By Vernon Velasco
WHEN businessman Bo Lundqvist refers to Filipinos, he uses the word “We,” instead of “They.” He is unmistakably European but he identifies more as a Filipino.
Having lived in the Philippines for 17 years, his Filipino wife and all the people working for his company all attest to the fact that they consider him as our countryman.”
BusinessMirror sat down with the president of the Nordic Business Council of the Philippines (NBCP), who also happens to be the president and CEO of IT consulting firm Retail Software Associates (RSA) on the Nordic-Philippines ties, the economy and, well, the Philippines in general.
“I am part Filipino. I live here full-time and I feel Filipino at least I feel engaged to the Filipino society and the bigger part of my family [on the wife side] is Filipino,” he said.
He added: “I got here because I was curious about staying here. I was here on a six-month ticket. I was not here on business, I came here because I decided I wanted to live outside Sweden and I had decided to first stay for a while in the Philippines.”
Lundqvist claims that he had traveled to the Philippines for vacation multiple times and found the country interesting on multiple levels. He also felt that the country is still untapped, at least from a Nordic perspective.
“I have worked on multiple things in the Philippines. I have been a scuba-diving instructor. I have run import businesses. I have moved on to information technology. I have worked for foreign companies represented in the Philippines,” Lundqvist said.
But, for the last five or six years, Lundqvist was immersed in RSA, his own business venture.
“I did not come here as an expat. I came here to try out and look for various opportunities and I found, perhaps, my niche to fulfil some sort of business needs here,” he explains.
The RSA and NBCP
Lundqvist said RSA provides enterprise retail solutions specifically to medium- and large-sized retailers and help them streamline and computerize every process in the enterprise, including purchasing, warehousing, financials, store operations, point of sales and logistics.
“We create a solution that implements the entire value chain of processes for the retailer through a Microsoft technology platform, and a bunch of consultants and developers,” he explained.
At the same time, Lundqvist is the president of the NBCP, a business chamber specifically for Nordic businesses and business owners present in the Philippines.
“We started NBCP about three years back and the reason we did is because we are a bunch of Nordic nationals that has been here for some time,” Lundqvist said.
The chamber represents companies that come from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland.
“In terms of trade and ties, there is not much [relation between the Nordic countries and the Philippines], unfortunately, and that is something we would like to change in the NBCP. There is not a lot of trade yet. Although you would see quite a lot of Nordic companies present here, like Nokia and Ericsson,” Lundqvist said.
Economically, Lundqvist said he has seen lowlights and highlights.
“I can see somewhat the economic growth the Philippines deserves is finally happening. It is a little bit late, compared to some other countries in Asia, but we’re finally sort of getting there. We are getting some traction. We are getting some sort of international fame,” Lundqvist said.
He also observes the emergence of the middle class that has created sudden opportunities for ordinary Filipinos to find decent jobs, earn enough to put their children in school and start having better lives.
Talking Philippines
Lundqvist described the Philippines as the traditional sort of white-beach-and-coconut-kind-of-vacation paradise, something that is important to many Europeans looking for their dream holiday destination.
“The Philippines has 7,100 islands, and you have all kinds of different experiences that you can enjoy in a single place. I have traveled, I would say not all over the country, but very far up north. I have been to as far as Kalinga, Mountain Province—all of those areas. I have been as far up as La Union, although I have not seen Ilocos yet. I have traveled extensively down in Visayas, where I have done lots and lots of diving,” Lundqvist said.
He said the Philippines is a really beautiful place that has yet to be marketed extensively. He said the country should be promoted beyond Boracay and Palawan.
“We market few places, but that is not it. There is so much to see in the Philippines. It is just, unfortunately, difficult to get there because of the infrastructure,” Lundqvist said.
Lundqvist also loves reading into the country’s history, which, he said, is intricately connected with European history.
“Under the hood, one of the most interesting aspects of the Philippines is its history: If you bother to look at 400 years of Spanish occupation, there are quite a lot of interesting historical aspects that bring back not only Philippine history, but ties it together with European and American history,” Lundqvist said.
He then added that the Philippines is a really good place to look for facts because the country was in the middle of the Europe-Philippines-Acapulco trade.
With the May 2016 general elections coming fast, Lundqvist said the future of the Philippines lies in the country’s educated voters.
“All of a sudden, we have educated voters, and that is what we need. We need people that ask questions. We need people that ask politicians for proper promises, proper plans and proper commitments before they get elected in office,” Lundqvist said
He added that, with the right attitude coupled with proper education, the future of the country is very much promising.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
