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
maam.

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 pia 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 midmorning 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 persons 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

Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans put their last name

before their proper name

For Indians: name + son of or daughter of +

parents name
o

For Malaysian: name + bint (for male) or binte (for

female) + parents 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

Male Guest

Female 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
Male of
Host Hostess
Guest Honor

Female Guest

Gentle
man of
Honor

Female
Guest
Male Guest

Male Guest

Female Guest

Female Guest

Male Guest

Multi-table Arrangement
Assistant
Host

Table 3

Host

Head
Table

Assistant
Host

Assistant
Host

Table 2

Table 4

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 Donts

Do find a Mediator

Do make friends
Do dress to impress
Do socialize

Dont underestimate

the individual
Dont be too direct

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
Thank you
Bon Apptit

Mabuhay
Salamat
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 countrys 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
when addressing dignitaries,
VIPs, Government and others
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 VIPs include salute, etc.

Certain rules on precedence

Some protocol practices
Formal Reception

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