THERE are times in certain situations that I would rather wish I was somewhere else—not in the Philippines—because of weird Filipino traits.

Some Filipinos either have the problem of comprehension or are simply stubborn. When a Filipino appears to be strict and stands firm of being a law-abiding citizen, he is viewed by transgressors as “arrogant.”

In our subdivision, or in any subdivision for that matter, there are deeds of restrictions incorporated in the deed of sale imposed by the developer for homeowners to comply. It was made clear that no fowl or other farm animals are allowed or shall be maintained in any property within the subdivision. Some homeowners, in wanton disregard for the rule, ignore the prohibition.

I was at a beachfront one sunny morning when I saw a man cleaning a cottage, making it ready for the next tenant. After cleaning, he padlocked the hut to prevent unwanted lodgers who would just want to use the place for free. The young man seated next to me, who was also observing the cottage owner, made an unsolicited remark: “That guy’s arrogant. He prefers not having anyone around his cottage.”

Filipinos tend to abuse people’s kindness and generosity. Sometime in 1982, a German national was at a hotel downtown along Pelaez St. fronting a restaurant with a take-out stall. The tourist was observing a lady chopping an entire lechon.

Occasionally, some pieces of the roasted pig would end up on the pavement to the delight of streetboys who gladly devoured the scraps. The German tourist was moved by the sight not only for the health issues. The foreigner readily approached the take-out attendant and instructed her to fill three plates with food to be given to the boys and paid for it. When other streetboys saw this, they too asked the German national for food. To make the story short, the long line of Cebuanos waiting to be served with free food was half a kilometer long, reaching all the way to Colon Street. The tourist ended up paying more than P5,000. Back in the 1980s, that was a lot of money. I later found out that there were those who fell in line three times not considering that there were also those in dire need to satisfy their hunger.

Recently, a community pantry in Manila was the victim of unscrupulous individuals who emptied the pantry in one hauling. That is unacceptable even under this pandemic.

Let us have some sensitivity and respect for other people’s rights.