Thursday, July 24, 2008
I Heart Pinas
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I love being a Filipino. I don't know, but that's just the overwhelming sentiment that I am feeling right now. The fact that my non-Filipino friends love the country more than we sometimes do (like this Thai-Belgian blogger friend's post) makes me love my country even more.
The fact that American friends dearly mention their love for the country most of us would so lovingly leave for the sake of greener pastures on more hallowed ground (or whatever the heck that phrase meant.) No matter how most of us think that the country sucked big time, i still have this firm resolve that i will never exchange my citizenship for anything else.
It is the people who makes the nation, not the other way around. If the people are proud of what they've got, it will reflect on the way they take care of their country. No matter how beautiful your coastlines are, the fact that you don't have enough balls to make efforts in bringing in more tourists or make better airports to accommodate more tourists or at least make your town more beautiful by cleaning it regularly doesn't help a bit in elevating our image in the world stage.
There is so much to rave about Pinas. We have the jeepney, the warm Filipino smile, Manny Pacquiao, Jollibee, the endless karaoke singing, the long Filipino Christmas, the chicken adobo and tons of other things that make Filipinos feel proud (I was gonna say San Miguel Beer but...).
I pity those Filipinos who think the country is a hopeless case and that the only way for them to be prosperous is to work outside the country. I commend those athletes who give time, resources, effort, heart and soul into giving the country that much-needed distinction. I feel sorry to those people who would outright lambaste the country and its people. I am thankful, in the other hand to those celebrities who continue to bring pride to the country.
I will never trade my citizenship in exchange of a bigger bank account. If people left their hearts in San Francisco, I for sure had nailed, glued, cemented, and welded my heart in my beloved country Pilipinas.
This post was written by: Jerick Baluyot
Jerick Baluyot is a professional blogger, writer and digital marketing specialist. Follow him on Twitter
6 Responses to “I Heart Pinas”
July 25, 2008 at 12:36 PM
I couldn't say anything more, you said it all! You made me feel guilty about planning to leave the country for greener bucks, er, pastures. But that has been my plan long before but I promise to be back once I get all the funds from greenpasturelandia. It's like playing a Robinhood hehehe. But I dont wish that the 10% of our population working abroad who help feed the hungry mouths of this country have the same thinking as you. Otherwise, our economy will shrink by half. Patriotism is not lost by leaving but stays with the heart. :)
July 25, 2008 at 10:09 PM
of course jake! i mean, if ever i would come into a situation wherein i would have to work abroad, i would rather migrate with my whole family with me. patriotism isn't lost as long as you still have that filipino spirit within your bosom. if ever such a thing would happen to me, i think i would do an apl.de.ap and be proud to reprazint!
July 31, 2008 at 7:56 PM
I LOVE THIS POST.
I hope all my friends in the US and Canada will read this.
July 31, 2008 at 10:18 PM
my pleasure doctor archie! just how in the world were you able to find me???
October 18, 2008 at 2:13 PM
I love the Philippines too. I read, promote, advertise and dream about it. Yes I changed my citizenship primarily because of economic reasons. But that doesn't mean I'm less patriotic than those who kept their citizenship, that I'm less Filipino because I don't like balut or lechon. The hardships that my family went through, the sacrifices that my mother made, and my experience in looking for jobs back home might help people understand why a lot of our countrymen did what I did.(Have you volunteered to work in two places for several months hoping another nurse would resign and later have your soul crushed because some rich and well-connected kids got the slot so easily?) I understand that life is not fair but I also think that
people should be more understanding.
(The government should not neglect other parts of the country, especially the south; its always Luzon and Metro Manila).
Home for me is always Iloilo, where my heart is. (And by the way, my favorite dish is ginat-an nga tambo kag hipon).
June 11, 2009 at 11:47 PM
and maybe it's harder to say the same thing if you are starving-----
ay---nangungulit nako
anyways---I believe you
and it's fun to know that you feel that way---a lot of us feel that way----and it's just sad that the goons have their final say in this country-------
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