Philippine

Protocol and
Culture
Edited by: CVSJSORIANO,RN,MSBA
TESDA Accredited trainor/assessor
for Events Mgt. NC III
• Protocol, an important part of diplomacy.
• The set of agreed-upon rules that must be followed
to emphasize respect and foster good relations
within the international community.
• Diplomacy, is important socially, politically, and
economically.
• the goal of diplomacy is for the involved parties to
come to agreeable terms in a polite manner, without
the use of force or confrontation.
Business Relationship
• Greet the most important or
the oldest person first,
particularly during the first
few meetings, which tend to be
formal.
• Men greet each with a
handshake. Women may air
kiss friends.
• Always use honorifics ( Mr.,
Mrs., Ms.,) + surname when
addressing a person.
• When speaking to the elder, it
is polite to use “sir” or
“ma’am”.
How to wear a Barong Tagalog
• Wear camisa chino underneath your barong.
• Do not wear printed t-shirt or sando.
• Wear only white camisa chinos underneath your barong, especially if you
are in a formal or business event.
• Make sure that your barong is always crisp and wrinkle-free.
• On a business setting, it is best to use light-colored barongs (white or
cream).
• Barong made from santana fabric make great everyday business wear.
• It would be wise to invest in at least one barong made from piña or jusi.
• Have simple embroidery nothing fancy or elaborate and nothing beyond the
traditional floral design.
• Pair your barong with a good pair of we-presser dark-colored slacks.
Protocol in International Organization

• ASEAN- Association of Southeast Asian Nations

• APEC- Asia-Pacific Economic Council

• Royalty

• Treaty Signing
Time & Punctuality
• Appointment should ideally be made three to
four weeks in advance.
• It is best to schedule your meeting for mid-
morning or late afternoon.
• Reconfirm your appointment via phone or email
a few days before the meeting.
• Avoid scheduling meeting during the week of
Easter & Christmas.
• Though Filipino have a tendency to be late to
social events, they generally arrive on time for
business meeting and expect their guests to do
so as well.
Business Card Protocol
• Filipinos use English in the business arena
• Business card should include titles, when
applicable
• The guest should offer his/her business card first
• Cards should be given and received with two
hands, with the print facing the recipient.
Order of Precedence
• The host and hostess enter the dinning room
first, with guests entering after them
• If there is a guest of honor, he may enter the
dining room first, accompanied by the hostess.
His wife is then escorted inside by the host
• If the guest of honor is female, she may enter the
dining room first, accompanied by the host. Her
husband then escorts the hostess inside
• If there are fewer men than women at the
dinner, the hostess enters the room alone.
• If the dinner is informal, guests may enter as
they choose.
Order of Precedence
Addressing Individuals and Officials
• When addressing a person in conversation, the
safest approach would be to use their title,
followed by last name.
• Always remember a person’s name and learn to
write it correctly, as this is a sign of courtesy and
respect.
• The proper written form of a name is important,
especially in formal correspondence.
• Variance between countries and culture
o Most countries use the order: first name, middle name,
last name
o Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans put their last name
before their proper name
o For Indians: name + “son of” or “daughter of” +
parent’s name
o For Malaysian: name + bint (for male) or binte (for
female) + parent’s name
Receiving Guests
• Formal occasions, especially if they are
diplomatic in nature, usually have a receiving
line where guests are given the opportunity to
meet the host and guests of honors.
• Keep the receiving line as short as possible
• Customary to announce guests during
diplomatic events
• The hosts and guests of honor stand in line to
thank guests as they leave
Seating Arrangements
• Use place card to identify where people should
sit
• Men should hold the chair out for the women to
their right
• Men sit after the women have seated
• Guest of honors should be seated to the right of
the host
• They should be seated according to rank
• The host and hostess sit at the head seats,
located to both ends of a rectangular table.
Round table
Host

Lady of Honor Female Guest

Male Guest Male Guest

Hostess Female Guest

Gentleman of Honor
 Rectangular Table

Female Guest Male Guest Female Guest Gentleman of Honor

Host Hostess

Lady of Honor Male Guest Female Guest Male Guest

U-shape Table
Lady Gentle
Male of man of Female
Host Hostess Honor Guest
Guest Honor

Female Guest Male Guest

Male Guest Female Guest

Female Guest Male Guest

Multi-table Arrangement

Assistant Assistant Assistant

Host Host Host
Host

Head Table 2 Table 4

Table 3
Table
Table Setting
Dining Etiquette
• It is acceptable to arrive fifteen to thirty minutes late to a large party
• Wait to be told where to sit, as there might be a seating plan
• Wait for the host to invite you to eat before you do so. It is polite for the
guest to start eating only after the host has taken the first bite
• Wait to be asked two or three times before helping yourself to food, so that
you do not appear greedy
• Meals may be served family-style, or via buffet. If the former, use the
serving utensils provided to transfer food onto your plate
• Meals are eaten with a spoon and fork help in the right and left hands
respectively, with the fork used to guide the food onto the spoon
Giving Toasts
• Giving toasts is acceptable during official functions
• Usually done before or after dessert
• Usually signaled by a remark from the host
• Most toasts are done with wine
Acceptable toast topics for diplomatic functions:
o Country
o Head of state or government
o Host
o Guest host
o Good relations between governments
Gift Giving
• When invited to a Filipino home, it is polite to
bring flowers or sweets for the hosts
• Avoid flowers that used in the funerals
• Gift should be elegantly wrapped and should not
be opened in front of the giver
• Customary to give everyone gifts during the
Christmas season
Business etiquette Dos and Don’ts

• Do find a Mediator • Don’t underestimate

• Do make friends the individual

• Do dress to impress • Don’t be too direct

• Do socialize
Communicating Effectively
• Business and personal relationship often
intersect, with questions about age, marital
status, and other sensitive matters being the
norm
• Eye contact
• Answer the question in a nice way
• Never embarrass
Useful Phrases
English Filipino

Hello Mabuhay
Thank you Salamat
Bon Appétit Kain na!
The Philippine Flag
• Important symbol of the
nation. Republic act 8491
• All Philippine flags must be
based on strict compliance
with government
specifications. Coordinate with
the DFA home office if unsure
The Philippine Flag
• Care • Overseas display
The Philippine Flag
• Flag ceremony
The Philippine Flag
• The flagpole
The Philippine Flag
• When being flown in another
flag
The Philippine Flag
• Saluting
The Philippine Flag
• Flag Raising Ceremony
The Philippine Flag
• Lowering ceremony
The Philippine Flag
• Half mask
The Philippine Flag
• Flag days
The Philippine Flag
• Prohibited acts
Protocol
• Set of formal rules and regulations or rules of
appropriate behavior
• Greek word proto-kolla (protos means “the first”
kolla means “glue”)
• Protocol is generally accepted code of etiquette
and precedence within a particular group or
entity.
Arrival, seating and staging, departure
• VIP and officials are notable invited during
opening ceremonies
• Followed the certain protocols and rules when
the honor arrive
• Followed the seating arrangement according to
ranking
Introducing VIP
• The lead organizer or presiding officer should
introduce the VIP guest and address the
audience from the lectern.
Flags etiquette
• Display the host nation flag and the countries
represented delegates
• Host country’s flag is placed on the right of the
stage and the other are placed in the left in
alphabetical order
• If the host flag is on the center make it higher
than the other
Official titles, introduction
• Use of the titles is expected • Certain rules on precedence
when addressing dignitaries, • Some protocol practices
VIP’s, Government and others • Formal Reception
• Honorable is proffered title
used in addressing most high
ranking government officials
or retired
• Excellency used for foreign
chiefs, head of government
and etc.
• Honors are arriving
dignitaries, head of states or
other VIP’s include salute, etc.
Incentive
travel
• Travel incentives are a reward subset of an
incentive, recognition or a loyalty program,
which is a business tool used to change behavior
to improve profit, cash flow, employee
engagement and customer engagement.
Society of Incentive and Travel
Executives (SITE)
Is global management tool that
uses an exceptional travel
experience to motivate or
organize participants for
increased level of performance
in support of organizational
goals.
Meeting, Incentive travel,
Exhibition and Events
Philippines (MITE)
Unforgettable and entertaining
trips paid by employers, w/ the
main purpose of encouraging
employees to reach
challenging business goals of
the company by achieving
individual or group goals.
Incentives travel

• Why do employers initiate travel?

• What will employees benefit from incentive travel?
• Who are the sellers of incentive tour programs?
• What industry normally has incentive tour programs?
• What are the popular incentive travel destinations?
• How to incentivize a tour program?
• What do you need to create an
incentive tour program?
• Objectives
• Strategy
• Planning
• Choosing the destination/
facility
• Communicating/ informing
the participants
• Budgets/savings
• Program
• Arrival at the airport
• Arrival at the venue
• Facility/function/meeting/se
minar/trade halls
• Entertainment during
thematic activities
• Tours
• Ask yourself
• Other thing to consider
• Tips/ facts on handling a
Philippine market
• Incentive travel
Types of incentive awards
• Individual incentive awards
• Group or team awards
• Company wide performance campaigns
• Sales incentives awards
• Incentives programs combined w/ meetings or
training programs
• Customers loyalty programs
• Product launch campaigns
• Dealer incentive programs
• Member-get-a-member campaigns
• Tenure recognition awards
Thank you