I am a Filipino but how can I prove it then? I am a Filipino but I don’t have interest much in Filipino movies, OPM (Original Pilipino Music), and the original color of the skin that we have. Furthermore, I had learned in my subject Hekasi during my elementary years telling the topic about Filipinos: that an original scheme of a Filipino is kayumanggi ang balat, pango ang ilong, kulot ang buhok, at ang wika ay Filipino; upon discovering this, I am then in crisis if my citizenship is really a Filipino or not for I am against this scheme to be applied to my own physical self.
First, I might say that I am a Filipino since I am born in Philippines. Well, many people would agree to this, but wait, this is not yet still a very stable argument to prove that I am really a Filipino because there are certain situations that many Filipinos are born but some are not born in the Philippines, but they are genetically Filipinos. Let us consider the situation of Jose Julian Meneses who was born in Saudi Arabia and after several years, they transferred here in the Philippines and now, he’s a certified Filipino. And by having this argument that I am a Filipino just because I was born in the Philippines can still be disputed and this argument is still vague if many will discover the reality behind this argument.
Second, I might say that I am a Filipino since my parents are also Filipinos. Well, indeed, this can be viable; yet, this can’t be very much trusted as a reason for being a pure blood Filipino. We can’t guess really that much if my predecessors are all purely Filipinos in a sense that according to our Philippine History, we were invaded by a various foreigners and we can’t be sure enough if our Filipino predecessors were destined by them. And thus, I can’t be sure enough if I am really a pure Filipino blooded citizen of this country and since I doubted this reason, this reason is still vague and unstable in terms of defining my identity as a Filipino.
Third, I might say that I am a Filipino because I live within the Local Area of Responsibility of this country. But wait, I am also then certain that this argument is still no that very definite and final enough for not all people living in this country are all Filipinos, and some are foreigners. Identity is not only about place, and thus I consider this reason as viable but not that very much stable to identify myself as a Filipino.
Many reasons had been discussed yet, there is no stable reason to be made for me to be proudly say that I am a Filipino. Well in fact, identifying myself is not just about the place of birth that I have, or about the genetic history of predecessors that I have, or the place that I live with recently; rather, I am a Filipino because I am happily living in the Philippines, I am proud to be a Filipino, and I am happy being a Filipino. And why is it all about happiness? Because in happiness, there will I remain and there will I identify myself with. Being a Filipino is unique and being a Filipino is more on happiness. Being a Filipino is not something to be ashamed of, but it is something to be carried for and to be proud of. Being a Filipino is to be a Filipino, nothing less, nothing more. We are Filipinos and we must be proud of it.
-Alan Christian Tabaosares
3rd Year Philosophy
Philo Notes 