The Genius of the Filipino Poor

When you think about the Philippines, you probably think about it's white sand beaches, the rich cultural diversity, the flavorful cuisine, but what you probably never see or never hear about, yet is so widespread is its poverty stricken communities. I set myself on a quest to find out what really is the problem lying behind these horrid conditions. The dumpster diving people, eating "pag-pag" and drinking unclean water. I set myself on this journey to answer this question; "What makes the Filipino Poor so resilient?" It doesn't take you far in the Philippines to find these "squatter sites" or "poor villages". The conditions of which are such a manifestation of unsanity and low-class living. The multitudes of people you find in these communities, range from the low-lying crooks and criminals, to the hardworking and persevering people trying their best to survive. However bad the cases maybe, I found three things in these communities that may just be the secret to the genius of the Filipino Poor. What you need to get a sense of when you come to the Philippines is that there is a strong sense of community. The spirit of the "Bayanihan" that fosters each and every member of the society. The strong sense of togetherness, creates a place that you expect to be outcasted, filthy and full of criminal acts is turned into a peace haven that brings out the closeness of each and every person. I do believe that the relative conjunctions of the Filipino Poor's house becomes a source of their closeness, rather than a lack of space. Because in the end what we truly need to see is not the adverse effects of these tight living spaces, rather we should see the positive dispositiona it brings to the community. When you finally come into terms with the fact that Filipinos are together as one, the you can learn a product of this mentality. "Walang Iwanan", or No one gets left behind, easy to understand right? Maybe, but not quite; the Philippines' understanding of this saying is hugely different. If you get a community that fosters "Bayanihan", you do not expect loose bonds among the people. Here in the Philippines, your neighbors are your family, your brothers and sisters from another mother per se. When times of hardship and difficulty emerges, expect that these people will come together and build a shielyof love and hope. Maybe it is also the reason why Filipino Overseas Workers are best at doing their jobs, because they know people they left behind are counting on them, mix that with a little Bayanihan and you will also notice that Filipinos have the largest communities that come as one overseas, and that's the thing that is beautiful about "Walang-Iwanan" and "Bayanihan" together. If you're still looking for the Genius behind the Filipino Poor, surely you need to believe, because in the Philippines, believing is important to reach success. Wether it is their belief in God, belief in each other's greatness or when they believe in themselves. It is believing that pushes these people to success and faith on God or one another. Believing makes the Filipino Poor, do everything he can to support his family, provide shelter, or to accomplish anything he believes he can do. We should not close our eyes to the problems that our country is facing, but when we do open our eyes to these problems, let us never forget to look at the Genius Of the Filipino Poor, that makes him truly resilient and empowered, that makes him different than the rest of the world.