An Expat's Observation about the Philippines

[oldblue]

lahat kasi shortcut saka under the table deal hehehe. contrary to popular belief that the shooting of Rizal sa Bagumbayan ang nag-ignite ng rebolusyon to a higher level, yun pala yun ibang magigiting na national heroes natin , ang ginawa eh, nakipag-secret meeting sa mga Kano sa Hongkong para gyerahin ang Intramuros. Syempre papayag ba mga Kano na walang kapalit yun pakikipag-gyera nila sa mga Kastila.

Itong mga key pinoy figures noon time na yun were very quick to declare independence after the defeat of the Spanish to make themselves heroes & celebs na din! Pero wag ka, pinagbili pala tayo ng 20K USD ng Spanish sa mga Kano.

sometimes kasi mas maganda pa aminin sa mga students ang nangyari sa tin noon instead of storytelling brave exploits of our so-called "heroes" on how they fought
gallantly & defeated the Spanish. Whether we like it or not, if not for the bombarding
of American ships strategically located at Manila Bay, nde maka-slip in ang Katipunan from the back of "the busy at war with the Americans" Spaniards.

[oldblue]

With how the world sees us... who wants to be?

it's really ironical that we brag to the world that as early as the 19th century, we freed ourselves from the mighty Spanish navigators/colonizers pero we love anything/everything Spanish like looks, house interior design, food and social norms. Even in TV ads, we have this pinay morena who TH'ly (trying hard) impresses a conio BF & his senyora mom. hehehe

[empy]

Never doubt that a small country of thoughtful committed people can change the world.

look no further than Japan for a good example. to a lesser degree Singapore.

[bad driver]

The chances for change are very slim. That's the sad truth. A nuclear bomb explosion would certainly unite the country and bring about national pride.

hehehe... seriously. We need a miracle. Sana kasi binoto nyo rin si Bro. Eddie.

[badkuk]

oldblue: lahat tayo gusto maging latino, mestizo, conio hehehe.

you forgot the hip-hop/gangsta/ghetto/baller crowd. wooorrrrrrrd, homey B)

[cutedoc]

personal observation ko lng, filipinos basically excel in most fields, pinoys talent are comparable to any nationality in the world, and it is something we should be able to appreciate, when i visited the states and went to shop around, ang daming pinoy buying stuff at outlets kasi mura and branded, bakit nga ba click ang ukay ukay dito, european, italian fashion at a fraction of a cost, why not, yun nga lang colonial mentality, at sasabihin nating galit tayo sa kano becoz of the bases, galit din tayo sa hapon pero bakit nagpupunta dun ang mga pinoy to work as japayukis, very contradicting,ang dami pang instances that we tend to appreciate others kesa ang sariling atin, why buy colgate or close up if hapee will do at par, gawang pinoy yun, kasi me brand ang colgate, bakit ayaw nating bumili ng gawang pinoy compared to japan made kasi we think that its inferior the thing is most pinoy works for multinational companies that we adore, branded clothes like CK, RL, Tommy are made here in the phil, so if we want our country to achieve a better future patronize the phil, why go hongkong if you could drop by Bicol, or why surf at hawaii when you could do it at pangasinan, white sand at boracay, serene place at bali, try palawan

[FrankDrebin]

you forgot the hip-hop/gangsta/ghetto/baller crowd. wooorrrrrrrd, homey B)

Ang tawag doon ay Pinggoy. Pinggoy - Pinoy na feeling Egoy.

:D

[empy]

when i visited the states and went to shop around, ang daming pinoy buying stuff at outlets kasi mura and branded, bakit nga ba click ang ukay ukay dito, european, italian fashion at a fraction of a cost, why not, yun nga lang colonial mentality...

this is so true...pinoys and other asians (chinese/japanese/koreans) are almost the only people you see at all the outlets. if they were smart these companies would open up outlets in the philippines :bwahaha:

[oldblue]

isa na me duon na mahilig magpunta sa mga outlets noon nasa LA ako hehehe
dun lang ako naka-afford ng branded clothing & shoes. what can say, almost 40% lang ng price d2.

[scarab]

...only to find out that none of the stuff you bought is made in the U.S. of A. also an outlet junkie, pero mostly pabango hunting ko dun.

[edzzz]

not to brag

i prefer Mendrez than Bass, Florsheim

[juntzo]

up ko lang kasi good read...

[oliver1013]

Simulan siguro natin sa pagsasalita ng tagalog ng mga seandor tuwing may hearing. Natatawa ako na naiiyak pag pinipilit ng mga senador natin mag ingles...puro aaaahhh aaahhhh, misterr tserrman may I aaahhhh ahhhh continyu may quistioning... Bat di nalang kasi tagalugin e hirap na hirap na

[bayonic]

no wonder Britney Spears wants to sneak away to the Philippines ....

[Jun aka Pekto]

the article rings true for me. i have always wondered why some pinoys here in the states pretend that they don't speak tagalog, or try to distance themselves from other pinoys. at worst, they put down/look down on the country and the culture.

it is so odd - other cultures stick together..."black history month", "la raza (mexico)", all the asian cultures...all of them celebrate their uniqueness and are proud of what they are. except us. i truly don't understand it.

I have no problems displaying my heritage. Everyone can see it in little ways: the Pinoy flag plates on both are cars, souvenirs depicting Pinoy culture, a thorough knowledge of Philippine history, and certainly the love for Pinoy food and products. My daughter is 11 and has no memories of the Philippines except for her visit not too long ago. Yet, she probably knows more about the Philippines than many kids her age in the Philippines

I certainly have no problems associating with other Pinoys here and we do have many Pinoy friends both here and in the Philippines. But, there is the perception that most Pinoys coming from the motherland bring the crab mentality with them along with an attitude for intrigue and gossip. That may or may not always be the case. But when such attitudes did cause problems, it took a long time for wounds to heal. Once friendly groups of Pinoys are now not as friendly to each other as before and it's sad.

I've seen it happen here and elsewhere. I try to stay away from such situations because quite frankly, I have no time to deal with such silly matters. Other families probably have heard of similar stories and just simply shied away from other Pinoys.

As for those Pinoys looking down on the Philippines....... I'm not sure why they would do such a thing. Their heritage is their heritage both the good and the bad.

I have gripes about the "attitudes". But regardless, the Philippines do matter a lot to me if only because I have blood relatives and close friends there. That connection will always ensure the Philippines is dear to me.

[uls]

Kaya ma-o-overtake tayo ng Vietnam is coz Vietnam is very investor friendly.

Di tulad dito, mamumuhunan ka na nga, papahirapan ka pa...

Red tape, flip-flopping rules, dami pa humihingi ng lagay...

[pup2]

I might say I don't think it's ALL about national insecurity. It used to play a big part, that's for sure. Recently though, I think colonial mentality has been on the decline with the rise of globalization -- baliktad yata talaga tayo sa trend (something very pinoy).Still, hindi natin ito magamit dahil ang kultura natin ay kultura ng trading at service. Hindi tayo ang may kultura ng manufacturing and distribution. Napakahirap mag-operate dito ng manufacturing at distribution system. Mahal ang kuryente at labor (problematic pa), matindi ang kompetisyon, grabe ang red tape at corruption. No wonder that even with a relatively rising economy, hirap na hirap ang local manufacturing. Unfortunately, only small countries have so far been successful in the trading/service industries with little or no manufacturing powers (namely HK dati, and Singapore up to now). Bigger countries HAVE to develop manufacturing, distribution, and heavy industry. And before that, they should ideally have self-sufficient food security.Mas madali i-encourage ang trading/service industry dahil immediate ang gains economically AND politically. Pero for us to truly progress, we should strategically invest in agri-vet, manufacturing, and industry -- something almost totally neglected so far.

[blue1108]

very nice read, thanks you for reviving this mga sir...

i've always been proud to be filipino. its one of the reasons i continue to stay here in spite of the lure of bigger money and easier life elsewhere. sobrang naaawa na ko sa "brain drain" na nangyayari sa'ting bansa.

on the bright side, more of our countrymen (like the members of tsikot-naks) are becoming more aware and are pitching in to help the country. hopefully the changes can happen soon...

walang hindi kayang gawin pg ginusto talaga...

[mazingerZ]

The problem with Filipinos in general is that madali lang tayo makalimot. We forget what was done to us by the Marcoses, by the corrupt politicians, etc. We are useless when people flash their money to us, we forget who we are and denigrade ourselves just to earn money. We will never prosper as a people until we learn to remember.

[jeffrocks]

Hipokreto ako kapag sinabi kong ang pinoy [ majority ] ay HINDI ;
spoiled brats sa sariling bayan
reklamador
rebelde
has a crab mentallity
madaling nayayabangan
politically illiterate
...pero masipag,hospitable,mahilig sa education,freedom loving,matapang