Are you a Proud Filipino?

Excerpts from the article "Proud Pinoy?" written by Jubert John Requillas Marzan dated June 12, 2010~

To the people who think that there is no hope for the Philippines, to the retarded columnist who called the Philippines a nation of servants, to the desperate housewife that insulted the quality of Philippine medical education, to the Comedy Central loser who called President Cory a slut, to the fugly Adam Carolla who called the pound-for-pound king illiterate, I feel so sorry for you. And to all the Filipinos who proclaim that they are ashamed to be Filipinos, to tell you, I'm much more ashamed to have you as "kababayans".

Excuse me Juan dela Cruz, before you judge our country, before you look down and spit on us, before you shove in anyone's faces that the country sucks big time, pause for a moment and ponder, "What exactly have YOU done to make this the place you want it to be?". If none, then just zip it. You don't have any right to complain, you don't have any right to whimper and snivel because you yourself have done nothing.

I have come to realize that it is the people who makes the country and not the other way around. Moreover, I have come to realize that if we want this country to gain its lost glory, we must put our shits together and work towards a united goal. This will not be an easy ride, there will always be the pain of defeat and pleasure of triumph. But what separates the two is the attitude we Filipinos possess. We are known for our resiliency. We can manage to laugh even after a tragedy. It is not that we can't take anything seriously but because we prefer to move forward with renewed vigor and rising expectation than to just sit down and cry.

Some of us may be exhausted of "Philippines-in-deep-poo-poo" state and some may think that the only way to get out is to give up. No puh-leez, keep holding on. Sino pa ba ang magmamahal at mag-aaruga sa Pilipinas kung hindi tayong mga Pilipino? Sino pa ba ang magmamalaki sa ating lahi kundi tayo-tayo din? If nobody wants to lift our chair for us then we must do it ourselves. Or else nobody will know how much we're worth. 

As for me, I refuse to believe that my country is a hopeless case.

I refuse to be humiliated by my own lineage.

I refuse to lambaste my own countrymen. 

I refuse to exchange my citizenship for anything else.

I refuse to give up.

I am a Filipino and will always be a Filipino, "sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa".

Forget Me. Forget Me Not. I`m 21.

I turned 21 just recently! Not that anyone really cares. And it’s no big deal for me, really. I don`t celebrate birthdays. And I can’t remember a time that I celebrated my birthday in a grand way (except when I was a kid). I rather have a “me-alone” time, watch a movie, shop or something to that effect. I’m always single during my birthday so I don’t have any dates with whomever. And I don’t receive gifts during my birthdays, probably because: 1) my friends are kuripot (on second thought, so am I) or; 2) they perceive me as someone who is not materialistic which is partly-true.

This birthday was no exception. I did not celebrate grandiosely. Because the 17th fell on a work day, it was work-as-usual for me. I went to work and was surprised that “Happy 21st Birthday Jubert” was all over the place. Then in this instance, Ate Ching (a midwife that has been working in the hospital for 20 years) greeted me. It kept coming as I saw work mates whom I identified as friends greeted me. I could scarcely say “Thank you” knowing that I nauseate from corny statements. I may not show outward signs of being (over-acting-ly) thankful but deep inside, I was like “Okaaay, I wanna cry”.

But it was just like any other day (or so I thought). I was busy most of the day. I even accompanied a patient who went to a tertiary private hospital for a scheduled CT scan that afternoon. After about an hour, we went back to the hospital. The patient’s wife gave me a take-out pre-dinner from Jollibee and her daughter-in-law (she prolly overheard my work mates or read it in one of the posters at the station) greeted me “Happy Birthday”. I reciprocated by giving a humble smile. I was touched. I really appreciated the nice gesture. The next day, my workmates surprised me with a birthday cake and ice cream. Wow, ang sarap sa feeling. It was the first time that someone gave a me cake (aside from family members). 

Me and my cake <3

Thanks to all those (1) who celebrated my birthday with me, to those (2) who were with me that day but didn’t celebrate with me, and to those (3) who said they would celebrate with me but didn’t. I love you all! Thank you to everyone who took the time to greet me personally, text, call, sent me TA, sent me PMs, tweet, and post their words on my wall. This so overwhelming and touching knowing you people remembered and took even a little time and effort to greet me. I’m also grateful to those who knew my birthday from somebody else’s mouth. Ang sarap ng feeling that I had a vast social life. 

Cheers to being an adult now. Goodbye teenage years, you were pretty darn awesome!