How Do I Feel Being Filipino

For me, being Filipino is loving my country and my people. It does not need a lot of explanation.

I do not need to describe how I look just to say I belong to the Malayan race, that my blood is that of the great heroes of this country, and that I know how to speak Tagalog and Ilocano, my region's language. They are but a shallow definition of what being Filipino is and what a Filipino should know.

I know that a lot of you would disagree if I, in your place would define your being Filipino, and I am sure if not all, some would strongly disagree if I say Filipinos are more regionalistic than nationalistic. But, regardless of our indifference and personal choice, our being Filipino is a blessing. We were born in a beautiful country, and we are given a very diverse and rich culture.

Honestly, at the end of the day, one does not take anything I mentioned above to be Filipino because being one is felt in the heart. It is in our every joy and sorrow. It is in our very core. It is a part of our existence people cannot just take from us.