6 Filipino Ways of Thinking That Needs to Change

I am not saying that all Filipinos have this kind of mind set. And I am not saying that I am so clean that I also do not have this kind of mind set. But I do know that in our society, the ways of thinking listed below are present and needs to change. I grew up believing in some of this “beliefs” and as I got older, I got to realize that there is something wrong with them. I don’t know if we would ever get pass this way of thinking, but I do hope that we could see that these beliefs aren’t helping and that little by little we could stop ourselves from thinking this way.

1. Thinking that PH made products are not quality products.

I am for one guilty of committing this ugly way of thinking. I go to Watsons often and when I do, I tend to go for the imported make-up brands like Revlon and Loreal, I think I once bought a lipstick by Ever Bilena and it actually has the same quality as some of the imported brand lipsticks I bought. But I completely disregarded this thought because I was so used to looking for imported brands because I believed that they are better and that anything made here is sub par. This has to stop! I need to let myself take a chance at products made here because number one, it would be far cheaper, number two, I would help a Philippine company and number three, I do not have the right to judge something just because everybody else instilled a belief in me which I haven’t even been able to prove to be true, and that last one could be a logic I can use for almost everything in this world.

2. Pets that have “lahi” or have a certain breed are the only pets that matter.

We have here in the Philippines what you would call an askal and a pusakal, meaning “asong kalye” and “pusang kalye”, this is what we would normally call dogs and cats that does not have a certain breed.  I had a cat, and he is a pusakal. My cat died last year, and it was like my heart got broken and I cried every time I remembered that he was gone. For a week people kept asking me why I looked miserable, and I told them the reason. And the first question they would ask me was “May lahi?”, and I would stare at them and try to calm myself before answering because what I want to yell at them was, he was my pet, and what does  “lahi” have to do with why I am sad that my pet cat died?

I also have witnessed families keeping dogs, askals mainly, being kept on a leash and was only ever there because they want left over foods to not go to waste. And if there aren’t left overs, then tough luck for the dog. Although I do understand the logic that every last scrap of food should not go to waste, I also find it cruel that the dog only ever gets to eat when there are left-overs. And I really have seen firsthand a couple of families do this, and this really needs to stop. Your dog or cat is not just some accessory or a thing use for left-over disposal just because they don’t have a certain breed. They have feelings and should be loved just like how you love your chihuahua’s and German Sheperd’s and Siamese cat’s. Give them a chance at a happy life too.

3. The need to prepare lavish meals whenever there is an occasion even if it meant being in debt for a year.

Christmas, New Year, Binyag ni JunJun, Birthday ni JunJun, Fiesta and other occasions we celebrate here in the Philippines are not complete without lavish meals that is only possible through “utang” or borrowed money. I am not saying that all Filipinos does this, some actually are able to save enough for the occasion to be able to prepare these lavish meals without having to borrow money. But a lot of times, people here go to so much trouble just to be able to prepare extravagant meals for people who they only knew a little or people they do not even like. We should stop this for a bunch of reasons, but two of the main reasons being, one, you can always opt for a simple celebration that does not involve the whole town so you do not have to spend too much. An intimate dinner with your family will always beat a fiesta like celebration with people you only half knew, so why not just do that instead. And two, is being in debt for a year worth it? I know some will say it is, but no it never is worth it you know. And if being in debt for a year for you is ok, then you seriously have issue’s that needs fixing and you should definitely seek help.

4. The belief that marrying a foreigner is the key to having a good life.

I know parents mean well when they want their children to find a foreign national that could take them to the United States, or the United Kingdom or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It even almost does not matter where in the world you will be taken to just as long as its another country and that its a foreigner you will be getting married to. And I am not against inter racial marriage, just to be clear, what I am against and I think is a thinking that really needs to change is the way of thinking people have here about marrying foreigners. And I am not only talking about the parents, most people I meet think that all your existing problems will be solve if you landed a foreigner for a husband or a wife. They will think you are swerte or lucky when you marry a foreigner. And yes, maybe you are lucky when you marry a foreigner, but people need to stop pushing relatives or daughters or friends to date a foreigner even when they do not want to simply because they believe that it is the only way to a good life. Let them choose, let them not be coaxed into something, let them simply marry the person they want to.

5. That people who are more than 30 has no right to have a job.

I went to google, typed job vacancies in Manila. Then I browsed through the first 3 job ads. Not more than 30 years of age in the job qualifications section was a prominent entry. I went to google again and typed job vacancies in Canada. Guess what, age limit has not been mentioned in all the 3 postings I have checked. I again went to google and typed job vacancies in Singapore, again age limit has not been mentioned in the 3 job postings I checked. So whats wrong with being 30 here in the Philippines? Why do employers here hate people who are more than 30? Can somebody explain this to me? Maybe someone working in a recruitment firm can enlighten me on the rules set up by companies here in hiring people. Because I just don’t get why you can’t hire a person who is more than 30. Is this one of those only in the Philippines thing? Obviously, this needs to stop. There are a lot of Filipino’s struggling to get a job and setting this age limit thing is not helping.

6. Its perfectly ok to ask money from relatives abroad. It’s perfectly normal.

People here who go abroad typically has one goal in mind. To be the bread-winner of the family. And that is such a noble decision, sometimes people who decide to do this even forget their own needs and postpone making a family of their own just to be able to provide their parents and siblings everything they would ever need. While I know that this is not a bad thing, sometimes it can be. Because the person working abroad is sacrificing so much and sometimes it takes them so many years before they are finally able to have savings of their own. And then other relatives ask money from them like their millionaires or something. This is not ok, people here should also work and not just ask money and then live like rockstars and spend money like there is no tomorrow. I know a few people who do this and I feel sorry for the relatives of this people who work abroad. Knowing that they would probably have to support this rockstars financially for the rest of their lives because they think they have their own personal money machine is really sad.

Again, not all Filipino’s have this way of thinking. But being a Filipino has allowed me to see that most of us think this way. And it’s important that we try to see past of what has been the norm here and widen our perspective.