If you are a foreigner that plans to conduct your business in the Philippines, you should take into account the different cultural nuances that are quite unique to this archipelago. For business meetings, you should remember to address your Filipino business partners by his or her family name.

The term "Mister" is proper for men while there are Filipinas whose preference is greater to the "Ms." or "Mrs." if the woman is already married. One other thing to note about Filipinos is that they are status conscious and so whenever you are addressing someone, be sure to include their formal titles such as "Doctor", Attorney" or "Secretary". As a business associate, you should refrain from using a person's first name until they have known you for quite a while or until they ask you to address them in a more informal way.

Another thing regarding ways to address Filipinos is that they commonly have multiple names. Some examples of this is "Maria Therese", "Enrique Jose", etc. Be sure to take note of the different formal names and nicknames of the Filipinos you are commonly in contact with as some of them never use their formal names but opt instead to use their nicknames.

Some of the nicknames are frequently offhand and may seem to be more informal than others. Examples of these nicknames are Junior, Dodong, Booboy, Johnnyboy and other flippantly-crafted nicknames. There are other instances when these nicknames are enclosed in between the first and last names-sort of a middle name: Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos.

The rule of thumb regarding handshakes is just about the same as in the West. There will be times that Filipinos will probably use a little more contact such as a pat on the side of the arm as a sincere gesture of hospitality or friendship. If there is a glaring status differential, such as an employee meeting a senior executive, it may be best to let the senior executive offer the handshake first.

A fascinating thing that involves the facial expressions of Filipinos is how they use it to convey a sense of approval or otherwise. If you see a Filipino lifting an eyebrow without smiling, it is mainly used to convey disapproval or it means "No" in a very solid, yet nonverbal way. However, if one lifts their eyebrows while smiling, then it is understood that it is used to mainly greet a friend.

The culture also in the Philippines is that the people there are very accustomed to pointing with their lips. They purse their lips and point to whatever direction they would like you to turn your attention to. Pointing your finger at someone is a definite taboo and you should essentially avoid too much direct eye-contact at all times with all people.

These are just a few samples of the behavior and etiquette that you have to take note of if you are dealing with Filipinos. It's basically how Filipinos expect to be treated whether doing business or any other thing with them.