I used to declare it everyday, with right hands raised, sometimes placed over my heart.
“Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas.(I love the Philippines.)
Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan. (It is the land of my birth.)
Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi…” (It is the home of my people.)
The Panatang Makabayan is recited daily or weekly in schools and government offices during flag ceremonies across the Philippines. From elementary to high school students, from top government officials to the lowest public servants—Filipinos declare their love for their homeland and sing of willingly giving up their lives for her—“Aming ligaya na pag may nang-aapi, ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.”
But, how many truly mean it? In a Philippine Star article, writer Dero Pedero wrote, “offer a Filipino a chance to work or live overseas and he’d choose that hands-down over living in his homeland… Why this common sentiment? Why would the typical Filipino want to leave this sparkling, lush, tropical archipelago if he indeed loves it? ”
Why indeed? How come there are more than 15 million Filipinos who have left their country and live abroad? Why is it that around 3,000 Pinoys daily or an average of more than a million Filipinos every year leave their homeland to try their luck in other parts of the world?
Congressman Walden Bello, chairman of the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs (COWA) of the Philippine House of Representatives, recently said during a Pulongbayan in the Los Angeles Philippine Consulate, that the common sentiment of these Filipinos overseas is that if only there were more and better economic opportunities in the country, they would not have left or they would surely return.
So, the reason why millions of Pinoys dream of leaving their homeland is not really a lack of love for her, but more of a lack of opportunities in a land where over 50% of the population consider themselves poor.
But, aside from the economic rewards of working abroad, many overseas Filipinos have also realized a non-monetary and more significant result of their emigration—a greater love and appreciation for their homeland.
This has certainly been my experience. How right was the author, Kahlil Gibran, when he said, “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”
Writing this piece has been a good time for me to analyze and reflect on my love for the land of my birth. The country was under martial law during my teen years. Corruption was, as it remains still, very rampant and there was not much national pride. There seemed little to be proud of, seeing the poverty, the kidnappings-for ransom, the crimes, injustices, graft and corruption all around.
At that time, there was also little pride for anything Filipino-made. The majority of Pinoys have a colonial mentality mindset and worship imported products, judging those “Made in the Philippines” as inferior. Neither was there much pride for their kababayans; criticisms and disparagements have been the favorite topics of most public forums. In fact, the phrase “Only in the Philippines” has become a standard response when negative and weird things happen, as if we have become experts in coming up with undesirable, shameful or undignified behavior.
This kind of national mindset, along with bleak economic opportunities, brought so much disenchantment and made the Filipino diaspora completely inevitable.
Amazingly, however, the millions of Filipinos scattered abroad found themselves looking at their homeland with a new heart and mind. They began to miss their country with its sunny skies, breathtaking beaches, fresh winds, blue seas, verdant mountains, shimmering rivers, delicious native cuisine, and happy, smiling people. During lonely days and nights, they remember the “good old days” when they laughed and enjoyed good times with their families and friends in the homeland. When they see a kababayan abroad, it’s like they found a long-lost relative, immediately establishing a connection and forming a strong bond of friendship and camaraderie.
This change of heart was evident during a party I attended in Los Angeles with a group of Filipino-American housewives. When the talk came around to Tagalog variety shows and telenovelas, one woman admitted, “when I was still in Manila, I never watched those noon-time shows and Tagalog movies. I considered them “baduy” and “jologs.” So, I watched only American shows and Hollywood movies. But, when I immigrated to the US, our TV sets are on TFC all day and I’ve become addicted to Filipino shows. Maganda naman pala ang mga Tagalog shows. And ironically, I only discovered that when I was no longer in the Philippines.” All the other ladies shared her sentiment. These women who couldn’t imagine themselves before lining up to ask for autographs of Filipino celebrities in the Philippines now count themselves among the thousands of fans who don’t mind paying hundreds of dollars to watch Pinoy stars in concerts in California. Ironically, some of those who love the Philippines most are those Pinoys who don’t live there anymore.
Funny, sad, weird, but true. My love affair with our country truly started when I left her. I go to the beaches in California and immediately feel a deep sense of pride and appreciation for our naturally beautiful islands and beaches in the Philippines. “Is this the best they’ve got?” I asked a friend to which she nodded, understanding my reaction. Why, it’s nothing compared to our beaches! I suddenly had a yearning to bring them all to Boracay and Palawan so they’ll know what they’ve been missing. Or, maybe, to a much greater degree, what I have been missing!
I see the sunset in Hollywood and know that it can never compare to the majesty of the sunset in Manila Bay. I come in contact with other Asians and Hispanics in the streets of Los Angeles who have a hard time communicating in English and I suddenly feel proud that in my homeland, everybody can speak and understand English, from the aristocrats in Forbes Park to the humble tricycle drivers in the provinces. I hear people from other ethnic backgrounds poorly belt out songs in karaoke joints and my heart swells with pride that Filipinos are so naturally gifted in music and dance. I witness how children dishonor their parents in Western countries and I am immediately grateful for our Filipino values like paggalang sa matatanda, pagmamano and saying “po” and “opo.”
My love for things I miss in the homeland grow deeper each passing day I am away from her. Things like dirty ice cream topped with red munggo, mangoes, LRT and MRT, tiangges, atis, lanzones, guyabano, jeepneys and tricycles, kesong puti, four glorious months of Christmas, Dampa, Quiapo,Tutuban and Divisoria, the malls, buying tingi-tingi, buko pie, taho with lots of syrup and sago, mazapan de pili, Sarsi and Royal Tru-orange, Chinese ham, hopia, tikoy, ice buko candy, lumpiang sariwa, puto bumbong and bibingka, churros con chocolate, quezo de bola, and my mother’s kare-kare, dinuguan,embotido and mechado. I miss vacations in Baguio, Tagaytay, Bicol, Nagcarlan, and Punta Fuego, and visits to Antipolo and Intramuros. I long for good, Filipino-style manicure and pedicure, and cheap “masahe” (body massage) or spas, and gasoline station attendants.
But stoking this love for country even more are significant events in our homeland and amazingly talented Pinoys. They have contributed much to generating patriotism and instilling national pride in Filipinos around the world. The Philippines is now less known as the “sick man of Asia,”as she has become more recognized as the home of People Power, and of such outstanding Filipinos as the phenomenal Manny Pacquiao; the amazing Charice; Loida Nicolas Lewis, the first Asian to make it to the list of Forbes’s Magazine’s 400 richest Americans; top rock band Journey’s lead singer Arnel Pineda; apl.de.ap (Allan Pineda Lindo Jr.) of the popular band Black Eyed Peas; and 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida.
Balikbayan Magazine says, “Love of country is back in style.” It is long overdue—that we Filipinos take pride in ourselves and love our motherland. I believe this actually resides in all of us Pinoys, just waiting to be discovered, like in my case. Somewhere deep within us, there is an innate nationalistic spirit that simply needs to be nurtured.
We should love our country and be proud of our people. Being Filipino defines who we are and where we came from—our roots, our culture, our heritage. This is what makes us distinct as a people. We should showcase wonderful Filipino achievements, ingenuity, and resourcefulness that highlight the many positive qualities and accomplishments of our race.
Today, in spite of all the wrong things that can be said about our land and our people, we will find a whole lot more things that are right, that are beautiful, that should make us proud. Like the resilient, indomitable Filipino character which has survived over endless trials, and which has made Filipinos among the happiest people on earth. People known for their “bayanihan” spirit of unity, for their warm hospitality, caring service and hard work.
We have been blessed with a beautiful country of natural wonders—a string of coral-fringed islands strewn across a vast expanse of the Pacific. Below sea level, we have the most breath-taking, spectacular marine life. Above sea level, we have majestic landscapes that inspire awe and praise such as perfect shaped Mount Mayon, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the Banaue Rice Terraces, and the white-sand beaches of Boracay.
Indeed, where there was disenchantment before, there is now a palpable hope for the nation. Love for the native land is alive and being stoked, and a national spirit of pride for her people is burning.
And for those Filipinos like me who have emigrated from the motherland but have discovered an intense love for her in the process, the Panatang Makabayan has ceased to be just verses of memorized words. With hands raised over our chests, and love in our hearts, when we say “Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas. Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan. Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi…” we truly, passionately, lovingly mean every word we say.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek June 8-10, 2011 MDWK pg. 2)
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