This is quite a long read...

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During my time/career, I have visited, lived, and worked in more than 80 countries on both business and pleasure, and I have just spent the past 3 years touring Asia, which had many highlights interspersed with a few low ones, but the Philippines, where I was based for 18 months, ranks in a league of its own, and merits a few comments and observations, whilst fresh in my mind, and as I reflect upon my recently concluded Asian sojourn.

Sometimes travelling is about seeing beyond the obvious, to try and understand the psyche of a country, even in a comparatively short time, to slowly peel away the layers, to relate to its people and its problems, and to paint a realistic picture, rather than just collect picture postcards, and to give honest opinions, unwelcome as they may sometimes be. This is one such time, and in the spirit that the Philippines professes to want more tourists, wants to improve, and welcomes expert opinion, then a few observations seem warranted, although usually any detractors or critics are regarded as persona non grata – how much of an island mentality does that suggest, and in the Philippines’ case you need to multiply that attitude by 7,107!It would take a book to describe the sheer political hypocricy, social dysfunction, and business inefficiency in the Philippines, which must rank as one of the world’s worst-managed and most corrupt countries – excluding failed African states – and also to do justice to the resilience and spirit of the 100 million people, the vast majority of whom (75+%) struggle to survive on a daily basis, (27% unemployment, and 35% living below the poverty line), who live in cockroach-infested homemade shacks where malaria and dengue are rife, but who cannot afford hospital care and medication, who experience regular natural calamities without the benefit of government readiness or meaningful assistance (e.g typhoon Yolanda), and who ultimately must fend for themselves, or rely on the many overseas charities/NGO’s ( non government organisations) – which admirably do what the government miserably fail at.

Read more: http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/05/the-philippines-a-world-travelers-musings-and-ramblings-wtf-wheres-the-fun/