{"id":2562,"date":"2015-02-17T18:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T18:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keblog.demoapp.xyz\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2023-03-08T21:02:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T14:02:51","slug":"why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s Why Manila Is the Best Place to Be an Expat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Forget Singapore, forget Hong Kong. Manila is the best place to be an expat \u2014 and 10 expats will tell you why.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve all heard that Manila has increasingly become a center of economic growth and foreign investments, and with great foreign investments come a great number of friendly neighborhood expats. In 2010, the NSO stated that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/psa.gov.ph\/content\/foreign-citizens-philippines-results-2010-census\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">almost 200,000 foreigners were living in the Philippines<\/a><\/strong>. I don\u2019t know what the current number is now, but based on observing the pedestrians of Makati, I would boldly say that 2 out of 20 pedestrians are not Filipino.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of people might ask \u2013 why is Manila the best place to be an expat where are so many opportunities for them\u00a0in the urban jungles of Singapore and Hong Kong? We talked to some expats from the Netherlands, America and even all the way from Colombia who all settled in the Philippines once they saw the<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/c\/globe\/jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">great opportunities<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0waiting for them here.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_26 counter-hierarchy\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TOPICS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Jacqueline_Van_den_Ende_Managing_Director_of_Lamudi_Philippines\" title=\"Jacqueline Van den Ende, Managing Director of Lamudi Philippines\">Jacqueline Van den Ende, Managing Director of Lamudi Philippines<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Mauro_Cocchieri_Managing_Director_of_foodpanda_Philippines\" title=\"Mauro Cocchieri, Managing Director of foodpanda Philippines\">Mauro Cocchieri, Managing Director of foodpanda Philippines<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#David_Margendorff_Co-Founder_Chairman_PawnHero_Philippines\" title=\"David Margendorff, Co-Founder &amp; Chairman, PawnHero Philippines\">David Margendorff, Co-Founder &amp; Chairman, PawnHero Philippines<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Jimmy_Cassells_CEO_of_Spiralytics\" title=\"Jimmy Cassells, CEO of Spiralytics\">Jimmy Cassells, CEO of Spiralytics<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Ezra_Ferraz_Chief_Content_Officer_at_Zipmatchcom\" title=\"Ezra Ferraz, Chief Content Officer at Zipmatch.com\">Ezra Ferraz, Chief Content Officer at Zipmatch.com<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Farouk_Meralli_CEO_of_mClinica\" title=\"Farouk Meralli, CEO of\u00a0mClinica\">Farouk Meralli, CEO of\u00a0mClinica<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Robin_Leonard_CEO_and_Co-Founder_of_AllFamous_Digital\" title=\"Robin Leonard, CEO and Co-Founder of AllFamous Digital\">Robin Leonard, CEO and Co-Founder of AllFamous Digital<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Joost_Boer_VP_of_Operations_at_Gourmet_Society_Philippines\" title=\"Joost Boer, VP of Operations at Gourmet Society Philippines\">Joost Boer, VP of Operations at Gourmet Society Philippines<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Dip_Ghuman_Founder_of_Near\" title=\"Dip Ghuman, Founder of\u00a0Near\">Dip Ghuman, Founder of\u00a0Near<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Bryce_Maddock_CEO_of_TaskUs\" title=\"Bryce Maddock, CEO of TaskUs\">Bryce Maddock, CEO of TaskUs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/why-manila-is-the-best-place-to-be-an-expat\/#Its_time_for_the_balikbayans_to_come_back_for_good\" title=\"It\u2019s time for the balikbayans to come back for good.\">It\u2019s time for the balikbayans to come back for good.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jacqueline_Van_den_Ende_Managing_Director_of_Lamudi_Philippines\"><\/span><b>Jacqueline Van den Ende, Managing Director of <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lamudi.com.ph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Lamudi Philippines<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2565 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jacqualine-300x199.jpeg\" alt=\"jacqualine-lamudi\" width=\"413\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jacqualine-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jacqualine-768x510.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/jacqualine.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Jacqueline, from the Netherlands, arrived in the Philippines in 2013 as the managing director of Rocket Internet\u2019s Lamudi, their online real estate marketplace. Since she\u2019s arrived, she couldn&#8217;t imagine being anywhere else. She loves traveling around the country\u00a0and even\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/outoftownblog.com\/top-10-cool-surfing-destinations-in-the-philippines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">goes surfing for weekend escapes<\/a><\/strong>. However, she\u00a0loves living in the cosmopolitan city of Manila.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManila is a great destination for expatriate employees,\u201d she said. \u201cCost of living here is not very expensive unlike Hong Kong and Singapore, though the city provides a quality of life that&#8217;s comparable to Bangkok or Jakarta.\u201d<br \/>\nJacqueline\u00a0believes that one of the best attributes of Manila is its openness to different cultures as well. \u201cIt will be easy for expats from all types of backgrounds to settle in Metro Manila. Filipinos are world-renowned for their hospitality and their friendliness is definitely unlike anything I\u2019ve ever experienced.\u201d<strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mauro_Cocchieri_Managing_Director_of_foodpanda_Philippines\"><\/span><b>Mauro Cocchieri, Managing Director of <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodpanda.ph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>foodpanda Philippines<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2567 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/foodpanda-300x150.jpeg\" alt=\"foodpanda\" width=\"384\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/foodpanda-300x150.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/foodpanda.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Mauro comes from Italy, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/talenti\/reasons-why-you-should-be-extremely-thankful-for-italy#.rkyOxa0w6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a country known for its great cuisine<\/a><\/strong> and accommodating people.He\u00a0worked at <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lazada.com.ph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lazada<\/a><\/strong> before becoming the managing director of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foodpanda.ph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">foodpanda<\/a><\/strong>, an online food delivery platform.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his country\u2019s solid culinary reputation, he claims that the Philippines has amazing food and amazing company which goes hand in hand. \u201cThe people are very accommodating and they go out of their way to help you. The food, hands down, is one of the best I\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mauro, however, cannot help but crave for some homegrown Italian food from time to time. When asked if he often orders through <em>foodpanda<\/em> he said, \u201cOf course! With my busy schedule, it always pays to have an alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"David_Margendorff_Co-Founder_Chairman_PawnHero_Philippines\"><\/span><b>David Margendorff, Co-Founder &amp; Chairman, <\/b><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pawnhero.ph\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PawnHero Philippines<\/a><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2569 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/PawnHero_Davide-Margendorff_PHBackground-min-300x200.png\" alt=\"PawnHero_Davide-Margendorff_PHB\" width=\"413\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/PawnHero_Davide-Margendorff_PHBackground-min-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/PawnHero_Davide-Margendorff_PHBackground-min-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/PawnHero_Davide-Margendorff_PHBackground-min.png 886w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our third European on the list, David Margendorff hails from Germany.<\/p>\n<p>He praises Filipinos for their fun culture and hospitality, but emphasizes that Filipinos are some of the most ambitious and talented professionals he\u2019s ever met. David\u00a0started\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/pawnhero.ph\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PawnHero<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in 2015, and has chosen Manila as the first city to launch it in.<\/p>\n<p>PawnHero is the first online pawnshop in Southeast Asia. The company\u00a0promises to give Filipinos a cheaper alternative to existing pawnshops which charge extremely high interest rates. &#8220;We want to solve the problem of expensive credit for consumers who might not be able to afford it,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p>David<strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>has lived in 7 countries for the past 6 years, but he eventually chose to settle in the Philippines. He plans to stay here long-term, mainly because he can see how much impact he can create through PawnHero.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jimmy_Cassells_CEO_of_Spiralytics\"><\/span><b>Jimmy Cassells, CEO of <\/b><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spiralytics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spiralytics<\/a><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2571 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/spiralytics-300x236.jpeg\" alt=\"spiralytics\" width=\"407\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/spiralytics-300x236.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/spiralytics.jpeg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Jimmy\u00a0is from the United States and has been living in the Philippines since 2005. He is one of the minds behind the quick growth and expansion of online fashion marketplace <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.zalora.com.ph\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zalora<\/a><\/strong>. Two years ago, he started his own company called <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spiralytics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spiralytics<\/a><\/strong>, which provides a range of services in digital marketing to some of the biggest brands in the Philippines.<br \/>\n\u201cI love the Philippines!\u201d expressed Jimmy.\u00a0\u201cPeople are so warm, embracing, endearing, and the culture here is wonderful. At work, the team becomes good friends with each other. Everyone definitely feels like they\u2019re part of the \u2018barkada.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jimmy\u00a0also exclaims that the tech community here in Manila is exploding with brilliant startup minds. He continues by saying that not all startups are destined for success, but when startups fail, there is still a very low cost of failure when you start in the Philippines. He states, \u201cFailure in the US often means millions of dollars. Here, you can cut that by a factor of 10.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also loves the nightlife, the weather, and the beautiful beaches and unlimited dive spots of the Philippines. His favorites include the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lakwatsero.com\/tag\/tubbataha\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tubbataha marine sanctuary<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.islandgirltraveller.com\/backpackers-guide-travel-cheap-to-malapascua-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malapascua<\/a><\/strong> for thresher sharks, and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thepoortraveler.net\/2013\/06\/busuanga-coron-diving-tours-guide-palawan-philippines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Coron<\/a><\/strong> for the sunken Japanese WWII warships.<strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When asked if there was anything else, he said, \u201cYes! Four months of Christmas which leads up to one of the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mashable.com\/2015\/01\/01\/new-years-eve-fireworks-manila\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most amazing fireworks displays in the world<\/a><\/strong>. It\u2019s more fun in the Philippines!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ezra_Ferraz_Chief_Content_Officer_at_Zipmatchcom\"><\/span><b>Ezra Ferraz, Chief Content Officer at <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.zipmatch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Zipmatch.com<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2573 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/zipmatch.jpeg\" alt=\"zipmatch\" width=\"389\" height=\"259\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Of Filipino heritage, Ezra Ferraz taught writing for three years at the University of Southern California and grew up in the US. He moved to the Philippines not very long ago, and writes for Rappler. He currently works at <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.zipmatch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zipmatch<\/a><\/strong>, another online real estate marketplace. He\u2019s interviewed almost every Filipino entrepreneur you can think of, including Erwan Heussaff, and he believes that the Philippines is definitely a great place to pursue business.<\/p>\n<p>Ezra\u00a0explains that the entrepreneurial sector in the Philippines is still a small community. &#8220;It\u2019s much easier to meet the entrepreneurs changing X industry or Y space because there are relatively few of them, compared to what you might find in another city of similar size.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are never really more than one or two degrees away from someone you\u2019d like to meet,\u201d he adds, \u201cAnd due to the overwhelmingly friendly culture of the Philippines, other entrepreneurs generally welcome you with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Farouk_Meralli_CEO_of_mClinica\"><\/span><b>Farouk Meralli, CEO of\u00a0<\/b><b><a href=\"http:\/\/mclinica.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mClinica<\/a><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Farouk Meralli is a Harvard School of Public Health graduate who worked in strategy and management for major pharmaceutical companies <em>Roche<\/em>, <em>Johnson &amp; Johnson,<\/em> and <em>Pfizer<\/em> before finally becoming an entrepreneur himself. He founded <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mclinica.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mClinica<\/a><\/strong>, the largest pharmacy network in the country with a growing network of over 1,400 pharmacies and access to over 20 million customers.<\/p>\n<p>He chose the Philippines as their launch market for mClinica because it provides an interesting test environment for creating truly global products. \u201cThe Philippines represents a fascinating intersection between the East and the West. Due to its cultural and political history, one can identify behavioral norms and practices that fit both Eastern and Western paradigm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>After launching in the Philippines, mClinica is expanding to several emerging markets after leveraging on their experiences in the country. Farouk\u00a0insists that while he is based in their Singapore headquarters and travelled in many Asian markets, the Philippines is undoubtedly his favorite. To him, it represents the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Robin_Leonard_CEO_and_Co-Founder_of_AllFamous_Digital\"><\/span><b>Robin Leonard, CEO and Co-Founder of <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/allfamous.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>AllFamous Digital<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Five years ago, Robin Leonard moved from New Zealand to the Philippines to start working at IBM before finally starting his own company, AllFamous Digital.<\/p>\n<p>Robin said that coming here alone wasn&#8217;t problem and not that difficult. &#8220;Within weeks I had a big group of Filipino and foreigner friends and colleagues that were very welcoming. Culture at work is very family oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Working culture in the Philippines is not what Leonard is used to back home \u2014 and he means this positively.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting people onboard requires one on one lobbying, not big meetings. Laughter is commonplace and gangs or &#8216;barkadas&#8217; form between staff, often resulting in life-long friendships, which is a good thing. As a foreigner, you need to accept that you will sing karaoke, and over time, you will learn to give it your all when Hotel California plays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Robin, the Philippines also serves as a great place to work because business is done in English. However, he admits that he\u2019s earned a couple of \u2018brownie points\u2019 with Filipinos by learning a few keywords in Tagalog.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt often creates a giggle or surprise if you drop a Tagalog word here and there,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>He leaves us with a couple of wise words for future expats who want to start their business here: \u201cCrack the big city lifestyle of Manila and you\u2019ll find that it is a gold mine of opportunity, especially for the \u201c<em>expatrepreneur<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Joost_Boer_VP_of_Operations_at_Gourmet_Society_Philippines\"><\/span><b>Joost Boer, VP of Operations at <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gourmetsociety.com.ph\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Gourmet Society Philippines<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2575 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vp-gourmet-society-300x138.png\" alt=\"vp-gourmet-society\" width=\"476\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vp-gourmet-society-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vp-gourmet-society-768x354.png 768w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/vp-gourmet-society.png 886w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Joost Boer comes from the Netherlands, a country known for its liberal capital Amsterdam, but also widely renowned for its cold, rainy weather throughout the year. After arriving in the Philippines, where there is year-round sunshine, warm people, and a stunning array of islands according to Joost, it\u2019s no wonder that he immediately considered establishing himself here long-term.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll find no country in Southeast Asia where the culture is so welcoming towards foreigners and where the level of English is this well-developed. From a more business-centric perspective, this has a profound impact on the ease of communication with your co-workers as well as on conducting business development,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>He continues by praising the business outlook and directional perspective of the Philippines. \u201cHere, you\u2019ll find yourself on an upward curve, and the overall levels of optimism are high. This is a far-cry from life in Europe, where the outlook on life over the years has more and more slanted towards pessimism.<strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He\u00a0concluded by saying that he strongly recommends his fellow foreigners to consider making the move to the Philippines as well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dip_Ghuman_Founder_of_Near\"><\/span><b>Dip Ghuman, Founder of\u00a0<\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wearenear.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Near<\/b><\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2577 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/founder-near-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"founder-near\" width=\"448\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/founder-near-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/founder-near-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/founder-near.jpeg 787w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dip Ghuman worked at Google and Lonely Planet before joining the entrepreneur world. He believes the Philippines&#8217; market is a sleeper \u2014 slowly building steam, quietly, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting world economy.<strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the world so focused on Silicon Valley, China, Japan, Europe, etc., no one is looking at the Philippines. Here\u2019s why they should,\u201d he begins.<\/p>\n<p>According to Dip, one of the first things that caught his attention about the Filipino market was that 60% of the population in the Philippines is younger than 20 and that was coupled with GDP growth of 6%+ YoY. Because of these facts, he views the Philippines as a representation of the next financial boom in Asia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a growing Westernized middle class who speaks perfect English, and this makes the country an ideal springboard to launch your business in Asia. Barring corruption, the Philippines has a small window of opportunity to return the country to its pre-World War 2 status as the \u2018Pearl of the Orient,\u2019\u201d Ghuman adds.<\/p>\n<p>Dip<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>says that he\u2019s started two businesses within two years. \u201cI got on that plane in 2014\u00a0to start my California wine business, but now I\u2019m focusing on a new hyperlocal mobile messaging app, Near.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dip\u00a0concludes, \u201cManila is the social media and selfie capital of the world \u2014 there is nowhere better for me to be than right here, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bryce_Maddock_CEO_of_TaskUs\"><\/span><b>Bryce Maddock, CEO of <\/b><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.taskus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TaskUs<\/a><\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-2579 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ceo-taskus-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"ceo-taskus\" width=\"467\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ceo-taskus-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ceo-taskus-768x511.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/ceo-taskus.jpeg 886w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Bryce Maddock arrived in Manila in 2009 from the United States. He started <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.taskus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TaskUs<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0because he was\u00a0determined to connect the rapidly growing American startups with incredible talent at prices that would enable them to scale. He found what he was looking for in the Philippines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we just started TalkUs, I wouldn&#8217;t have been able to find the Philippines on a map if you asked me. We went on a search for affordable talent to support our friends&#8217; startups. We hired people in 16 different countries, but were consistently impressed by the results and work that Filipinos were delivering. We were so impressed, that we opened our first office here, in Bacoor, Cavite and have not looked back since.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, Bryce\u00a0has 1,600 employees and counting. TaskUs is the secret behind the rapidly growing customer support and back office operations for startups like Tinder and HotelTonight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost all of today\u2019s most successful startups depend on the talent that exists in the Philippines. Simply put, it\u2019s the people. The people of the Philippines are some of the kindest and most talented people on the planet. Historically, the country exported its people as OFWs. But today a homecoming is happening,\u201d says Bryce. \u201cThe next decade is going to be very exciting as talent repatriates and reinvests in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_time_for_the_balikbayans_to_come_back_for_good\"><\/span><b>It\u2019s time for the balikbayans to come back for good.<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the Philippines&#8217; biggest exports is its own people. Everyone was leaving to work abroad because they believed there was <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no opportunity for them here<\/a><\/strong>. All that amazing talent went into making prosperous countries even more prosperous.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we should acknowledge that that is no longer true. The best opportunities for business are here in the Philippines. Foreigners are flocking here to start their businesses in the perfect Asian beta market. They happily leave their first world countries for what the Philippines has to offer.<\/p>\n<p>We, as Filipinos, should all find it in ourselves to see the beauty of our country the way they do; to finally discover the diamonds that have been waiting to be found for decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forget Singapore, forget Hong Kong. Manila is the best place to be an expat \u2014 and 10 expats will tell you why. We\u2019ve all heard that Manila has increasingly become a center of economic growth and foreign investments, and with great foreign investments come a great number of friendly neighborhood expats. In 2010, the NSO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[96,106],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}