If there is one thing a Filipino can be proud of, it will be his sense of humor and resiliency. Nothing will ever beat his sense of humor, and his natural resiliency in the face of a calamity or hardship or whatever.
About Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
A Filipino has innate knowledge of the buzz word for Reduce-Reuse-Recycle long before it was invented. Just take a look at any house along any street, you will find old tin cans of baby milk and paint planted with different plants. Or when did a Filipino not store empty bottles and old newspapers so he could re-sell these to the ambulant “bote-dyaryo” vendor? What about last night’s rice and viand which turns into fried rice for breakfast and the viand goes into Ate’s lunch box as she leaves for school? And just take a look at all those awnings using old advertising tarpaulins or sometimes to cover an extended area of the house. A Filipino not only knows but has lived Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.
In the Face of A Calamity
A Filipino will do what he must do to prepare for a calamity, the best that he can. In the event that a calamity affects him, he stands and picks himself up and starts to rebuild almost immediately. He salvages what he can and with an inner strength starts rebuilding his house, finds food and water where he can, finds work where he can. That is a Filipino to be proud of.
In the Face of Death
A Filipino will mourn and wail over the death of a loved one. Sometimes he will seek justice if the death was unjustly caused. But more often than not he will spend money on the wake, (a good casket, food, flowers, prayers and masses), preparing for the internment, the grave and the gravestone. When the loved one is finally buried, he will continue to grieve, more often in private, and religiously follow all the 9th day, 40th day, 1 year anniversary prayers. But he will also continue to move forward in his own life knowing and accepting that this is how it is in life.
In the Face of A Traffic Enforcer
A Filipino sees bribery of a Traffic Enforcer as part of the way of doing business or getting through life on a day-to-day basis. He sees it as a lesser evil to the hassle of living within the rights of the law. So when he gets a traffic violation ticket he bribes his way out of it because he believes having the ticket issued to him will take away the time he has for other things that he feels are more important than retrieving his confiscated driver’s license. Why? Because how much time will it take to get back your license? if you’re lucky it may only take you half a day, if you’re unlucky you can spend an entire day in line just waiting to get your driver’s license not to mention paying off the penalty.
In the Face of a Heart Break
A Filipino will get hurt when his heart is broken. He will pine for his lost loved one by drinking alcohol hoping the pain will diminish with each bottle he drinks. He will talk to anyone who continues to be willing to listen to him hoping to get sympathy from them. He will listen to sad love songs and wear a long face…until he sees the next one true love.
In the Face of Hardships
A Filipino in the face of hardships will most likely call it Fate. But no matter what cards Fate deals him, he will find a way because he is resourceful in a lot of ways. Ever heard of public school teachers who used to get really low monthly salaries? Did they give up? Not at all, instead they sell breakfast items like tocino, longganisa, daing na bangus, all on the side just to earn extra income. What about that domestic helper who wanting to earn more, will offer to do the next door family’s laundry and ironing just to earn extra income? How about all these corporate career men and women who find ways to earn extra income through forex trading or reselling garments? Filipinos are resourceful.
In the Face of Pacquiao Losing A Fight
A Filipino will feel bad when Manny Pacquiao loses in a boxing fight but their best reaction is always humor and one of the funniest that came out was: “Kung alam ku lang na tatakbo ka lang sa reng e di sana nagbasketball na lang tayu.” [“If I only knew you would just run around the ring, we should have just played basketball.”] And did you hear about May 3 being the National Day of Hugging? Or the other way around Filipinos will put the blame on judges like “they counted the number of hugs instead of punches?” Humor with a bitter taste.
In the Face of Living Abroad
A Filipino, at the beginning of his stay in a new country, will miss all the family and friends he had left behind. But living in his new country he will draw from his inner strength and courage to find work and meet new friends. He will most likely excel in whatever he finally chooses to do. Foreigners will be able to distinguish who the Filipino is in the way he works and the way he cares for his job, his family and his friends. And they will always say it is the Filipino who works best and excels in whatever he does.
In the Face of an International Beauty Pageant
A Filipina will always stand out in any international beauty pageant. She will not just stand out for her beauty, poise or grace but also for her intelligence. She will display courage and confidence as she intelligently answers the questions fielded from reporters or judges. She will charm her way to the finals. She will win.
