Recognition is generally limited to vague notions of jeepneys and the excesses of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. English is widely spoken, there is a culture of creativity not as evident elsewhere in Asia and legal institutions are more developed than in say, Indonesia and Thailand. Filipinos are also surprisingly over-represented among Asia's expatriate professional services providers, particularly in accounting and auditing. But governance perpetually lets the Philippines down. Apart from the previous president, Fidel Ramos, its leaders have tended to be either ordinary or awful.
Corruption is also a big problem.
Transparency International ranked the Philippines as the 20th most corrupt out of a survey of 90 countries. Indecision and policy infighting have marked his tenure. A generous interpretation of his presidency is that he has been a caretaker president at best, leaving the Philippines in little more than a holding position. This is fine in good times, but when the Philippines economy requires urgent and ongoing reform, it is a disaster. There have also been more overt allegations of cronyism, particularly in relation to Estrada's close links to Lucio Tan, who controls Philippines Airlines and who was one of Marcos' best-known cronies.