As Nhejzheen Sees It: A Message To A Friend: On Being Pilipino

Hi Manny! Thank you so much for the wonderful messages you sent. I interpret "Awiting Pilipino" song sa hindi literal na pang-unawa. "Awiting Pilipino" is not simply "Awiting Pilipino"; there is much more to it than that. The song is about being a Pilipino. Of course that includes our culture, our traditions, everything about being a Pilipino -- including, most importantly, ang responsibilidad natin bilang mamamayan ng Pilipinas. Pilipinos are becoming converted to Westernized Pilipinos. It's very sad. Here in Oregon, we have a lot of Mexican workers doing construction work. I notice when they're working, they always have battery-operated radios with Mexican music playing. That's sweet! Mostly, when you go in a Chinese restaurant, all you hear is Chinese music in the background. Arab people do that, too. All they play is Arab music. They not only give you a taste of their great cuisine, they also share with you their great music and their culture. I like that. I really love Mediterranean food. Indian restaurants are the same way. But in our dear Philippines itself, most of the songs we are playing on the radio are American or English. Sometimes I hear other foreign songs. There's nothing wrong with playing American songs or any foreign songs, but not all the time. We should play our own awiting Pilipino for goodness sake! What kind of message are we sending to our youngsters? Also, I noticed when I was in the Philippines, Pilipinos are screwing (cheating) fellow Pilipinos. Here are some examples:

1.) When you're trying to get a driver's license or any other licenses, you have to offer a bribe in order to expedite the paper processing. That is very common over there. The more you give, the faster it gets done. These illegal bribes are either solicited by government workers or voluntarily given by the citizen being served. Federal or government workers not only chitchat with their co-workers a lot but they also do texting when they get a chance, and they go to work late. These people are liabilities to our country. They're a waste of time and money. I'm a taxpayer, so I have a right to complain. I don't live there but I send money to pay for our property tax. My family and I have a few properties and houses over there. I told my mom to never give anyone any bribes kahit na maghihintay pa siya ng ilang taon. Kapag may problema sa late payment processing, ang government ang mananagot, hindi kami ng pamilya ko at ng mama ko.

2.) This happened in 2007 during our first visit to the Philippines. I went to a big department store and used their restroom. Guess what? There was no toilet paper or soap available. My son pottied and I didn't know what to do. It was very unsanitary. You can get diseases in these circumstances. I had to put my son in a little tub where they wash the dirty mops for cleaning the bathrooms or restrooms. I washed my son's bottom in there with no soap to use. The janitors were very friendly but they didn't have any soap to give me. It was unbelievable. I felt sorry for my son. He didn't want to go in the little tub because it was filthy and stinky. I didn't want to wash my son's bottom in the sink because it was not right at all. I would feel embarrassed to do such thing. Most of the people that were there had folded toilet papers or napkins on their hands. Nobody offered me anything because they had very limited amount. There were about 30 people in the bathroom. I asked one of the people there if it's always been that way. The lady, who was also a shopper, told me that most of these malls or any big department stores don't provide toiletries to their customers. So they always bring their own but they don't carry much, just enough for them to use. Sometimes there are toilet papers but most of the time there are none. After I talked to that lady, I decided to talk to the supervisor in charge of cleaning and maintenance. I complained to her about it. I told her that the mall, whoever owns it, is making millions of pesos so why can't they provide their customers good service. I asked her to get toilet papers and liquid soap for the people to use. I told her, “This can’t go on. I just cannot tolerate this.” She was sorry about it. I believe the place was owned by a Chinese-Pilipino businessman. I was so upset. I wasn't upset with the head supervisor. I know she was just following orders. I was upset about the whole situation. I was upset with the owner. For your information, the whole store was burned down after years of operation. The rumor was the owner paid somebody to burn it down. It was a big old complex. They did it in order to get big insurance money. The very sad thing was so many people were trapped, burnt.

I went to another place, a shopping mall named Limketkai Center in Cagayan de Oro City. I used their restroom or bathroom (whatever you call it) but they didn't have any toiletries either! So, I talked to their supervisor and complained about it. She then ordered her staff to put toilet papers and liquid soap. I'm telling you, if you don't open your mouth, nothing gets done.

3.) This is one of the things which occurs often in the Philippines. There was a house on fire in my hometown. One of the residents called the police station but nobody answered the phone because, guess what? The police authorities were watching television. Oh yeah! Do you remember when there was a guy in Manila who took Korean children hostage and killed a few of them? That's when the fire happened. When the word spread about the house fire, the fire truck came but the house had already burned down. The most ridiculous thing that happened was the fire truck didn't have any water in it. The fire truck had to leave and come back again. Otherwise, the whole neighborhood in this particular Purok (section) would burn down and maybe involve other neighborhoods. I was really sick to my stomach when I learned about this incident. The policemen were useless, not to mention the firemen. They should have been fired! But, noooooooooooooooo…

4.) Dogs and cats are widely mistreated. Animal abuse is rampant as is child abuse. I used to have a dog in the Philippines named Ranao. Well, Ranao was eaten by boozers, I guess. I don't know how they killed him. I'd rather not know. Other people told me that my dog was eaten as sumsoman by our hometown policemen. Heaven only knows! Needless to say, I was very mad when this happened. I'm telling you we have some crazy ladida happening over there.

5.) This happened in 1997 or 1998. I can't really remember which. When I was applying for a job in a big department store as an auditing clerk in Ororama Megacenter, before I was hired, I was asked to take my clothes off as part of their screening process. There was a small place, a booth with curtains, in their Human Resources Department, where the boobies and body inspection were done. I'm not kidding! I didn't want to do what they asked but there was no way out. It was part of the hiring process. I was really naïve then. I shouldn't have done it and told them that what they were doing wasn't right. I was told by my co-applicants that Ororama wouldn't hire people who had children or were married. This is very common in the Philippines. They want single sexy ladies. So they looked at my boobies and my body. Ridiculous! It was absolutely illegal! Guess what? It still continues until now!

6.) Here's another thing. After eating at a restaurant in the Philippines, I always put all the dishes away if there's a place to put them. That's what I'm accustomed to do. Now, I'm talking about McDonald's or other fastfood chain. I don't like to leave my table messy. I always clean it up after. If it's a regular restaurant, I always pile up all the dirty dishes and wipe the table a little bit. I did that when I was in the Philippines. In disbelief, as if I had done something very wrong, someone told me, "Don't do that!" Regardless of what that person told me, I did it anyway. Who cares! I replied, you must be kidding. I smiled. I don't like to have a messy table. It would be kind of rude or disrespectful to the cleaner or picker-upper to leave a big mess. My friend told me it was an uncivilized thing to do. Well, leaving a big mess is what I call uncivilized. Honestly, I don't like other people cleaning my mess. Let me tell you something, I would rather eat food with people who are living from the mountain than people from the city. People from the mountain are more polite, friendly, respectful and very hospitable.

7.) I was shopping with my close relatives in the Philippines. We went to a toy store. Their children were with them. These kids pulled toys and many more toys out from the shelves. Their parents just let them do it. I was shocked in a way. The place was just covered with toys. I told the kids to pick them up and put them back. They happily cooperated with me. Kids are kids! They will not learn unless they're taught.

8.) I saw a photo of a boy lying on the sidewalk. This happened about a year ago. A friend of mine took his picture. The boy was about my son's age. He was naked sleeping on the ground. He had wounds on his body. He must have gone through hell. I asked my friend about the boy. Unfortunately, he doesn't know where he is now. I asked him if he had helped him. He said he hadn't. When I saw that photo, I felt like my heart was stabbed very deeply. I admit I was crying. I was horrified. I was deeply hurt. Even now I think about that boy. I thought where are the religious people? Where are the people of the Philippines, the true Pilipino people? The people could have at least given him something to wear. Anything! Where are the political leaders, the servants of the people? They are being paid monthly, plus bonuses, and they're doing nothing?! Kaya gustong gusto ko talaga 'yong kanta ni Owee.

9.) We have so many beauty pageants in the Philippines. Who usually wins in the competition? The answer is the European-looking person. If you are tall, have fair skin and a long nose, your chances of winning are very high even if you're dumb. Well, the questions are given prior to the interview so intelligence really doesn't matter. Brain and Beauty? If you look very Pilipino, forget it! Look at our celebrities. Most of them look like they are from other countries. I don't like it. I like the real Pilipina beauty. Kayumanggi is at least as attractive as any other group of people. But if you ask me, my honest opinion is kayumanggi is pinaka! I'm not being prejudicial, sinasabi ko lang kung ano talaga ang nasa aking pananaw at isipan. I think it's a perfect beauty. I've seen some Pilipino ladies where I live. My goodness, they're very pretty. Pilipina beauty is classic and timeless. I know it's Filipino, not Pilipino. But I'd rather call Filipinos, Pilipinos. It sounds more Pilipino that way. I wish the name of our country is Maharlika. We should have changed the name Philippines/Pilipinas to Maharlika or something else after the colonization period. Maharlika is a very good name for our country. I don't like Philippines or Pilipinas. They sound very Spanish to me. The Philippines was derived from the name Philip. Philip II was the king of Spain. We were colonized (screwed) during his reign. So many Pilipino people suffered because of those cruel Spaniards. Well, that was many years ago. People were not as civilized as they are now. Those Spaniards tortured our ancestors. We've gone through hell because of them. They killed us Pilipinos if we would not convert to Christianity. That's why our country is filled with sinful, corrupt Catholics. I'm sorry to say that but that's a fact. Hindi ko talaga maintindihan bakit pinag-ngalanan natin ang ating bansa na nakabatay sa hudas na King Philip II na 'yon. We shouldn't have adopted the name Philippines or Pilipinas. It's a real insult to our dear country! Para tayong mga idiot. Again, pardon me. It's just very frustrating to me. We still continue to be like followers instead of leaders. We need more Pilipinos like Lapu-Lapu, Andres Bonifacio, Gabriella at iba pa. Where are they now?! Our Pres. Noynoy Aquino was very active and very visible prior to the election. Where is he now? He seems to have disappeared. Typical Pilipino leaders! Mga pangako ay nakapako!

10.) Our Philippine television sucks. The Philippine news is sensationalized. Instead of giving us details about what happens, they get sort of excited about it. Wowowee and some other type of Philippine TV programs are so dumb. These types of programs must be stopped. We should have informational TV programs on politics, international affairs, environment, economy, etc. Since our people are exposed to these types of dumb programs like Wowowee, they're more interested in their image than what is in their brains. I hope you agree with me on this.

11.) Pilipinos can't handle criticism. We're very sensitive people it seems. That's why we don't have progress at any level except exporting Pilipinos to other countries. Pilipinos are being exported by the thousand, if not, by the million.

12.) When I was in our dear country, I didn't see any houses or cars with Philippine flags on them. Nada! Zero! None! That really tells you something doesn't it? I only saw two flags. Ang isa ay nakita ko sa municipal building ng isang hometown. The other one was in a well known park. I think that was called Centennial Park if I'm not mistaken.

13.) Most teachers are not really passionate about their profession. They just go to work for the money, I guess. We need teachers who will inspire students and vice versa. Schools are only interested in student tuition fees and other unnecessary fees. Most students don't know Philippine history and The Philippine Constitution. Worst of all, they don't know how to write or how to spell because of texting and lack of good education. Pilipinos no longer care about what they do. How much more sa pagsasalita kaya? Ang inaatupag lang nila ay kanilang pagpaganda o pagpa-guwapo. We need more students who are interested in learning, that way, magkaroon pa tayo ng pag-asa. May pag-asa pa ba kaya?

14.) We have properties in Bohol. We sold one of them. Here's what happened. It's a very long story but I will try to make it short. My mom went to Bohol because she was told by my auntie that someone was interested in buying our property there. She went and negotiated with my auntie who was the realtor. My mom ended up going home. She then told me that the buyer declined because of the price. Little did my mom know, she was being manipulated without the buyer's consent or knowledge. Three days later she was contacted again by my auntie. She said that there was another buyer who was really interested. There never was another buyer. My auntie said the "second prospective buyer" can only afford 900 pesos per square meter. So I told my mom, 1000 pesos per square meter will be okay but nothing below that. My mom didn't know until the final transaction that the property was bought for 1500 pesos per square meter by the only buyer. Yes, there was no other buyer. The first and the second buyer ay iisa lang. My auntie and her friends did the corrupt maneuver so that my mom would lower the price in order for them to get the big rake off: the 500 pesos per square meter (200,000 pesos). My mom then found out that there were five other realtors who will be sharing the 200,000 pesos out of the sale. The signing was done. My mom had already given them the title and some other documents of our property to the buyer. But my mom hadn't received any money yet. She trusted them. When she learned that the property was sold for 1500 pesos per square meter, and that my mom would get a total of 400,000 pesos for the 400 square meter property, she was shocked. She asked my auntie how it happened. My auntie was very combative and was very argumentative. When I contacted my mom, I told her to just give my auntie 10% realtor fee. I told her that 10% was already a lot of money. I talked to my auntie and told her, "If the property was sold for 1500/square meter, that's what we should get. That's what's written on the paper." My auntie was mad. She almost had a heart attack because I wouldn't give up. She was begging me. The other five realtors were with her and they were so mad as well. I told her and the other realtors that... "I'm not going to give you the whole extra 500 pesos for each square meter. What you did was illegal, and I could report you to the police. I could get an attorney to file a suit against you." Guess what? The amount they were trying to get from the sale was 1/3 of the sale amount. I told my auntie that she was trying to rob my mom in a very sneaky way. She admitted it. I told her that I will give a generous extra amount from the sale if she promise me not to do it again. I also told the other realtor about what they did. I told one guy, "YOU GUYS ARE SCREWING YOUR OWN KABABAYAN THAT'S WHY OUR COUNTRY IS IN REALLY BAD SHAPE RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE SUCH GREAT HELP! YOU ARE DOING WHAT MOST OF OUR POLITICIANS ARE DOING." I was just being you-know-what. But what the heck! Even if they do this to foreign nationals, still, what they did wasn't okay. Law is law. It's not right to do such thing to anyone. They were very apologetic about what happened. I understand why they did it. It's because of the rising poverty in the Philippines. I feel sorry for them but it was not acceptable to me. It was intolerable. In my opinion, if I let these things happen and go along with them, these people will not learn from their mistakes, and of course will continue. The good thing about it is they learned something and we're still friends. Five realtors got their share but I don't know how much. They were supposed to get 200, 000 pesos for their rakeoff but I let them have 165, 000 pesos. Five other realtors were supposed to get 30,000 pesos each. I'm not sure how they divided it. Obviously, my auntie got more because she was the lead realtor. It took me several hours to say, "okay". They were so relieved when I okayed it because they had already spent some of the money. Before they got the money ay nagpa-party sila ng bongga at inutang pa 'yong kinain at inumin nila. Isn't that sickening? They thought they would get away with it.

Now, my big questions are: Nasaan na ang "Awiting Pilipino"? Nasaan na ang himig ng pag-ibig? Mayroon pa ba kaya or it's a thing in the past na? Maintindihan mo lalo ang "Awiting Pilipino" kung ikaw ay may higit na pagmamahal sa bayan. That's how powerful the song is.

"Himig ng Pag-ibig" meaning, pagtulong-tulongan at pagmamahal sa bayan at kapwa Pilipino.

I have so many examples of illegal activities to enumerate but what can I do about them? Thank God for YT. At least I could sing and talk about it a little bit. What I'm doing here on YT is helping my dear Philippines. It's not much but at least I can help.

Thank you for reading my sentiment. I really need to tell you how I feel about our country. I love our country very much but I don't like the way it's going. It's not only the politicians who are ruining our country; the people as well. It's a very sad situation. The bottom line: Pilipinos are screwing Pilipinos. Pilipinos are screwing the Philippines. Iyan na ang nangyayari ngayon sa atin. Pilipinos are becoming selfish and gimmee-gimmee type people. Noon, Pilipinos ay mga matatapang, mapagkatiwalaaan, industrious, self reliant, hard workers, honorable at mababait na kaibigan, ngayon... ewan ko lang! Nasaan na ang kagaya ni Pangulong Magsaysay? Nasaan na ang mga may dugong Lapu-Lapu? Wasn't Jose Rizal part Spanish? I don't think he was a real Pilipino.

Oh yeah... would it be nice if there is a Visayan version of "Awiting Pilipino". The only problem I have is most of the Visayan words have so many syllables. It would be very tough. I will check that "Inday Inday" at "Himig Natin" songs.

Okay, I admit I cried when I was singing "Awiting Pilipino". I did five recordings. Two of which I could not post. I practiced a lot before recording. I was crying. I couldn't help it. Thank you for requesting it. Also, thank you for the very nice compliment. It's an honor!

Ingat din.

Nhejzheen :)

Pilipinas: Ito ang hinahanap ko ngayon.