The Subic Expat#3-Filipinos

The Philippines have been occupied by humans for at least 20,000 years. There are many indigenous tribes living on the different islands. Their ancestors may have traveled here over land bridges during the Ice Age when sea level was several hundred feet lower. Seafaring people from Vietnam, China, Malaysia, and Indonesia have visited for trade and fishing for thousands of years. Luzon was known as the island of gold to Chinese traders for thousands of years and Chinese records mentioned Palawan in 1250 B.C. The Spanish ruled the Islands for 300 years and, after the Spanish American War, the United States maintained a presence on the islands for years. The great variety of the facial characteristics and body types of the people attest to this heritage.
They refer to themselves as Filipino, or Pinoy. Although Tagalog is the official language and is taught in the schools, there are many other dialects spoken in the islands such as Ilocano, Visiyan, and Cebuano. Nearly all people speak some English as it is also taught in the schools. Most signs are in English also. Tagalog is printed with a similar alphabet although their alphabet has a few less characters and also a few that we do not use. Tagalog is mostly Indonesian-Malayasian. The long strings of letters, the glottal stops, the inflection on certain words is difficult for people of European extraction.
There are many tagalog words which are left over from the three hundred year Spanish rule. Table items, knife, fork, glass, etc are Spanish words. Telling time is in spanish. The days of the week and the months are from spanish; the spelling is different but the pronunciation is the same. The spanish for how are you is como esta; in tagalog it is kumusta. It helps that I have a little Spanish.
There are a number of types of verbal and body language that foreigners should learn in order to communicate with their girlfriend. The word for yes is oo and is pronounced oh-oh. Any double sound may signify yes. For instance, the words um-um in English means no. In Tagalog this is also yes. So when honeyko says um-um I have to make a quick translation in my mind. Yes is also signified by a quick rise of the eyebrows. One has to watch the face to catch this.
Filipinos do not point with their hands and fingers. They point by pursing their lips in the desired direction. Again one must watch the face. To use the toothpick in a restaurant one must cover the mouth with the other hand. It is considered offensive to allow people to watch you pick your teeth. To pass between two people you say “iskus” and hold an extended hand downward in front of you.
They give each other the “high five” for any shared joke or “gotcha”. Although the women have a low melodious voice when talking in English to their foreign boyfriends, when they talk together they are quite noisy and sound like a flock of geese., The Filipinos laugh more than any group I have observed., except perhaps Mexicans.
Many Filipinos are accomplished musicians. There are bands which play excellent country-western, blues, or rock and roll. Beginning in 2000, the rock band Aegis became immensely popular. Filipinos love music and they all love to sing. The Videoke machine is found everywhere. In homes, small stores, restaurants, and pool rooms. The machine plays the music for ballads in English or Tagalog. The words are printed and highlighted when they are to be sung. Very few people have good singing voices and Filipinos are no exception. Afternoons and evenings you can hear someone singing with the videoke along the streets or beaches of Baretto.
In the streets of Olongapo, many stores have giant speakers playing at max volume, usually playing Filipino rap or hip hop. Filipino women seem to prefer listening to and singing ballads, in English or Tagalog. Many women who work in bars or restaurants catering to foreigners know the words to most American ballads dating back to the 1950’s.
Filipino TV is full of game shows very much like the Mexican ones. Very low level comedy, lots of exaggerated body and facial gestures, lots of off key singing, but the Filipinos all laugh hysterically. Perhaps it is just me. I don’t like American game shows either.
Why do I like it here so much? One reason is that they are some of the nicest people I have met during my travels in Europe and in Central America. Perhaps the reason I find the Philippines so attractive is that the people remind me of my youth in Mexico City. I attended college there one year on the G.I. Bill. For me, it was a very happy time. I found travel, adventure, a new country, and very poor and very friendly family oriented people with a Catholic and Spanish background. Being here seems like returning to my youth at an age when looking backward is more fun than looking forward. It is truly a great place for an old guy!