Are You A Filipino?

A reader posted the question on the Discussion page why Filipinos seem to always ask, "Are you Filipino?" whenever they meet or run into each other as strangers. It seems like a simple question, but the individual who asked this question was right, it is also a very personal question.

On a generalized aspect, the tendency to pose this question is not exclusive to Filipinos. Perhaps, it might be put in a different way, but it is frequently mentioned just the same. For instance, when Americans vacation anywhere from a 50 mile radius from home they would eventually ask, after the prerequisite small talks, "Oh, where are you from?" Obtaining a person's origins somehow is a natural curiosity. Admittedly, for a Filipino, it is more than just curiosity. There is a whole lot more emotional dynamics going on with the question being asked and with the answer to be given.

One of the Suite101 member attempted to answer the reader's question of why this perpetual need to ask "Are you Filipino?" He said his wife is Filipino and he gathered that it has mainly to do with being homesick for home and country. And indeed, this is one of the valid reasons why there is that need to ask. Anyone who has traveled far from home, especially out of the country, will attest the willingness to bond with a person from their own country when they are adrift in a sea of foreigners. And these are people who are most likely vacationing, or assigned to work abroad for an indefinite period of time.

One must understand first of all, that Filipinos are very sentimental person whose orientation evolve around their nucleus of a family. A Filipino can be poor and happy, but to be an orphan and alone would be his or her greatest tragedy. When a Filipino wanders far from home, they would tour the great sights and be fascinated with whatever nation they are visiting, but family, friends, and loved ones are never far from their mind. Unfortunately, when Filipinos are abroad, it often means that they are not out there to see the sights, but to find employment that would improve the level of their family's quality of life. Therefore, one can presume that they are not there for only a short period of time, but indefinitely. Oftentimes, the day they will be reunited to family and country is of an uncertain date.