Why are Filipinos the Next Big Thing?
There is one “F” in Filipinos, but there are actually five that make them a unique people – fun, food, faith, fashion and family. In this edition, we explore these five qualities and explain why Filipinos are as bankable as a five-star trip to the moon and back.
DUBAI: Picture this: A people ruled by monks for three centuries then captivated by people from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood – what do you have? Filipinos. Filipinos are everywhere. In the malls, movie houses, parks, even on street corners mingling and sharing light moments. Fun is in the national psyche of a people who for ages where locked in the doldrums.
Food and fashion are what make them tick, not to mention their faithful nature that oftentimes spills over to the brand-name clothes on their back. At the end of the day, it’s all about family – hands down! Filipinos, especially those working abroad, will do anything, buy everything for family.
All this makes for a reason why Filipinos are the next big thing – bigger than a five-star trip to the moon or a luxury undersea hideaway. In this edition, we dissect these five “F’s” that make for a Filipino – fun, food, fashion, faith, family – and take a closer look why this a big thing for the UAE.
Fun
English-speaking. Fun-loving. The Filipino is renowned all over the world for remarkable qualities often downplayed or overlooked, but which nonetheless brings pride to the country, said writer Andrea Chloe Wong, senior foreign affairs research specialist at the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies of the Philippine Foreign Service Institute. “Essentially, we Filipinos can be proud of our humanity.
We are a highly-relational people, proficient in emotionally and socially connecting with others,” she said, explaining that this is very much apparent in the caring ways they interact, in their “world-class hospitality” and in in their compassion for others exemplified in their spirit of volunteerism.
Filipinos love karaokes, nine out of 10 people would agree, which explains the ubiquitous mobile, portable karaoke machines you’d find back home. Filipinos love to live and enjoy life so much so that they’d most likely go to Starbucks for coffee, watch a movie or spend a night out with friends. And we love to travel. Filipinos on average, travel two to three times a year, to see family back home, to explore the world and get some adventure.
Food
Eight out of 10 Filipinos in the UAE eat out four times a week, a proof of their rising affluence in the country, reveals the first-of-its-kind survey done in the UAE by Al Ahli Holding Group, the creator of the Little Manila Restaurant concept. Little Manila is a themed restaurant, which features top Filipino fast food brands under one roof.
The survey on food habits of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), commissioned by the 40-yearold, UAE-based, multi-diversified international conglomerate, found that 84 per cent of the respondents are frequent diners, eating out an average of four times a week. Five per cent eat out twice a month while 11 per cent dine out once a month.
Dinner is the favorite meal of the day with 51 per cent of respondents saying they eat out in the evening; 29 per cent prefer lunch-outs; and 20 per cent opt to have breakfast outside their homes, the survey said.
There are around one million Filipinos in the UAE and they are longing for their favorite homegrown food brands, as per the independently commissioned survey of Al Ahli Group.
Fashion
Filipinos are among the most fashionable people in the world. A recent study has shown that eight of 10 Filipinos are so brandconscious they know at least five clothing brands like the back of their hands and could easily walk you through each.
Male Filipinos, especially those in love with basketball, which is about all of them, know each model of a basketball shoe brand by rote, and could talk to you days on end about them – a Nike Jordan this or that, for instance, and so on.
Females are more meticulous; they could tell you stories of a brand name and you’d thought they’re talking about a distant friend – Donna Karan for instance. And so it goes without saying that Filipinos comprise a sizable chunk of mall sales i.e. from clothing to accessories.
Faith
Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano, author of “Filipino Values and Our Christian Faith” extrapolated that Filipinos’ Catholic values influence their culture. “What is the value of pakikisama in the context of life and belief in Christ? How far should our utang na loob extend? Is ‘God’s will,’ which is our favorite phrase, any different from the prevailing notion of ‘bahala na?’” Putting things into perspective, Filipinos, who have been Catholics since Christianity landed on their shores in 1521, have developed leaders raised in a culture of puritanism that has made the Philippines the only country where divorce is still illegal.
And so, “‘till death do us part” takes on an escapist hue to include one’s love for a favorite brand name, one’s loyalty to a brand – to which Filipinos are also known for; sticking to a particular brand name till old age.
Family Filipinos are family-centric people. The Filipino Times recently asked 500 Filipino expats in the UAE what makes them happy and a resounding 74 percent said family it is.
The diaspora has not dissolved this cultural trait; on the contrary, it further reinforced it. Overseas Filipino Workers, as one blogger said, “are capable of sacrificing themselves to help their ailing parents get good medical assistance to good hospitals, help a sibling get out of financial troubles, and most commonly, send their children to good schools.” Two-time Palanca-winning essayist, Shakira Andrea Sison for her part, wrote: “Rarely will an OFW admit that money is in short supply.
They will borrow just to send money home, if need be. They will max out their credit cards to get their children the fanciest toys and clothes. “Their reasoning is that if their loved ones can’t enjoy the rewards of their efforts, why else would they make sacrifices in their lives? Even if their children grow up seeing them just as a source of gifts and cash, OFWs will take that over nothing, and over coming home and not being able to provide.”
This may also explain why OFWs traditionally comprise 35 percent of the footfall at the annual Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX), which showcases the latest in technology consumer products, organizers said. “A lot of Filipinos are coming to Gitex,” Rajesh Gopinath, DWTC exhibitions director once told The Filipino Times.
“They are very tech savvy. They want the latest mobile phones. They are very, very upto- date, especially when it comes to entertainment, gaming and smartphones,” he added. In 2014, some 74,000 Filipinos visited Gitex and spent money they had saved for the event on gadgets and wall TVs that they sent to relatives back home, officials said. “Filipinos are known to keep a portion of their monthly salaries for Gitex,” an exhibitor requesting anonymity told TFT. “It has become part of their plans – to have something from Gitex shipped home.”
(Source: FilipinoTimes.ae)