Philippines my Philippines

I was aimlessly surfing the net when I thought of going back to mylot, and this post caught my attention. I am a Filipino. Our educational system (at least in my time, throughout grade school and high school) did instill in us love of God and love of country. As I was reading this, mixed emotions ran through me, most probably because I am in a crisis situation involving my daily life and my neighborhood. The crisis, I know, will pass, but your Korean friend's words and thoughts, I shall carry with me forever: There is God who is crying for love.

I have been telling this to anybody who cared to listen but I guess they just stare at me! I love my country and this is the reason why i did not go to the US to join my parents. I did not even try to apply for work overseas although there are invitations for me.

1. Pardon my beliefs if it will step on yours but I think being a catholic and narrow minded at that is one of the factors why we act this way. We have been colonized for so long that we still have those hangups and that everything western is good, beautiful and true! Just look at those large billboards on whitening products! Can't we be satisfied that we have this complexion?

2. We lack nationalist leaders and most of what we have are a$$ kissers to the US. Where can you find a developed country that makes english as a primary medium of instruction, only inthe Philippines. We develop our people to be slaves of these multinational firms and other developed countries instead of training them to build this country great again.

3. Our businessmen are so greedy that they are destroying the hands that are feeding them. The low salaries and the idea that the workers will just lost their jobs if they ask for more pay is ridiculous! How will these people buy their products if they have no money and that the salary they received is just enough to pay for their transportation to go to work. Inviting foreign investor is not the solution to our economic problem because these investors bring their profits here to their country and with low salaries to their employees, how in the hell do they help us?

4. the best teachers in our country are either working as maids or teachers overseas. Some of what was left were those who are not gutsy enough to teach, to instill in our children what is true, just, and very Filipino. Some are not even eqipped to teach intellectually much more teach nationalism and love of neighbor.
I could go on and on but this will go on deaf ears. the kids of today are greedy, self centerd and unconcerned. Where are the hope of our motherland?

Wow, his/her essay really touches me. The author really had a deep connection to us Filipinos. I just hope that his/her essay will be read by every Filipinos and be inspired to even love our country more. God Bless the Philippines.!

wow this is long, you know how i hate & lazy to read long stories but i still managed to read it. anywayz, yes this is true, the problem of the filipinos are the CRAB MENTALITY that's why we never gained success.. this it the problem of us, but if we get rid of this problem, philippines will become successful. philippines is a good country, we're rich in nature, filipinos are intelligent but our intelligence didn't use in useful things, instead intelligence of the filipinos used into corruption or greediness. if they will see successful people, they will try to put people down & put themselves into the top. success should start from individuals, if we hold hands & we unite, we will become successful in the near future just like our neighboring countries korea, singapore, china, taiwan etc..

Your friend's essay is indeed an eye-opener to us Filipinos. To me, it is a simple and sincere reminder that the Filipino is not alone in wanting all that is good and right for our country. Perhaps, in our own small ways, we can make a difference to have a better life for the Filipino, and maybe inspire others to do the same. Thanks kaezy, and to your friend too.

I was touched by the essay. i love my country. i dunno maybe i dont have that enuf burning of patriotism

wow, at first before reading the essay I thought i could get pissed by this essay or get angry but when while reading the essay I got so many kinds of emotions to this essay. It touches me deep inside but it hurts me because its is the truth. It really saddens me when the stigma or our own country were seen by others and yet Filipinos were still unable to see that.
Even though living here in the Philippines and experience and suffer the bad and the worst situation Filipino's have I still find myself to love the country itself but not the people. I know this sounds bad but like other respondents say, lots of people are corrupt and almost all the leaders we have are too egoistic which is the number one behavior politicians shouldn't have.
yes, blaming others won't do anything good but I think this is one way that people can suppress the true hatred they have to all the alligators in the senate.

I thank you for posting this and yeah like what others say i hope that lots of Filipino can read this.

The essay is very true... We Filipinos, we are always used other people since we don't want to confess our own sins. We keep on blaming other people fault but we don't blame our own faults. I think each one of us has its own problem and fault why our country are not growing due to we are just thinking ourselves. We are not thinking about our neighborhood, we are so selfish that we don't think our own country. We keep on blaming the people in the government for corrupting our money. Maybe yes, we have the rights to blame them because they are the one who should do something for our country. However, one or two people are not enough to carry all of us. We need to help each other so that we can survive.

Honestly, in our situations right now most of us want to go abroad since their salary is too high not like here in the Philippines it is very low. I am working in a Hotel company, my salary is about 10k a month but I don't get exactly 10k, I just get 8,000plus since there are so many minus for tax and so on... If there are a million of people who are working and we are going to multiply it by the minimum tax paid, it cost a hundred of million pesos. However, the government says there is no budget. How come there is no budget, when the entire employee is paying tax?

I just really hate how the government officials leading our country. They are just corrupting our money. But then we cannot do anything. We need to join force so that we can survive in this kind of situation. We need to love each other as what the author of the essay said. Yes, she is right. We Filipinos don't love our country since we do not love our neighborhood. How come can you say that you love your country but then you don't help your neighbor?

Filipinos need to realize and be mature to think of what is really happening in our society today. We need to open our mind, ears, and heart for us to be aware of. I think the best thing that we can do is just to help one other and to love one other. But before we can do that, we need do it first to ourselves.

I hope that each Filipino will be able to read the post. It is sad to note that it takes a foreign national to see the situation in our country. I truly agree with you that there was a time that our country the Philippines was at top as compared to other countries in Asia. Unfortunately through the passage of time, we are now far behind. I think it would take some time to bring back the status we were once before. But if we do not have the discipline, then we will continue to fall. God save the Philippines!

yes, i agree to the poem of that girl... It is hard for us filipinos to achieve our country's success because of us. Although we are catholic in nature but, we are lacking of oneness to achieve our goal for success. That, some of us has this crab mentality attitude that they do not want others to achieve success. It this often happen to us in individual level, what more in national level. That, sometimes we stand i different principles and we clash.

we filipinos are intellegent and resourceful. We are able to withstand trials and difficulties in lives but, sometimes we contradict... this is our weakness... ive been to abroad too... and e thsame us the reaction of that korean...

at the same time, we lack patriotism because we want to have a good life in the other part of the globe. Able to uplift our family status in the society and provide there needs that our country cannot suffice...

therefore, i think this are some of those loopholes why we dont achieve our countries progress...