Hi guys, I'm sharing a post which I stumbled upon in Quora. This was contributed by Siwaga Bisayawa (could be a pseudonym). I think th...
Hi guys, I'm sharing a post which I stumbled upon in Quora. This was contributed by Siwaga Bisayawa (could be a pseudonym). I think these are useful for foreigners or visitors to the Philippines. Some items were added as corollary to the other items.
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| study.com |
1. Not taking a shower before meeting someone is considered very rude. Body odor is a sign of disrespect. Filipinos are not used to the smell of non Asians and will find it unbearable. So shower lots, use soap, deodorant, moisturizer and baby powder on your socks. Wash your bum with soap and water.
2. Filipinos will not take insult lightly and in Bisaya areas, you could get beaten up for insult. I have seen it myself, the foreigner was a Spaniard in Bohol.
3. Not using serving spoons.
4. Calling a superior/elder by name. If you speak a Filipino language, use polite speech like Po, and addressing yourself and others in the 3rd person, also lower the tone of your voice. This is polite speech.
5. Pointing is a sign of aggression, don't point at people.
6. Do not attack a woman, if you hit a woman or commit sexual assault, all she has to do is shout and people nearby are more than willing to beat you dead, so be careful. Conduct yourself properly around women, the Philippines is a matriarchal society. This is not like Thailand where you can go head to head with a woman, in Philippines, the locals will intervene and join in. Strangely, cat calling is still common here even though I heard it is illegal.
8. Cheating is taboo. If you were caught in the act fornicating, your spouse can kill you and your lover on the spot and the spouse will not be charged for any crime.
9. Drugs is taboo. People hate drugs here that is why Duterte is the most popular president in Philippine history.
10. Do not hold positive views towards the NPA. People hate that terrorist group.
11. Do not show off your wealth or intellect. People hate it.
12. Don't criticize the Philippines and say your country is better.
13. Don't openly support America or China.
14. Don't touch people, even in a friendly way.
15. Don't say anything negative to Muslim minority groups or anything about Islam in public. Even us locals here don't do it despite our differences, we don't talk about it, this is not America. We don't say things out loud just because we can. Please be sensitive to people's religious beliefs even if you disagree with it since it is their choice and it is their life. Religious tolerance is more important than exercising freedom of speech here.
16. Being overly direct and frank. Even if a Filipino says you can be direct and frank with him, truth is, you can't. You can ask a third party, someone close to him to assist you if you think what you will say is offensive. Sometimes it's in how you say it, not what you say. Face saving is a big thing in the Philippines.
17. Losing one's virginity and pre-marital sex. It is just something not to crow about among girls. Sex before marriage is strongly discouraged, but it is the opposite if you are male. For girls, keeping that tissue in tact gives a sense of pride to them. But it is exactly the opposite for boys. (Talk about double standards.)
18. Abortion. It is a strong religious belief that once a woman is conceiving, to abort the fetus is tantamount to committing a crime. It is only by medical reasons that a fetus can be aborted and this is still very debatable.
Though Filipinos are generally hospitable and kind, there are many things that foreigners need to learn and in some instances, foreigners need to be more observant in a subtle way to be able to know the core values of Filipinos.
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