I just read an email about the Philippines being a host to pussy ladies who purr and treat the whites as kings. Of course, usually with the hope that these white men would look at them not just at a glance but as potential wives.
Well, I am a person who have some foreigner as friends. I really observed that when i am with them and we go around like in Baguio City or Olongapo City, people would look at me queerly. Their eyes have a slit that i can hardly understand. Sometimes, it occurs to me that maybe it is because i am with a foreigner. judging though from their looks, i see that some see me with the eyes of admiration as if i caught a big fish (i saw that look in olongapo) but others would look at me with (if i would be allowed to interpret their looks) "how were you able to hook him?" or looks like i am with a king. Of course, i'm irritated with it especially with the fact that i am already married to a Filipino who is more gorgeous than any foreigner.
In Baguio, after eating in a restaurant, i opened my wallet and made the waitress bring a question of "why you?" in her eyes. Of course, my foreign friend brought out a bigger bill but i paid the extra.
One time, i have to get boxes of books from an office. It so happened that my American friend who was with other Americans at that time was with me. They offered to help so i said of course since i really needed their help. The people in that office looked with awe at my friends and even scolded me a little for having them carry the heavy boxes.
So many times have i been with my American, German, Korean friends around. In all those trips i tried to show that we need not treat them as kings for they are but normal people like us. They need not be treated with royalty. Of course, we can always do that if that is how we treat all people. I tried to show to all kababayans who see us that foreigners are not royalty in our own country. They are also people like us. We don't look down to them but we also don't need to strain our necks to reach and show them what we are not if we know our own selves.
That is one thing that i like with Sagada, Mountain Province. Locals and foreigners are treated equally. If there are treatments which are otherwise, they are isolated cases. You don't see girls parading around foreigners even if the foreigner is known to be a very eligible bachelor. Nor do you see foreigners treated as royalty. It is in this small town where it is the foreigners who will adjust to the local ways not the other way around. As visitors usually hear from the locals, "if you are in Rome, do what the Romans do," not the Romans to do what the foreigner does. Of course, due to the natural ability of influence, there are some positive and negative changes that they bring.
But i am proud to say that Sagada is still free from negative influences as prostitution which are very common on places where the foreigners usually go.
