The Philippines

How did Chinese people in the Philippines become so successful?

I've heard so much about how successful Chinese are in the Philippines. That they came from China, started from scratch, and became successful business owners. There are lots of OFW's who go back to the Philippines to start a business but most of the time their businesses usually fail. Also most Balikbayans and foreigners would be reluctant to start a business because most see it as a bad place to make an investment. So what makes Chinese people in the Philippines succeed in business where most OFW's, Balikbayans, and Foreign investors either do not succeed or are reluctant to invest?

Public Comments

1. they have good work ethics plus excellent business sense. in any language, that equals success!
2. REASONS WHY FILIPINO BUSINESSMEN FAILS: 1) EXTORTION = PARASITES ARE EVERYWHERE 2) JEALOUSY = HATERS WON'T LET YOU SUCCEED 3) VIDEOKE BAR = LADIES DRINK PLS.
3. Chinese people are hard-working they don't believe in resting till they get on top but even on top they still don't rest. And you know how colonial mentality is people here rather buy made in china (which the chinese people are selling) rather than made in the philippines.
4. The chinese have very large extended family networks that operate not only inside the Philippines but go outside. This has always been one of the hallmarks of the chinese wherever they have gone. They have opened up one business and then extended, keeping their money within the family and extending their business networks. What has helped the chinese to establish themselves was protection under the Spanish and the Americans. The chinese were much more willing to go with the flow and acceptance of colonisation. The chinese were able to grow and spread because they were good with money - and that they worked in with the colonial powers. In turn, the chinese were given protection and even made richer by colonisation by both Spanish and Americans. I dont think race has anything to do with sucess in the Philippines. The Philippines is a very tough climate for anyone to succeed in unless you have large amounts of money and investers behind you - which the filipino chinese do. There are many factors that lead to success and failure in pi. One of course is money and access to large amounts. Another is the kind of business. Corruption and taxes have done nothing to promote small businesses in the philippines. Education is another. I have noticed in the Philippines that they dont have a business sense culture. For some reason, filipinos dont save money and wont put money aside for a bad time. There is also very little education in other business areas - that to make money you have to spend it. Filipinos are very reluctant to fix problems or invest money to improve their businesses - often letting their businesses literally fall apart. Foreign investment in the Philippines is there and i think will increase as Arroyo and other filipino politicians crack down on corruption. No one will be willing to invest in the Philippines unless their investment is guaranteed - you dont go into business to lose money. The Philippines government has to create an atmosphere in business and politics in which foreign investers can invest money - which will not be heavily taxed or undermined by corruption. Which is why many investors pulled out under Marcos and Estrada. What the Philippines needs to do is to move away from an agricultural based economy towards heavy industry - and that wont happen until the landowning elites stop controlling political decisions. The Philippins also needs to do alot more to attract tourists by spending more on infrastructure as well as cracking down on crime.
5. The Filipinos made them successful.
6. THEY CHEAT ON THEIR TAXES,WHICH LED TO THE WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION WE HAVE NOW.
7. 1. They work really hard. Harder than the average Pinoys. 2. They are entrepreneurial. Most of them would rather own a small shop than be employed. 3. They have good business sense. They realize that they can keep customers by selling items at lower prices, and in the process get bot new and repeat customers, making their bottomline healthy. 4. They support each other. Long before the Makati Business Club came to be, or before the other business groups were formed, they already practiced networking among themselves. 5. Finally, they are likeable. They can even be unassuming, making the customers feel they are always winning the bargain.
8. PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE CONCEPT OF FENG SHUI! ---> halika kayo dito, bili na dito mga paninda pala swelte sa negosyo
9. because they are soooo kuripot...
10. Through hard work, lots of sacrifices and perseverance. They only ate "lugaw"...day to day to scrimp on food. They were contented with only a few centavos as profit. They did not spend so much on clothes or other basic necessities. And importantly, everyone in the family helped out in the business. They also saved as much as they can. In short, they lived a very frugal life.
11. The same reason Filipinos who go abroad are generally very successful. It takes a lot of guts for a person to come out of their safety zone and try to make it big in a new environment. It says something about the type of chinese who would get out of China and go elsewhere. Another reason perhaps is that the Chinese lists merchants at the bottom of their caste system. They view them as profitting from the works of other people. Not a surprise then that those who would be trying to look for a new start in another country would be those with a merchant's calling.
12. they eat with chopsticks.
13. We've been trained the american way - to become employees after we finish school. Chinese are trained to run their businesses which makes them successful anywhere they go.
14. You are over simplifying & may not be looking at the numbers correctly. Although you are correct, on the surface there are many successful entrepreneurs who came from China in the Philippines. But there are also many successful Filipino entrepreneurs, in the Philippines & even abroad. Anyway, here might be clues as to why you see it that way. 1. Filipinos are generally not good at being patient as they would normally want to sell at a higher markup & not go for quantity, which is the opposite of what the Chinese do as they would normally take smaller markups but would do their business in bulk. 2. The Chinese came out of Mainland China being oppressed & poor in everyway, & most of the successful ones today came to the Philippines when the Filipinos were still in their glorious era, pre war, 50s, 60s, even 70s. 3. When they got there, they had to work (1)doubly hard, they have to be (2)stingy, (3)they have to rely upon one another & (4)they would do what the Filipinos wouldn't dare do. The first two who can do, the third & the fourth things are where we falter because Filipinos are mostly "talangkas" & "pasosyal", if only Filipino businessmen would help each other out, such as give their business to one other & help or even loan without interest to struggling Filipino businessmen then we can be like these Chinese of old, who have done these for their fellow Chinese for decades.
15. They are in general, better at making decisions with how to allocate capital. Using money to make money is the key.
16. Chinese are not more productive than some other ethnic groups. Let me give u an example from this city. Instead of Chinese, the merchants in my current hometown are exclusively hispanic. I have noticed over the years that they adopted and perfected two systems: 1. They have large extended families who are dispersed across the globe. Some of them are merchants too and others bankers, architects, doctors etc. When they order merchandise, it is from other chineses only. 2. Just like with loans, with employees, it all stays under one umbrella. No non-chinees (or here in my town non-Hispanix) have a chance to find employment in a chinese enterprise. Nor low cost loans from (here) the EASTERN bank.