Proud to be Pinoy

My decision to move back to the Philippines was not a precipitous one. In spite of a promising career in the Middle East and a job offer to work in the United Kingdom, I have longed to come back and give the Philippines another chance.

Since October, I have then revisited many parts of the country, from as far north as Baguio to as far south as Davao. I can say that I have deep connections with our three major islands: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. I have finished my elementary in Manila (Luzon), went to high school in Bukidnon (Mindanao), and completed my bachelor’s degree in Dumaguete (Visayas). Because of this, I became deeply immersed in the history and culture of our great archipelago.

I love this country. Despite gross corruption, our legal system generally works, and if ever confronted with having to employ it, I would feel safer trusting the courts here than in any other place in Asia or the Middle East. The media here is unquestionably the most unfettered in Asia. And, if any thing can be used as a yardstick to measure the extent of the democratic process, it is the extent to which the media is free.

The basic problem seems to me, after traveling to other parts of the world, is the disturbing lack of pride of being Filipino. Alarmingly, the situation has already been aggravated. We have cities full of beggars. We have rude drivers — taxis that routinely refuse to take passengers because of traffic. The roads are also cursed with pollution-spewing buses. We have public schools without chairs or books. We have a “conflict” in Mindanao that nobody seems to have a clue how to settle. I could go on and on, but it is an endeavor so filled with futility. It hurts because, in spite of everything, I love the Philippines.

I have once read in an article not very long ago that “all Filipinos want to be something else. The poor ones want to be American, and the rich ones all want to be Spaniards. Nobody wants to be Filipino.” Filipinos tend to worship, almost slavishly, everything foreign —the illogical respect given to foreigners simply because they are not Filipinos. The distrust to any locally-made merchandise, the neglect of anything Philippines, the rudeness of taxi drivers, and the ill-manners shown by many Filipinos are all symptomatic of a lack of self-love, of respect for and love of the country.

Right now, a lot of Filipinos are leaving the country in droves because we think there is no future here. But the Philippines has so much hope and promise. It’s a psychological thing that we think we are a basket case. We’ve got to get over that. It’s an individual responsibility. We can blame the government but the in the end — it is us. Making Filipinos aware of our culture will make us understand who we are. When we understand who we are, the self-confidence will come in, and with confidence comes productivity.

There’s a hunger for Filipinos to have an identity.  For a source of pride, we are sick and tired of being torn down. I believe that this desire most strongly among the young. We are the first generation to come of age with the burden of World War and Martial Law. If we say we can do anything, we can. In taking pride in our heritage and our home, we take pride in who we are.

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