15 - I have what it takes to be a Filipino!

Andres Bonifacio said that we have to bear in mind that the true measure of honor and of charity is to die in defense of your Country. As a modern Filipino and as a student, do I really want to die for the sake of our own country? Do I really have what it takes to be a Filipino? Am I capable enough? Even though, I’m also one of the problems of our country?

Yes, I am Filipino in the most common fact that my parents are both Filipinos. I was born in the Philippines and I have never been in another country. I am a citizen in the Philippines. I studied and was raised in the Philippines. My dialect is Filipino. But even if I was born here in the Philippines, do I still have what it takes to be a Filipino? Maybe yes and maybe no. Now I came to realize this question. When I hear read and hear this statement, I doubted and asked myself “Do I really have what it takes to be a Filipino?” “Do I have the heart of a true Filipino?” This speech made me realize everything about, I being a Filipino.

Hospitable, caring, industrious, cheerful, optimistic, religious and hardworking, that’s what Filipinos are known for. But do I have these traits? Do I look like I have those traits? I am asking you guys right now, without knowing the real me, do you guys think that I look like a Filipino? Am I deserving for that title? Should I be proud that I am Filipino, even though me, myself is actually doubting it? These are some of the questions that are running in my head while I was constructing my speech.

I know, I don’t have most of the traits, but I know I have at least. Hospitable, I may not be the most hospitable person but at least I know how to make them feel that they are welcome, it’s like I choose people who I will welcome with open arms. Religious, I don’t often go to church every weekend but I pray every night and I never forget God. Cheerful, I can say that I am a cheerful person because even though I have lots of problems I still think of positive things and that’s the reason why I am always smiling. There’s no room for negativity only positivity. Loving and caring, Filipinos are the sweetest and loving people in the world. And I must say that I have this trait. Hardworking, I admit that I am lazy but most of the time I try to be the most productive when it’s needed to do so.   

But I love how we all preserve family tradition, I love how we are innately hospitable. And I love the way we complain about our country but get together when Manny Pacquiao wins. I obey and respect my elders by adding “po” in everything I say, and that’s another trait of being a Filipino.

I am Filipino. My creator planted me on a specific spot on earth, where the sun always shines, in an archipelago of 7,107 wonderful islands, which the whole world calls the “Pearl of the Orient.” Philippines is the country that God gave to me and my people, it is the birthplace of my race. My blood is a mixture of the best and the finest of the west and the east. My mind is an heir to all the great thoughts of the west, and the great virtues of the east.

I am Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Antonio Luna, Gabriela Silang and all those who fought for our land to become a nation of free people. I have what it takes to be a Filipino, because my creator’s plan is for me to live my life as a Filipino and therefore, in my heart and in my mind, I shall always be a Filipino wherever I may be in the world. God wants me to belong to the Filipino Family and as such, I am a sister to anyone and everyone who is Filipino.

You will know me by the smile on my face and the warmth of my hospitality. Most important of all, you will know me by my loving and caring heart when you are in need of help, even if you are a stranger. As a teenager, I may not have all the traits and perks of being a Filipino but as I grow older I’ll soon accustomed all the traits that I’ve been lacking. God created me as a citizen in the Philippines, and I think that is enough. I am proud that I have a heart of a Filipino and for that I can finally say that I have what it takes to be a Filipino.

            I am Filipino, and that is enough for me to love my country, Philippines.