Philippines to Germany: A Roadshow by Tracy Piamonte

Every new place that I visit always leaves me with a valuable learning experience, something that I would not learn within the confines of the office — and it is much more than crossing it off your bucket list. In general, traveling always pushes me outside my comfort zone and teaches me a lot of things. This recent trip is no different. I have always been flexible but varying situations will always force you to adjust — to time, to people and to culture. When you travel, you have no choice but to be very organized, starting from the things you put in your luggage, to the main itinerary. But things will not always be as you expect them to happen, so you learn to overcome. Traveling will always leave me with a grateful heart and see only what is good and best. So here’s what I have to share.

When an organization advocates nation-building and learning and development, one should always be on the go and not just sit back. This year, John Clements has organized several roadshows tagged as “Investing in and Recruiting from the Philippines”. And so our next stop to showcase the Philippines was Germany!

Why Germany?

Pardon me for quoting Hitler when he said, “Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all”. It was prophetic!

Germany is more than Hitler, the Berlin Wall and Oktoberfest — it is the largest, highly-developed social economy in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world following the US, China and Japan. It is a founding member of the European Union and the Eurozone. In 2016, Germany recorded the highest trade surplus in the world worth $310 billion, making it the biggest capital exporter globally (Wikipedia).

So how are relations between Germany and the Philippines?

It’s pretty solid! Germany has an embassy in Manila with an honorary consulate in Cebu, while the Philippines inaugurated its new chancery in Berlin last February 2019 along with its new consulate offices in Frankfurt and Hamburg — a sign of the expanding presence of the Philippines in Germany. Germany is the Philippines’ top trading partner in the European Union after the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, amounting to USD 7B in 2018 (source GPCCI).

Approximately 5,000 German nationals are in the Philippines and there are about 70,000 Filipinos in Germany, with almost half having been naturalized, and 1,300 being naturalized every year.

Off to the cities for the roadshow!

We visited 4 cities: Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, each with its own unique stories to tell.

Berlin

When you hear of Berlin you think of the wall — which is regarded as a major symbol of communist oppression. As the cold war ended, the fall of the wall followed. You will see traces of division and so Berlin is described as the city that thrives on contrasts: east and west, old and new, efficient and eccentric.

But there’s more to Berlin than just the wall. The capital of reunited Germany is a highly political state rich in history and culture. Almost all the embassies are located in that city. It is known for start-ups rather than large corporates. People in Berlin enjoy a way of life that is free, open-minded and tolerant. They have beautiful museums, historical sights, and architectural buildings that are reminiscent of the divided East and West Berlin, and they are also known for great parties! Berlin left me with an impression of an easy and comfortable atmosphere.

Frankfurt

While you can easily spot its stark difference from Berlin, our one-day stay was not enough to know Frankfurt. A very cosmopolitan city, for the obvious reason that it is the second-richest city in Germany with a GDP of Euro 82,248/capita (Euro61M) and a population of 745K, the 5th largest in Germany. The economy relies on financial services and serves as the financial center for Germany. The city is known for its futuristic skyline and the busiest German airport, being the transportation center of Germany.

Stuttgart

One of the things in Germany that held me in awe was the cars! I can only wish that I would get to ride in my lifetime a Benz or BMW branded taxi cab in Manila. Yes, maybe in my dreams, but you can never tell. Stuttgart is synonymous to Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, both headquartered in the city with their own car museums. A visit to the Mercedes Benz museum was one of the highlights in this place. At the entrance of the museum, you will see a statue of a white horse. In the early days, people believed that nothing could surpass the horse as a means of transportation.

Stuttgart is the modern version of “Stutengarden”, which means “mare’s garden” as this place was known to breed war horses during the early centuries. The museum showcased the history of the automobile industry, but what made it even more interesting was the narration of world history together with the evolution of the automobile industry. It truly was a walk down memory lane.

Munich

We concluded our Germany trip in Munich. While this city is best known for Oktoberfest and BMW, it is the third-largest city in Germany with a 1.55 million population, and is part of the state of Bavaria. The proportion of foreign nationals — 27.6 percent — is one of the highest in Germany. People from a total of 180 countries live in Munich, cementing its character as an open-minded city of diversity and tolerance. The Bavarian capital is known to lead in Fintech, Insurtech, Medicine and Mobility. Bavaria is fueling Germany’s economy with a GDP of €635B, double that of the Philippines, with a population of only 13M.

Roadshows

John Clements, in partnership with the Management Association of the Philippines and the Philippine embassy in Germany, did the business roadshows in those four cities. Economic outlook, overseas deployment landscape, and talent availability were the focus in our agenda. Coming from the perspective of the business sector, it was not a hard sell. It feels really great to be a part of this initiative that highlights Philippine businesses and economic bright spots.

Germany will always play a pivotal role in the global economic scene, being one of the world’s economic powerhouses; however, the Philippines only gets a decent share of its business compared to its neighboring countries. There were various reasons for that but we have a lot to showcase. The question is, are we doing our best to put our country forward?

In the next few months, John Clements will continue with the roadshows and sell the country, whether it be sending Filipino workers out to the world or enticing them to invest in the Philippines, because who else will do it for the country but its people?

Your country becomes great because of your pride in it!

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About the author:

Tracy is the Director and Business Unit Head of Staffbuilders Asia, a division of John Clements Consultants, Inc.