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The Filipino Top Ten
By Ellen Joy Anastacio
January 2003
At this day and age, when terrorist threats, traffic, garbage,
and pollution in Manila are all commonplace, one might wonder whether there are still things that we can be proud of,
or be happy about the Philippines.
Of course there are! So now we present our own countdown of the top ten reasons why the Philippines is still a very good place to live in.
10. The Traffic. You're probably wondering, how can anything good possibly come out of the horrendous traffic that people from
Manila experience every day? Simple. Because of the traffic and high gas prices, many families are forced to carpool, presto, family bonding!
9. The Weather. No need for layers and layers of clothes! You can wear a t-shirt, shorts, jeans…anything you want, and you won't
freeze to death! No need for heavy and expensive coats either, slashing your clothing budget by a big margin!
8. Movie Prices. Despite the fact that prices now are more than triple the P20-30 box office prices from only 7 years ago, at around
$2 a pop for state of the art Makati cinemas, that's still a whole lot cheaper than watching movies in Singapore, Hong Kong, or the US. And with VCD's and DVD's dropping prices,
you can now buy these at around P150 and P350 respectively, or less than $3 for a VCD and less than $7 for a DVD. Top that!
7. Bargains, bargains, bargains! The way the economy is going, retailers have no choice but to slash prices to be able to sell goods.
So the peso is able to stretch much more than you think it can. Shirts for thirty bucks? Got it. A full meal for
thirty pesos? Sure, why not!
6. The Optimism. In a land beset by so many worries, people can still find so many things to be grateful for.
Whether it's finding comfort in being with their family and friends, or landing a job in these troubled times worldwide, Filipinos still,
and always manage to keep a song in their heart and a smile in their face.
5. The Food. Where else can you get sizzling sisig, kare-kare, adobo, sinigang, barbecue, fishballs, tinapa, daing na bangus,
laing, palabok, leche flan, halaya, lechon, lechon manok, tinola, nilaga, bulalo, sinigang, tapsilog,
tuyo, bagoong, etc? And of course, the ever yummy Jollibee! Uh oh, is that my
tummy growling already?!
4. The Values. Here in the Philippines, many kids still have the time-held values of taking care of and respecting the elders, asking
their parents to bless them when they get home at night, saying po and opo to those who are older to them, among others.
It's comforting to
know that we've still maintained our core values, despite the onslaught of
foreign entertainment and culture.
3. The Language. So you miss talking in Filipino? Or Visayan, Waray, Ilonggo, Bicolano, Chabakano, Ilokano, etc? Here, you can talk in
your own language/dialect to your heart's content and know that you will be understood. Here, you don't have to worry about finding the right
tenses, or pronouncing some strange word in a foreign language!
2. Family and Friends. From lolo and lola to nanay and tatay, your cute and precocious nieces and nephews, to ate's and kuya's and
bunso's, to your childhood playmates to college buddies..where else can you find all your loved ones all together in one place? The place
for camaraderie and memories, family traditions, care, love, and everything in between...where else but Pinas?
1. It's home! No matter where in the world you go, the Philippines will always be home. It will always be the place where your
ties are the strongest, and where your roots have been planted the longest. It will always be the place where you will never be out of place,
where everywhere, you will see people of common heritage and aspirations, and it's a good thing.
So wouldn't you agree that the Philippines is still a great place to visit and live in?
Let's tell the world so.
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Think we've missed out on something we should be proud of?
Send us your comments or suggestions!
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