In the Philippines traveling by plane is like taking a bus in Holland. Very reasonable airfares, several flights a day and good cared for by the crew of airlines like Cebu Pacific. I feel like a prince on aircon clouds.....

I am happy to arrive in my hotel in Bacolod where everybody still knows my name. It is great to see the staff, whom I all know by name, is still there and that the hotel didn't change a bit.

In this charming hotel I prepare myself for the upcoming board meeting. Formally ANAK Negros is known as Stichting ANAK Negros Incorporated. In the Philippines everything has an abbreviation...organisations, people. ANAK is known as SANI.

The meeting will take place in Bob's, a restaurant well known among locals. The board has already gathered and I await a warm welcome. I state that I am just a guest and will represent the Dutch Board.

The Philippine way of discussing affairs is very different from the Dutch way. The elegant way of communicating with one another is by using metaphorical language. For example, in the Philippines one will not explicitly disagree with a proposal, instead one will debate by emphasizing the positive status quo. To reject a proposal directly is considered to be very rude and is called " hya...". When foreigners are not familiar with the local Philippine customs and behave in a rude manner, Filipino's will call them "Walang hya".

However,a successful board meeting in the Philippines is like a successful meeting in the Netherlands with a slight difference. The Philippine meeting ends joyfully like an after party until the wee hours of the morning....

Click here for more photos of Louis.