P.Burgos is a well known red light district in Makati. I should know, I use to stay there. When I interned in the business district of Makati, I chose to stay at P.Burgos because it was cheaper and I could walk to work every morning and afternoon, without having to hail a cab.
In the morning, people are selling fruits, small food items, and trinkets. Hardly, any cause for danger. At night, it the streets become filled with white guys and scantily clad women and men.
Last night, I took a stroll down memory lane to take a couple shots of the night life for a contest my friends and I entered in June. The street hasn't changed at all. On every street corner white foreign men were bargaining the price of one night stands with one or two young Filipino ladies. At the local bar, foreign men were staring at every Filipino woman that passed by, eyeing them like pieces of candy.
It was disgusting. Young ladies that were my age were prancing around in mini shorts and tops that showed off their cleavage to foreign men who simply wanted to pay them for sex. Of course, poverty most likely plays a role in this street. Women may not have a choice in the matter to sell their bodies for sex. However, knowing that the Western world sees the Philippines as a place to get one night stands obliterates the supposed "pride in the Philippines." Politicians and student groups may encourage national pride amongst its citizens, but how does that pride transcend to actual emotion when I see a place like P.Burgos? Where is the pride in that?
I have pride in my culture but national pride is not something I can say I truly have. I equate national pride with places like P.Burgos, the hypersexualization of women on billboards, the racial inferiority complex of almost every Filipino woman who feels the need to be whiter, the election of President Noynoy Aquino who simply got elected because of his mother and father's fame, the obvious matriculation of old actors and actresses into politics (just because they're well known on TV), the exit of nurses and skilled professionals because there are no jobs to sustain them at home, the poverty and slums, and the nepotism/crony politics that is so ingrained in Filipino politics.
Last night, I was watching the History channel and they were discussing how America grew into a super power. America's growth is the product of innovation and self-sustained domestic industries. Essentially, most of America's industries grew from the ground up -- local businessmen invested in the manufacturing of cars, steel, home appliances, clothing, etc. All of that was home grown and not imported. Eventually, those industries grew and perpetuated the growth and expansion of American cities to what we see today.
The Philippines has trouble growing a domestic industries. We rely on multi-national corporations to feed us the big investments instead of growing it for ourselves. In turn this dependency is what feeds Philippines' poverty because there are no means to support small businesses (aside from loans) to flourish and create jobs.
For example, my friend Roland and I had a discussion about his Nurse research. There are roughly 200,000 nurses in the Philippines and about half or a third of them are unemployed. The nursing population here is filled with skilled health workers. If they are able to put their skills to good use, by, for example, taking care of the poor, elderly, or sick, OUTSIDE OF THE HOSPITAL, you'll see a very different Philippines where low income households can seek proper care for their sick children and elderly relatives. However, do we see that connection or political investment? No we do not. Does the Philippines government do anything to put their skilled workers to good use? No they do not. Instead investment is going towards, building new malls, creating new government departments, and paying the salaries of over indulgent and entitled politicians.
After being here for a year, I have found significant pride in my culture, the food, the people who greet me hello on a bad day, the wet markets where honest people are trying to make a living, the rice paddies where farmers continue to find joy and passion in their work, the slum dwellers who still find time to smile at the camera, the people sweeping the highways of debris despite the heat, the feeling of acceptance and family when I go to the provinces for a vacation, seeing Sari-Sari stores and knowing that Filipinos haven't given up hope to make things better for themselves. That's my culture, the people who fill their lives with hope and smiles regardless of their destitution or hardships they may face.
National pride is a completely different sentiment that I have found hard to accept during my time here. The frustration of not being able to do anything except give hungry kids selling smpaguita a piece of my pandesal makes me feel disappointed in a government that does not find potential in its people, particularly the children. The potential for innovation and growth will always be hindered by people who lack vision and heart in government.