Customer Service in the Philippines

How is customer service in the Philippines?  There have been lengthy discussions recently on our forum, Mabuhay! Forum, as well as other expat platforms.  Most expats here tend to agree that customer service in the Philippines is not of the same quality as we expect in Western countries.

My wife and I had an experience last week as we took a wedding anniversary trip to the Ermita area in Manila.  We stayed for a long weekend at the Bayview Park Hotel, a hotel that has been in existence for seventy-five years, and is located directly opposite the U.S. Embassy compound on Roxas Boulevard.

We arrived by taxi and was greeted at the door.  I really did not notice at that point that they greeted me only after my Filipina wife had entered the hotel.  It was as if my wife was invisible.  Next, as we registered, my wife was standing next to me at the counter.  The girl behind the counter, while courteous, completely ignored my wife.

Our next encounter with hotel staff was the following morning at breakfast.  My wife and I were greeted at the cafe entrance (or should I say I was greeted) and shown an open table.  The server asked, "One cup of coffee, sir?"  At that point my wife had enough, and uttered, "Hey, don't I exist here?"  The server had no answer, and was maybe a little embarrassed.  For the rest of our stay, we watched the hotel staff cater to white Westerners, and for the most part ignore Filipinas who were with them.

To some degree we did expect this.  In making our decision to stay at this hotel, we did check guest reviews on several websites, including TripAdvisor.com and Yahoo.com.  There were comments by Filipinas indicating that they too had experienced such treatment.

My wife and I have been fortunate to have traveled extensively and have stayed at numerous hotels in the Philippines and the U.S.  While there is some tendency to pay more attention to me, an old white man, this is the first time my wife had felt discrimination so blatantly (and from her own people in the Philippines).

Needless to say, upon check-out we did communicate with hotel management.  I will give them credit, as a few days later, we did receive a telephone call from one of their Assistant Managers apologizing.  That was followed by some email, and by the end of the week a letter from the General Manager indicating that they have intensified their employee training, and asking us for a return visit to see that they did indeed act upon our complaint.

We may make another visit to the Bayview Park Hotel in a few months, and will report back to our readers.

Photogs Mentor Kids with Autism; Exhibit at SM Marikina

On exhibit at SM Marikina through August 22nd are photographs from the Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP), Marikina Chapter, and numerous sponsors.  Several weeks ago, ASP, along with professional photographers in the area, took a group of high functioning children with autism to the Manila Zoo and the Manila Ocean Park.  The photographers acted as mentors to the kids, showing them how to use cameras and the fundamentals of composition.  My wife, Elma, accompanied the group as two of her special education students were participants.  The SM Marikina exhibition highlights images taken that day, both by the professional photographers and the kids.  The photos of the kids demonstrate that even children with challenges can produce very artistic work.

The Marikina Chapter of ASP is but one of 42 such chapters throughout the Philippines.  Even though the country has limited resources dedicated to meet the needs of children and adults with disabilities, there is a network of private support.   Just as in developed countries, societies or associations have been formed in the Philippines to help those in need.  The Autism Society of the Philippines has been in existence for 21 years.

Events such as the outing to the Manila Zoo and the Manila Ocean Park give children with autism the chance to participate in activities normally not available to them, to learn new skills, and to demonstrate their talents.

For the adults involved, in this case the professional photographers, it gave them the chance to share their knowledge, and to better understand the children.

The photographs taken by the kids reflect talent that most would not think existed.  While some correction was made to the final prints, the kids did demonstrate a knowledge of composition, and the art of photographing a feeling, not just an object.

Anyone in the Metro Manila area would find a trip to SM Marikina to see this exhibition well worth the time.  It runs through August 22nd, and is located on the first floor at the main entrance to the mall.

Visiting the Doctor

Worrying about getting affordable medical advice is one of the things you do when you get a little older.  One of the reasons I decided to settle in Metro Manila rather than a Province was my ability to get to world class medical facilities easily, although not always quickly.  I see several specialists at The Medical City in Pasig City, Metro Manila, about twice a year. It is about a thirty minute taxi ride from my condo, and it was time this past week.

The Medical City is one of the premier medical facilities in the Philippines.  It is comprised of an 800 bed hospital, very modern laboratory facilities, and a medical tower with hundreds of doctor's offices.  They have every speciality practiced in this country.  I see a heart doctor, kidney doctor, and diabetes doctor.  All have had some education in the U.S.

Unlike in the U.S., where you will see a doctor for maybe ten minutes, and then the nurse will take blood or other samples for testing, the laboratory work is done before you see the doctor (assuming this is not your first visit).  Your time with the doctor is spent evaluating your laboratory tests and a routine examination is performed, blood pressure and heart and lung check.  There is no nurse, or expensive office facilities.  For this reason, even a specialist, and usually you will be seeing only a specialist, as general practitioners are hard to find, will charge PhP500 or less for the consultation.

To give you an idea of my doctor visit costs twice a year, the laboratory tests which consist of a complete blood panel, blood chemistry, complete blood count, urinalysis,  and a Hgb A1C for my diabetes, cost about PhP3,600.  I have to be honest here, I take my tests at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, a government hospital in Quezon City, Metro Manila.  It is done the weekend before I see the doctor so my wife can come with me.  Because it is a government facility, it is a little cheaper then when I used to take the tests at The Medical City.   It takes a little extra time to save a few Pesos, but I am retired and have more time on my hands than money.  As I mentioned previously, my doctors charge PhP500 or less for their consultation.  My total medical costs twice a year is right around PhP5,000, or a little over US$100, plus a few hundred Pesos for taxi and lunch.

Because routine medical examinations are so inexpensive here, most expats in the Philippines self insure.  There is medical insurance available, Blue Cross and Maxicare are two better known companies.  If you are married to a working Filipina or Filipino, FilHealth, the government run insurer is available.

Major medical procedures and transplants are available at hospitals like The Medical City at vastly reduced rates as compared to Western countries.  For this reason medical tourism is on the rise, and promoted by the Philippine Government, but with some caution as Filipinos have been known to sell organs for the money it can bring.

So for anyone considering a move to the Philippines, medical services, at least in Metro Manila, is readily available.  The Medical City is certainly by no means the only world class facility in the region.  There are several others, both public and private.  If you choose to live in the Provinces, however, you should be aware that the level of medical care is for the most part sub-standard.

“Basyang” - First Typhoon of the Season

Well, we have just experienced Typhoon "Basyang" (international name Conson), the first major storm of the 2010 monsoon season.  In our area, there was very little flooding, but a lot of wind damage.  At least twenty people were reported dead in a nearby city, Taytay, Rizal, as a result of the storm.  Our condo lost power about 10 pm on Tuesday the 13th, and it was returned about 3 pm today.  During that time we had no water pressure, and no telephone (we did have cell service) or internet.

This same occurrence happens a number of times each year, and for someone considering traveling to or living in the Philippines, this is important.  Of course the rainy season is not unique to the Philippines.  India too experiences a great amount of wet weather this time of the year, as does most of East and Southeast Asia.  Flooding has also occurred in China recently.

Unless a visitor to the Philippines comes from a part of the U.S. where they experience hurricanes, this type of weather can be a bit unnerving.  It seems like the rain will never stop, and often comes down in sheets  The wind is extremely strong, and just like what happened in Taytay, often will badly damage Filipino shelters.

The rainy or wet season will continue into October and November, with heavy rains experienced as late as December.  Filipinos have learned to cope with the weather, however, each year tragedy does occur as homes are flooded or washed or blown away.  Annually the heaviest damage and loss of life occurs on Luzon Island, but other islands are affected also.  Foreign visitors and retirees must be aware of the seasonal problem, and make sure they are prepared.  Not knowing what to expect could be their biggest danger.

My Experience with the Philippine Retirement Authority

At least once a year, all foreigners living in the Philippines must come in contact with a government agency.  Maybe it is annual registration, maybe to pay a fee, maybe to get an identification card renewed.  In my case, it is to get a new membership card from the Philippine Retirement Authority, better known as the PRA.  They have offices in many parts of the country, but I utilize their head office in Makati City, Metro Manila.

I left my condo about 9:30 am this morning and walked to the highway to hail a taxi.  On most days it just takes a few minutes to find a taxi to take me where I need to go.  But today was one day when there were just no taxis around.  I stood there for a good half hour before I found one.  On my way, finally.  Oh, then came the rain!

Well, traffic was heavy, but we did make it in about an hour and a quarter ... a trip that should have taken no more than about forty minutes.

The PRA is located on the 29th floor of the Citibank Tower ... pretty nice digs for a government office.  I checked in with the guard at the door, was handed a form to fill out and was shown a table to use.  There were more people in the office than I had seen on previous visits, maybe twenty clients, and the office had been redecorated and rearranged.  The PRA must be doing pretty good in its 25th year.  When the girl came around and offered me a cup of coffee, I figured I was in for a long wait.  Lo and behold, my number was the next to be called.  I went to the desk with my completed form.  The girl verified a few questions, indicated that the fee was US$10 and pointed out the cashier.  Hummm, I had only been there about ten minutes.  OK, I went to the cashier with my form and my US$10.  I stood a few feet away while she finished her client.  A minute or two later I was at her desk, gave her the form and my money.  Wow, within two minutes I was finished.  Best part yet ... the original girl apparently had been watching, because as I got up to go back to her desk, she approached me, took the form, my receipt, and my old card, left and came back in about two minutes with a photocopy of the documents for their records.  She handed me my new card ... with my picture on it.  "That's it?"  "Yes," she said, and I was off.  It took a total of about twenty minutes.  It took me almost four times longer to get to the PRA, than conducting my business.  Now, I have been to a number of government offices in the Philippines, and this was great service.

The moral to my story ... while we all encounter bureaucracy in the Philippines, there are some good departments that know how to satisfy clients ... those that truly believe in customer service.  The Philippine Retirement Authority is one of them.