Ask A Filipino

Found this in Youtube the other day. Pretty interesting.



I know these are just simple questions with simple answers, some might even find them dumb questions. But it's one of them simple questions that has a much deeper answers. So I am gonna give it a try and answer these questions based from experiences as a Filipino. These are of my opinions and facts through quick research and living within the Filipino Community. Mind as well blog about it. I was gonna make a videoblog but I have a fat tongue and talks like a... goober.

Why Filipinos are short:
Statistics says short people tend to have longer lifespan than tall people. But not all Filipinos are short. There are tall Filipinos too. Some you can't even tell they are Filipinos until you hear them speaking in Filipinos. Another explanation is that Filipinos has Aeta or Negrito DNA. These people are the first descendant of the Philippines Archipelago. They were considered as Pygmies due to a Genetic Mutation called Insular Drarfism. Filipinos today are actually taller compared to their predecessors. Wealthy Filipinos in the Philippines are also tall because they can afford vitamins to complete their nutrients in their diet. The Spaniards were also tall (spaniards who were born in the philippines) or Mestizos. Majority of these Mestizos were massacred during the Spanish American War by serving as Spanish Soldiers. The Spaniards fled back to Spain or perhaps even to Mexico after Spain sold the Philippines to the Americans for 20 million dollars. Most ethnic Mestizos that survived took the Filipino Entertainment Industries as their safe havens. Some Mestizos work their ways from the Entertainment Industry to Politics. One sample is Tito Sotto from the Eat Bulaga Show. Another is Fernando Poe Jr. Few of my favorite Fernando Poe Jr. flicks are of his series "Isang Bala Ka Lang" meaning "You Worth Only One Bullet". More like the Filipino version of Dirty Harry except Fernando Poe Jr, plays a Rebel. These two actors turned politicians are good people.

Why Filipinos are loud:
I work with lots of Filipinos from the past, from different regions, and it don't matter if they were either Tagalogs, Ilocanos, or Visayans, but most of time, the loud once are the Filipinos that grew up in the Big Cities like Metro Manila. Even Jeepney Drivers, and Tricycle Drivers can be loud too. People that lives in the mountain sides are also loud. Like the Igorot Tribes. I know this is dumb but I have a distant relative from my town with a Japanese sounding last name, he even looked Japanese. Anyway I made the conclusion that his rowdy behavior could be Japanese DNA. Or maybe it's just a common personality just like any other people with high blood pressures. I also been told that Filipinos with Kinky or Curly hair are quick tempered because of common high blood pressures, which makes them loud people. That loudness personality could also trace back from the Papua New Guinean DNA. Papuans are loud in general.

Why Filipinos are quiet:
It's normal for anyone to be shy. Most Asians are shy in general. Could also be their long lost descendants from Quanzhou of Fujian Province in China. I believe the province they were from were peaceful people, quiet, maybe loud in Chinese New Years. Plus in the Philippines, most people who lives in low land provinces didn't have to be loud, people come and go, so it's also genetic that they are simply quiet. Not that it's not normal to be quiet, some people are just not loud. Another reason, is when people in the low land provinces gets loud, they are usually made fun of or ridiculed as uncivilized Mountain People. It's a Spanish influence to make fun of Mountain Tribesman as Salvajes' (savages). Others say some Filipinos are quiet because of political oppressions for many many years from the Spaniards, Americans, Japanese, and then later the corrupt side of The Philippines Government after the first and then the second Indipendence. There were lots of domestic killings ever since from conflicts through Martial Laws, Regional Territory, Religious Diplomacy, Anti-Government Agendas, Clans vs Clans. Until there's nothing more to say and better off to just be quiet and let the guns do all the talking.

Why Filipinos are not Vegetarians:
What? Filipinos loves vegetables. And because Filipinos can eat both Vegetarian and Meat. Filipino Americans and Immigrants survived the Great Depression from eating mustard seeds, taros, sweet potato leaves, okras, sometimes stuff Americans would not even considered eatable like pig feet, pig tails, pig ears, fish heads, and fish tails. Plus Filipinos can Adobo mostly anything, all you need is soy-sauce, garlic, onions, pepper, and vinegar to season what ever you wanna Adobo like pork, chicken, beef, fish, shrimps, clams, crabs, squids, octopus, tofu, bamboo shoots, the list goes on and rather not write what the rest are. The most popular vegetarian dish with meat or without is Pinakbet from the Ilocos. Sinigang is also a favorite vegetable soup but with meat. Some Filipinos back in the day (not too sure about today) in the Philippines were actually embarrassed of eating all vegetarian diets, and considered as a sign of poverty by Spanish influence. Most Spaniards favor adding pork to their recipes.

Why are there so many Filipino DJs:
Filipinos were social groups since they settled in the Islands, always into music and dancing. Back in the day, like In 1930's The Lost Generation and The Greatest Generation were into Big Band Music. Maybe the first South East Asians to have Vinyl Record Players in their homes. And then for The Baby Boomers back in the 60's and 70's were Filipinos who embraced Western Pop Culture, and they DJ for Barrio Fiestas, Cha-Cha Contests, and Disco Clubs. Karaoke is also big, anything American and Latin Tangos. Some of these Baby Boomers also made Bands doing Cover Rock Music and had gigs in Japan. As well as collectors of Vinyl Records and Eight Tracks. Then came The Generation X as well as the birth of The Hip-Hop Culture. It was the Break-Dancing that caught the Filipino Youth's attention first, and then the music. The parents already had the turntables, and vinyl collections a basic starting points for them kids becoming DJs. Filipino parents that were nurses or wealthy enough spoiled their kids in any way they can just so their kids can socialized with American Kids. As long as they promised to get good grades and become doctors, lawyers, or nurses, they can be DJs. Turned out these kids didn't just become DJs but evolved unto cultural pioneers. Don't get me wrong now, if I have kids of my own I definitely want them to become doctors, lawyers, or nurses too. But open minded enough to let them choose a passion of their own. Like in the Arts and Music. There are lots of talented Filipinos but they had to be either masters of socializing or has good professions to back up their dreams. In some ways, skills are made rather than being born to it. Musical Savants usually comes 1 out of 1000 or less. Or more. Philippines isn't a big country. But if you go to the Philippines most of them knows more American Pop Music from the 70's and 80's than some Americans. They could sing all these music like taking a Tabo Shower in that one Filipino Show called Wooowee, my folks watches Wowowee religiously. They even went to their shows.

Why Filipinos are organized:
True, maybe because of hundreds of years of oppressions and disciplines by Catholic Ideologies. Perhaps it has to do with creativity. Even in a messy unorganized places like in the poor communities, the Filipinos living there has organize ways of thinking. Survival purposes. They know what are worth organizing and not really worth organizing. Sadly some don't really care or lost all their hopes and turned unto something else. The main motive is to get out of the country and make money outside the Philippines. You can tell by the way Filipinos write on a piece of paper. The way they write are clean and organized - when they take notes. Education for a success are worth organizing than organizing the bad environment they lived on. But when these same people succeed and earned enough or have made it, they evolved by organizing their environment, and proud to socialize to other Filipinos and shows off their homes. A sense of pride and self respect.