Filipino Pride, Pinoy Pride, Pinay Pride, American Pride, Husky Pride. These are all words to me, and also to many that hear them. I am beginning to deconstruct my identity or lack thereof, and realizing what’s of importance to me. By doing so, those two word expressions that end with “Pride” add a deeper level of symbolism to my life. What I appreciate now at this point is a greater understanding of my identity. Though it’s still a work in progress I am relearning and will continue to learn my Filipino heritage. An old Filipino proverb says, “ Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.” The translation of this says, “He who does not know how to look back and know where he came from will never get to his destination”. When I was younger living in the US I was more so inclined to vocalizing my pride of being Filipino. I would wear clothes with the national flag on them; I would write my “about me” section on MySpace all about how I’m pinoy and breakdance. Then as I grew older I realized it was a fad, I didn’t acknowledge this pride I had of being Filipino. What does it even mean to me? Why acknowledge a pride for my heritage that I’ve been disconnected with for so long?
What does having ethnic pride entail? I sit down and draw a blank mind when I ask myself this because I am a coconut. Have you ever heard of that saying? A coconut is brown on the outside white on the inside. Therefore I am a coconut. Actually I disagree. My mannerisms are a mixture of Filipino and American, which is a product of living in Washington State and being exposed regularly to both my Filipino family as well as non-Filipino people I interact with on a daily basis. The only person that has ever jokingly called me a coconut is my girlfriend. That’s beside the point. The point is, that ethnic pride is recognizing the importance of the heritage in which you come from.
Ethnic Pride, in my opinion, is synonymous with nationalism. In simple terms, Nationalism is the acknowledgement of great loyalty an individual has for her/his country. I argue that they are synonymous because ethnic pride almost always relates to one’s loyalty to their country. From the standpoint of an immigrant I recognize the importance of my heritage, and where my nationalism lies is both within the Philippines as well as my adopted country, the U.S.
So what does Filipino Pride mean to me? To me it means acceptance of my distinct difference from non-Filipino’s. It is not hatred towards people of different backgrounds. It is love of my family, love of my culture, and love of my people.
In an article by Renato Constantino entitled “The Miseducation of the Filipino” he goes into great depth about nationalism which should be more overtly expressed and taught in the arena of education in the Philippines. “The system and philosophy that Philippine education is founded on is that of American colonialism”. The power to mold the minds of an oppressed people generation after generation is the most effective means of spreading the foreign agenda. An American military commander named General Ortis valiantly believed this and helped open more colonial schools, the schools at that time were headed by American military personnel. To this day, education in the Philippines, Constantino argues, is a product of American colonialism and continues to promote American interests.
"The Tire Dummy Workout" "Stix Arnis Filipino Martial Arts Equipment"Last week us huskies embarked on a three-day intensive Arnis training session with Master Rey and his pupils Roni and Paul culminating in a full day tournament against the Taguig City University Arnis team. From beginning to end we were thrown into the fighter’s life, the Filipino fighter’s life. Arnis is a Filipino Martial Arts form. It is the action of using an individual or double stick to cause pain to an enemy. In organized Arnis competitions there are two opponents pitted against each other each armed with a single Arnis stick. The first one to strike the other gains a point. The fighter with the most points at the end of two rounds wins the match.
The ideas Constantino presents in his article “The Miseducation of the Filipino” magnifies the sense of nationalism Arnis encapsulates as a national sport. Though I am no expert at Arnis history, or philosophy I gained valuable insights to the sport many Filipino’s take pride in as being authentically Filipino. Rey Dominguez is a world renowned Arnis Grand Master, and taking us under his guidance showed us the way of Arnis. He as well as his wife Lori Dominguez are two very proud Filipino’s. They have a happy family, a profitable air conditioning business, and are world class Arnis champions. Through simple conversations their sense of nationalism was evident. One of the things he brought up was how Germany claims to have started Arnis, but from his perspective it’s obviously untrue. Rey and Lori also expressed their great interest in the ethnic make-up of the members of our group. When Rey introduced us to another Arnis Grand Master he mentioned (incorrectly) that we were comprised of Filipino-Americans, Americans, and “2 pures”. (Had he correctly introduced us he would have said there were 6 pures) Their evident ethnic pride relates to their nationalism because Arnis is a Philippine Sport. Because of this connection I argue that the two terms are synonymous.
"Master Rey intoduction of the ethnic make-up of the group"
In Constantino’s article he states that the educational system in the Philippines requires reform. The image of the ideal Philippines is imprinted in the minds of the people and it has negative effects. The ideal Philippine country is portrayed as an agricultural heaven. “This in turn presents the belief that the Philippines can never be more than an agricultural country. It also hinders progress for agricultural life because it fantasizes the hard life of farmers making it a place where people would rather vacation in rather than take care of.” To invoke Philippine nationalism in the minds of the youth is to turn away from the colonial mindset, or the American agenda. The example of the image of the ideal Philippines needs to dissipate. Constantino argues that there are things in the Philippines that promote foreign expansion or agendas such as the “idealized picture of rural Philippines”, and such things stunt the progress of the country.
Education is not an institution for simply learning the motions, its definitive goal should be to empower and motivate the people of a nation to better the lives of their country and countrymen. Constantino’s ideas about education are not new. (In no way am I placing myself on par with Renato Constantino) In my personal statement applying to UW in 2008 I wrote that my purpose of applying was to become a productive member of society. I had this idea that education is a tool to becoming an informed model citizen. I know I am not the only one to feel this way, and it’s uncanny to see an article that mentions the same argument.
Why acknowledge a pride for my heritage that I’ve been disconnected with for so long? Though I was not raised with the conventional Filipino culture I happily and proudly represent my heritage. Learning Philippine history through articles, and then seeing the things I read about embed my deep love for the Philippines that I never had to this extent before. I was called a foreigner the other day at Taguig City University as I was buying water at the local store, and in a lot of ways it’s true. It offended me and shamed me at the same time because I am Filipino, I look Filipino, both my parents are Filipino, but I speak differently, act differently and probably think differently. It’s up to me to use what I’ve learned to either help or hinder the progress of my nation/s. There is no doubt in my mind that I will pursue the former.
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