EDITOR’S DESK
At least five friends forwarded me a link to a viral video featuring a foreign vlogger wondering why a popular coffee shop chain is “used” as a personal office among Filipinos. My brother said that I’m the guiltiest, since as far as he knows, a certain coffeeshop on Matalino Street in Quezon City is my “work address.”
Yes, I’m guilty as charged. I use a coffee shop as a personal office — even more than that! I conduct meetings, interviews, and socials there. I write all my articles and editorials, even edit an entire magazine, in that place. There was even a time where I completed an entire masteral thesis over a series of nights in that coffee shop, once spending 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. there since it operates 24/7.
Some people will disapprove of this practice. As a former restobar owner, I frown upon guests who monopolize the communal videoke all night if their only order was a bottle of beer. I’ve encountered before a coffee shop owner who would even hand you the menu once he noticed that you’ve been staying for too long.
Well, it’s a fact that there are some who linger all night and hog an entire desk to work or study with just one cup of coffee, which would soon turn into iced coffee, chilled by the aircon. This should not be tolerated, otherwise we may wake up one day with coffee shops imposing time limits like buffet restaurants.
This kind of coffee shop “culture” makes us distinct from the rest of the world. I believe that Pinoys using the coffee shop as an office mirrors our society’s yearning for clean, safe, and comfortable spaces for work. Unlike other countries with libraries, museums, or malls catering to remote work needs, Metro Manila lacks 24/7 spaces (unless you consider working inside a 7-11) where you can peacefully type on your laptop. Though there are co-working spaces that charge per hour, the trend didn’t catch on that much compared with coffeeshops that are mostly filled with students studying during weekdays.
You just have to check out Manila Bulletin’s in-house café called Paper+Cup, which is filled to the brim with students, as they appreciate its comfortable ambience. Located in our lobby, it has multiple electrical outlets, strong WiFi, and enjoyable drinks. I even use Paper+Cup as a meeting venue for my team.
I have also observed that using a coffee shop as a workplace also reflects the weariness of Filipinos in the work-from-home setup. Some people I know who are (solitary) virtual assistants desire a “change of view” and the coffee shop ambiance injects in them some semblance of normalcy — like working in an actual office.
Of course, I understand that a coffee shop is a business first and foremost, and incurs expenses for electricity, aircon, manpower, etc. It is just right for a customer to purchase an “equitable” amount of food and drinks. When I’m at my favorite coffee shop, I make sure to order a hefty meal and a slice of cake if I’m staying for long. How could I continue enjoying its “amenities” if it is not a sustainable business venture? My patronage is my way of “paying back” for the use of space.
While I wholly welcome a commentary from a foreigner who is exposing to the world our “quirkiness,” it should not sound like the words of early conquerors like Magellan, who came to our land to “educate” us. We have our own way of life and a foreigner’s comment is, I believe, for entertainment purposes (and perhaps, for virality and dollars) only. I respect his comments, and that even made me ponder why we, indeed, consider a coffee shop as a personal office, but my resolve remains unchanged. In fact, I’m writing this column now inside a coffee shop.
You may ask me why I don’t do this in my own home (this is the perennial question of my parents), which is more comfortable since there are no distractions there. That’s precisely my answer — the moment I see my bed, my mind wanders off to dreamland; all creative endeavors are shelved, and I plunk down in bed for a “nap,” which turns into an eight-hour deep sleep.
That’s why, if I want to do a task, write an article, or finish reading a book, I head to my favorite coffee shop. This holiday season gives me more motivation to do work there, as I’m “rewarded” with an e-sticker for every drink I purchase, which can be converted into merchandise upon reaching a certain quota.
With Pinoys residing in denser communities, of condo studio units filled with four to six occupants, with more youth lured by virtual work, expect more laptops to be turned on inside coffee shops. And for every table filled with conversation among friends or a family taking time off, there is another table with someone like me, quiet yet frantically typing on a keyboard. I hope no foreign vlogger will film me, engrossed in my work, without my half-filled drink and my half-eaten chezzzcake.
(Johannes L. Chua is the editor of the Environment and Sustainability Section of Manila Bulletin.)
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