“The race became thus cheapened in its own eyes. The people became ashamed of their own traditional customs in order to imitate whatever was foreign and incomprehensible.”
– Dr. Jose Rizal
IT does not take an expert for anyone to know that the Philippines is a land rich with the history its forefathers and colonizers had left behind. Intriguing as the land itself is, the richness of its culture and the soul of its identity lies in the people who reside in it. 7,107 islands—give or take, depending on the tides—each island with its own culture that varies from the other, sometimes by only slightly and sometimes in a larger scale. In all its abundance as well as the islands’ separation, it is difficult to define what a true Filipino is.
Not only is the geographical distance an issue but more so lies in the fact that these 7,107 islands have been invaded, colonized, converted—call it what you may—by so many different cultures as well. Not once since the outsiders came has the country and its people been able to take a moment to breathe; to create its own culture and build its own identity from within. And when all the outsiders had finally gone, they left us nothing but the bones of a potentially rich culture devoured and cast aside by ravenous wolves. Dramatically worded as that metaphor may seem, it is also a symbolism of the tragic story of how today’s cultural identity loss came to be—or so most traditional Filipinos think.
In contrast to that, I—myself—am an advocate of the culture and identity we have now. Yes, we may not have created it from the beginning on our own but we definitely made the best out of the circumstances we were in; salvaged what we could from our ancestors’ culture, merged it with the influences that our colonizers had left us, and molded it into the intricate weave of culture and identity we have today. This particular value of optimism (making the best out of whatever situation we find ourselves in), is a distinctly Filipino trait—which is shown presently during disasters when victims still find it in them to smile through it all.
In truth, I am just as guilty as the rest of today’s generation for harboring the “identity fiend” that is colonial mentality. The first language I had ever spoken—besides baby gibberish—was English, and it was with that language I was raised and what I prefer to speak in. Cases such as mine are not the only instances where other countries’ cultures are patronized. There are some Filipinos who prefer bread over rice, some who choose international styles over local ones—many traditional and hard-core nationalists would probably frown at those kinds of people for “not being truly Filipino.”
I beg to differ. I do not believe that being Filipino relies solely on one’s preference of things, nor the way one was raised, nor the language one speaks. I believe that the true identity of a Filipino lies in the values than run deep within his blood.
This is because, I believe—no matter where we are, where we were born, and where we were raised—the true Filipino still somehow upholds the values that are associated with our culture. Hospitality, love of family, respect for the elders—all these and more are evident in almost anyone with Filipino blood coursing through them. It is because of this observation that I have come to believe that it may not only be the Filipino culture that cherishes and harbors these values—it may run in the blood as well.
An observation: overseas Filipinos—whether they were born in the Philippines or not—tend to proudly declare they are Filipino and never fall short of showing Filipino values. This says something about our country. Our identities are not lost. Our people are not disloyal to the country. Some of us may like a diversity of things from other countries more than our own. Some may even prefer living abroad more than here—but I think it should not be an identity issue because though we may be diverse in our personalities and preferences, we are one in our security and knowledge that we are Filipinos. Filipino citizenship relies on “jus sanguinis”—if you have Filipino blood in you.
The true identity of a Filipino does not lie in acting like one 24/7. It lies in knowing you are one and being proud of it.
Miguel A. Bernad, a Filipino Jesuit priest, once said: “Let us not be ashamed of ourselves. Let us not be ashamed of our history. We are Asians, but we have been greatly influenced by the West. We belong to both. In this we are unique.”
We may have been colonized by so many but, despite all that has scarred us in history, the identity we have today is our own.
Quoting Ulysses, “I am a part of all I have met.”
This we are.
And that makes us the stronger ones.