Dunno when you were there Torres, but I found the Yanks (with ICAO) were totally unforgiving of even the smallest oversight - from personal experience, I was involved with the issue of an ACOC.
Unfortunately I found that at the top levels of the Filipino bureaucracy, USD's (or the promise of a job for someone's relation) could sometimes expadite a much needed clearance. But this is NO DIFFERENT to the rest of Asia.
Pilot training eventually comes down to "the individual".
As well as he performs on a line check, or in the sim, in the "Real World" - under different pressures, and away from the "sim environment" - some personalities might act VERY differently.
My (personal) experience in the Phils was that the ATO did NOT involve themselves enough in the day-to-day operations as other countries do.
But then the EXPERIENCE level within the ATO was just not there!
The then Head of Flight Standards, Saturino (Sate) Dela Cruz.....the Chief of the Airworthiness Section, Carlos Derpo..........and the Secretary (the 'Big Boss'), Major General Carlos Taņega had zilch experience as OPERATIONAL airline pilots.
Hence the orders coming from the top were "idealistic" vs practical.
And so pilots, and companies, who superficially ascribed to these same ideals were straightaway acceptable.
And so is this REALLY any different to the rest of Asia - and perhaps the rest of the bureaucratic Western world?