What so unique about Philippines?

Question

What so unique about Philippines?

Answer 1

The Filipinos are also the only nation in Asia who speak English and Spanish and have a literature written in these two foreign languages. As a matter of fact, Filipinos take pride in being the third largest English-speaking nation in the world.

The Philippines is the most literate nation in Southeast Asia.  The main cause for the high literacy in the Philippines is the passionate love of Filipinos for education. As the last governor-general of the Philippines, Frank Murphy, said: "No people ever accepted the blessing of education with more enthusiasm than the Filipino."

Answer 2

The only Christian nation in Asia

Answer 3

corruption rules

Answer 4

The Philippines is the perfect place where East meets West. Surrounded with pristine beaches and endowed with natural resources, the Philippines diversity is as complicated as it's people. Each Filipino is a combination of Spanish, Chinese, interbred with Americans or Japanese blood, all belonging to the malay race... uniquely FILIPINO.

Answer 5

Most Asian countries around you ( you naively call them "Asian brothers and sisters") are 'masungit', racist and brutally nationalistic. They do not like foreigners/other races there- even (or especially) other Asians ( unless very very rich). Not you.  You are the only ones that like foreigners to come and stay, and not only because of money; you just accept them as one of your own.You mingle with them, make friends with them and marry them.

You are the only Asian country that is so nice. If children are of mixed race, you love them and accept them.Other Asian countries around you reject them and discriminate against them.

Then, culturally, you really do not belong anywhere and no one is like you. Your face is Asian, but your name is Jonalyn Rodriguez, Nilton Atienza, etc. An Asian should have a name like Ping Ling Tong, Or Byun Hyun Moon, or Said Faisal Bek, or Hiroshi Yamamoto.  

I met Filipinos with German, Dutch and Polish last names. Swanson, Volks, Nayre.

Jaworski? Who else would have a senator like that in Asia? Only you.

And a Christian Asian? An Asian should be a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Muslim. Strange. Who else is like you? Nobody.

You have an Asian appearance, think and write like Americans, but have a warm , passionate, irrational Spanish/Latin heart. Anybody else like that?  Americans are not like that; Asians are not like that.

You also do not belong with other Spanish colonies because very few people in your country speak Spanish. What kind of Juan Rodriguez does not speak Spanish?  Only you.

Most people in Asian countries around you have stone-like faces with no expressions, and cold, cold hearts, but your faces move and eyes move and you use your hands when you talk, just like Italians or Spaniards. Who is like that? Only you.

So, what is so unique about you? You can just try and look for any other country that is like you and you will not find it.

Well, on the second thought, maybe, East Timor is like you- another Christian/Catholic, Asian, Latin nation but it is still very new and not known. And maybe Guam- people there are also English/ Austronesian- speaking Jose Rodriguezes. But in the real mainstream big nations' family, you are unique, all right.

PS: If you think that corruption makes Philippines unique, then I advise you to google " perceived corruption index 2007 report transparency international" . It will list countries by level of corruption. The Philippines is about average.

The Russian joke below is very funny but it does not correspond to the truth. I have lived in Russia, have you? Russians do not send people to Siberia for urinating on walls. They do it all the time;  there are also people there vomiting in public, sleeping in the streets drunk and there is not much punishment for those. Philippines is also about average when it comes to such behavior ( among developing countries, that is)

Answer 6

You can buy the government for like $20USD a month, and do whatever you want.

Answer 7

You know what's so unique about us?

Our "po" and "opo". Where else can you find those words of utter respect?

And our love for food. We love food so much you could easily distinguish if that's a Filipino eating in a restaurant.

We are hospitable. Yeah...

Ahhh and these! These are the "you know you're Filipino if..." that I found months ago. It pretty much says everything about Filipino uniqueness. :)

MANNERISM AND PERSONALITY TRAITS

1. You point with your lips

2. You eat with your hand and have it down as a technique

3. Your other piece of luggage is a "Balikbayan Box"

4. You nod your head upwards to greet someone

5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbows on your knees while you eat

6. You use a rock to scrub yourself in the shower

7. You kiss relatives on the cheek when you enter the room

8. You're standing next to eight big boxes at the airport

9. You collect items from hotels or restaurants as "souvenirs"

10. Your house has a distinctive aroma

11. You smile for no reason

12. You flirt by having a foolish grin on your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly

13. You go to department stores and try bargain with the price

14. You scratch your head when you don't know the answer

15. You never eat the last morsel of food on the table

16. You go bowling

17. You play pusoy or mahjong

18. You prefer to sit in the shade instead of basking in the sun

19. You add an unwarranted 'H' to your name: Jhun, Bhoy, Rhon

20. You put your hands together in front of you as if to make a path and say "Excuse, Excuse" when you pass in between people or in front of the TV

21. Your middle name is your mom's maiden name

22. You like everything that is imported or 'stateside'

23. Your perfectly comfortable in a squatting position with your elbows resting on your knees

24. You consistently arrive 30 minutes late for events

25. You always offer food to your visitors

26. You put your arm on the other person's shoulder if he or she is a close friend of yours

27. You draw a rectangle in the air when asking for the bill, which never fails to baffle the restaurant staff

28. You don't sit on the bowl in public toilets, no matter what part of town or if your thighs ache like h**l; and you flush the toilet with your feet

29. You think 'tuck out' is the opposite of 'tuck in'

30. You tell everyone you meet where you studied and the intricacies of your family tree-just to show them you come from good stock - it never occurs to you that people may not have heard of your university or your clan's last name

31. You show up late for work and your excuse is 'I forgot to on the alarm' or better yet 'traffic eh'

32. You linger over the Tonite and Balita tabloids available at the Star Ferry, but quickly buy the Asian Wall Street Journal when other Filipinos start browsing

33. Brushing your teeth after lunch in the office lavatory is an unbreakable habit, even if your colleagues can't bear touching the taps after you've drooled and spat all over them

34. Namedropping is your favorite sport when you meet up with new acquaintances from back home

35. Toni Braxton, Basia and Swing Out Sister are your idea of party music, you hardly listen to anything else

36. You sell Amway and Herbalife as sideline

37. You fight noisily with Cathay Pacific check-in staff over the size of handcarried luggage-which could be anything from oversized suitcases to major appliances

38. You underdeclare your income when you pay Phil tax, even if it's peculiar that a consultant is paid little more than a domestic helper's wages

39. At Immigration, when they call out 'Maria', you and 46 other women stand up

40. When they play 'Anak' anywhere, your chest swells with pride and say 'that's Filipino'

41. You think taking a shower and taking a bath are the same thing

42. You use shopping bags as garbage bags

43. You use laundry detergent to wash your dishes

44. You use print rags from an imported fashion magazine as cover of your textbooks and notebooks

45. You enjoy watching Pinoy action films with the same plot: Hero and villain are mortal enemies. Hero's family's killed by villain. Hero seeks revenge. Hero meets bar girl with sad tale of past love. She comes from a poor family, that's why she's working in the bar. They fall in love. Villain kidnaps girl, threatens to kill her if hero won't stop harassing him and his henchmen. Hero rescues girl, they run away. Chase goes on in a dilapidated car. Hero finally kills villain and police arrive. Hero and girl live happily ever after.



VOCABULARY

1. You say 'for take out' instead of 'to go' ('take away' for Singaporean)

2. You 'open' and 'close' the lights

3. You ask for 'Colgate' instead of toothpaste

4. You ask for 'pentel pen' instead of a ballpen or pen

5. You refer to refrigerator as 'ref', 'Frigidare', or "pridyider"

6. You say 'kodakan' instead of take a picture

7. You order 'McDonalds' instead of hamburger, which you pronounce 'ham-boor-jer'

8. You say 'Ha?' instead of 'what?'

9. You say 'Hoy!' to get someone's attention

10. You answer when someone yells 'Hoy!'

11. You turn around when you hear 'pssst'

12. You say 'Cutex' instead of nail polish

13. You say 'for a while' instead of 'Please hold' on the telephone

14. You say 'he' when you mean 'she' and vice versa

15. Your sneeze sounds like 'Ahh-ching' instead of 'Ahh-choo'

16. You say 'Aray' instead of 'ouch'

17. You make acronyms for phrases: 'OA' = overacting, 'DOM' = dirty old man, and 'TNT' for... You know

18. You say 'aircon' instead of 'A/C' or airconditioner

19. You pronounce the ff. words: 'Hippopo-TA-mus', 'com-FOR-table', 'Bro-CO-li', and 'Montgo-marry Ward'

20. You say 'brown-out' instead of 'black-out'

21. You say 'Ay' or "Uy" instead of 'oops'

22. You start with 'actually' when you're trying to explain something

23. You say 'comfort room' instead of bathroom

24. You pronounce 'fax' as the four letter word

25. Ano' and 'di ba' regularly slip out during conversations

26. You say, 'my girlfriend will fetch,' when foreigners think fetching is for dogs

27. You try hard to speak English and when you don't know what to say next, you say 'you know...'

28. You change your accent according to the person you're talking to

29. When someone's pregnant, you say 'she's on the way'

30. You say 'ayyss---!' in kolehiyala accent to show any kind of extreme emotion - 'ayyy, shheeettt, nag-split na sila? 'ayysss, shheeettt talaga?

31. When somebody gives you a compliment, instead of saying thank you, you say 'hindi naman'



HOME FURNISHINGS

1. You use 'walis tambo' and 'walis ting-ting' as opposed to a conventional broom

2. You own a karaoke machine

3. You own a piano that no one ever plays

4. You have a portrait of the Last Supper hanging on your dining room wall

5. You have a 'tabo' in your bathroom

6. You have a rose garden

7. Your house is cluttered with 'burloloys'

8. You display a big laughing Buddha for good luck

9. You have a Santo Nino shrine in your living room

10. You own a 'barrel man' (schwing!) from Baguio

11. You have 'parol' displayed during the holidays

12. You cover your living room furniture with bed sheets

13. Your lampshades still have plastic covers on them

14. You have plastic runners to cover your carpets

15. You refer to VCR as 'Betamax' even if it's a VHS

16. You own a rice dispenser

17. You own a turbo broiler

18. You own a lamp with oil that drips down to the strings

19. You have a giant wooden spoon and fork hanging in your dining room

20. You own Capiz shell chandeliers, lamps or placemats

21. You have a pair of wooden tinikling dancers on your wall

22. You have 'Weapons of Moroland' shield hanging on your living room wall

23. Your wall to wall carpeting includes the ceiling

24. You own one of those fiber-optic flower lamps

25. Your microwave, washer, TV, VCR, computer, printer, toaster and doorknobs are hidden under quilted covers

26. You have the entire Apo Hiking Society collection, plus maybe some Tito Mina and Pops Fernandez thrown in

27. There's a pail in your bathroom, just in case there's a water shortage or the toilet won't flush

28. You have fly swatter in your kitchen

29. You have multiplex tapes

30. You buy song hit mixes like "New Wave Disco Hits"



CLOTHING AND APPEARANCE

1. There's Angelique eyeliner and Johnson's Baby Powder compacts lurking in your makeup drawer

2. You use Perla soap on your face

3. You have several pairs of 'tsinelas' at your doorstep

4. You deliberately flaunt your pager and cellphone

5. You find dried-up morsels or rice stuck to your shirt

6. You check labels on clothes to see where it's made

7. You hang your clothes out to dry

8. You've had the same bobbed hairstyle since high school

9. You wear fake or original Tommy Hilfiger shirts in bold and shouting prints

10. Your next goal is to buy Polo or Burberry's bag

11. Your ponytail ribbon covers half your head

12. You wore kung fu shoes in high school

13. You use an umbrella for a shade on hot summer days

14. You play basketball in you c

Answer 8

1.  Filipinos practice "old style" social graces like respect.

2.  Philippines is a tropical paradise

3.  Regular people (as opposed to rich people) can still afford to vacation there.

4.  Most Filipinos seem happy to have foreigner guests in their country.

5.  The most beautiful women in the world are Filipina.  But, they  don't act conceited even tho.

6.  People there still talk to each other

7.  They let me come there as often as I like and stay as long as I want to.

8.  Someone always there to help you with things for just a small tip.

Answer 9

This story might give you a clue.

The Russian president is in Manila on a state visit. Driving

into Malacañang with GMA, he sees a man peeing against the wall.

He says, "In Russia we send people to the prison camps in Siberia,

the coldest part of Russia, for doing that."

A year later its President GMA turn for a state visit

to Russia. Driving into the Kremlin in Moscow they see a man peeing

against the wall. She says to the Russian president, "I thought you send

people to the prison camps for doing that."

"I wish I could, but I can't", said the Russian president, "that's

the Philippine Ambassador."