What do foreigners think about Filipino people, culture, food, places and lifestyles?

Since I met and married my American husband, I have held a lot of stereotypes about the Philippines. As a Filipino-born citizen, I can quickly prove some stereotypes as untrue.Here are the following:

1. Filipinos speak Tagalog ONLY. Most of the foreigners think that all Filipinos speak one language which is Tagalog as the national language. It's a big NO. There are hundreds of dialects spoken in the Philippines like Ilonggo, Waray, Bisaya, Tagalog and more. Filipino is the national language and mostly spoken in the Luzon area. The most spoken dialect is Bisaya which is known by the natives in Mindanao and Visayas. Filipinos can speak English too as they learn it from school and is used as medium of instruction in Math, Science and other subjects.

2. Filipinos are ALL beautiful. Absolutely All women are beautiful regardless of race. It's just that not all feel they are and see their inner worth. In lieu of the famous maxim which goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", not all Filipinos think they are beautiful and comfortable with their own color of skin. Some of them undergo invasive surgical operations to feel beautiful or enhance the beauty they already have as what other famous Filipino-celebrities did to their bodies. Some had nose, breast, chin and eyes augmentation. Some undergone botox or liposuction. While others take glutathione and supplements to make their skin look whiter. Surgical operations didn't make them unpleasant, it's just that they don't they are beautiful enough. But it is how they enhance beauty and they all have the rights to do so. There's nothing wrong with it. Society perceives and dictates the standard of beauty in different ways.

It is a proven fact that Filipinas age with grace. Do you know want to know their secrets? It's because they eat most of the time fresh fruits and vegetables. It is a pride to all Filipinos that to excell in international pageantry.

3. Everyone is Catholic. Nope! Christianity is not the only religious belief existing in the country. Islam is most common next to Catholic. Besides, there are a lot of sectors of Christianity that is imminent in the country, Born Again, Seventh Day Adventist, Quiboloy and Bible Baptist to mention a few. However, majority of the people have religious congregation. Most of them are more devout compared to other people. Like they pray before and after going to bed, they pray while riding on or driving in the car, they say grace before meals and even before taking a shower they make sign of the cross!

4. Everyone is poor. It's a lie. Not all Filipinos live in shanties and slum areas. Most of the Filipinos are thriving in the middle class. They are the bourgeois who are professionals and receive above minimum income wage. There are also Filipinos who are capitalists and they comprise the world of entrepreneurs. However, majority of the Filipinos receive below minimum wage and they comprise the lower class of economical hierarchy. As a whole, Philippines is a poor country.

5. All Filipinos are warm and hospitable. While it runs in the blood of every Filipino to smile amidst diversity, not all of them are friendly and warm. There are some Filipinos who are corrupt, dishonest and scammers. I myself was a victim of fraud when I went to Manila City. Taxi drivers scammed me many times and they tried to rip me off by not using their built-in meter. I felt disappointed and ashamed of their behavior. I think all countries in the world have scammers and dishonest people. Despite of this, most of the Filipinos are really fun and hospitable kind. For instance, it's common in a typical Filipino family to offer you the best of their household things like blanket, pillows, new set of plates and silverware when you pay a visit to their house.

6. Filipino foods are dull. Some are actually bland but not in general. You haven't tasted the adobo, lechon baboy, crispy pata, sinigang, menudo and more. So, you'd better not compare it with other bland Asian foods you savored. Aside from that, Filipino delicacies are out of this world. You should grab some to give for your family and friends as treats after your vacation in the Philippines. Filipino foods have been influenced by other cuisines such as Mexican and American. Some of their foods are full of flavor and spicy. Except the rice that is always served plain!

7. Manila is the ONLY city. Nope! It is the center of trade but not the only city in the Philippines. Besides, Makati City is the most modern one. Cebu City's economic composure is booming next to Davao and Cagayan de Oro. From the outskirts of Metro Manila, you can find beautiful white beaches like in Siargao and Boracay which awed thousands of tourists. Not to mention the alluring beauty of the perfect cone of Mayon Volcano and the towering heights of Maria Christina Falls. Have I mentioned the divine Underground River in Puerto Princessa which has been part of the Eight Wonders of the World in back to back adventure of Whale Watching in Oslob, Cebu.

8. Filipinos value time. Not all the time! It's common in the Philippines when you say Filipino time, it means an hour later than the agreed time. For instance, the party is set to start 4:00 p.m expect that they arrive at 5:00 ,or even worst, at 6:00 pm. Filipinos love food so it's an inconvenience to eat dinner at 4:00. Filipinos value time but with some reasons. Since traffic is horrible in some areas of the Philippines particularly in urban places, some arrived in school and work late because of traffic jam. They have in mind, it's better late than never. However, not all, there are individuals who master the art of time management and most of them are in the respected community such as professionals.

So if you have meeting with a Filipino friend, ask him first what time is his availability and try to emphasize what kind of time do you like to follow American or Filipino? When you are planning to throw a party, consider what time do Filipinos usually eat their meals and what is the peak of traffic.

9. All Filipinas are Nurses. It's very typical for a foreigner to think that all Filipinas are nurses because most of the Filipinos who went abroad worked as nurses. Well, the truth is there is a huge number of Nurses in the Philippines with few hospitals to work and with low salary. So, Filipino nurses are tempted to work abroad. Yes! Philippines is the best nurse-manufacturing country.

10. Filipina wives are submissive. It's not true. It is common in the Philippines the term submissive husband or we call it in our local color as "Under the Saya". Saya means pants. It's an idiomatic expression that an under the saya husband is the husband who helps doing the household chores such as cooking, cleaning and washing laundry which are coined to feminine 'jobs' only. Being so, does not represents superiority of Filipinas in the household it signifies equality. However, based on history, the family structure in the Philippines is patriarchal wherein, the father provides strong support in the family and the wife is the light and submissive. It is also reflected in Christian teaching that the wife should submit to the husband as Christ to the Church.

11. ALL Filipinos are hardworking. No. That's a lie. Filipinos are known to be hardworking abroad because of the amount of money they get paid compared to how much they receive in the Philippines. Hardworking people are those who are motivated and driven in life. But just like other people in different countries, some Filipinos are lethargic. Some make a living in the street by mastering the art of begging. While some resort to easy money such as prostitution and drugs. You can see beggars on the street carrying their children teaching them the art of making a living through begging. . There are also homeless people who don't work and rely on financial subsidies given by the government. The truth is, people all over world have different level of motivation and hardwork. Some do work less and get paid more while some do work more but get paid less. It affects the level of motivation for someone to be called hardworking.

12. It's more fun in the Philippines. Yes and it has more poverty too. If you fortunate and wealthy enough to live in the Philippines, you can do a lot of amazing things with a lot of beautiful scenic spots to visit. But not just only that, if you go to rural areas, you witness the different faces of poverty. But despite of that, you can see the faces of typical Filipinos smiling amidst adversities and that what makes it fun living in the Philippines.

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