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News all over the globe show diverse opinion, characterization, and discussions about the Filipino people, either in the positive or negative accounts.
The August 23, 2010 hostage drama put the Philippines and the Filipinos in the limelight again, but at the center of negative criticisms touching even below the belt.
Many say that it is difficult to be a Filipino these days. But, this author still believes that one should not be ashamed of being a Filipino. Instead, it should be something to be proud of.
The Philippines is so blessed with many rich and beautiful traits, talents, culture and heritage, which are really unique and remarkable aside from its awesome tourist spots and archipelago.
It is just a matter of perception for those who are cynical to it. For one cannot deny the fact that the Philippines and the Filipinos can still be considered as one of the most fortunate country and people, in this whole wide world.
The succeeding information are just but a few of the many amazing Filipino traits and personalities that one can be proud of:
> Filipinos Are Principled People With Rich Culture and Values
- Generally, Filipinos value dignity and self-respect above all things. Thus, it is repulsive to them, to be taken advantaged of, abused, demeaned, exploited, insulted and treated unfairly.
- Highly spiritual or religious and God-fearing individuals.
- Loving, conscientious, patient and charitable. They are highly trusting, relational and non-confrontational people. Conflicts and differences are resolved through subtle techniques, such as compromise and amicable settlements.
- Happy people. They love togetherness and being connected to the world and nature but foremost to people. Many Asia Surveys revealed that the Filipinos, young and old are the happiest people in Asia.
- Creative improvisation and highly participatory. Extemporaneous or on-the spot creativity comes naturally to the Filipino who has the finest artistic yet improvisatory traditions. Participation in the creative process is primary.
> Great Heroes and Icon for Wisdom and Bravery
- Dr. Jose Rizal – The National Hero of the Philippines. He is Asia's first modern non-violent proponent of political reforms and an advocate of institutional reforms through peaceful means rather than by violent revolution. Leaders like Gandhi, Tagore and Sun Yat Sen regarded him as a forerunner in the cause of freedom and acknowledged Rizal's role significant contributions in the Asian freedom movement. In his writings, he showed the disparity between the early colonialists and those of his day, with the latter's atrocities giving rise to Gomburza and the Philippine Revolution of 1896. His biographer, Austin Coates, and writer, Benedict Anderson, believed that Rizal gave the Philippine revolution a genuinely national character; and that Rizal's patriotism and his standing as one of Asia's first intellectuals have inspired others of the importance of a national identity to nation-building.
- Senator Benigno Aquino II – He is a person of influence and considered by most Filipinos as a national hero, his words will echo throughout history and will continue to be quoted by men and women who dare to make a difference. Ninoy Aquino was a brilliant speaker, eloquent and full of charisma. He was full of passion for the fight for freedom. He could indeed have been a great president, but sadly in the words of former Senator Jovito Salonga he became the greatest president that we never had. Ninoy Aquino is a gifted speaker and as a journalist is a gifted writer as well. one of the strongest influences in the opposition party against the Marcos Administration. He relentlessly exposed and revealed all the graft and corruption happening behind the curtains of politics; thus, he became the archrival of Ferdinand Marcos during the Martial Law era. His assassination led to the EDSA Revolution in 1986. He wrote a poem which has been transformed into a song by Jose Mari Chan entitled “I have fallen in love with the same woman 3 times”, dedicated to his dear beloved wife, President Cory Aquino. Ninoy Aquino has so many great quotes that can be extracted from his writings and speeches. One that I like is this, “What can one man do if the Filipino people love their slavery, if the Filipino people have lost their voice and would not say no to a tyrant, what can one man do. I have not army, I have no following, I have no money, I only have my indomitable spirit…”
> Capable of Making Great Sacrifices for the Good of the Poor
- Daniel S. Razon , Chief Executive Officer and UNTV Host, a respected and multi-talented Journalist, who earned the moniker of Mr. Public Service because of his renowned genuine concern for the poor. He earned recognition from international award-giving bodies like the Shorty Awards where he was the only Filipino finalist for Best Journalist category. Another is the Netherlands-based Ode Magazine, featured him as the Intelligent Optimist being an exemplar of a true media man who has the heart of a true public servant outside of the political arena not to mention his noteworthy contribution to the media industry. Despite hectic work schedules, he has all the time, when it comes to extending help to every people’s needs, everyday-24/7-year-out from medical, dental, legal, public utilities such as rides in train, buses, and jeepneys, air fare for Overseas Filipino Workers, private college education, transient homes, financial assistance, educational and spiritual services, all for FREE. Not to mention, his activities to help the country save the youth from drugs and other vices by involving them in sports activities, environmental concerns, giving them free education and spiritual guidance. His newest is, Tulong Muna Bago Balita (Rescue First Before News), encouraging media men to focus on saving lives first before making news. According to him, “Our fellowmen are more important than anything else, more than we can get and deliver news.”.
- Dr. Josette Biyo - 1st Filipina, and 1st Asian Grand Winner for Intel ESEF Excellence in Teaching Award (2002). In recognition of the rarity of her kind, the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States honored Dr Biyo a very rare honor by naming a small and new-discovered planet in our galaxy as "Biyo". She earned her masteral and doctoral degrees from the De La Salle University, Taft, Manila, where she used to teach rich college students and was paid well for it. But Dr Biyo left all that and all the glamour of Manila, and chose to teach in a far-away public school in a rural area in the province, receiving the salary of less than US$ 300 a month. When asked why she did that, she replied "but who will teach our children?" Dr. Biyo said, “Being world class doesn’t mean going international and showing our best out there. Being word-class is passion and commitment to our profession. Being world-class is giving our best to our country and our people. For teachers, being world-class starts right inside the classroom.”
- Mr. Efren Penaflorida, son of a tricycle driver and a laundrywoman was chosen and awarded as CNN Hero for the year 2009. Poverty was not a hindrance for him and his group to educate children through the pushcarts or “kariton” loaded with books, school supplies, food and a Philippine flag. It was their way of saving children from poor families in Cavite City from illegal drugs and from joining gangs. Since the year 1997, they would visit depressed areas in Cavite like garbage dump sites, public cemeteries, markets and teach the children values and basic education such as reading, writing and literacy skills.
> Honest and Truthful
- Mr. Nestor Suplico, a taxi driver in New York, was officially acknowledged by New York City Government in a ceremony for his noble deed calling him and published all over media as, "New York's Most Honest Taxi Driver". Also, the Philippine Senate passed a Resolution for giving honors to the Filipino people and our country. He earned the honor because on July 17, 2004, he drove 43 miles from New York City to Connecticut, USA, just to return the US$80,000 worth of jewelry (rare black pearls) to his passenger who forgot it at the back seat of his taxi. When his passenger offered to give him a reward, Suplico even refused the reward. He just asked to be reimbursed for his taxi fuel for his travel to Connecticut. At the time, despite the fact that he was just earning $80 a day as a taxi driver, he maintained his virtue of honesty to the highest degree.
- Marites Perez-Galam, a Filipina a mother of four, found a wallet in a public toilet near the restaurant in Singapore, where she works as the head waitress containing 16,000 Singaporean dollars (US $11,000). She immediately handed the wallet to the restaurant manager of Imperial Herbal restaurant where she worked located in Vivo City Mall. The manager in turn reported the lost money to the mall's management. It took the Indonesian woman less than two hours to claim her lost wallet intended for her son's ear surgery that she and her husband saved for the medical treatment. Maritess refused the reward offered by the grateful owner and said it was the right thing to do.
> Excellent in Their Field of Expertise
- Bro. Eliseo Soriano, a phenomenal preacher and Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God International (MCGI), won the ‘Most Educational to Follow’ category in the Open Web Awards 2009. “The esoriano.wordpress.com takes its place among the top 50 websites and services of the year. Web users cast thousands of votes for the site, selecting it as the very best in its field” — said Pete Cashmore, CEO, Mashable.com. Through the years, the Church managed to create award-winning websites. Since 2002, Ang Dating Daan’s (The Old Path) official website consistently won the Most Popular Website award from the Philippine Web Awards. It was only in 2009 that a new website was able to beat it, and that site is none other than Bro. Eli’s blog! Bro. Eliseo Soriano’s resounding, “Basa!,” (Read!) award-winning religious program Ang Dating Daan started in its humble beginning with a radio broadcast on DWWA. Bro. Eli bravely shouted God’s words on the 30-minute program. Quoting verses straight from the Bible put into limelight the Manolo Favis’ God Eternal News In Universal Salvation or GENIUS family in DZBB, where preachers of different religious denominations were all defeated by Bro. Eli’s unparalleled biblical expertise manifestly of divine origin. The Ang Dating Daan radio program was given a longer time slot airing not only various provincial stations but also on nationally broadcasted ones, like DZME, DWAD, DZRD, and DZXQ. Now, Bro. Eli’s preaching continuously proved by its phenomenal growth on 100 Radyo Natin Stations, DZXL RMN News Manila, and DZRH with an overwhelming growth too of MCGI members and followers all over the globe.
- Congressman Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao made a world history for his seventh world title in his seventh weight class, breaking the record of Oscar De La Hoya who had won world titles in six different weight classes. He is currently recognized by The Ring magazine as the world’s number-one pound-for-pound boxer.
- Prof. Baldomero M. Olivera, a Filipino Professor of Biology at University of Utah, USA, was chosen and awarded as the Scientist for the Year 2007 by Harvard University Foundation. The award was given to him in recognition to his outstanding contributions to science, particularly to molecular biology and groundbreaking work with conotoxins. The research conducted by Olivera's group became the basis for the production of commercial drug called Prialt (generic name – Ziconotide), which is considered more effective than morphine and does not result in addiction. “Growing up in the Philippines, Baldomero "Toto" Olivera recalls that cone snails were sold by the kilo in local seafood markets. As a child, however, Olivera was blissfully unaware of the impact that the predatory cone snail, Conus magus, would have on his life's work. Nor could he have imagined that the creatures would even enable his lab to develop a drug to bring relief to people in chronic pain.”
> Talented and Beautiful
- The Filipinas are exceptionally beautiful, inside and out. They are the likes of Gemma Cruz, the first Filipina to win Miss International in 1964; Gloria Diaz won as Miss Universe in 1969; Aurora Pijuan won Miss International in 1970; Margie Moran won Miss Universe in 1973; Evangeline Pascual was 1st runner up in Miss World 1974; Melanie Marquez was Miss International in 1979; Ruffa Gutierrez was 2nd runner up in Miss World 1993; Charlene Gonzalez was Miss Universe finalist in 1994; Miriam Quiambao was Miss Universe 1st runner up in 1999; and the latest on the heights of the Manila hostage drama, Venus Raj was 4th runner up in the Miss Universe pageant.
- Also, the undeniably talented are, Lea Salonga, Paeng Nepomuceno, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Charice Pempengco, and many other Filipinos who contributed to the pride of the Philipppines.
> Risk Takers
In an article written by Mr. Alex Lacson, entitled The Filipino Today, he wrote that, “In 1945, at the end of World War II, Hitler and his Nazi had killed more than 6 million Jews in Europe. But in 1939, when the Jews and their families were fleeing Europe at a time when several countries refused to open their doors to them, our Philippines did the highly risky and the unlikely – thru President Manuel L Quezon, we opened our country's doors and our nation's heart to the fleeing and persecuted Jews. Eventually, some 1,200 Jews and their families made it to Manila. Last 21 June 2010, or 70 years later, the first ever monument honoring Quezon and the Filipino nation for this "open door policy" was inaugurated on Israeli soil, at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel.”
The aforementioned were just a minuscule, compared to the many unwritten and unpublished good works of unsung heroes. Indeed, I agree with Ninoy that the Filipinos are worth dying for.
Thanks to the following References:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal#Rizal_in_popular_culture
- http://ninoyaquino.50webs.com/;
- http://www.elisoriano.com/en/
- http://www.danielrazon.com/en/
- http://www.zdiaz.com/2009/08/my-top-ten-favorite-ninoy-aquino-quotes/
- http://www.smartschools.ph/SmartSchools/Features/JosetteBiyo
- Lecture of Prof. Felipe M. De Leon, Jr., University of the Philippines, “Socio-Cultural Aspect of Corruption”;
- http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive09/efran.penaflorida
- Article of Mr. Alex Lacson, entitled The Filipino Today;
- http://mashable.com/owa/;
- http://goodnewspilipinas.com;
- http://blogs.inquirer.net/beingfilipino/2007/09/20/honest-ofw-returns-misplaced-s16000-in-singapore/
- http://www.hhmi.org/grants/professors/olivera_bio.html
