I'm second-gen Fil-Am here. Even though I wasn't born in the Philippines, I have kin and friends over there. It's the land of my heritage and it'll always have a soft spot in my heart.

That said, my home is here. Uncle Sam owns me should I have to bear arms in defense of this country. Actually, I've already done my time (20 years) so it probably won't happen again. I was raised here. So no matter how much I love the Philippines, my ultimate loyalties lie here. If other Pinoys have a problem with that, then I'll just have to live with it to my dying days.

For those Pinoys on work visas, it's no problem regarding the Philippines as the motherland.

For those immigrating, think carefully about what you're doing. You're not just going abroad to make money. You're giving up a large part of your loyalty to the Philippines and transferring that loyalty to your adopted country. If you think otherwise, then you're immigrating for the wrong reasons.

For some, it'll be akin to burning bridges and not looking back. When I returned here, I thought I was done with the Philippines for good. But you know, I just can't turn my back on my friends or my kin over there. The best memories of my life was in the Philippines. The ties simply endure.....