where’s the real philippines?
i have been browsing two of the major philippine dailies the last few days, and i can’t help notice how “sosyal” the philippines is projected by these papers. from ads to content, it portrays a nation different to how the rest of the world probably sees the philippines. i can’t help notice an unbelievable number of pages devoted to photos of social luminaries, covering the nation’s rich and supposedly-famous, as if it is of national import to know who married whom and where so-and-so celebrated her debut, or who were present at so-and-so’s dinner party. that’s something that would never be well received on german papers. even german royalty are regarded as commoners, and wouldn’t make it to the papers unless they made something of merit. yes, there are feature stories on people, but that’s the point, there has to be a story. you can’t be on paper just because you happen to be at the right social gathering, rubbing elbows with other mestizos or chinese magnates. i mean, who cares, really?
skip the photo galleries and spare the ads a glance. a glance is all a proletariat like me can spare anyway: international schools, exclusive beach communities in batangas, cellphone global roaming services, airfares to europe and nearby asian cities, and apparel shops whose prices rival those in the most exclusive shops in europe. i thought pinoys were poor?!? looking at the by-lines of the columns, it’s also remarkable that expats living in the philippines are commissioned to write for the lifestyle and travel sections. as i leaf thru the pages, it feels like the third-world country featured on the headlines and first pages of the papers is totally different to that referred to in the succeeding sections on entertainment, culture and lifestyle. to be honest, these are getting me confused as to what the real philippines is, what and who the real filipino is like. it’s getting more and more difficult to reconcile the philippines i knew and remember, the philippines i know from a distance, the philippines portrayed by national media, and the philippines i see as i look outside the window of the car-slash-jeepney-slash-tricycle (the scenes change depending on which mode of transportation i choose to take).
as a pinoy expatriate, i feel it’s important to understand such things even to a short extent, if i am to be regarded as a representative of my country abroad. my heritage and ethnicity will always come up, frequently in casual conversations with people from my adoptive country, and it is vital that i project an accurate approximation of the real philippines when i talk about my native land. but really, seeing all these different faces of the philippines, i’m not sure anymore… should i tell them about the shops in crossings and the new wing of the greenbelt? or of the children diving into the black– no, really — murky waters off manila bay, fishing for scraps of plastic they can sell for a few pesos a kilo? or should i tell them of the increasing number of luxury cars–ferrari, jaguar, bmw, name it we have it!– plying the roads of manila? or the lush verdant forests of mount makiling and rice panicles heavy with their promise of bounty? or shall i lure them with images of palm trees, warm turquoise waters and powder-sugar white sands? might as well… perhaps that will keep them from asking about the mockery of a government we have, the embarrasing tableau they call erap investigations, and numerous other criticisms i would never know how to counter.
so you tell me. YOU tell me something about the philippines, because i honestly don’t know anymore.
Technorati Tags: philippines, lifestyle, travel, expatriate, expat
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12 Responses to “where’s the real philippines?”
March 23rd, 2006 at
You can say the real Philippines is all that. The disparity between the rich and poor is wide. There are rich and poor city. I live in Makati which is one of the most affluent cities in the Philippines. We pay higher real estate taxes but there are poor people who also live in the city. It’s best to see the statistics on what comprise the population. I can’t cite exact stats but one can safely say that majority are poor while 10% are the well-off and the 1% control the wealth of the country.
March 23rd, 2006 at
Being away from our country and seeing all the news in the TFC makes me wonder what is happening? Where are we headed? I still have hope that we will rise into a better place to live in. Who knows, in the future maybe, we will be a progressive country!
Btw, Im soo excited to see our country too. A week from now we’ll be flying back home. Kahit ano pa rin ang mangyari, gustong gusto ko pa ring bumalik sa ating sariling bayan!:)
March 23rd, 2006 at
philippines is like a home. some parts maybe messy, some pretentious. some beautiful. the occupants vie for control, etc, etc..there were always be disagreements and conflicts. but overall, it is still a home. where you can be most comfortable. where you feel accepted and loved. where there is always laughter and fun even on the gloomiest and darkiest moments.
each place has its own good or bad side. even the first world countries have their own problems too. no big deal about that. there’s no perfect place. what i know about the ‘real’ philippines is..it is and will always be a place that i can truly say i’m home.
March 24th, 2006 at
if they want an “accurate approximation”…then i’d be happy to tell them what the Philippines is. a combination of the rich and famous, with the poor and unknown. the skyscrapers with the squatters under the bridges. the ukay-ukay with the expensive specialty shops. the exclusive beaches of boracay with the murky waters of manila bay. and the list will go on…but that’s the real philippines, a 3rd world developing country, waiting and hoping for a chance.—–and the next, next philippines? probably a generation of mestizas/os brought about by interracial marriages just like my kids.
March 24th, 2006 at
You want to know about the Philippines? Blogkadahan has it all. There are talks on poverty. There is talk on the Pinoy culture. But most of all, there is the bond of barkadahan, of samahan, of pagkakaibigan.
March 25th, 2006 at
noemi, right on the dot! yun nga lang, parang sa laki ng divide, it’s hard to reconcile one face to the others. yun nga lang pinas i experience when in the province, ang laki na ng difference sa lifestyle, sa mentality ng mga tao, etc… and soemtimes, i don’t even think it’s purely due to economic reasons…
dang, same here! that was my point, actually: the scenes we see sa TFC, or from the net, pag dating mo sa pinas (depending on where in pinas you are), minsan nakaka-disorient…
misis14, i agree. yes, it’s my home, too. that’s why i’m trying to understand it better, pero di yata kaya ng utak ko, hehe…
justice, parang pinaraphrase mo yung blog ko, eh, hehehe… a generation of “half-breds” like ours will always be the minority… yun nga lang, they might be more prominent, dahil na rin sa mentality ng mga pinoy that whites are superior…
toni, tumpak!
March 25th, 2006 at
nyahaha phinrase ko nga no? kasi naman, yon naman lagi ang sagot ko hehe…basta unique tayo, period hehe
March 25th, 2006 at
maganda, makabuluhan, makaantig damdaming sanaysay.
kagaya mo, ako man ay nalilito sa kung ano nga ba ang tunay na mukha ng ating inang bayan. manamis-namis na maasim-asim, mahirap na masarap.
sa aking palagay, madami pa rin sa ating mga kababayan ang kumakapa sa kung ano nga ba ang tunay na mukha ng Pilipinas at ng mga Pilipino. sa tingin ko, hangga’t tayo ay patuloy na kumokopya ng estilo sa ibang lahi, ay mabibigo tayong hanapin ang ating tunay na sarili. at habang ang mayayaman ay patuloy na yumayaman, ay dobleng bilang naman ng naghihikahos ang lalong maghihirap.
March 27th, 2006 at
Hi Ruth,
Wala akong maisasagot sa tanong mo dahil matagal ko na rin itinatanong yan sa sarili ko.
Kahapon lang, nakakita ako ng isang larawan sa isang blog kung saan isang pamilya ay nakatira sa isang kahon sa tabi ng kalsada, nakakakirot ng puso na tanawin.
Pero mas nakakakirot ng puso ang isipin na para bang hindi na talaga makaka-ahon ang Pilipinas sa tunay nyang paghihirap.
Siguro kung magkakaroon ng tunay na pagkakaisa ang mga pilipino, tunay na pagmamahal hindi lang sa likas na kayamananan nito, sa ipinaglaban na kalayaan nito mula sa mga nanakop, makikita natin ulit ang tunay na Pilipinas.
March 28th, 2006 at
a corrupt government deosnt make the people
a posh glossy picture doesnt create the image
the picture of the smiles amidst poverty is what the philippines is all about … at least from a fair POV of a foreigner who experienced THE REAL PHILIPPINES.
oy balik na ka na dito, may ARAW NA!!!
April 11th, 2006 at
i think the answer to this question is very personal… what of the Philippines do we still love and care about? If it’s family, then the real Philippines would be the days of youth spent at home on Saturday afternoons while your Mom cooks guinataan and you and your cousins play luksong baka and taguan in your backyard… which still happens in provinces to this day…
August 10th, 2007 at
Magandang balita tungkol sa Pilipinas.This is an antidote to what is bad about everything in the Philippines.
Have you not heard yet of Gawad Kalinga? Just try the internet and you’ll be surprised at all the positive things they’re doing. It will make you very proud as a Filipino.
Gawad Kalinga translated in English means “to give care”, and it is an alternative solution not just in the Philippines but ionthe world. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.
So much have been written about GK and so many good hearted people have worked and contributed and so many are being inspired by this charitable organization. Please look it up and see what it means. Just type Gawad Kalinga and you will see the bright side of the Philippines.