In this capital city of 12 million people, if you hang around long enough, it's guaranteed that Corporate Philippines will create a funny situation for you.
I had a meeting at the Ayala Ave. headquarters of Smart, the mobile phone company that's driving the profitability of the most profitable entity in the country. Smart's security procedure, a relic of some bygone era, is to badge you. They require you to log in with your name, address, purpose, time of visit, and signature, and present an ID in exchange for a visitor's tag. It's not only Smart that does this. Almost every other building in Makati badges, even in this age of cheap surveillance cameras. All this on the assumption that anyone intent on committing a crime at your business would fill up the sign-in sheet honestly and present a legitimate ID.
I had with me my Smart Infinity card. So for ID, I presented this blue card, embossed with my name, which signifies I am a valued client. In the parlance of the industry, I am a "high ARPU"subscriber, spending more than US$100 a month on my phone bill. The card supposedly entitles me to VIP treatment and to "experience service at its finest."
What did the person manning the security counter do?
She rejected my card.
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