Jump to content

How Do Filipinos View Balikbayans?


Recommended Posts

sheeeeeett, thought this rat is dead. guess it's true, rats r as hardcore as cockroaches. they never go away. so waddup boo? thought u ditched me, biatch? gotta say i miss our conversations. don't like s*ckin me schlong? awwww, c'mon dawg...being a fag that u r. know u luv that. bout some hairy sweaty balls egot? actually, u disappoint me. that's all u gotta say to ur kababayans abroad after all that smart talk? tsk tsk tsk. pare, just like u, we're here to stay. look at u..."i'm on an island with a wireless internet...wooohooo! i'm such a looooseeeerrr! me gots a wireless broadband! wooohhooo!" uuumm yah, u're really special, uh huh. that's the last thing i would do on vacation. why don't u cum over here in guam where there's quiet a few of our kabayans who want to whoop u ass. it's only a few clicks east of our motherland. i'm here till monday.

 

well, gotta go fly my truck. gotta make some moh cash..CA-CHING! u enjoy that island, i hope u're far enough from the Abu Sayyaf. NOOOTTT! so long c@ck suckahhh...braker braker over over!

Link to comment
sheeeeeett, thought this rat is dead.  guess it's true, rats r as hardcore as cockroaches.  they never go away.  so waddup boo?  thought u ditched me, biatch?  gotta say i miss our conversations.  don't like s*ckin me schlong?  awwww, c'mon dawg...being a fag that u r.  know u luv that.  bout some hairy sweaty balls egot?    actually, u disappoint me.  that's all u gotta say to ur kababayans abroad after all that smart talk?    tsk tsk tsk.  pare, just like u, we're here to stay.    look at u..."i'm on an island with a wireless internet...wooohooo! i'm such a looooseeeerrr!  me gots a wireless broadband!  wooohhooo!"    uuumm yah, u're really special, uh huh.    that's the last thing i would do on vacation.  why don't u cum over here in guam where there's quiet a few of our kabayans who want to whoop u ass.  it's only a few clicks east of our motherland.  i'm here till monday. 

 

well, gotta go fly my truck.  gotta make some moh cash..CA-CHING!  u enjoy that island, i hope u're far enough from the Abu Sayyaf.  NOOOTTT!    so long c@ck suckahhh...braker braker over over!

 

 

Ano daw? hahahaha

Link to comment

As someone who's not filipino but comes from a country with similar problems... i can identify with this discussion cos we used to have a parallel back home. Adressed with the same degree of vehemence!

 

But what we have seen is:

 

1. Economically - citizens leaving the country to work abroad are usually an asset. Funds from across the seas add to the foreign reserves of the home country. Case in point is the dollars sent back home by "OFW's". That money just helps boost spending in the home country...thereby triggering a domino effect leading to job creation. Its a closed loop that boosts overall wealth creation.

Of course thats in a perfect world without leakages due to corruption. Thats a hard fight to win...but I guess every country fights it with varying levels of success. The same case here. Just that its the people back here need to be more active in bringing about sensible change...as opposed to knee jerk coups. And this thrust for change is usually supported by citizens abroad in terms of funding organizations that push for positive change.

 

2. The other aspect is that of a "brain drain". The concept of able minded, skilled individuals leaving the country lured by better prospects abroad. However, in the long term, these very same individuals tend to return to the home country...richer and more powerful...to set up businesses and contribute to the growth in the economy as well as to push for changes in the political and economic system.

 

Its happened before. My example is of India where loads of engineers and doctors left India in the 70's. Made their fortunes in droves...and are now returning to their home country (usually for eotional reasons) and setting up enterprises, creating jobs and pushing the government for changes.

 

then theres the issue of individual attitudes of the "balikbayans". well...i always believe its wrong to

make generalisations. Everyone has their own reasons. Nobodys completely right or completely wrong.

 

...just my two cents... :)

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

Ummm...so Balikabayans are ex-Filipinos who "chose" to leave?

 

So what about those who had no choice, like maybe they were still children? Are they not considered Balikabayans when they come back?

 

And what about those who did chose to leave because they wanted to earn money to send back to their families? No not the "official OFWs" but those who found another way....

 

Hmmmm...I'm confused!?!

 

:blink:

Link to comment

12 ako nung lumipat ako dito. di pa ko nagbabalikbayan eh... pero, i've got comments anyways

 

akala ng iba nagiinarte lahat ng mga balikbayan. pero hindi naman palagi eh! i'm still 100% pinoy pero natural, sometimes i do just as the americans do cuz as they say "when in rome, do as the romans do" and sometimes, that has become the norm for me. and its very offensive pag sinasabi ng mga tao "ang arte naman nun!" over the smallest details. when i call the ref "fridge" and when i say "purse" instead of handbag, hindi ko naman ginagawa yun para ipamukang mataas ako e... i TRY to use more familiar terms when speaking to filipinos pero i tend to forget paminsan e. its like being forced to call your dad by his first name... paminsan, u still say "dad" diba?

 

ang kinaiinis ko yung ganito "i've been in the u.s. for 4 years, i've forgotten tagalog..." what the heck?! my uncle has been here for 50 years, he still knows tagalog... may imik ka?! ako, my accent -- american pag nag-e-english. filipino parin pag nagtatagalog. alangan namang tigasan ko yung accent ko para maging masaya yung kapwa pilipino ko pero hindi ako maintindihan ng iba kung kausap.

 

pero ang kinaiinis ko, yung mga filipino na napaka-insensitive pag magsalita and grabeng manlait. i once heard a filipino balikbayan say "walang sinabi ang ateneo kahit sa community colleges lang ng america!" well, that infuriated me. alam ko naman na the philippines CAN and DOES produce good things too.. i know ateneo's a good school from feedbacks and based on the atenistas i've met... gusto kong sapakin yung nagsabi nun kasi its such a stupid comment!!!

 

advice lang sa mga nasa pinas: BALIKBAYANS AREN'T GODS BUT THEY AREN'T THERE TO PUT U DOWN EITHER. just treat them with your natural hospitality... PERIOD!

 

aah! basta! i've got so much more to say pero i think these are the important ones

Link to comment
I came and spent about a month in the Philippines just recently.  I pretty much grew up in the US but always had the urge to go back to my home land and possibly stay for good.

 

I dare not digress, but as a balikbayan, I do believe we are misconstrued.  I can assure you that I have nothing against my fellow Filipinos but the main difference is contributed to the diversity in culture, values, lifestyle...etc.  For instance, people who are outspoken in the states are considered intellectual and the ones that are not outspoken are considered lame.  In the Phillipines, being outspoken is a sign of arrogance.

 

Rather than misjudging the balikbayans, I think we should think twice and consider their experiences in a foreign land.  To become sucessful, one needs to fit and adapt in a diversed environment.  One of you will be a balikbayan someday, I don't think it would be fair if you are misinterpreted...right?!  I thought so! ;-)

 

ha! :boo: totally agree.. especially about the being outspoken part... cuz i'm outspoken :P and thought of as "walang modo" when i think i have a point and they just dont wanna admit it cuz they think i'm too young to have a point about anything...

Link to comment
sheeeeeett, thought this rat is dead.  guess it's true, rats r as hardcore as cockroaches.  they never go away.  so waddup boo?  thought u ditched me, biatch?  gotta say i miss our conversations.  don't like s*ckin me schlong?  awwww, c'mon dawg...being a fag that u r.  know u luv that.  bout some hairy sweaty balls egot?    actually, u disappoint me.  that's all u gotta say to ur kababayans abroad after all that smart talk?    tsk tsk tsk.  pare, just like u, we're here to stay.    look at u..."i'm on an island with a wireless internet...wooohooo! i'm such a looooseeeerrr!  me gots a wireless broadband!  wooohhooo!"    uuumm yah, u're really special, uh huh.    that's the last thing i would do on vacation.  why don't u cum over here in guam where there's quiet a few of our kabayans who want to whoop u ass.  it's only a few clicks east of our motherland.  i'm here till monday. 

 

well, gotta go fly my truck.  gotta make some moh cash..CA-CHING!  u enjoy that island, i hope u're far enough from the Abu Sayyaf.  NOOOTTT!    so long c@ck suckahhh...braker braker over over!

 

what the heck? :rolleyes:

we're all filipino here remember? and we're talking about how annoying balikbayans are (my kabayans in the states annoy me particularly because of the way they talk) so just a reminder... i understand everything u said but i dont think everybody else does...

Link to comment
Ummm...so Balikabayans are ex-Filipinos who "chose" to leave?

 

So what about those who had no choice, like maybe they were still children? Are they not considered Balikabayans when they come back?

 

And what about those who did chose to leave because they wanted to earn money to send back to their families? No not the "official OFWs" but those who found another way....

 

Hmmmm...I'm confused!?!

 

:blink:

 

Please refer to Post #92, which contains the official definition of a balikbayan, as provided for in Republic Act no. 6768.

Link to comment
sheeeeeett, thought this rat is dead.  guess it's true, rats r as hardcore as cockroaches.  they never go away.  so waddup boo?  thought u ditched me, biatch?  gotta say i miss our conversations.  don't like s*ckin me schlong?  awwww, c'mon dawg...being a fag that u r.  know u luv that.  bout some hairy sweaty balls egot?    actually, u disappoint me.  that's all u gotta say to ur kababayans abroad after all that smart talk?    tsk tsk tsk.  pare, just like u, we're here to stay.    look at u..."i'm on an island with a wireless internet...wooohooo! i'm such a looooseeeerrr!  me gots a wireless broadband!  wooohhooo!"    uuumm yah, u're really special, uh huh.    that's the last thing i would do on vacation.  why don't u cum over here in guam where there's quiet a few of our kabayans who want to whoop u ass.  it's only a few clicks east of our motherland.  i'm here till monday. 

 

well, gotta go fly my truck.  gotta make some moh cash..CA-CHING!  u enjoy that island, i hope u're far enough from the Abu Sayyaf.  NOOOTTT!    so long c@ck suckahhh...braker braker over over!

 

 

some people are more Popish than the Pope, this fellow feels more American than the Americans, 'hood slang and all, notwithstanding the fact that Guam is just an unincorporated territory of the US..a mere military installation of the US. . You are the lowest of the low.. Humarap ka sa salamin at tanungin mo sarili mo kung Kano ba ang tingin sa yo ng mga totooong Kano.

Link to comment
some people are more Popish than the Pope,  this fellow feels more American than the Americans, 'hood slang and all, notwithstanding the fact that Guam is just an unincorporated territory of the US..a mere military installation of the US. . You are the lowest of the low.. Humarap ka sa salamin at tanungin mo sarili mo kung Kano ba ang tingin sa yo ng mga totooong Kano.

 

Way to go, warhead!

Link to comment
^ by the way, just in case u might think that what i mean by "my kababayans particularly annoy me by the way they talk" i don't mean u can't talk that way. i just mean, its probably not best to talk like that kapag fellow filipinos mo lang ang kasama mo...

are you refering to the accents of your kababayans or the actual content of their conversations (words they use, expressions, etc)?

Link to comment

In short majority of the Filipinos are ignorant that is why when they go overseas to work and go back to the Philippines, you can see that they didn't change their ways but except they start complaining more...

 

In my own opinion this ignorance is caused by the lack of education of our people and you can blame the poverty to the Government.

 

Anyway, back to the topic...I think balikbayans worked hard for their money and they reserve the right to show in what way they want. It could be by wearing those thick gold necklace, imported rubber shoes etc etc... haha but that's their business...as long as they dont complain to others when they're in the Philippines, that's fine.

 

People complain, it's human nature...I always complain when I'm there but I don't complain to others, I keep it to myself because I do not want others to feel humiliated or bad. If I don't have anything good to say, I keep it to myself and that's what others should do, not just balikbayans but other people in general.

 

Everytime I'm there, I try to keep a low profile, I don't even tell my some friends that I just came from overseas, I just tell them that I live in the province.

 

And I could also attest that some filipinos I've met here complains a lot that they're so annoying. I think people should accept what they have and what the other people or country can provide. In short be flexible and learn to live with what you have and what is available. We should all be grateful for what we have and if we have something to give to the less fortunate, please try to give a little of that fortune.

Link to comment

i was born in the Philippines but we moved to australia in 1989 when i was about 5, my parents did move to escape the troubles in the philippines , actually we were doing alright there our family was well off but it was to provide a better future for me. When we got here thanks to my auntie we struggled for a few years establishing a life here with school, work and basically getting use to the social environment of australia. It took us 12 years to finally pay our house off due to my parents working hard and never once when i was kid spolit even though only child. They paid for me to go to a good school without worrying about themselves what car they drove than some others in here, they made sure we got the necessities in establishing a life here before luxury. And now im thankful, im working in a good job getting roughly and not being big headed but 80K a year but i owe it all to my parents.

 

But never did we forget about the Philippines and never did we start acting like we are better coz we made it across water, my parents always kept on speaking visaya to me at home and always told me never forget about where we came from. When i was a kid and during my teen period my parents alwayst tried to make a holiday every year to visit family etc and to me that was the best time seeing all my cousins coz here i dont have much. But never once when i was there i thought i was better than the other kids on the block because i had a game boy i would always share my things and not worry.

 

However there are some filos who really give me the sh!t here. First are the ones who come from Philippines fresh off the boat, yea i understand there situation and wanting to come here work for the better of life etc but i hate it like after 4 weeks they start pretending they dont know how to speak tagalog/visaya and start acting as if there millionaires, u know colouring their hair with blonde tips and get an expensive car & house but their pay cant even get their kids into decent schools but act all upper class and all.

 

There are alot of Filipino families that we know stuggle because of this and even to the point of bankruptcy, some are deported back home because of that. There some Filipino families who just work at factories, like my parents, but they put luxury over other important things and now i see them struggling and even their kids work in factories or early job to help parents pay their house off or the 3rd new car they bought to look good in the community.

 

Here in Australia and i dunno for the youths in other countries, but the Filipino youths are the worst. Here in Aus they act all snobbish, give u the look if your not in their "class" (even though there darker than the pinoys in the homeland) and theres always this tension that 'hey i gotta be better than you'...well fCuk that!....

Again some even pretend that they cant speak our language and they just give you a laugh if you do, coz they think your trying hard. The funny ones are the ones when eating time at parties there like 'yuck i dont eat this and that' but when out with 'white' people they blab about how much pinoy they are and even say to them 'aah you gotta try this food of ours' but they their the ones complaining they cant eat it. Being pinoy for them is just a cool image but behind that they dont give two cents apart from them thinking when going on holiday i get a bigger exchange rate & they think there white coz they from here (as in skin, errr trust me ur darker than black).

 

and yes to the above people they are right some Balikbayans do go home and wear all their expensive stuff just to look upper class and be better than the neighbourhood block but in truth their just average people in australia...

 

I can go on all day about how bad some Filipinos are in australia, im not saying all our like this but 60% mostly are. And how do i know coz i grew up with these youths...this is my opinion and what i see of Filipinos in australia...sorry for the ranting im just at work and its going slow today...peace :D

Edited by luol_deng
Link to comment

I think that we should treat balikbayans NO different from the way we would relate to our own families and friends. Balikbayans are our mirror to the world. We listen to how they live their lives abroad and they listen to how we live our lives here. They reflect the character of every Filipino wherever they are and we show them what the genuine Filipino is about.

 

You have to credit a balikbayan for his successes overseas. I think we ought to give them time and space for that. I am sure, we get affected when a balikbayan friend/relative talk about how unruly Filipinos are here, how dirty the country is, how cheap life can be. We should not fault them for that. Aren't all these things happening around us of our own making. Overseas Filipinos follow the laws, why cant we do that here.

Link to comment

i view them as equals. kahit nung nasa us ako ang tingin ko sa fil-ams e pareho lang. minsan nga nakipagaway pa ako sa isang kababayan natin na don na nagmigrate. pauwi na ako noon from a vacation this was January 1996. Kasama ko sa LAX iyong sis ko noon. Nong nilipat kami ng isang PAL employee ng linya. Akala nong nasa likuran naming balikbayan na sumisingit daw kami. Tapos nagpaparinig pa na makapal daaw ang mukha namin. Hinarap ko sya sabi ko kahit taga Pinas ako hindi ako ugaling skwating. Tinawag ko ung taga PAL na nagpalipat sa amin sa linya siya ang pinakausap ko doon sa makapal ang mukhang balikbayan. ayon napahiya tinitingnan ko di natingin sa akin. tinatawanan ko tapos hiniritan ko na magtanong muna bago maghusga ayon. pahiya si loko.

Link to comment

I was born in the PI, grew up there and even had a small consulting trade going before I left for the USA in 1984. I was already and adult male who has enjoyed the club scene and the good food here. Currently I support my mom in the provinces.

 

I have seen balikbayans who are obviously so by their clothes (short pants, leather sandals, US designer wear, etc). I have also observed balikbayans that really pisses me off with their attitude, ESPECIALLY their hoittty-toitty manners, noses up in the air, and speaking english which is thickly filipino accented. I speak fluent english that is midwest (no accent) and if you were to listen to just my voice, you would not say it was a non-white speaking it. But, when I am back home, I speak tagalog with the locals and chinese w/ my relatives. I enjoy speaking our dialects because it gives me practice and it is just so easy to communicate in 3 languages.

 

I love a lot of things about the Philippines and there are a lot of things that irritate me too. Things I can not change, I just to accept it as part of the fabric of life there, and move on. And enjoy the other parts of life there. Believe me, life in the PI is much more fun than life in the USA, which is very bland and boring. I also dress very casually to avoid drawing attention to myself. My Ex-GF once said that she did not believe me at first when my cousins told her I was a US resident on only there for a vacation because I did not dress or act so, only when I was ready to leave did she really believe it was true.

 

This is a true scenario: I was hanging out w/ my cousin and going w/ him to see his suppliers (bosses) for several years, so they know who/what I am. One of them asked me - How do I like the USA (is it fun, easy to make money, etc)? I replied - No, its a hard and boring life, more like existing to earn money, no quality of living like we're used to. He laughed ...... and said - You're "totoong tao"., and stated further that most of the rich or successful people in the US he talked to have the same comment as me ........ whereas the lowly ones on the totem pole come home bragging about how great they are in the USA.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...