Multimedia

There is one aspect of the Filipino that I am not a fan of the penchant of some of us for self-flagellation. We sometimes put ourselves down and express shame instead of pride in our people, in our country. Phrases like “only in the Philippines,” “ang Pilipino talaga…” usually take a particular negative trait we observe in one or two people and magnify it to apply to the entire country. I remember when we would watch Filipino action films where cops would arrive after the hero of the movie had defeated the criminals and someone would always comment, “ang mga pulis talaga sa Pilipinas natin laging huli.”

Metro Manila and other regions in the Philippines have transitioned to Alert Level 1 in the past two weeks with flying colors. The further reopening of the economy proved to be uneventful, as daily Covid-19 cases continued to decline despite the more relaxed business environment that allowed more people to go to work.

We make choices every day. Some of them are mundane choices — what brand of toothpaste or shampoo to use, what to have for breakfast, where to eat. Some choices are very consequential. For instance, the choice of what to major in college is an important decision in life because it would have some bearing on the kind of future you would have.