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Too bad I was not armed with a comprehensive list of French adjectives last Friday afternoon when my French teacher spontaneously asked me to recite in class some general traits of Filipinos or Pinoys. Well, all I could come up was this:
Les Philippins sont (The Filipinos are)…
* extraordinaires (extraordinary)
* sympathiques (nice)
* intelligents (intelligent)
* chalereux et sociables (warm and sociable)
* tolerants et patients (tolerant and patient)
* travailleurs (hard-working)
* diplomatiques (diplomatic)
* genereux (generous)
* debrouillards (resourceful); et (and)
* ont le sens de l’humour (have a sense of humor).
Sayang, I could have said more; elaborated further. But speaking in English was not allowed in class.
I could have mentioned that Filipinos, in their bamboo-like resilience, can still smile (and laugh) even in the face of tragedy; that no amount of calamity — be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, super typhoon, or landslide — can dampen the Filipino spirit. Pinoys will always rise above the ashes, no matter what.
And yes, Pinoys are very creative and resourceful. I can still remember the various contraptions invented by those people along the riles (Tagalog for “train tracks”) — e.g. cart-like vehicles called “padyaks” where they transport pails of water, and even commuters, back and forth. Trust the Pinoys to make something out of nothing. It’s not a surprise anymore if a number of Pinoy craftsmen can make nice products out of trash. It’s a given.
As for generosity, one only needs to go to a Philippine-style fiesta (festival) to experience first-hand how it feels to be served sumptuous food by smiling strangers who open their homes as if it were the most natural thing to do. Talk about A-1 hospitality.
In the talents department, we can say that the Filipinos are never in lack. Sometimes I wish that world-class Filipino talents like Lea Salonga and Regine Velasquez were here in Switzerland to show the Swiss that their top singers (with the exception of DJ Bobo) are not even half as good as their counterparts in the Philippines — and I’m not exaggerating. (Last summer, I watched the musicale “Fiddler in the Roof” performed in German in Thun. Some of the cast, who sang from an open-air stage, sounded like they needed some real voice training from Filipino composer/musician Ryan Cayabyab.)
And let’s not forget the Filipino bayanihan spirit which says “I’m here ready to help you when you need me.” No wonder Filipinos in the Diaspora seek the companionship of their compatriots while living in foreign shores. Nothing beats the essence of bayanihan.
But then again, just like in any race, the Filipinos are not perfect. Many Pinoys are guilty of the following: lack of national pride, crab mentality (’gossipy’ nature included), observance of “Filipino time” (i.e. being late for an appointment for at least an hour), colonial mentality (tendency to be too brand-conscious), and general lack of discipline (just observe how Pinoys drive and cross the street in the metropolis).
However, at the end of the day, the pros of being a Filipino far outweigh the cons. While some Swiss people regard Filipinos as dog eaters, mail-order brides, or domestic helpers (not that this is bad per se; I respect these OFWs for their tenacity), I think I would be doing myself and my country a great disservice if I don’t introduce myself as a Filipino. I’m proud to be a Filipino, regardless of how well-known the Philippine government’s corrupt ways are.
My French teacher and my Filipino classmate (now a Swiss citizen) once remarked that I was too patriotic to a fault. But there is no shame in that. It’s actually the right thing to do, a mon avis (in my opinion). Who wants to be an undercover Pinoy in a foreign land? And amid my obvious struggles with the German and French languages, I’m just glad that my Tagalog is still intact.
Filipino Traits
By JayRed in Switzerland
Image: “National Passion”. © ABF
Visit her blog, “X-Pat Files”
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All Things Brown and Beautiful
Any and all of those “Filipino traits” you mentioned can be applied to or claimed by other nationalities. What’s special with the Filipino is his country of origin, as Italians are special, or Egyptians, etc. Everyone’s special. Ergo, no one is.
[...] And then I came across this blog post about Filipino traits. Posted in News roundup, Philippines | [...]
sir JayRed,
gusto ko sanang mag english sa sulat ko sayo, pero, baka madalang ka lang nagtatagalog dyan sa switzerland kaya minabuti ko nang sumulat sa iyo ng tagalog.
nabasa ko ang article mong ito sa internet tungkol sa Filipino Traits, magandang halimbawa ito at sana’y mabasa pa ng iba nating kababayan sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng mundo.
sumulat ako sa’yo dahil gusto kung ipaalam sa iyo na ang article mo on Filipino Traits ay gagamitin ko sa aking klase sa Society and Culture (college students) para mapaghalawan ng mabuting halimbawa ng aking mga estudyante kung papaano na ang isang Pinoy kahit na sa ibang bansa na ay taglay pa sa kanya ang kanyang pagiging filipino at taas noong kanya ito ipinagmamalaki.
pare mabuhay kayo dyan!
anol
my spirit was uplifted. thank you
hey, thanks for posting this article you helped me a lot in my assignment anyways.. I’ved enjoy reading your article..,.,
thanks……
Kumusta?
I was searching up on Filipino traits to teach in my Philippine Culture class to the Korean students taking up English major.
The adjectives were common traits you could regard to any other races, but I was made aware of how vividly you pictured a pinoy in the different circumstances he is in.
One can never really make an accurate description of what and how pinoys are.
Best way is to “live up” being a pinoy and let other people experience what traits we, Filipinos, exemplify.
Mabuhay!
hi po muzta na po u roseann
kamusta po tayong lahat?
salamat..this website helps me to improve my homework in global issues..
ingat tayong lahat lgi..
godbless..!
nakakatuwa ang article mo, pinoy na pinoy…naghahanap talaga ko ng magandang presentation tungkol sa mga pinoy…hanggang nakita ko nga ang article mo…nakaka inspire
….hahahahaha alam nyo b na nag research lng ako at ng makita ko to tlagang nakakatuwa. pero buti nalng at may mabuti pa kaung masasabi sa mga pilipino……..pero sa bagay nakakatulong ito sa assignment ko nakakuha rn ako ng mga opinion hah! ……..just move on nlng god bless and i hope everybody can read this to broad their minds and hearts d b? good luck nalng sa ating lahat……………………………more power…i love u all…………………pilipino umunlad ka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111
^-^gnda ng articLe it helps a Lot 2 me because this is what im Looking for to my assignment……..>>>>
this dedicated to the writer :
hi Kuya :good day gusto k lang sanang ipaabot sa’yo nah talagang na-touch ako sa article mong ito :ur the best.salodo ako sau kuya.kahit nah nasa malayo kah alam kong dala-dala mo ang pagiging pilipino.MABUHAY KA sana ipagpatuloy mo ang ung career dyan.Malaki tlaga ang naitulong nito sa kin kung alam mo lng.Kuya i encourage u na sana d ka susuko sa mga pagsubok na daraanan mo jan be strong, in every thing u do put God first becoz the time will come HE will crown ur efforts with success”marami pa akong sabihin sau;susuportahan kita:
la lang po, napadaan lang!
gOd blEss all pIlIpInO sa buong EArth
excellent article, btw do u find french hard to learn? coz i do!
Wow it is very,very,very,very,very,very nice article, i’m so speechless.;]
I really like you article. I was just searching for FILIPINO traits when I happened to click where your article was…Nice job! Keep it up! (^_^)
its nice to know that there are still people like you, who i believe have gone far and still proud and humble enough to admit that ure a filipino. i congratulate your parents that they brought u up in a filipino way of life even ure a thousand miles from the philippines.
ung mga kinakahiya nman na pinoy cila, well i think sila ung nanggaling sa hirap na nakarating lang sa ibang bansa kala mo kung sino ng magaling. ive encountered alot of these ppl here in this foreign land. pag tinagalog mo, magtataray pa na kala mo hindi marunong magtagalog. well, meron din nmang mga ok at humble pa rin, which ive observed na sila tlga ung established na at may narating na tlga.
uve been a good example to all pinoys out there na malayo sa bansa. people can conceal the fact theyre filipino by speaking another language but noone can erase the fact that our local tongue is still tagalog. mabuhay tayong nasa ibang bansa who are still proud to be pinoys.
tnx poh!!
I was actually researching about the filipino traits and ended up here. It a nice article. :)
i may it’s very much true. The best thing about FILIPINO is we still listen to ‘MATATANDA” we still honor what the elders say.
The Family Ties are still alive now a days.
The Binding of Blood never dies..
Teach me French. S’il vous plait? :)
i was searching about filipino traits and i found this article wala po bang trait ng filipino na compassionate