The essence of being a Filipino...

Hospitality is a much-valued trait among Filipinos. It is an age old custom to share and to willingly accomodate a neighbor or a visitor. Experiencing one of them has never failed to provide a delightful surprise for us.

Hello tombiz!(",) Let me say that what I have written here is not originally from me but I guess it has some point and true in its own self. Just read and I know you'll agree.(",) There's one Filipino trait which I guess is uniquely Filipino! and I'm very proud of it. it's our OPENNESS and PASSIVITY. the Philippine culture is very colorful because of this. We imbibe everybody else's culture. we love American pop music. We have accepted sushi, we watch and idolize Korean soap opera actors and actresses. We once went crazy over F4. we love Michael Jordan and David Beckham and Leila Barros. We set aside our Lambanog cuz there's vodka and tequila on the table. We accepted the Western Christian faith. We have a lot of Chinese, Spanish and Indian words in our lexicon. We have Chinese foods just anywhere around the corner. We even do the dragon and lion dances. We have reached the top of Mt Everest even though we don;t have Alpine mountains. These and more have been instrumental in making enriching the Philippine culture and at the same time retaining our true roots. However, this trait sometimes works against us. It is not very easy for a local product to compete in the market because it has been inculcated that imported stuff are better than local ones. we don't promote and support Filipino music, movies and TV shows cuz it is believed that doing so is jologs. We think saying "puta" is unrefined and saying "b#tch" is cool. Having said that though, i still think it is still good to be OPEN, OBJECTIVE and PASSIVE. it is this trait that has enabled our overseas contract workers to adapt and thrive in foreign soil. Our passivity is the fuel that ignites the Filipino passion and that drives the Filipino professionalism. we are not like Koreans who can't live without kimchi, who eat kimchi alongside spaghetti. who wear high-heeled shoes on beaches. we are not like Americans and Japanese who can't stand slow motion. We are not like Chinese who can't live without saving enough for their life fifty years hence. We are not like the French who insist that everyone should understand "Bonjour". We accept things as long as they're good and they become part of our lives. And we become happy!(",) Finally, when you finally realize that every Filipino is worth dying for, then you know the essence of our nationality.(",)