100 BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING A PINOY (First 49)
01. Pakikisama. It's what makes people stay longer at parties, have another drink, join pals in sickness and health. You can get dead drunk and still make it home.
02. Sing-a-long and videoke. Filipinos love to sing, and thank God a lot of us do it well!
03. Kayumanggi. Neither pale nor dark, our skin tone is beautifully healthy, the color of a rich earth or a mahogany tree growing towards the sun.
04. Handwoven cloth and native weaves. Colorful, environment- friendly alternatives to polyester that feature skillful workmanship and a rich indigenous culture behind every thread. From the pinukpok of the north
to the malong of the south, it's the fiber of who we are.
05. Movies. Still the cheapest form of entertainment, especially if you watch the same movie several times.
06. Bahala na. We cope with uncertainty by embracing it, and are thus enabled to play life by ear.
07. Papaitan. An offal stew flavored with bile, admittedly an acquired taste, but pointing to our national ability to acquire a taste for almost anything.
08. English. Whether carabao or Arr-neoww-accented, it doubles our chances in the global marketplace.
09. The Press. Irresponsible, sensational, often inaccurate, but still the liveliest in Asia. Otherwise, we'd all be glued to TV.
10. Divisoria. Smelly, crowded, a pickpocket's paradise, but you can get anything here, often at rock-bottom prices. The sensory overload is a bonus.
11. Barong Tagalog. Enables men to look formal and dignified without
having to strangle themselves with a necktie. Worn well, it makes any
ordinary Juan look marvelously makisig.
12. Filipinas. They make the best friends, lovers, wives. Too bad
they can't say the same for Filipinos.
13. Filipinos. So maybe they're bolero and macho with an occasional
streak of generic infidelity; they do know how to make a woman feel like
one.
14. Catholicism. What fun would sin be without guilt? Jesus Christ is
firmly planted on Philippine soil.
15. Dolphy. Our favorite, ultra-durable comedian gives the beleaguered
Pinoy. Everyman an odd dignity, even in drag.
16. Style. Something we often prefer over substance. But every
Filipino claims it as a birthright.
17. Bad taste. Clear plastic covers on the vinyl-upholstered sofa,
posters of poker-playing dogs masquerading as art, overaccessorized
jeepneys and altars--the list is endless, and wealth only seems to
magnify it.
18. Mangoes, especially Cebu Guadalupe mangoes. Crisp and tart, or
lusciously ripe, they evoke memories of family outings and endless
sunshine in a heart-shaped package.
19. Unbridled optimism. Why we rank so low on the suicide scale.
20. Street food: Barbecue, lugaw, banana-cue, fishballs, IUD (chicken
entrails), Adidas (chicken feet), warm taho. Forget hepatitis; here's
cheap, tasty food with gritty ambience.
21. The siesta. Snoozing in the middle of the day is smart, not lazy.
22. Honorifics and courteous titles: Kuya, ate, diko, ditse, ineng,
totoy, Ingkong, Aling, Mang, etc. No exact English translation, but
these words connote respect, deference and the value placed on kinship.
23. Heroes and people who stood up for truth and freedom. Lapu-lapu
started it all, and other heroes and revolutionaries followed: Diego
Silang, Macario Sakay, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini,
Melchora Aquino, Gregorio del Pilar, Gabriela Silang, Miguel Malvar,
Francisco Balagtas, Juan Luna, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Panday Pira, Emilio
Jacinto, Raha Suliman, Antonio Luna, Gomburza, Emilio Aguinaldo, the
heroes of Bataan and Corregidor, Pepe Diokno, Satur Ocampo, Dean Armando
Malay, Evelio Javier, Ninoy Aquino, Lola Rosa and other comfort women
who spoke up, honest cabbie Emilio Advincula, Rona Mahilum, the women
lawyers who didn't let Jalosjos get away with rape.
24. Flora and fauna. The sea cow (dugong), the tarsier, calamian deer,
bearcat, Philippine eagle, sampaguita, ilang-ilang, camia, pandan, the
creatures that make our archipelago unique.
25. Pilipino songs, OPM and composers: "Ama Namin," "Lupang Hinirang,"
"Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal," "Ngayon at Kailanman," "Anak," "Handog,""Hindi
Kita Malilimutan, " "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit"; Ryan Cayabyab, George
Canseco, Restie Umali, Levi Celerio, Manuel Francisco, Freddie Aguilar,
and Florante--living examples of our musical gift.
26. Metro Aides. They started out as Imelda Marcos' groupies, but have
gallantly proven their worth. Against all odds, they continuously prove
that cleanliness is next to godliness--especial ly now that those darn
candidates' posters have to be scraped off the face of Manila!
27. Sari-sari store. There's one in every corner, offering everything
from bananas and floor wax to Band-Aid and bakya.
28. Philippine National Red Cross. PAWS. Caritas. Fund drives. They
help us help each other.
29. Favorite TV shows through the years: "Singing Bee," "John and
Marsha," "Deal or No deal," "Ryan, Ryan Musikahan," "Wowowie," "Public
Forum/Lives, " "Banana Split," "MMK." In the age of inane variety shows,
they have redeemed Philippine television.
30. Quirks of language that can drive crazy any tourist listening in:
"Bababa ba?" "Bababa!"
31. "Sayang!" "Naman!" "Kadiri!" "Ano ba!?" "pala." Expressions
that defy translation but wring out feelings genuinely Pinoy.
32. Cockfighting. Filipino men love it more than their wives
(sometimes).
33. Dr. Jose Rizal. A category in himself. Hero, medicine man, genius,
athlete, sculptor, fictionist, poet, essayist, husband, lover,
Samaritan, martyr. Truly someone to emulate and be proud of, anytime,
anywhere.
34. Nora Aunor. Short, dark and homely-looking, she redefined our
rigid concept of how leading ladies should look.
35. Noranian or Vilmanian. Defines the friendly rivalry between Ate
Guy Aunor and Ate Vi Santos and for many years, the only way to be for
many Filipino fans.
36. Filipino Christmas. The world's longest holiday season. A perfect
excuse to mix our love for feasting, gift-giving and music and wrap it
up with a touch of religion.
37. Relatives and kababayan abroad. The best refuge against
loneliness, discrimination and confusion in a foreign place. Distant
relatives and fellow Pinoys readily roll out the welcome mat even on the
basis of a phone introduction or referral.
38. Festivals: Sinulog, Ati-atihan, Moriones, Parol Festival and
Street Dancing of San Jose Occidental Mindoro. Sounds, colors, pagan
frenzy and Christian overtones.
39. Folk dances. Tinikling, pandanggo as ilaw, kari?as, kuratsa,
itik-itik, alitaptap, rigodon. All the right moves and a distinct
rhythm.
40. Native wear and costumes. Baro't saya, tapis, terno, saya,
salakot, bakya. Lovely form and ingenious function in the way we dress.
41. Sunday family gatherings. Or, close family ties that never get
severed. You don't have to win the lotto or be a president to have
10,000 relatives. Everyone's family tree extends all over the
archipelago, and it's at its best in times of crisis; notice how food,
hostesses, money, and moral support materialize during a wake?
42. Calesa and karitela. The colorful and leisurely way to negotiate
narrow streets when loaded down with a year's provisions.
43. Quality of life. Where else can an ordinary employee afford a
stay-in helper, a yaya, unlimited movies, eat-all-you- can buffets, the
latest fashion (Baclaran nga lang), even Viagra in the black market?
44. All Saints' Day. In honoring our dead, we also prove that we know
how to live.
45. Handicrafts. Shellcraft, rattancraft, abaca novelties,
woodcarvings, banig placemats and bags, bamboo windchimes, etc.
Portable memories of home. Hindi lang pang-turista, pang-balikbayan pa!
46. Pinoy greens. Sitaw. Okra. Ampalaya. Gabi. Munggo. Dahon ng
Sili. Kangkong. Luya. Talong. Sigarillas. Bataw. Patani. Lutong
bahay will never be the same without them.
47. OCWs. The lengths (and miles) we'd go for a better life for our
family, as proven by these modern-day heroes of the economy.
48. The Filipino artist. From Luna's magnificent "Spoliarium" and
Amorsolo's sun-kissed ricefields, to Ang Kiukok's jarring abstractions
and Borlongan's haunting ghosts, and everybody else in between. Hang a
Filipino painting on your wall, and you're hanging one of Asia's best..
49. Tagalog soap operas. From "Gulong ng Palad" and "Flor de Luna" to
today's incarnations like "Mula sa Puso"--they' re the story of our
lives, and we feel strongly for them, MariMar notwithstanding.
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