Introducing the Philippines
While having a dinner two days
ago, a friend from Albania sat beside me and we went on with our food with a
good talk as our side dish. Prior to going here in Bursa, he too like all other
had no previous knowledge of Turkish. In that conversation, he tried his best
to share about his country in straight Turkish. He did mention of the dark
history of his country when the government imposed repressive anti-religion
policies 40 years ago. Those were the dark days where people were prohibited to
visit places of worship either churches or mosques. Their government went
extreme that some religious leaders were martyred.
To be honest, I heard his country
only in Miss Universe pageant but I actually have no idea where it is in
Europe. Reviewing geography, I found out that it is in southeast of Europe and
near Greece. Our conversation went on by
asking his department. He will be studying medicine at Uludag University and
will be staying here for seven long years. He wants to be a cardiologist. Asking
why he wants to study medicine in Turkey when in fact he has no plans of
practicing here, he said that medical education in Turkey is much better than
in his country. Medical students here receive more and better clinical
exposure. This prompted him to study here despite the differences of healthcare
system of the two countries.
This friend became a football
fanatic a year ago. Like millions of Turks, he makes sure to have a time to
watch matches. Upon realizing that it’s only him who shares info, he said
“Say something about your country.”
And my struggle just started.
I must say that was exactly an
easy question but most of the time easy question makes me dumb and in rare
cases dumbest for that fact. After a minute of silence, I finally said
“I can’t say anything about my country.”
It was one of rare moments when you exactly
have the right information in your head yet you seem not to know how to
flawlessly phrase your thoughts to someone who never heard of your country
before. “This is a shame. Why the hell I can’t say anything about my country!”
said I. And as expected, he agreed that indeed being dumbstrucked is a big
shame!
Now I am writing this script to
redeem my lost dignity. Uhm, dignity is an overstatement though. Haha! I will
talk about my country – The Philippines.
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| Dr. Jose P. Rizal |
If you happen not to know where
is Philippines, it is in southeast of Asia near Taiwan, Malaysia, and
Indonesia. Like most countries, Philippines has a rich history of remarkable patriotism,
commendable courage, and struggles, defeats, and triumphs. A country named
after a Spanish king – King Filip – the country boasts its 7,107 islands with
amazing beaches and biodiverse forests. In the span of its history, it produced
several heroes who both used violence and non-violence means in achieving
independence from the conquerors. Perhaps, our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal has
to be mentioned and commended for his selfless effort in liberating the
Filipino people a century ago from the oppressive Spanish regime by
non-violence means. His literary masterpieces “Noli Me Tangere” and “El
Filibusterismo” were a sure hit and bestseller in uniting the Filipino people and
exposing the spoils of the infamous Spaniards.
“It’s more fun in the Philippines”
is our tourism slogan. In Philippines, you will find myriad of must-visit
places that suit all preferences. If you were an adventure-goer type, we have
beautiful mountains like Mount Apo to satisfy your incessant craving for
nature. If you would like to get tanned, experience our one-of-a-kind white
beaches in Boracay and Palawan. If you are history addict, pay a visit to
Intramuros and Vigan ad we’ll take you to the past. If you want to experience
Filipino culture and hospitality, join us in our festivals which the most
popular are Ati-Atihan in January and Sinulog Festival of the Queen City of the
South- Cebu City. Have a bite also of our Kitchen Culture that features from
elegant delicacies to unique preparation methods. Ever heard of street foods,
in Philippines you can enjoy them at cheap prices. Kwik-kwik, fishball, isaw,
adidas, and the list goes on.
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| Laughter is really a medicine. |
What’s great about us Filipinos
is we are positive people. We simply love to laugh, smile, and overdose
ourselves not with drugs (of course) but with positive vibes despite the world
around being doomed. Just recently, our country was hit by the strongest
typhoon in history a month ago, leaving thousands of people dead and millions
homeless. Although typhoons are not new to us since at least 20 typhoons hit
the Philippines annually, this one was huge. In difficult times like this, you’d
still be able to see smiling faces. Yes, we show our courage through this and I
believe the world knows it. No matter how hard we fall or how great the
misfortune befall before us, Filipinos will always find a way to get up and
face tomorrow with a smile. That’s the Filipino spirit.
 |
| University of the Philippine Oblation |
Now let me talk about education. Fact
be said even Philippine’s best universities is not in this year’s best
universities world rankings. However, it does not mean we have poor education. We
do have research universities whose extension services are making a huge
difference in some communities. They hold international conferences, send
students to international competitions to show how brilliant Filipino students
are. We do have at least 100 state universities and colleges across the
archipelago that offers affordable and quality college education. Though I do
not deny the fact that there are also problems in our Education sector especially
in basic education. Logistics issues like not enough classrooms, chairs,
boards, and learning materials remain a problem until now. And in some areas,
unqualified teachers. But nevertheless, Filipino students can generally meet
global standards. I believe that.
In politics, Philippines is not
spared of corrupt government officials. Yes there are ill-driven politicians
who amass their wealth from the public treasury, yet the world is not so doomed
after all since we also do have dedicated and principled politicians who
pledged better, honest, and sincere service to the Filipino people. Although they
are very few (in my opinion) at least we do have. This corrupt crocodiles
stagnate my country’s development and the delivery of basic social services.
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| Charice |
Now that I realize this is
becoming too lengthy. I’ll end this by clarifying one misinformation about
Filipinos addressed by a Turk high school teacher a week ago. Yes, there are
Filipinos who feast on dog meat but never on cat meat. But they are very few
and even perhaps constitute not even one percent of the almost hundred million
population. In Philippines, we do uphold animal rights you know.
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