I am writing a series of articles on my analysis of Philippines Inc., and hopefully this will be compiled in a book at a later date.  Here is one of my observations on Philippine social norms and practices.

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If you are a single parent with small children whose kids may need to spend a few hours with the other parent, or a parent who brings children to stay with their grandparents for a couple of hours, you will understand what I mean…. The kids come back stuffed with chocolate, chips ,ice cream, and toys.

You understand that the long term cost of doing such is that the children becomes fat, unhealthy, undisciplined, and refuses to eat wholesome food.  Their teeth will rot, and their education ignored. Worse, you know you cannot push them too hard to work or study ( things that are good for them) , because they will tell ‘ lolo’ about it, the lolo who seem to have endless supplies of candies and soda, and who never says its bad for you.   In the eyes of the child, he is his knight on shining armor.

Such can be your dilemma in managing corporations and being a leader.  There are interim leaders who don’t subscribe to long term thinking, but in short term popularity.  I feel the tragedy of Philippines politics as it was developed, is that there are too many well meaning lolos and padrinos. They don’t do much when there is work to do ( but you like them, because they don’t ask much from you either, unlike your parents!) , but do come by occasionally to show that they care by

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