I am a Filipino

I am a Filipino
I am the thousands of Nannies
who've signed up
to take care of you and your children
In a place so far away
and different from mine.

Its a full-time job
being a surrogate mother
and a full-time emotional burden
to be away from my own...

Sundays are a relief
for at least on that day
I own my time
and I find myself again

I am but human
and subject to weakness,
folly, whim, pleasure
and delight
but God knows
I do my job well
because it means
the difference between
hunger or survival
back home.

I am a Filipino

I am a Filipino
one of the multitude of seamen
who serve onboard
the vessels
that are the lifeblood
carrying
the world economy

I brave high seas
hunger, loneliness
even death
because I have a family to feed
and promises to keep...
Promises that I made to my children...
I'm doing this so that
they may be educated enough
that they don't have to do the same
for their children.

Despite this, I am happy
for I am a marino...
I embody the bonds
that tie my island nation
together.

I am a Filipino

I am a Filipino.
I am the caring, nurturing
healthcare professional
bringing my people's
warmth and alaga
to the millions
in the ailing and aging west

I've stood witness
to many things
and have been numbed
by how uncaring
they may be
to their sick, their old
and their disenfranchised.

I only hope my children
would acknowledge my sacrifice
so that when I do grow old and gray
they be the ones taking care of me.

Nonetheless, I am happy
because each life I help comfort or save
is testament to my race's humanity.

I am a Filipino.

I am a Filipino.
I am the faceless,
nameless, multitude
of technocrats, specialists
technicians, staffers,
engineers, students,
managers, marketers,
businessmen, executives,
scientists and researchers
who have blended in
with the crowd.

Everyday is a struggle
not for existence,
like what we have back home,
but for relevance
and competency.
I have blended in,
not because I'm ashamed
of who I am, or how others
see/know my people,
but because I want others
to see me for my skills
and for what
I am capable of doing.
Not merely by my colour
or my nationality.

I am a Filipino.
and in the tradition
of Jose P. Rizal
and the others
before me,
I have found myself
and who I am
away from my home.

I have never been more proud
of who I am, where I come from
and what We all can be,
than I am right now,
away from my homeland,
away from my family.

I am a Filipino.
I say this in english,
not because I disdain
my language...
but because I want others
to know what I'm all about.

I have been hostaged by history,
but I refuse to be
a victim of globalization
and the fates.
For I am made of better stuff.

My suffering and history
has toughened me.
and has made me
a sophisticated blend
of warmth, ability,
fiery passion, creativity,
skill, achievement
and flexibility.

My colonial masters
have used me
But I don't treat this
as if they owe me back.
And although,
It may look like I have
a chip on my shoulder,
look closely...
that's just my heart on my sleeve.

Thats because I love my country.