Читать книгу Philippines: Islands of Enchantment - Alfred A. Yuson - Страница 8

A PEOPLE WITH

A PASSION FOR LIVING

Spartan Tausog wear from Mindanao.

“Filipinos feel the need to be with other people and can tolerate crowding, among family members or among friends, because this creates a sense of intimacy. Wanting nonetheless to protect their own space and respect that of others, Filipinos take an indirect route: words are carefully chosen, even when expressing strong feelings, so as not to hurt other people.”

— Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, Filipino Style

Young fishermen savor the breeze on a tiny isle between Cebu and Bohol.

T here are, it is said, two kinds of Filipinos. The foreigner might first come into contact with one kind, and be totally unaware of the existence of the other. There is the educated upper class, and then there are the overwhelming number of socially, politically and economically marginalized indigenes, islanders upland dwellers and urban settlers. The latter are called the masa or the masses, always a force to reckon with for the democratic vote, but whose numbers have weighed down every government with conundrums ranging from resettlement to livelihood provision.

Fingers point to the primary problem of population control that, due to the strong influence of the Catholic Church, is nearly an untouchable issue. As a result, the Philippines retains the dubious distinction of having the highest population growth rate in Asia, and one of the highest in the world.

In the past three or four decades, Filipinos have also been known to engage in a diaspora of epic proportions. While the country has an estimated 80 million residents, expatriate Filipinos number well over seven million, with countless more yearning to try their luck overseas. While half the number of overseas Filipinos have found greener pastures as professionals in “Mother America,” others are found all over the world — nurses and engineers in the Middle East, domestics in Europe and Asia, nightclub entertainers in Japan, IT experts and corporate executives in Indonesia or Malaysia, teachers and health workers in Africa, and members of musical bands throughout Asia.

Lisa Macuja and Eddie Elejar are prime exponents of modern ballet, performances of which are staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Then there are the Filipino seamen, who comprise the highest number of any nationality found in ships all over the world. A point of national pride, as well as a typical joke, is that any mishap in any part of the world is likely to find a Filipino in the roster of victims.

The phenomenon of the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) makes a significant contribution to the national economy, such that the OFWs are hailed officially as “national heroes”. A token few are awarded prizes amid media glare when the deluge of balikbayans or returnees clogs up Manila’s international airport before Christmas.

It is an intriguing set of layers of social, cultural and regional divide that comes to play when Filipinos encounter one another, whether at home or abroad. One’s accent usually betrays regional origins and economic status. Fluent use of English marks the economic or academic elite; even one’s use of the Filipino language will unmask the city-come-lately or professional parvenu. Over 80 regional languages and tribal dialects are still spoken throughout the islands.

The most popular Filipino may well be Manny Pacquiao who became the first boxer in history to hold world titles in seven different weight divisions. His humble origins stand him in particularly good stead with the adoring masses. Then there is Efren “Bata” Reyes, also known as “The Magician,” whose No. 1 world ranking as a professional billiards player has spawned numerous pool halls — from air-conditioned parlors to al fresco settings — in every Philippine city. Eugene Torre, the first Asian chess grandmaster, is still revered, and international bowling champion Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno is still another legend.

In sports, as in political or social administration, Filipinos like to deride their penchant for exhibiting “crab mentality”. The joke is that Filipino crabs can be placed in a pail without a lid, and not one will escape as the others will pull any pretender down in no time. Filipinos abroad are also well aware of this syndrome, yet exhibit the same traits nonetheless. Someone who fails to get elected to lead a group immediately forms another. This leads to the absurdity of having two or more clubs representing Filipinos in a small town in the United States, usually ranged against one another as regional groupings that have been carried over across the Pacific.

Lea Salonga has gone on to greater success after being discovered by London’s West End for Miss Saigon.

A cochero or horse-rig driver peers out of his calesa — a transport relic from the Spanish past.

The “dirty ice cream” cart, as it is fondly called, is wheeled around city parks and plazas by tireless vendors.