Filipinos! Pilipinas… Who you really are?

Every country I’ve been to, the frequently asked questions of people I meet, tourists like me or locals are:

1. What is in the Philippines?
2. Why are so many Filipinos working abroad?
3. Why are Filipinos known in different countries?

Piloncitos with Baybayin character

So what’s really in my beloved country? In addition to the famous crystalline waters and fine white sand of the beaches and seas, enchanted rivers, The Center of Marine Biodiversity in the world, holds the largest gold reserve in the world (will tackle this on my next blog), largest city in the world (Davao)… It is where the East meets West (Oops! But that was before, the Philippines now serves as the crossroads of the world’s culture and race). Foreigners from different countries who were initially tourists but eventually loved the culture and the simple but happy lifestyle, decided to live permanently in the country. But let’s just say, historically the Philippines has been the host for trading of various countries in ancient times. So for the countries conquered the Philippines, if you say that the Filipinos have become literate because of you (duh!), sorry but before you exploited the country, we have our own alphabet which we called Baybayin, one of the ancient alphabet, proving that we were already literate (educated) before you arrived. And golds, spices, pearls, etc which we used to trade to as far as Africa, in short maritime trade is already pesent since ancient times in the Philippines (Maritime Silk Route or Maritime Silk Road , Lingling-o), also using gold Piloncitos as currency was present .

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  Isla Verde

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  Manila

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  River

Why thre are a lot of Filipinos working abroad? They say it is because of the pressure of familial responsibility and peer pressure . Well, that’s right. The Philippines has long suffered from foreign occupation, the country has been exploited so much that it is slowly recovering. The foreign currency is so high that most Filipinos continue to work abroad in exchange for the huge wages they can send to their families. Majority of the Filipinos I spoke to will still chose to live in the country of descent when they had saved enough money, had their children graduated from college and had raised enough for the family.

As Austronesian, Filipino are famous around the world. There are Filipino descent celebrities/pesonalities : Vanessa Hudgens, Steven Mcqueen, Enrique Iglesisas, Nicole Scherzinger, Dave Bautista, Bruno Mars, Darren Criss, Shay Mitchell, Rob Scheneider, Cassie, Ventura, Apl de Ap, Hailee Steinfiled, Michael Copon, et al. Filipinos are well known for being a good and passionate caregivers, nannies, nurse around the world. Filipino traits such as being hospitable, one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos, respectful, hardworking, caring and loving, kindhearted and happy people, optimism (which my pessimistic american friend hates on me) , family oriented, strong faith, warm and friendly, generous and helpful, adaptable and many more that maybe you wanna add?

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Sad to say, I am surprised how other people (I call them low mind people, sorry but it really annoys me) think low about us. This is very wrong. With all these good Filipino values, one must also need to ponder, how do we acquire this good ethics? My judgemental friend (I have met a lot of them) it is because:

1. Whether you live in the city or in the mountains, education is very important. Kids in the mountains and urban areas used to walk several kilometers just to attend the school. I myself and my brothers experienced this when I was in primary when the tricycle hired by our parents for the whole school year couldn’t pick us up sometimes. Walking was fun, with my brother we usually got a beetle or spider to play with, picked some fruits along the way or just enjoyed the view of nature while walking.
2. Good education and manners starts at home. Mothers usually teach us the alphabets and do’s and don’ts when it comes to manners. (I first learned to read at the age of 3, guess what? Newspaper!)
3. In school, teachers always teach students that no matter the job of a parent, it be a teacher, carpenter, nanny, or laundry, you should not say “My father is just a carpenter ..” You should say with pride “My father is a carpenter!” Because, you should be proud and not be ashame of the good and decent things that you or parents do.

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I have met many Filipino caregivers and nannies abroad, All of them finished Secondary school (like westerners duh!) And most of them are college graduates. Once I have talked to a very good friend in Tel Aviv, she works as a caregiver, babysitter / nanny, house cleaner, tutor.. She said “I worked in a bank as an Accountant in our country. I do not care what most of people here said about my job or how low they think we are working like this here, it’s decent, I don’t asked money to people, I work for it. I have managed to buy two cars for my family and bought a studio type in Haifa.”

Charity — Selflessness and Hypocrisy

By participating in volunteering organizations, we are experiencing a good sense of fulfillment and happiness in helping others even with unpaid compensation. Here you will also identify people with good intentions and people with selfish intentions.

Why are so many charity organizations asking for additional support to other people? To share with others the good feeling of helping our fellow men in need. To increase the awareness of unity. And for additional monetary support that will help meet the needs.

When I entered an organization for community service, it was not free. You need to pay annual dues. And I understand that it goes to service projects with great impact and changes in the lives of the needy people.

For me, it is mutual benefit. You make yourself and people happy, imagine the kids that scarce in luxuries of life. Who smiled at you and cheerfully eat the food you prepared, played the toys you gave and those small arms that warmly hugging you appreciating the things and love that was being shared with them.

Those elderly people who live in the Home for the Ages, who are left by their own family and others have none anymore. Visiting is enough for them even you’re not related.

But what’s the reason why I lost my appetite in an organization whose members are mostly businessmen. Okay, let me tell you about this. You are a member of a non-government organization that helps people who are extremely poor or with children or adults who need more support. And then, being a member, you need to pay for annual dues – being a volunteer and paying annual dues? – But that’s ok, because you know that these money goes to noble projects – needed to work for paper works and many stuff that is annoying to do before you could get a grant (if you know some people inside the committee much better and faster approval, huh!) .

Social gathering, so nice. You meet the different types of people who are successful in their respective professions. Social gathering, so nice. You meet the different types of people who are successful in their respective professions. Talking about business, what field you are, projects of your club and so on and so forth. These social gatherings usually held at 4-5 star hotels or if not, restaurants or convention centers. Wherever it is, you need to pay. How much? You will be amazed that if you do the math, it costs sometimes more than how much each club spend for a noble project.

And I keep thinking, luxuries are okay, but most of the time, I don’t know if it’s a win-win situation for the both. I guess it’s a more win situation for the establishments that gets money from these social gatherings for charity or noble works. Most of the time, people are paying more to special events and for the dress they will wear than how much they contribute or donate for service projects.