to 22%.
Most popular social
networks:
Facebook
Instagram
twitter

INTERNET PENETRATION RATE & MOST
POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKS
MEANS- VS. GOAL-ORIENTED
Definition: A means oriented culture places importance on how work gets done.
Strong focus on achieving an end result.

For many Filipinos, getting the work done is one of the main aspects for a successful
life, Filipinos are hard workers and they always aim high especially on getting work
done on a specific time. Many OFW (oversea Filipino workers) are examples
because they work overseas to support their families.
INTERNALLY & EXTERNALLY DRIVEN
Employees within an internally-driven culture see themselves as experts; they feel they
know what is best for the client and customer and act accordingly. On the other
side, employees working in an externally-driven culture are very customer-
oriented and will do whatever the customer wants.

Filipinos are very customer oriented because they are similar to other cultures who
follow the Customers are always right aspect.
EASY-GOING VS. STRICT WORK DISCIPLINE
Work discipline refers to the amount of structure and control. In an easygoing culture,
the approach to work is informal, loose, unpredictable, and these characteristics
facilitate a high level of innovation. But you better like surprises and be willing to
improvise and adapt! In a strict culture, there is a fair amount of planning, which
leads to efficiency and productivity. People take punctuality seriously and delegate
work with detailed instructions.

Filipino culture is a very strict culture, there is a fair amount of planning because
planning is usually done before the actual labor and detailed instructions are given
first.
LOCAL VS. PROFESSIONAL
In a local organizational culture, employees identify with their boss and their
teammates. This type of environment risks having a low level of diversity, since
there are social pressures to act, look, and talk in a certain way. However, these
defined norms allow for a great amount of predictability. In a company with a
professional culture, employees identify with their profession or the content of the
work.

Filipino culture has a professional culture due to many strict companies owned by
foreigners, looking for a job there is very competitive because there is a limit
number of openings and they look at your profession successes and achievement
to acquire the job position.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN MEANS VS.
GOAL ORIENTED OF THESE CULTURES
C O M P A R I S O N
Both cultures have a
deep importance on
getting work done
because of todays
society where
everything is very
competitive.
C O N T R A S T
US is more of a goal
oriented culture
because,
organizational
effectiveness and
organization is
valued more. One
example of this
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN EASY-GOING
VS. STRICT WORK DISCIPLINE
C O M P A R I S O N
Philippines is more of a
strict culture with a
fair amount of
planning, but work is
prioritized.
C O N T R A S T
In contrast, American
culture is more Easy
going, where
workers are easy
controlled, while
work is being done.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN INTERNALLY
& EXTERNALLY DRIVEN
C O M P A R I S O N
If both cultures are
compared,
Philippines is more
internally-driven
culture where they
know what is best
for the client
C O N T R A S T
In contrast to this, both
cultures have
mantra of the
customer is always
right satisfaction.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST IN LOCAL VS.
PROFESSIONAL
C O M P A R I S O N
Philippines is more of a
local organization
culture, because
employees identify
their boss and their
teammates in-order
to get work done
faster.
C O N T R A S T
In contrast, American
culture is more
professional where
employees identify
with their profession
or the content of the
work.
November 1 (All
saints day)
celebrated by
catholic churches
in honor of all
saints, known
and unknown.
November 30
(Bonifacio day)
celebrated by
many Filipinos in
honor to the
father of
Philippine
revolution
CURRENT EVENTS IN THE COUNTRY WITHIN
THE PAST 2 MONTHS
CITATIONS
10 Innocent Hand Gestures You Should Never Use Abroad. (2014, March 24). The
Huffington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/smartertravel/10-innocent-hand-
gestures_b_5022230.html
Philippines records the biggest internet population growth globally. (n.d.). Tech in
Asia RSS. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from http://www.techinasia.com/philippines-
records-biggest-internet-population-growth-globally/
6 Dimensions of Organizational Culture - Which One is Right for You?. (n.d.). The Fast
Track. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from
http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2014/02/25/6-dimensions-of-organizational-
culture-which-one-is-right-for-you/