Pinoy Akech!

Happy Independence Day everyone! Or at least to every Filipino (and Filipino-loving person) out there.

I sense that Filipinos are having a hard to be proud these days. It might be our self-deprecating nature. Or we simply love to whine about and to criticize our government, our culture, and everything else. Or is this is a collective self-esteem issue?

Certainly there are a lot of things the Philippines can work on given the corruption and countless other problems. But there are innumerable other things that we should be proud of as well. Like…

• Adobo. I just cooked some adobo last weekend and it is definitely not the best adobo I've tasted but who cares. It just reminded me of home.
• Our smile. We can smile (and laugh) about everything even if sometimes a situation does not warrant it. But we smile nonetheless.
• EDSA. I'm not talking about the congested highway but the two (or three, depending on who you ask) bloodless revolutions that kicked the asses of two tyrants.
• Filipino films. We can wince at the Sheryl Cruz and Romnick Sarmienta movies that we enjoyed (aminin!) when we were kids. But hell, we also came out with Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag, Orapronobis, Kubrador, and Insiang. One movie that I'm definitely fond of, although quite flawed, is Oro, Plata, Mata. And who can complain about the requisite sampalan and sigawan in every movie?
• Filipino music. Who can beat Yoyoy Villame, the APO, and even Leah Salonga (bading ako, ano ngayon?)? I was in KL, a Filipino band is in Hard Rock Café. At the Hyatt in Kota Kinabalu, bang, another Filipino band. And we are everywhere!
• Overseas Filipino Workers. Speaking of everywhere. Filipino yayas are raising the next generations of bastards and cunts in Italy, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Thousands of hospital patients in Saudi, New York, Ireland, the UK, and Japan are in the loving care of Filipino nurses. Buildings in the Middle East are constructed with the help of Filipino engineers.
• Jeepneys. Nothing represents Filipinos better than the colorful, vibrant, and noisy jeepney.
• Fiestas. Lechon, street dancing, all-night drinking, beauty pageants.
• Catholicism. I'm not a fan of religion at all but I am proud of the way Filipinos celebrate their religion like life solely depends on it. Add to that the unique touch of folk beliefs on Catholicism, resulting to sharp contrasts. Think Quaipo.
• Manila. It's certainly not the cleanest and orderly city in the world but this is exactly where its charm rests. You have to dig deep - under the grime and chaos - to see it's beauty and surely it would enrapture you.