WHAT I LOVE ABOUT FILIPINOS

I have a penchant for finding what it is that I feel needs to be improved in the methods and ways of the Filipino. I wanted to sit down for a change, to write about what I love about Filipinos and what makes me proud to be Filipino. The countdown of my top ten begins…..

1. I love that Filipinos take pride in the way they look and the way they dress. They also pay special attention to their personal hygiene regardless of what line of work they do, whether blue collar or white collar. Not to be petty but try taking the subway in other countries in the summer and you will appreciate this Filipino trait. Believe me.

2. I love the Filipino sense of politeness and gentleness in their manner of speaking. Spent some time in the very efficient and first-world city of Hong Kong this year. I love Hong Kong because it reminds me of where my heart will always be - New York - though it's New York in an Asian setting. After several trips to Hong Kong, I came to this realization that Filipinos’ docile nature can have its advantages in the right context.

3. I love the Filipinos’ natural ability to share and innate desire to give gifts big, small and cash-denominated at times. (I only wish they would have that same “sharing mindset” when it comes to driving. Traffic would be much less aggravating for drivers if such were the case.) In the realm of sharing, Filipinos also want to be part of a social group for many of their activities, starting with their families and relatives.

4. I love Filipinos’ creativity, resourcefulness and entrepreneurial spirit. They manage to craft and sell anything and everything on the streets, in sari-sari stores, in sidewalk kiosks, in department stores, in flea markets and in boutiques. I love it that they sell to each other in schools and the workplace, some even with payment installment plans. Again, the predominant product that is sold is not surprisingly, food!

5. I love the Filipino eagerness to help people in need and to show caring and concern to others, even people whom they don’t know too well. My brother’s friend, and my brother on a separate occasion, stood in line with me for several hours at the LTO to get my license. Granted they don’t have traditional office jobs, it was still an inconvenience for them to do that with me.

6. I love the fact that in a predominantly “machista” Filipino culture, there is pay equality among genders. And ample opportunities for women to rise to executive and managerial positions without too much discrimination based on their sex. The number of successful females in the corporate and business world in this country is one of the highest in Asia.

7. I love the Filipino warmth to foreigners, their welcoming and accommodating nature and ability to understand English. Have been to Bangkok a few times, which is another city I love, and I always come back thankful that our country still speaks, reads and writes in English. Try explaining to a saleswoman in Bangkok what size and color of clothing you need and it may take more than a few minutes, coupled with a lot of frustration on your part.

8. I love the Filipino man’s “gentlemanly and gallant” qualities that have not been eroded by modern life and the independence of women. They will still open doors for you, help you out of the car and pick you up from your house. I love the Filipina’s “femininity and softness” on the exterior, but don’t be fooled because that is coupled with a strong interior. They may be already helping with the finances but they still take care of their men at home. Proof that one can serve without necessarily being servile.

9. I love that Filipinos have such an exuberantly happy and positive outlook, have such hearty humor and have vibrant spirits whatever their circumstances in life may be at any time. This love for life also seems to have translated itself somehow into a love for singing. We must be the world’s most karaoke-addicted people. We don’t even need alcohol to give us courage to start singing in the early mornings. We are shameless when it comes to karaoke.

10. Partially because eating gives me such great joy (and it is only sheer vanity that keeps me from being a complete, all-out glutton), I love the Filipinos’ appetite for food, frequency of eating, throwing fiestas with incredible amounts of food and having numerous celebrations with an overflow of food. There is always a variety of food and a lot of it wherever you go in this country, from the bustling metropolis to the far rural corners.

Tina Vitas
Makati City