Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Every time I travel, I love to play this little game. When people ask me where I’m from, I reply––with great pride––I’m from the Philippines. To which many say “Wow, your English is very good.” And I reply, “Why thank you. So is yours.”
It always gets an awkward laugh, but it is my most polite way of saying, yes of course, what exactly were you expecting? I like to do it this way because I know there are just so many misconceptions about my country and I’ve made it my personal mission to clear it up, one conversation at a time.
But there’s one thing I really don’t have to spend any time explaining. And that is the unique and caring nature of the Filipino. There’s not a corner of the globe that hasn’t felt that warmth in one way or another, either through the healing hands of one of our doctors or nurses, a care-giver, a nanny, or the soothing voices of a lobby band of your hotel.
And when it comes to family, we pour it on thick enough to make Sicilians look distant and cold. I mean, seriously, how many cultures can claim that the backbone of their national economy is based on generosity? Last year alone, overseas remittances hit $26.9 billion. Whoever thought generosity could be an industry?
But that’s just how we roll. While other cultures send their kids off to boarding school at 10, we don’t raise an eyebrow to a 40-year old still living at home with his mom and dad. It’s just one of those things that makes us unique. Just like NAIA, which is still the only airport I’ve been to that requires you to show a ticket before being allowed to set foot in the terminal. Why? Because each Filipino that boards a plane, be it for a 2-year overseas contract or a two-week holiday, requires a farewell committee. And if we let them all in, we would have to have the planes fly out of malls. It’s the only way they would all fit.
But while we can’t fit all that love in an airport terminal, we can now fit it in a little card. So instead of sending money through old-fashioned ways, families can now use a Visa debit card to send their money back or track expenses for a minimal fee. Personally, this is how I now manage my kids’ allowances, or at least the eldest one’s, and it works like a charm. Not only is he less vulnerable to theft, it has taught him financial discipline by allowing him to track his expenses and see where every peso goes.
