Celebrating one's Filipino-ness
Posted on June 12, 2009
In French class, this blogger was asked to give some notable character traits of Filipinos — in French. This short list was written on the white board soon afterwards:
Les Philippins sont (The Filipinos are)…
* extraordinaires (extraordinary)
* sympathiques (nice)
* intelligents (intelligent)
* chalereux et sociables (warm and sociable)
* tolerants et patients (tolerant and patient)
* travailleurs (hard-working)
* diplomatiques (diplomatic)
* genereux (generous)
* debrouillards (resourceful); et (and)
* ont le sens de l’humour (have a sense of humor).
Sayang, I could have said more; elaborated further. But speaking in English was not allowed in class. I could have mentioned that Filipinos, in their bamboo-like resilience, can still smile (and laugh) even in the face of tragedy; that no amount of calamity — be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, super typhoon, or landslide — can dampen the Filipino spirit. Pinoys will always rise above the ashes, no matter what.
And yes, Pinoys are very creative and resourceful. I can still remember the various contraptions invented by those people along the riles (Tagalog for “train tracks”) — e.g. cart-like vehicles called “padyaks” where they transport pails of water, and even commuters, back and forth. Trust the Pinoys to make something out of nothing. It’s not a surprise anymore if a number of Pinoy craftsmen can make beautiful products out of trash. It’s already a given.
As for generosity, one only needs to go to a Philippine-style fiesta (festival) to experience firsthand how it feels to be served sumptuous food by smiling strangers who open their homes as if it were the most natural thing to do. Talk about A-1 hospitality.
In the talents department, we can say that the Filipinos are never in lack. Never. We can ramble on and on about world-class Filipino talents like Lea Salonga and Regine Velasquez, whose musical prowess did — and still does — the country proud many times over. And they are just two of the many remarkable raw talents out there. Also worth mentioning are the Bayanihan dance group and the number of Philippine choral groups reaping international awards here and there like it was second nature to them now.
And let’s not forget the Filipino bayanihan spirit which says “I’m here ready to help you when you need me.” No wonder Filipinos in the Diaspora seek the companionship of their compatriots while living in foreign shores. Nothing beats the true essence of bayanihan.
But then again, just like in any race, the Filipinos are not perfect. Many Pinoys are guilty of the following: lack of national pride, crab mentality (‘gossipy’ nature included), observance of “Filipino time” (i.e. being late for an appointment for at least an hour), colonial mentality (e.g. tendency to be too brand-conscious), and general lack of discipline (just observe how Pinoys drive and cross the street in the metropolis).
However, at the end of the day, the pros of being a Filipino far outweigh the cons. While some foreigners regard Filipinos as dog eaters, mail-order brides, or domestic helpers (not that this is bad per se; I respect these overseas Filipino workers for their tenacity), I think I would be doing myself and my country a great disservice if I don’t introduce myself as a Filipino. I’m proud to be a Filipino, regardless of how well-known and how depressing the government’s corrupt ways are.
Some people, both foreigners and compatriots alike, remark that I’m too patriotic to a fault. But there is no shame in that. It’s actually the right thing to do, as far as I’m concerned. Who wants to be an undercover Pinoy in a foreign land? I don’t. Amid my obvious struggles with German and French, languages spoken in my adopted land, I’m just glad that my Tagalog is still intact.
I’m proud to be a Filipino, even though that means being often treated shabbily at foreign embassies and international airports for all the bad press the country has been receiving all this time. Sometimes, it’s painful to be a Filipino. But to some extent, it’s a good kind of pain. It just means that we still care for our ailing nation.
(Note: This piece, previously titled “Filipino Traits,” was written way back in June 2005, and is being reprinted here — with minor revisions — to mark the celebration of the 111th Philippine Independence Day today.)
TIDBITS: This essay on Filipino traits was also published in the Filipino site PinoyCentric in May 2007 (click here to see the comments to the original post). PinoyCentric is a US-based web publication managed by and for Filipinos, whose love for the country knows no geographical boundaries. It features informative articles on Filipinos and Philippine activities worldwide.
This page requires a higher version browser
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
» Filed Under Education, Lifestyle
Comments
5 Responses to “Celebrating one's Filipino-ness”
Leave a Reply
I wouldn’t mind to be reincarnated as a Pinoy again ( if reincarnation is true
as long as I look like Hayden Kho hahaha 
The other night we were at a “Rib Fest” grounds at an neighboring town sampling all sorts of bbqs . It also had a “feria” with many rides and games and my daughter had lots of fun. A woman approached us ” excuse me are you Pinoy ?” We said yes. She then ask, pwedeng pagamit ng cell phone nyo kasi low batt ang battery ko and I cannot find my friends” By all means yes! My wife gave her cell phone to use and she had to move a bit because the rides were so noisy. She came back after a few minutes and thanked us coz she finally contacted her friends. Kawawa naman at parang baguhan lang siya, parang care giver yata and she and her friends were having a day off.
hey J! (clap clap clap) loved this post. I AM PROUD TO BE FILIPINO as well. And we’re really good at our professions and go the extra mile.
Great to see you’re blogging again, J.
hi, jayred! am i so glad to see you update your blog. and thank you for this. at times, i feel like asking ‘Is it worth to be a Filipino?’ with the many (almost) unmanageable situations and conditions here in Pinas. but then, hey, counting the good and bad, there are still a lot of ‘beautiful’ things to cherish about being a Filipino. thank you for sharing.
Hi, Jayred!:-) Welcome back! Another proud Pinay here too.:-)
Proud to be PINOY!