Doing business entails costs, from registration fees, tax rates, manpower, transportation, utility, and standard of living.

Standard of Living

Education
The Philippines has both private and public school systems for elementary, secondary, and college levels. Public schools, wherein fees are minimal and teaching is done in English and Filipino, are subsidized by the government. The normal school year is from June to March.

Foreign nationals have a choice of going to either the elitist local private schools, majority of which are run by religious orders and teaching is done in English, or in international schools.

Public Transport
The most common and inexpensive mode of transportation in the Philippines are jeepneys. There are also buses that are classified as non-airconditioned and airconditioned. Meanwhile, taxis are all airconditoned. The Philippines has also tricycles, which are motorcycles/bicycles with a sidecar attached for short trips on the side streets. Also, the country has Light Rail Transit( LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT). These are overhead railway system that currently runs in Metro Manila. Lastly, the country has air transport.

Shopping in Manila
Metro Manila is considered as shopper’s paradise. The major shopping center in Makati is the Ayala Commercial Center where most items found overseas can be bought. The SM Megamall, Robinson’s Galleria, Rustan’s Department Store, and Edsa Plaza Shopping Mall are modern malls with extensive array of consumer goods and a must when shopping.The Divisoria area, on the otherhand, are for adventuresome bargain hunter/s who wish to experience a typical Asian open market.

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