 Robert
M. Sears
Executive Director
American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
Robert Sears came to the Philippines in 1981 to run the international
retail brokerage operation of Merrill Lynch International.
Despite an opportunity to return to the U.S., Sears opted
to stay in the Philippines and thus witness first-hand many
of the country’s ups and downs through the years.
Were you only with Merrill Lynch
the whole time?
No, I was with Merrill Lynch only up to 1990. In 1990, I had
been associated with the American Chamber of Commerce as a
director, past treasurer, past president. During that year,
Merrill Lynch and I decided to part ways. They said, go to
New York, and I said, no, thank you.
Why did you not want to return?
Basically, I’ve been living overseas all my life. I was
out of the US with Merrill Lynch for 20 years. For a few years,
I was in the US military — air force for four years,
one year in Vietnam. I went to high school in Europe. So,
I’m an international American. In other words, the foreign
countries – it’s in my blood.
I didn’t want to go back to New York
City. So I immediately looked around to see if there were
any jobs available and, at that time, the Chamber had a vacancy
for the Executive Director. So I threw my hat in the ring.
And it’s been fun.
Have there been particularly difficult times for the American
Chamber and for you?
The Aquino years were rather turbulent. The Ramos years were
extremely good – good for business and everybody. Then
you had the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and then the impending
elections here, and what followed – that was not a particularly
exciting period for business, whether it be foreign business
or American. Now, with the Arroyo administration, we’re
looking to see how she manages. She has a great economic team,
great administrative team, but the government is not made
of just the administration. It’s made up of other branches
and departments and agencies. So the question now is will
she be able to mobilize and get everybody in government –
all branches, all departments, all agencies – to more
or less move in the same direction to move the country forward.
Was there a time you considered
leaving for good?
Every year–when my contract’s up (laughs). It’s
year to year.
Have you ever been concerned about
your security here?
Occasionally, in the past. Less now than a number of years
ago. But not more than I wouldn’t walk through Central
Park in New York City at night time.
Are you familiar with the rest
of the country?
I’ve traveled a fair amount. I’ve driven all the
way up to Ilocos Norte – Pagudpud, and I’ve driven
all the way down to Tacloban, Leyte by car. I’ve flown
to Davao and Zamboanga, but I haven’t been west though.
I think Taal Volcano is great – the volcano in a volcano
and a sulfur lake. You got to climb into the sulfur lake and
go swim in it. Fantastic. And the best tilapia you can get.
Boracay is also great. For recreation, Puerto Azul Golf and
Country Club is my home course – one of the best courses
in the Philippines. In this country, if you’re a golfer,
this is paradise.
Are there things you particularly
like and dislike about living in the Philippines?
San Miguel Beer – best beer in the world. Friendliness
of the people – very hospitable. When you work with Filipinos,
properly trained and motivated – they’re second
to none as far as working is concerned, just world-class.
So those are good things, very positive traits. I also love
town fiestas.
On the negative side, you’ve got
to bring up the pollution in Metro Manila and the lack of
political will to really try and manage the problem. Along
with the pollution comes the traffic. These are real negatives.
How do you describe the Philippines
to other foreign companies that may want to locate here?
We spend a great deal of time promoting the country, but we
promote it as we really see it. For example, we have board
breakfast meetings when a new company gets in. They want to
get, in an hour and a half, what would take three or four
weeks to find out by going around. They go away with a comprehensive,
compact view of what it’s really like. Overall, it’s
fairly positive.
What would you want to see for
the Philippines in the future?
I’d like to see the Philippines get its act together,
show some political will, and take its rightful place in Asia,
as it was in the 1960s — 2nd to Japan. But it has a lot
of catching up to do. That would be my wish. I’ve been
here 20 years, and every time it looks like they’re going
to make that leap and do it — or at least begin to do
it in a serious manner – they get bogged down by one
thing or another. It’s dynamic and that’s the challenge.
That’s what keeps me here, year to year. Nothing is constant.
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