I always had a high threshold for pain and suffering, not because I came from the Philippines where we're used to poverty, calamities, and corrupt politicians, so that the majority of us just grin and bear it, continued our lives with a smile on our faces, and had unquestioning and natural hospitality for foreigners, whether they were white, dark, yellow or pale; but because most of us, or about 89% were Christians who grew up trustworthy, and too familiar with the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ which was handed down to us from generations to generations after 400 years of Catholic but brutal military Spanish conquest and colonialism, and had become so ingrained in our psyche, religiosity, and way of life, that we internalized it as our very own lighthearted pain and suffering, and just attributed it to our 'bahala na' (which comes from Bathala/God,) or come what may attitude.
Today, death comes early in the Philippines, not only because of President Duterte's extrajudicial killings of drug addicts and pushers by military-designated killing squads (but not for big fishes/drug smugglers,) but also naturally for ordinary Filipinos who like to drown their sorrows and be merry, while celebrating their annual barrio & town fiestas in honor of their village Patron Saints, or getting together with family and friends during baptisms & confirmations, weddings & anniversaries, holidays & Holy Days, especially Christmas & New Year, reunions, or bievenida & despedida parties for balikbayans/expats & OFW's or Overseas Foreign Workers, by eating lots of fatty foods, smoking weeds or cigarettes, and drinking beer, rum or gin, and forget about their pain and sufferings by begetting more children, in order to increase their chances of having social security, prosperity, and mobility, while not using artificial birth controls like pills, condoms, IUD's, etc., that the Catholic Church (which still wields a lot of power in Filipino culture & society) forbids. And, nothing can be truer in the Age of the Internet among the Filipino youth, who are spoiled with sophisticated smart phones and gadgets, especially if one of their parents is working abroad, and end up having babies before marriage, at a very young age.
Don't get me wrong; but the Philippines is one of the most religious countries in the world, and Filipinos are widely known in the medical & nursing professions, their English language proficiency skills, or for being educated, resilient, hardworking, and most sought after as sailors, nannies and caregivers worldwide. They are family-oriented, and most of the parents are willing to sacrifice their lives, even working in foreign lands, for the good of their family, and children most especially.
There are 10.2 million Filipinos who are now living or working abroad, which account for the 4th largest remittances worldwide totalling $40 billion dollars, and are sent by them to their families or relatives in the Philippines. The remittance industry in the Philippines is the second largest money maker in the country, while human resource is now its biggest export. Not only is the Philippine government generating money out of these Filipinos, which keeps it afloat, but also Overseas Filipino Workers or OFW's and Filipino expats have become the biggest purveyors of Christianity around the globe (and I'm not just talking about Filipino clergy-missioners) but ordinary Filipinos who have envigorated the Christian churches and communities wherever they went, around the world. And for the first time, the ubiquitous Filipino Pre-Christmas tradition called Simbang Gabi, or the 9-day Novena Mass leading to the birth of Jesus Christ, was celebrated last year, not only by Bishop Thomas of the Diocese of Las Vegas, but also in the Vatican by no less than Pope Francis.
Aside from Christmas, there is nothing more self-evident with regard to the Christian zeal of Filipinos, than in their over-the-top celebration of the season of Lent, inspite of its solemnity in commemorating the suffering and death by crucifixion of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
(To be continued...)
Today, death comes early in the Philippines, not only because of President Duterte's extrajudicial killings of drug addicts and pushers by military-designated killing squads (but not for big fishes/drug smugglers,) but also naturally for ordinary Filipinos who like to drown their sorrows and be merry, while celebrating their annual barrio & town fiestas in honor of their village Patron Saints, or getting together with family and friends during baptisms & confirmations, weddings & anniversaries, holidays & Holy Days, especially Christmas & New Year, reunions, or bievenida & despedida parties for balikbayans/expats & OFW's or Overseas Foreign Workers, by eating lots of fatty foods, smoking weeds or cigarettes, and drinking beer, rum or gin, and forget about their pain and sufferings by begetting more children, in order to increase their chances of having social security, prosperity, and mobility, while not using artificial birth controls like pills, condoms, IUD's, etc., that the Catholic Church (which still wields a lot of power in Filipino culture & society) forbids. And, nothing can be truer in the Age of the Internet among the Filipino youth, who are spoiled with sophisticated smart phones and gadgets, especially if one of their parents is working abroad, and end up having babies before marriage, at a very young age.
Don't get me wrong; but the Philippines is one of the most religious countries in the world, and Filipinos are widely known in the medical & nursing professions, their English language proficiency skills, or for being educated, resilient, hardworking, and most sought after as sailors, nannies and caregivers worldwide. They are family-oriented, and most of the parents are willing to sacrifice their lives, even working in foreign lands, for the good of their family, and children most especially.
There are 10.2 million Filipinos who are now living or working abroad, which account for the 4th largest remittances worldwide totalling $40 billion dollars, and are sent by them to their families or relatives in the Philippines. The remittance industry in the Philippines is the second largest money maker in the country, while human resource is now its biggest export. Not only is the Philippine government generating money out of these Filipinos, which keeps it afloat, but also Overseas Filipino Workers or OFW's and Filipino expats have become the biggest purveyors of Christianity around the globe (and I'm not just talking about Filipino clergy-missioners) but ordinary Filipinos who have envigorated the Christian churches and communities wherever they went, around the world. And for the first time, the ubiquitous Filipino Pre-Christmas tradition called Simbang Gabi, or the 9-day Novena Mass leading to the birth of Jesus Christ, was celebrated last year, not only by Bishop Thomas of the Diocese of Las Vegas, but also in the Vatican by no less than Pope Francis.
Aside from Christmas, there is nothing more self-evident with regard to the Christian zeal of Filipinos, than in their over-the-top celebration of the season of Lent, inspite of its solemnity in commemorating the suffering and death by crucifixion of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
(To be continued...)
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