There are a lot of things I love about my home country, The Philippines. The year-round warm weather, the crystal clear waters, and the delicious food, to name a few. But there are also things that drive me nuts, things that make me take deep breaths and long sighs, and things that really test my patience.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way and definitely there are a lot of great things to be loved about and to miss in The Philippines. But I have lived overseas for a while and I just can’t help but compare. And if you are an expat yourself, then I’m 100% sure you are going to agree with me.
Traffic in the metro
There’s a common connotation that traffic is synonymous to a booming economy. Hence, progress. Yeah, right. The fuck it is. Whoever said that must have never tried driving in the streets of our metro cities.
The truth is, no matter where you go, there will always be traffic. Even here in Sydney, we get the occasional traffic jam. Especially during peak hours or when there are incidents on the road or when there’s a huge roadwork going on.
But damn, traffic in The Philippines is just C-R-A-Z-Y. And when I say CRAZY, I mean leave-your-house-three-hours-early-or-you-will-be-late kind of crazy. Okay, maybe just two.
We have drivers who do not know, understand, or completely disregard road rules (how hard is it to use your signal lights???); big trucks, buses, tricycles, pedi-fucking-cabs sharing the highway, and everyone’s favourite; jeepneys that stop and go whenever and wherever they please. Not to mention the potholes, never-ending road works, and vendors on the side of the road that you have to navigate through.
There have been countless road experiments tried by the traffic management team; there are literally hundreds of road rules, ordinances, and restrictions implemented, and; millions upon millions of taxpayers money have been poured into improving the traffic situation but still, it’s not getting any better.
You know what I think? I think it boils down to the lack of discipline. Not just the drivers, but everyone.
Bureaucracy
Just so you know, this list is not in order. But if I were to call out the number one thing that irks me the most, it’s this. Yes, more than the traffic and the super slow internet service (more on that later).
From getting a business permit to something as simple as getting a cedula, the hoops one has to go through to get a silly piece of paper is just ridiculous. And that piece of paper is just a requirement for another piece of paper which is a requirement for another piece of paper which is a requirement for… You see where I’m getting at here?
And this is painful not just for small businesses but for government employees as well.
Recently, when my sister-in-law who works for a government agency had to file for a leave of absence, I was dumbfounded when I discovered that she’s had to go through at least FIFTEEN people, just so her leave application would be approved. *insert jaw drop meme*
For a country that prides itself at being hospitable, I cannot understand why we love making our fellowmen suffer.
Slow service
There are three pillars to a good product or service: 1. Quality; 2. Value for money, and; 3. Delivery.
Now, most things in The Philippines are relatively affordable for me. I say this because, well obviously, I’m earning Australian dollar. The quality isn’t too bad as well. But for the love of God and all things good, why oh why is service so effing slow? Why does it take forever for something you bought online to be delivered? How is a five-day delivery time called express delivery? Why does it take ages for food to be served? WHY DOES A HAIRCUT TAKE AN HOUR TO GET DONE??
Some quick back story.
During our recent three-week holiday in The Philippines, I have had to get a haircut. When my siblings went to the mall to do grocery, I decided to go with them and get a haircut. When I went to the barber shop, I was the only customer and there were three barbers available. But holy crap by the time my brother and sister finished doing their grocery, I was still there getting my hair cut.
When I told my dad about it, he said they do it on purpose so I can feel the value of the money I paid. A haircut inside the mall costs Php 350.00 (~AUD 10.00) btw.
Backwards technology
One of the many things I loved right away when I moved to Sydney was the ease of banking (i.e. making in-store cashless payments, sending/receiving money, opening accounts, etc.). It’s like someone thought, “why don’t we make everyone’s life easier by doing this, implementing that, and enforcing this?”
Meanwhile in The Philippines, it is the complete opposite. I mean, yeah, one could argue that it’s a third-world country but what-the-actual-fuck these are basic services. Bank-to-bank (sending money via bank transfer), customer-to-merchant (paying for something), and merchant-to-customer (doing refunds) should be easy, free, and totally convenient. It is, after all, our money. Right? Riiiiight???
Another thing that baffles me is the requirement that documents be printed. Not only is this a complete waste of resources, but in case you missed it, it’s the Digital/Information Age. Electronic copies of documents should be acceptable by this time. Why are we still cutting down trees to make paper and print on them? I. JUST. DON’T. UNDERSTAND.
Summary
Pardon me if this entire post stinks of “white privilege” shit. But as they say, “once you go black, you never go back.” And I would be a total hypocrite if I say that all of these are fine even after experiencing life overseas.
So, what do you think? What’s on your list of things you do not miss in The Philippines each time you land on a different country? Let me know in the comments below.
Cheers!