Filipino By Choice?

Not only has the crowning of Miss Philippines Catriona Gray sparked a debate about medical marijuana but it has also lit up the internet with a melange of differing opinions on what it means to be Filipino and whether or not Miss Gray is a bona fide Filipina. Some say she is, some say she is not a Filipina. But why should anyone decide such a personal matter for her. Let us hear the woman speak for herself.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/20/18/throwback-catriona-on-being-aussie-by-birth-moving-to-ph-by-choice

Fresh from her crowning as Miss Universe Philippines early this year, Gray was made to address her roots in a televised interview on “Tonight with Boy Abunda.” Her answer at the time, it would appear now, is also the precise words that would settle the argument surrounding her upbringing and choice of country to represent. 

Asked how she would identify herself between being Australian-Filipino or Filipino-Australian, Gray chose the latter, and went to explain: “Even though I was born in Australia, that’s not my choice. It was more of my parents’ choice.” 

“My decision to come to the Philippines at age 18 just after I graduated high school was like a self-discovery journey for me,” she went on. “[It was] my first step into figuring out who am I — what do I want to do with my life? — and just putting myself out of my comfort zone.” 

“I chose to come here,” she pointed out, “and I came over on my own money. I wanted to prove to myself na kaya ko ‘to. I can do this.”

While that is her opinion about herself it's not one that can be totally respected. Despite being a music and math nerd she does not make a lick of sense when she says:

“Even though I was born in Australia, that’s not my choice. It was more of my parents’ choice.”

Yeah well I never chose to be born! It was my parents choice! To hell with them.  My life will only end in the darkness and the blackness and the nothingness of death and all my accomplishments will amount to nothing as I descend into the grave!! Screw you accidents of life! Perhaps I will choose to be dead!

With the magic word "choice" citizenship and nationality become a matter of flux and one can be whatever they choose to be. Perhaps she has always felt like a Pinay at heart? But if being a Filipino is a matter of heart and choice then Canadian Kyle Jennermann of Becoming Filipino is a Filipino.

Her argument is very Western and not Filipino at all as we shall see below. In the West today anyone can be anything they want. Gender and sexuality are fluid. Men are playing women's sports at every level. There are trans-species who are people claiming to be animals. And how about this guy:

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/945181/transracial-man-spurs-debate-on-being-filipino

On his Facebook support page, Ja Du, formerly known as Adam, says race is a “social construct.” 

The Florida native likens the transracialism movement to that of transgenders; he also identifies as transsexual. 

He told 10News WTSP that he feels Filipino because he is “intrigued” with what he has watched in the History Channel. Cultural aspects like Filipino food and music make him feel “like I’m in my own skin.”

Remember him? He wants to be Filipino so why can't he be so? It's not his choice that he was born as a white man in the USA. Just like it was not Catriona's choice to be born in Australia. One Filipino had this reaction to Ja Du:

This person claims that being Filipino is an experience and one can not claim to be Filipino if one has not experienced the "struggle of being Filipino."  Sadly this Twitter account is no more but it seems to be the former account of a Filipina who is, ironically, living in Melbourne.

Catriona's own words tell just how un-Filipino she really is:

“I chose to come here,” she pointed out, “and I came over on my own money. I wanted to prove to myself na kaya ko ‘to. I can do this.”

She "chose to come here" in order to prove to herself she can do this. Do what? Face and overcome the challenge of moving to and living in a foreign land of course! While she had visited the Philippines before she had not lived here. She lived in Australia. Surely there was a great culture shock once she actually moved here and all the romantic notions she had were brushed aside by the reality of actually living in Manila which is the worst place in Southeast Asia.

Well she did it. She came to the Philippines, she left for America to study at the Berklee College of Music, and then she returned to eventually win the Miss Universe crown while representing her adopted nation. Good for her. It's a typical Aussie to Pinay story. By the way do you think she has a soft spot for Fairy Bread and Vegemite sandwiches?

So much for Catriona Gray's words. What do Filipinos have to say about what makes one a Filipino? Let's check out the results of this survey.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/118333/who-is-truly-filipino

The survey interview tested eight attributes of national identity by means of a battery of questions, thus: “Some people say that the following things are important for being truly Filipino. Others say they are not important. How important do you think each of the following is?” Respondents could answer Very Important, Fairly Important, Not Very Important, Not Important At All, or Can’t Choose. 

1. Born in the Philippines, 83 percent. 

2. Speaks Filipino, 81 percent. 

3. Feels Filipino, 79 percent. 

4. Is a Filipino citizen, 78 percent. 

5. Has Filipino ancestry, 77 percent. 

6. Lived in the Philippines for most of one’s life, 74 percent. 

7. Belongs to the main (i.e. Catholic) religion, 73 percent. 

8. Respects Philippine political institutions and laws, 65 percent.

Place of birth, speech, personal feeling, citizenship, ancestry, residence, religion and respect for laws: We Filipinos are rather purist in defining what is true nationality.

Out of all those only 2, 3, 4, and 5 apply to Miss Catriona Gray which makes her only 50% Filipino. It's an interesting survey and contradicts the columnist who opined that being Filipino has little to do with culture or race but is only a political construct which column I analysed previously. It also contradicts the opinion of Miss Gray who claims being Flipino is her very own choice. Filipinos are, unsurprisingly, nationalistic and purist when it comes to who can claim to be Filipino.

Though the term has been abused, that is the essence of Pinoy Pride is it not?