The AIDS Epidemic in the Typical Filipino Workplace, Thanks to the Filipino First Policy

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As Christmas is almost near (and I hate the Christmas season in the Philippines but not Christmas itself), I think of why working on papers and shopping from September up to December is a hassle. I hear the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" at all. However, it's ironic that Christmas starts early but Christmas shopping is delayed until the last minute (read here). One of the biggest problems that cause shopping (or any transaction for that matter) to become a hassle is AIDS. No, I'm not talking about the AIDS virus but an Internet slang called As If Doing Something. I learned the term during my MBA days. Part of me is wondering, "Was it worth it to get an MBA in the Philippines?" It's because I never learned how to invest in an index fund in school but through reading Warren Edward Buffett!

I remember some of the worst things in my college days. Some people say, "I'm busy!" in the Cebuano dialect. I update on something and the person says he or she is busy. At first, I just respect the statement. However, what becomes the problem when one's "busy busy" is a lie. It's like there's this typical problem between Filipinos. One Filipino says, "I'm on the way." in their local dialect. However, the person was still at home doing something else! The same goes for people in the office.

Yes, they're busy but they're busy doing something else. What are they "busy" on? There's a woman who's still combing her hair and applying makeup--while there's a long line right in front of her! There's someone who's using Facebook or playing games during working hours, not during the lunch break. There's someone who's making nonsense texts or nonsense phone calls, during office hours. If the person was really busy dealing with repairs or customers, I can understand. However, if they're "busy" with applying makeup (which should've been done before work), playing games, using Facebook, etc. during inappropriate times then that's something else.

I blame the Filipino First Policy for this AIDS epidemic in the workplace. If businesses hardly have any competition then why bother working hard? Why bother teaching the staff to be professional to their customers. After all, there's very little competition meaning businesses don't have to worry about losing customers. Why would I worry about working professionally or teaching employees to do so, when I'm the sole person doing the business?

However, removing unnecessary FDI restrictions (such as equity restrictions) will force Filipino businesses to evolve and compete. It's because Filipino businesses will be forced to be on their toes. Whether we want to admit it or not--we all need some form of healthy competition to keep us running. Jollibee endured competition and it's now in the world market. Filipinos who are saying, "But FDIs will destroy our businesses!" are those who refuse to evolve.

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