baliktad
Thomas H. Slone
Hello,
Can anybody tell me whether people still speak "baliktad"? I saw an
old reference to this (Tagalog Speech Disguise by H.C. Conklin,
Language 32:136-139, 1956). Baliktad is a "backwards" speech, e.g.,
the Tagalog "salamat" becomes "tamasal" or "tinapay" becomes
"tuminapay" used for secrecy. If it's used, who uses it and when?
Thanks for any help.
Tom Slone
--
--
t...@potency.berkeley.edu
David J. Baltazar
well instead of "Let's go", my family used to say "go let's"
So i dunno if that qualifies as being baliktad.
---
David Joseph Baltazar balt...@allegro.cs.tufts.edu
t...@terra.igcom.net
http://www.igcom.net/~taz/mypage
Faith: not wanting to know what Two things are infinite: the universe
is true. and human stupidity; and I'm not sure
Is life not a thousand times too about the universe.
short for us to bore ourselves?
- Nietzsche - Einstein
Thomas H. Slone (t...@potency.berkeley.edu) wrote:
: Hello,
D'Kalogian
In <52ec2o$g...@agate.berkeley.edu> t...@potency.berkeley.edu (Thomas H.
Slone) writes:
>
>Hello,
>Can anybody tell me whether people still speak "baliktad"? I saw an
>old reference to this (Tagalog Speech Disguise by H.C. Conklin,
>Language 32:136-139, 1956). Baliktad is a "backwards" speech, e.g.,
>the Tagalog "salamat" becomes "tamasal" or "tinapay" becomes
>"tuminapay" used for secrecy. If it's used, who uses it and when?
>
>Thanks for any help.
>Tom Slone
>--
>--
>t...@potency.berkeley.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I believe this was started by Filipino "baby-boomers". They used it
among themselves as gang language. Non-member (of the group) will of
course get confuse on what the others are talking about. There are
several words I happened to remember: Police (pulis) becomes lispu or
"alat". Alat is reverse spelling of "tala" - tala is star, and star can
be seen on police badge - hence "alat" = "pulis".
Also, there used to a daily tabloid newspaper in Manila called
"TALIBA". That's the reverse of BALITA! Words "dihin" for hindi,
"botak" for takbo (run). "Atab" for bata (or babe) ...
With that, later on, new words appeared, kind of street lingo. Words
like "pogi" for guapo, "chukaran" for kabarkada (or group member).
I guess, the word brought home to U.S. by G.I.'s after the WWII is
similar to it. The word "boondocks" is actually "bundok" for mountain,
but as used here it mean jungle, a wild, wilderness, heavily wooded
place, remote, hinderland. It's never been reverse, though ...
FB/
D'Kalogian
In <52f19p$c...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com>
fbl...@ix.netcom.com(D'Kalogian) writes:
> With that, later on, new words appeared, kind of street lingo. Words
>like "pogi" for guapo, "chukaran" for kabarkada (or group member).
Chukaran is another interesting word. It came from word "Karancho"
means from the same ranch - or from the same group/gang.
Sal Estrada
In article <52f19p$c...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com>, D'Kalogian
<fbl...@ix.netcom.co> says...
>
> I believe this was started by Filipino "baby-boomers". They used it
>among themselves as gang language. Non-member (of the group) will of
>course get confuse on what the others are talking about. There are
>several words I happened to remember: Police (pulis) becomes lispu or
>"alat". Alat is reverse spelling of "tala" - tala is star, and star can
>be seen on police badge - hence "alat" = "pulis".
I agree we baby-boomers were heavy into this baliktaran practice. Don't forget
we grew up drinking KLIM milk. Let's see, here's a couple more popular
baliktad words we used to use:
goli ligo (bathe)
nge-pats pangit (ugly)
dehins hindi (nope)
tapun punta (to go)
erpat pader (father)
ermat mader (mother)
repa pare (priest or buddy)
etet titi (guys private part)
tik-a atik (slang for money)
brolibs libro (book)
sa-i isa (one)
lotats talo (lost) or tatlo (three)
posam sampo (ten)
basla labas (go out)
chikot kotse (car)
ep-gee jeep
enka kain (eat)
alaws wala (none)
erbee beer
begtu tubig (water)
tsekin intsik (chinese)
hobern baho (stinky)
kemala malaki (huge)
johuds hujo (jew)
temits itim (black)
teputs puti (white)
klabaks bakla (gay)
ketsa sakit (hurt or sick)
senglot lasing (drunk)
bogli libog (horny)
pegul gulpe (beat up)
posta tapos (the end)
---
Aykeber
In <52ec2o$g...@agate.berkeley.edu> t...@potency.berkeley.edu (Thomas H.
Slone) writes:
>
>Hello,
>Can anybody tell me whether people still speak "baliktad"? I saw an
>old reference to this (Tagalog Speech Disguise by H.C. Conklin,
>Language 32:136-139, 1956). Baliktad is a "backwards" speech, e.g.,
>the Tagalog "salamat" becomes "tamasal" or "tinapay" becomes
>"tuminapay" used for secrecy. If it's used, who uses it and when?
>
>Thanks for any help.
>Tom Slone
>--
>--
>t...@potency.berkeley.edu
i've heard a lot of the younger filipinos use some words of tagalog
that way (sort of), especially in california. so far, the only word i
remember is "tabalitz" for balita.
ciao
Bambam Q.
Kenneth Y. Ilio wrote:
>
> In article <52ec2o$g...@agate.berkeley.edu>, t...@potency.berkeley.edu
> (Thomas H. Slone) says:
> >
> >Hello,
> >Can anybody tell me whether people still speak "baliktad"? I saw an
> >old reference to this (Tagalog Speech Disguise by H.C. Conklin,
> >Language 32:136-139, 1956). Baliktad is a "backwards" speech, e.g.,
> >the Tagalog "salamat" becomes "tamasal" or "tinapay" becomes
> >"tuminapay" used for secrecy. If it's used, who uses it and when?
> >
> >Thanks for any help.
> >Tom Slone
> >--
>
> Nauso 'yun in the 60s and the 70s when I was in haiskul so I still
> sometimes speak this way.
>
> i.e. pogi (as in pogi dehin goli), dehins, erpat, ermat, tap-we, rat-bu,
> et-et, waswit, oropsop, toki (this one is very ingeneous - ikot is the
> jeepney that runs around the UP campus for years - anti clockwise
> direction ... a few years back, they put up a toki, one that runs
> clockwise), ek-ek, etc.
>
> Much of the contemporary swardspeak is also based on baliktads (and more)
> ... very colorful.
>
> Lots of baliktads words are available at the Filipino Slang Web Page
> maintained by Phoebe Parron (http://www.pitt.edu/~filipina/collect.html)
> and at the Swardspeak page at http://www.tribo.org/bakla/bakla.html).
>
> >--
> >t...@potency.berkeley.edu
Actually there is a form of baliktaran different from the one in the 60s and 70s. The
one you remember is the kind where you would reverse syllables. When I visited in the
late 80s (wow! parang ang tagal na nuon), some of my friends were reversing the letters
of the words. "Baliktad" would be "datkilba". And they would reverse all the words of a
sentence, not just a few. "Binabaliktad ko ang salita ko" would be"datkilabanib ok gna
atilas ok." My best friend worked as the Production Manager for the singing group Tux. I
heard members of their group speaking this way (and really fast too).
--
~ ~
====================(.)(.)=============================================
( ('') )
Bambam Quimson ~~
http://www.hooked.net/~amdg85/mainbam.html (My HP)
http://www.hooked.net/~amdg85/ncalumni.html (Ateneo Alumni of N.Ca.)
http://www.hooked.net/~amdg85/light.html (L.I.G.H.T. on the Web)
http://www.hooked.net/~amdg85/st_andrw.html (St. Andrew Parish)
"To give and not to count the cost..."
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
Conrad Gonzalez
In article <52f9ga$o...@news.aimnet.com>, sest...@ix.netcom.com says...
>
>In article <52f19p$c...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com>, D'Kalogian
><fbl...@ix.netcom.co> says...
>>
>> I believe this was started by Filipino "baby-boomers". They used it
>>among themselves as gang language. Non-member (of the group) will of
When I was growing up, in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati, Rizal, we invented a
langauge that was intended for the "barkadas" only. It is basically Tagalog
with adding the letter "g" plus the vowel for every syllable prounouced. For
example. the tagalog word "Oo"(yes) would sound "o-go o-go."
"Saan ka pupunta?" (where are you going) would sound " Sa-ga an-ga, Ka-ga,
Pu-gu-pun-gun-ta-ga?"
It can be very confusing at first and needs a lot of practice both in
delivery and in receiving. It drove my parents nuts though. I thought it was
cool to use it in parties when certain communication has to be coded. Ah!
those were the days.
--
Conrad Gonzalez
Hanover, VA
Eric/Genny
er...@aol.com (Erap) wrote:
>en ip you eber played tex, you know that we counted like dis:
>sai, walada, lotats, pat-a, mali,nim-a, topi,lowa, yamsi, pusam.
>in twos op course.
Dont' forget - TSA (as in half)
Eric
Ted C. Gonzalez
In article <52hq17$l...@test-sun.erols.com>,
Conrad Gonzalez <con...@erols.com> wrote:
|>
|>When I was growing up, in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati, Rizal, we invented a
|>langauge that was intended for the "barkadas" only. It is basically Tagalog
|>with adding the letter "g" plus the vowel for every syllable prounouced. For
|>example. the tagalog word "Oo"(yes) would sound "o-go o-go."
|>"Saan ka pupunta?" (where are you going) would sound " Sa-ga an-ga, Ka-ga,
|>Pu-gu-pun-gun-ta-ga?"
|>
|>It can be very confusing at first and needs a lot of practice both in
|>delivery and in receiving. It drove my parents nuts though. I thought it was
|>cool to use it in parties when certain communication has to be coded. Ah!
|>those were the days.
Hagardlygy egesogotegerigic, Cogonragad. Ahgay yugused igit mahgysegelf igin
mahgy yougouth. Cougould yougou bege mahgy logong-logost regelagatigive?
Hagahagahaga. :)
--
Anne
"The Filipinos in the U.S.
(Their lives, values, beliefs, and views)
and the Country Left Behind"
(The New Philippines)
March 1995 was very memorable to me. It was the moment I joined the
millions of people around the world who aspire to the American Dream.
Filipino=92s venture to the U.S. is not a recent fad. In fact my seafarin=
g
ancestors have been coming here since mid-16th century. The first
Filipino immigrants settled in the bayous Louisiana. It was a beginning
for others to follow, and sure enough, we did. We are one of the fastest
growing minorities in the U.S. Recent studies shows that a sixth of the
total immigrants in the States are Filipinos and one million of the
seven million foreign-born residents are from the Philippines(I=92m one o=
f
them). The questions that came to my mind was, "How is immigration
working for the Filipinos, their lifestyle, family values and their
perception of our Homeland?".
I ran a survey on the Internet for a few days. Fifty-five Filipinos
(or part-Filipinos) were eager to participate in my survey. Most of the
participant were petition by somebody in the family while the others are
either born here or first generation Filipino immigrant in the family.
My father was the first member in my family to come to the U.S. He
shares the experience of other immigrants of having to go through the
difficulty of assimilating to the American culture at the same time
coping with the pain of having to leave the family behind. For my father
it was very hard because we are a closed-knit family and I=92m sure it
holds true for most of the Filipinos.
The first thing he did was to look for a job. What job? Any job. Having
a military background (he was a Captain in the Air Force), it was
difficult to take on just any job. Most immigrants take on odd jobs just
get by on the first months or even years. A big sacrifice on their part
keeping in mind that it=92ll all be easier one day, this is America isn=92=
t
it? The American Dream. A Vietnamese friend once asked me, "Why does it
seem so easy for Filipinos to get a job?". Survey says that almost 80%
of Filipino immigrants find it rather easy to get a job in the States .
Why? We owe this to the Motherland. Philippines is a country of very
proud people. Education and faith are their defense if nothing else. =
Unlike in the U.S., education is not an option in the Philippines, which
has a literacy rate of 93% . =
Big investors had been doing business with the P.I . and had been
providing jobs to the Filipinos for over 20 years. But competition is
very high. As Mr. Warren Uy of Timex Philippines said, =
"Job opportunities are abundant, but not to the extent that it will
provide decent job to all the literate Filipinos. Determination,
intelligence, self-confidence and patience are the key factors needed to
acquire a job." =
Coming to the United States, the Filipinos are equipped with educational
background and strong communication skills thus looking for work is
rather easy compared to other immigrants. "Yes, it wasn=92t so hard
because I=92ve got a BS degree and speak well.", says Mr. Andy Aganad. =
The 1990 census reveals that our family income is the highest among the
minority group while being engaged in all types of profession. Years of
education is the best guarantee of income in the U.S. And that is
exactly what the Filipinos have. =
"For me, it was just as easy/hard as it was for any other American. Of
course, my education helped me a lot. As far as my parents are
concerned, I don't think that they had problems that were significantly
different from anyone else." --Jerry Espinosa of CA. =
As far as raising a family, it has changed quite a bit as it changed
generations. The first generation Filipinos in the U.S. were struggling
to fit-in the American community as much as possible. Some have even
gone to the extent of teaching only English to their children hoping to
make their life easier and free from discriminatory incidents. =
"As a child growing up most of my life in America, I am the product of
the struggles of my parents to assimilate at the sacrifice (or more
appropriately, PRICE) of loss of language, custom, and overall Filipino
culture. I had to go through my own "identity crisis" because I didn't
know how to ask my parents about my culture, my background. Actually, my
experience happened after immigration. I remember asking my mom what my
full name was (I asked her in Ilocano ) and she replied back in
English. I was confused a little, but after that, my mom and dad only
spoke to us in English, which contributed to my lack in expertise of
the Ilocano language up to this point" -- Ms. Catherine Alcantara. =
The children have more tendencies to grasp and search for their roots
and to identify themselves with our culture (which is not unusual to
Americans). =
"After going through a long period of trying to assimilate into the
suburban white culture I learned in college the importance of my
Pilipino-hood. Then I went through a period of anger and intense root
searching. Now I am in a period of synthesis. Accepting my boyhood
experiences in suburbia and celebrating my being Pilipino." =
-- Dante Salvatierra
=2E... being a second generation Filipino American kinda makes me want to=
go see my roots...... I am also mixed so I think that contributes to my
yearning to learn more about the Filipino =
side! --Arniel Brown
One thing about our culture is that it is so rich, so diverse, and so
beautiful. Even though we want to blend-in so much, Filipinos are more
proud than desperate. We are very aware of the strengths of our faith
and values. The qualities that make us unique, the bond that keep our
families together. Filipino customs and family values are still strictly
imposed in most of the Filipino homes in the U.S .
"As a family, we still hold the Filipino family values such as showing
respect to elders (either by mano(kissing the hands of elders), or by
kiss/hug, and saying "po" to Lolo/Lola ), regular visit to parents (in
some occasions staying overnight or kids permanently living with parents
with no age limit until the kids are married and can support themselves,
and kids sharing their partial income to parents." -- Ramon Cabrera
The Filipino kids are pressured to get good grades and college is not an
option for most, rather, it is expected. The Catholic upbringing is
still upheld and practiced. In fact Catholic Charismatic movements and
novenas are still very popular among the Filipinos in the U.S. As an
old saying goes, "If all else will fail, God won=92t." Going to church,
specially in California would seem like stepping into another dimension,
just like going back home for an hour. Filipinos populate most of the
Catholic Churches.
Has the American dream been truly realized? Why do Filipinos want to
leave the country for the U.S.? Is there something that we are missing
or do not know about the Philippines? Most Filipino who has left the
country think that it is better to live here then in the Philippines .
Their reasons? Philippines =3D Corruption, Lack of Employment, Hunger,
Depression. These are the four major reasons they gave me. I must admit
we have all those in =91Pinas=92 . But don=92t we hear of corruption in t=
he
LAPD? How about layoffs in the Silicon Valley? Can someone tell me the
unemployment rate in the U.S.? And don=92t we see hunger and depression
all the time in the subways of New York City? Tell me one bad thing
about the Philippines that we can=92t find in the U.S. or in any other
country? I=92m not saying that we have the best of the world. Philippines=
does have its faults, but who doesn=92t? I=92ve seen =
the good and the bad side of the Philippines. I don=92t have a wealthy
family but I=92ve seen it enough to know that there are more things about=
this nation to love than to be bitter about. Some of the reasons are as
follows:
7,107 islands which comprise our nation are the forgotten islands of the
World. 5,000 of them are inhibited, pristine and not frequented by
tourists. 87 languages and dialects, one voice. Despite all the
political issues and economic instability, it is still a very relaxed
and fairly safe country to live in. Food is good, education is cheap at
high standards, accommodation is easy and the comfort of family is
always available. Economy-wise, inflation has been tamed -- to a
manageable 9 percent or so from the 18 percent or more that Pres. Ramos
inherited. Foreign investment has begun returning. Last year alone
almost $3 billion worth flowed in, bringing total commitments to about
$15 billion. There won't be a shortage of investment opportunities in
the next three years. The Philippines 2000 vision includes development
of two international airports, improvement of telecommunications and
transport, and construction of roads, highways, railways, power plants
and an integrated steel mill. Estimated total cost: about $13 billion.
In Cavite province just south of Manila, for example, the Gateway
Business Park, which Filipinos call "Asia's Silicon Valley," plans to
reclaim from Malaysia the regional lead the Philippines once had in
semiconductor assembly and testing. Seven U.S. semiconductor companies,
led by Intel Corp., and five Japanese semiconductor and electronics
firms have committed investments of more than $500 million. Their
target: up to $5 billion worth of component exports by the decade's end.
The projects should generate some 10,000 well-paying jobs.
And how are Filipinos coping with all these changes? All these would
indicate a sustainable recovery in any country. But the Philippines has
even more to offer, especially in comparison with its neighbors. No
other East Asian nation can boast its three notable advantages:
English-speaking workers: the Philippines has been the world's
second-largest English-speaking nation. English is here to stay as the
international language. An abundance of inexpensive skilled labor: The
world, and particularly Asia, faces a disturbing shortage of skilled
labor, especially skilled English-speaking labor. In the Asia-Pacific
region, the Philippines is the only country with a surplus of this
scarce commodity. Says Bernardo Villegas of the Center for Research and
Communication, a Manila think-tank: "I'm told that more than 2,000
Filipino professionals run Indonesia's conglomerates. In Bangkok these
days, my Thai friends talk endlessly about losing their English-speaking
accountants, computer experts and secretaries to one another every six
months. The Thais' solution is the Indonesians' solution -- they're
importing Filipino professionals." Southeast Asia=92s most stable
political succession: In view of recent Philippine history, the claim
may seem odd -- but it's true. Says Villegas: "No one knows what will
happen to Indonesia after Suharto. No one really knows how Singapore
will fare after Lee Kuan Yew. Most of these societies are overly
dependent upon personalities. Even Thailand's so-called stability is so
dependent on the King. These comparisons make the Philippines look
good." Young Filipino professionals are already returning to work in
Phils. Technological zones and similar places. This is the new
Philippines. A vast return exodus of Filipino talent to the Philippines
has begun.
No wonder why I can never talk my cousins into coming to the U.S. Their
reasons? It=92s quite obvious. Why leave the laid back, good life, and
nice weather of Cebu if they can get the same satisfaction of having
the job they want and enjoy without packing and leaving the comfort of
home and love of family? Why should they do their own laundry or dishes
when an average family can afford help in the house? Why should they
come to a country of blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes, and erratic
weather when they have warm comfortable weather all throughout the year?
Why settle with clich=E9 friends when you can have loyal friends and
family who are never too busy for a company? =
You might ask me as so many have already, what am I doing here if life
is so good back home?? Being a Filipino, what would you do if your
father sacrificed over ten years of his life to offer you the chance of
the American Dream? I came here because my love ones are here. My family
is the most important thing in my life. But - that doesn=92t stop me from=
being patriotic of my homeland. And I=92ll always look forward to going
back home.
Anne
Anne
"The Filipinos in the U.S.(Their lives, values, beliefs, and views)
and the Country Left Behind"
(The New Philippines)
March 1995 was very memorable to me. It was the moment I joined the
millions of people around the =
world who aspire to the American Dream. Filipino's venture to the U.S.
is not a recent fad. In fact my seafaring =
ancestors have been coming here since mid-16th century. The first
Filipino immigrants settled in the bayous =
Louisiana. It was a beginning for others to follow, and sure enough, we
did. We are one of the fastest growing =
minorities in the U.S. Recent studies shows that a sixth of the total
immigrants in the States are Filipinos and =
one million of the seven million foreign-born residents are from the
Philippines(I'm one of them). The questions =
that came to my mind was, "How is immigration working for the Filipinos,
their lifestyle, family values and their =
perception of our Homeland?".
I ran a survey on the Internet for a few days. One hundred fifty-five
Filipinos (or part-Filipinos) were =
eager to participate in my survey. Most of the participant were petition
by somebody in the family while the =
others are either born here or first generation Filipino immigrant in
the family. My father was the first member in =
my family to come to the U.S. He shares the experience of other
immigrants of having to go through the difficulty =
of assimilating to the American culture at the same time coping with the
pain of having to leave the family behind. =
For my father it was very hard because we are a closed-knit family and
I'm sure it holds true for most of the =
Filipinos.
The first thing he did was to look for a job. What job? Any job. Having
a military background (he was a =
Captain in the Air Force), it was difficult to take on just any job.
Most immigrants take on odd jobs just get by on =
the first months or even years. A big sacrifice on their part keeping in
mind that it'll all be easier one day, this is =
America isn't it? The American Dream. A Vietnamese friend once asked me,
"Why does it seem so easy for =
Filipinos to get a job?". Survey says that almost 80% of Filipino
immigrants find it rather easy to get a job in the =
States . Why? We owe this to the Motherland. Philippines is a country
of very proud people. Education and faith =
are their defense if nothing else. Unlike in the U.S., education is not
an option in the Philippines, which has a =
literacy rate of 93% . =
Big investors had been doing business with the P.I . and had been
providing jobs to the Filipinos for over 20 =
years. But competition is very high. As Mr. Warren Uy of Timex
Philippines said, "Job opportunities are =
abundant, but not to the extent that it will provide decent job to all
the literate Filipinos. Determination, =
intelligence, self-confidence and patience are the key factors needed to
acquire a job." =
Coming to the United States, the Filipinos are equipped with educational
background and strong communication =
skills thus looking for work is rather easy compared to other
immigrants. "Yes, it wasn't so hard because I've got =
a BS degree and speak well.", says Mr. Andy Aganad. The 1990 census
reveals that our family income is the =
highest among the minority group while being engaged in all types of
profession. Years of education is the best =
guarantee of income in the U.S. And that is exactly what the Filipinos
have. "For me, it was just as easy/hard as =
it was for any other American. Of course, my education helped me a
lot. As far as my parents are concerned, I =
don't think that they had problems that were significantly different
from anyone else." --Jerry Espinosa of CA. =
As far as raising a family, it has changed quite a bit as it changed
generations. The first generation Filipinos in =
the U.S. were struggling to fit-in the American community as much as
possible. Some have even gone to the =
extent of teaching only English to their children hoping to make their
life easier and free from discriminatory =
incidents. "As a child growing up most of my life in America, I am the
product of the struggles of my parents to =
assimilate at the sacrifice (or more appropriately, PRICE) of loss of
language, custom, and overall Filipino =
culture. I had to go through my own "identity crisis" because I didn't
know how to ask my parents about my =
culture, my background. Actually, my experience happened after
immigration. I remember asking my mom what =
my full name was (I asked her in Ilocano ) and she replied back in
English. I was confused a little, but after that, =
my mom and dad only spoke to us in English, which contributed to my
lack in expertise of the Ilocano =
language up to this point" -- Ms. Catherine Alcantara. =
The children have more tendencies to grasp and search for their roots
and to identify themselves with our culture =
(which is not unusual to Americans). "After going through a long period
of trying to assimilate into the suburban =
white culture I learned in college the importance of my Pilipino-hood.
Then I went through a period of anger and =
intense root searching. Now I am in a period of synthesis. Accepting my
boyhood experiences in suburbia and =
celebrating my being Pilipino." =
-- Dante Salvatierra
=2E... being a second generation Filipino American kind of makes me want
to go see my roots...... I am also =
mixed so I think that contributes to my yearning to learn more about the
Filipino =
side! --Arniel Brown
One thing about our culture is that it is so rich, so diverse, and so
beautiful. Even though we want to blend-in so =
much, Filipinos are more proud than desperate. We are very aware of the
strengths of our faith and values. The =
qualities that make us unique, the bond that keep our families together.
Filipino customs and family values are =
still strictly imposed in most of the Filipino homes in the U.S .
"As a family, we still hold the Filipino family values such as showing
respect to elders (either by mano(kissing =
the hands of elders), or by kiss/hug, and saying "po" to Lolo/Lola ),
regular visit to parents (in some occasions =
staying overnight or kids permanently living with parents with no age
limit until the kids are married and can =
support themselves, and kids sharing their partial income to parents." =
-- Ramon Cabrera
The Filipino kids are pressured to get good grades and college is not an
option for most, rather, it is expected. =
The Catholic upbringing is still upheld and practiced. In fact Catholic
Charismatic movements and novenas are =
still very popular among the Filipinos in the U.S. As an old saying
goes, "If all else will fail, God won't." Going to =
church, specially in California would seem like stepping into another
dimension, just like going back home for an =
hour. Filipinos populate most of the Catholic Churches.
Has the American dream been truly realized? Why do Filipinos want to
leave the country for the U.S.? Is there =
something that we are missing or do not know about the Philippines? Most
Filipino who has left the country think =
that it is better to live here then in the Philippines . Their reasons?
Philippines =3D Corruption, Lack of =
Employment, Hunger, Depression. These are the four major reasons they
gave me. I must admit we have all =
those in 'Pinas' . But don't we hear of corruption in the LAPD? How
about layoffs in the Silicon Valley? Can =
someone tell me the unemployment rate in the U.S.? And don't we see
hunger and depression all the time in the =
subways of New York City? Tell me one bad thing about the Philippines
that we can't find in the U.S. or in any =
other country? I'm not saying that we have the best of the world.
Philippines does have its faults, but who =
doesn't? I've seen the good and the bad side of the Philippines. I don't
have a wealthy family but I've seen it =
enough to know that there are more things about this nation to love than
to be bitter about. Some of the reasons =
are as follows:
7,107 islands which comprise our nation are the forgotten islands of the
World. 5,000 of them are inhibited, =
pristine and not frequented by tourists. 87 languages and dialects, one
voice. Despite all the political issues and =
economic instability, it is still a very relaxed and fairly safe country
to live in. Food is good, education is cheap at =
high standards, accommodation is easy and the comfort of family is
always available. Economy-wise, inflation =
has been tamed -- to a manageable 9 percent or so from the 18 percent or
more that Pres. Ramos =
inherited. Foreign investment has begun returning. Last year alone
almost $3 billion worth flowed in, bringing =
total commitments to about $15 billion. There won't be a shortage of
investment opportunities in the next three =
years. The Philippines 2000 vision includes development of two
international airports, improvement of =
telecommunications and transport, and construction of roads, highways,
railways, power plants and an =
integrated steel mill. Estimated total cost: about $13 billion. In
Cavite province just south of Manila, for example, =
the Gateway Business Park, which Filipinos call "Asia's Silicon Valley,"
plans to reclaim from Malaysia the =
regional lead the Philippines once had in semiconductor assembly and
testing. Seven U.S. semiconductor =
companies, led by Intel Corp., and five Japanese semiconductor and
electronics firms have committed =
investments of more than $500 million. Their target: up to $5 billion
worth of component exports by the decade's =
end. The projects should generate some 150,000 well-p
ying jobs.
And how are Filipinos coping with all these changes? All these would
indicate a sustainable recovery in any =
country. But the Philippines has even more to offer, especially in
comparison with its neighbors. No other East =
Asian nation can boast its three notable advantages: English-speaking
workers: the Philippines has been the =
world's second-largest English-speaking nation. English is here to stay
as the international language. An =
abundance of inexpensive skilled labor: The world, and particularly
Asia, faces a disturbing shortage of skilled =
labor, especially skilled English-speaking labor. In the Asia-Pacific
region, the Philippines is the only country =
with a surplus of this scarce commodity. Says Bernardo Villegas of the
Center for Research and =
Communication, a Manila think-tank: "I'm told that more than 2,000
Filipino professionals run Indonesia's =
conglomerates. In Bangkok these days, my Thai friends talk endlessly
about losing their English-speaking =
accountants, computer experts and secretaries to one an
ther every six months. The Thais' solution is the Indonesians' solution
-- they're importing Filipino professionals." =
Southeast Asia's most stable political succession: In view of recent
Philippine history, the claim may seem odd =
-- but it's true. Says Villegas: "No one knows what will happen to
Indonesia after Suharto. No one really knows =
how Singapore will fare after Lee Kuan Yew. Most of these societies are
overly dependent upon personalities. =
Even Thailand's so-called stability is so dependent on the King. These
comparisons make the Philippines look =
good." Young Filipino professionals are already returning to work in
Phils. Technological zones and similar =
places. This is the new Philippines. A vast return exodus of Filipino
talent to the Philippines has begun.
No wonder why I can never talk my cousins into coming to the U.S. Their
reasons? It's quite obvious. Why leave =
the laid back, good life, and nice weather of Cebu if they can get the
same satisfaction of having the job they =
want and enjoy without packing and leaving the comfort of home and love
of family? Why should they do their =
own laundry or dishes when an average family can afford help in the
house? Why should they come to a country =
of blizzards, tornadoes, earthquakes, and erratic weather when they have
warm comfortable weather all =
throughout the year? Why settle with clich=E9 friends when you can have
loyal friends and family who are never too =
busy for a company? =
You might ask me as so many have already, what am I doing here if life
is so good back home?? Being a =
Filipino, what would you do if your father sacrificed over ten years of
his life to offer you the chance of the =
American Dream? I came here because my love ones are here. My family is
the most important thing in my life. =
But - that doesn't stop me from being patriotic of my homeland. And I'll
always look forward to going back home.
Note:
This paper reflects the personal opinion of the writer and the
responders of the survey and not necessarily that of =
the general population of the Filipinos.
Bambam Q.
What's the baliktad of "tsa"?
Eric Cardenas
G'day Anne,
If I may humbly criticise, perhaps you would provide a better service to
our readers if you kept your posts short and straight to the point.
Thanks,
Eric
avid newsreader
Miguel Cacho
sest...@ix.netcom.com (Sal Estrada) wrote:
>In article <52f19p$c...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com>, D'Kalogian
><fbl...@ix.netcom.co> says...
>I agree we baby-boomers were heavy into this baliktaran practice. Don't forget
pondyaps - Hapon (Japon)
Miguel Cacho
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Juan Miguel Cacho
jmc...@iconn.com.ph
Parañaque, the Philippines
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Pietro E Reyes, III
Sorry, Eric, but I have to take humble exception on your humble criticism.
I like the long posts, especially in Anne's case where a brief synopsis
such as a 4-liner would not only shed very little light on the results of
her paper but also make it uninteresting. Specific examples always help
clarify points in her study.
I guess when someone like Anne has something to say, longer posts are okay
and I suspect there are others like me who will even appreciate them. It's
when somebody has much to say about nothing (i.e. jake, sage et. al.) that
I'd think criticism would be merited in generous quantities.
Thanks,
Pietro
and equally avid newsreader ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eric Cardenas <ecar...@microsoft.com> wrote in article
<01bbb006$1f39bab0$cc0a3a9d@ecardena_nt2>...
Timothy Joseph Harvey
The length of her post is why I didn't respond to it directly, but
piggybacked on your post instead. (for various reasons, it's a pain to
snip text from long posts).
Yes, it would have made it easier to have a discussion if Anne's post was
shorter, but some things can't be done just in 2 paragraphs or less. Her
post was well written, so I was more than will to read through it, and I
was glad I did.
People seldom make long posts here, and when they have they have generally
been worthwhile reading. Anne's was no exception.
Tim
Eric Cardenas (ecar...@microsoft.com) wrote:
: G'day Anne,
: If I may humbly criticise, perhaps you would provide a better service to
: our readers if you kept your posts short and straight to the point.
: Thanks,
: Eric
: avid newsreader
--
Tim Harvey rightWrite, Incorporated r...@teleport.COM (503) 246-4007