I am proud to be PinAy!!!
A news article entitled “Imagine a World without Filipinos”* was published in an Arab newspaper. Some of the excerpts are as follows:
· “What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.”
· “This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.”
And, my favourite part of the article is this:
A news article entitled “Imagine a World without Filipinos”* was published in an Arab newspaper. Some of the excerpts are as follows:
· “What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.”
· “This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.”
And, my favourite part of the article is this:
· “The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.”
Finally, an email that has something good to say about my beloved. It is a shame though that I had to read it from a foreign writer. Usually, Filipino writers (or emailers) are the ones who sabotage and say nasty things about our fellow Filipinos (Remember Malou Fernandez?).
One cold winter evening, a middle-aged Pinay phoned me to seek legal advice (which I gladly provided free of charge). Our conversation jumped from one topic to another. Thousands of gossips and one legal advice later, I mentioned one common Filipino expression to which she responded something to this effect: "Hindi ako nakiki-grupo sa mga Filipinos dito eh...wala kasi silang sense kausap..." She was uttering those words as if she was not a Filipino and as if she was making any sense herself. I was stunned! That girl has some real nerves!!!
A friend of mine invited me to a cook-out party. The purpose of this party was to promote her kumare’s business that sells kitchen wares that are ridiculously expensive. This party was composed of Filipina moms and wives. There was one Pinay in that party who suddenly and inappropriately asked, with a an unnatural twang, “Ano ba ginagamit nila sa Pilipinas…???” Her question made it sound as if the Philippines never graduated from the olden “pots and clays” days that we usually see in those black-and-white Gloria-Romero-Juancho-Guitierez movies (of which I am big fan).
As the old saying goes: "when you're in Rome, do as the Romans do". I know that being a Filipino immigrant in Canada, I must, as a matter of necessity and survival, adjust to their culture: talk their talk; dance their dance; and dress their dress.
I like the Filipino fashion style and I never had problems with the quality of our local fabric. But, this does not mean that I will stubbornly dress my Filipino ways here in Canada even it is no longer appropriate to express my fondness for it. This does not also mean that in order to adapt the Canadian way, I would unnecessarily malign Philippine fashion.
I have been to many Filipino gatherings here in Canada. In those occasions, I would have conversations with my fellow Filipinos on different topics such as the weather, traffic conditions and yes, even fashions and clothings. What I could not understand is why would our fellow Filipinos complain about the quality of Philippine fabric when I could not see any significant difference between the quality of the fabrics available at SM Department Stores and those that are displayed at Macy's or The Bay.
I have heard several Filipino women who would loudly say that Philippine fabrics are just so “cheap”. I find it laughable because such comment would usually come from a true and pure blooded Pinay who wears clothes that look absolutely “cheap” and pitiful both in terms of fabric and style. The type of clothes that will make the “Divi and Barclay” (a.k.a. Divisoria and Baclaran) fashion look even better and more decent.
These Filipino women do not know that my Philippine-made-and-styled wardrobes unfailingly receive praises from my non-Filipino colleagues at work. These colleagues of mine are the typical pure westerners (the ones we usually refer to as “puti”) and yet they love the clothes that these Filipino women hate. My lady boss (who, by the way, is a Meryl Streep look-alike all in terms of intellect, glamour and style and who knows Chariz Pempengco) indicated to me that she has so many Philippine-made clothes and she just loves them all!!! This might sound corny but I find these praises as vindication not for myself but for thousands workers who make up the Philippine textile industries.
I am a million miles away from our Native Land. I am one of those millions of Filipinos who gets to enjoy the perks of living in a First World Country. I have met hundreds of my fellow Filipinos who, like myself, abandoned her Mother Land. In this journey, I have witnessed how my fellow Filipinos, including myself, laugh out so loudly, talk our native tongue even in the company of non-Filipinos, boast about our filial roots. I have joined them in gossips, in showbiz and political talks, in every deal imaginable. I have heard my fellow Filipinos spreading horrors and putting down the local culture by complaining just about everything that you can find in the Philippines.
I have encountered people coming from different races, cultures and religions. Yet, I never heard them say anything spiteful about their own race or country of origin. They do otherwise. They talk proudly and promote vigorously about their culture or race to the point of sounding quite an ethnocentric. How I wish that we could do the same: to proudly talk about our native culture, to emphasize the richness of same and goodness of our being.
*(Those who are interested to read the complete article, here is the link: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=110923&d=16&m=6&y=2008)
One cold winter evening, a middle-aged Pinay phoned me to seek legal advice (which I gladly provided free of charge). Our conversation jumped from one topic to another. Thousands of gossips and one legal advice later, I mentioned one common Filipino expression to which she responded something to this effect: "Hindi ako nakiki-grupo sa mga Filipinos dito eh...wala kasi silang sense kausap..." She was uttering those words as if she was not a Filipino and as if she was making any sense herself. I was stunned! That girl has some real nerves!!!
A friend of mine invited me to a cook-out party. The purpose of this party was to promote her kumare’s business that sells kitchen wares that are ridiculously expensive. This party was composed of Filipina moms and wives. There was one Pinay in that party who suddenly and inappropriately asked, with a an unnatural twang, “Ano ba ginagamit nila sa Pilipinas…???” Her question made it sound as if the Philippines never graduated from the olden “pots and clays” days that we usually see in those black-and-white Gloria-Romero-Juancho-Guitierez movies (of which I am big fan).
As the old saying goes: "when you're in Rome, do as the Romans do". I know that being a Filipino immigrant in Canada, I must, as a matter of necessity and survival, adjust to their culture: talk their talk; dance their dance; and dress their dress.
I like the Filipino fashion style and I never had problems with the quality of our local fabric. But, this does not mean that I will stubbornly dress my Filipino ways here in Canada even it is no longer appropriate to express my fondness for it. This does not also mean that in order to adapt the Canadian way, I would unnecessarily malign Philippine fashion.
I have been to many Filipino gatherings here in Canada. In those occasions, I would have conversations with my fellow Filipinos on different topics such as the weather, traffic conditions and yes, even fashions and clothings. What I could not understand is why would our fellow Filipinos complain about the quality of Philippine fabric when I could not see any significant difference between the quality of the fabrics available at SM Department Stores and those that are displayed at Macy's or The Bay.
I have heard several Filipino women who would loudly say that Philippine fabrics are just so “cheap”. I find it laughable because such comment would usually come from a true and pure blooded Pinay who wears clothes that look absolutely “cheap” and pitiful both in terms of fabric and style. The type of clothes that will make the “Divi and Barclay” (a.k.a. Divisoria and Baclaran) fashion look even better and more decent.
These Filipino women do not know that my Philippine-made-and-styled wardrobes unfailingly receive praises from my non-Filipino colleagues at work. These colleagues of mine are the typical pure westerners (the ones we usually refer to as “puti”) and yet they love the clothes that these Filipino women hate. My lady boss (who, by the way, is a Meryl Streep look-alike all in terms of intellect, glamour and style and who knows Chariz Pempengco) indicated to me that she has so many Philippine-made clothes and she just loves them all!!! This might sound corny but I find these praises as vindication not for myself but for thousands workers who make up the Philippine textile industries.
I am a million miles away from our Native Land. I am one of those millions of Filipinos who gets to enjoy the perks of living in a First World Country. I have met hundreds of my fellow Filipinos who, like myself, abandoned her Mother Land. In this journey, I have witnessed how my fellow Filipinos, including myself, laugh out so loudly, talk our native tongue even in the company of non-Filipinos, boast about our filial roots. I have joined them in gossips, in showbiz and political talks, in every deal imaginable. I have heard my fellow Filipinos spreading horrors and putting down the local culture by complaining just about everything that you can find in the Philippines.
I have encountered people coming from different races, cultures and religions. Yet, I never heard them say anything spiteful about their own race or country of origin. They do otherwise. They talk proudly and promote vigorously about their culture or race to the point of sounding quite an ethnocentric. How I wish that we could do the same: to proudly talk about our native culture, to emphasize the richness of same and goodness of our being.
*(Those who are interested to read the complete article, here is the link: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=13§ion=0&article=110923&d=16&m=6&y=2008)
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