International Friendship Club Of Negros Island
Philippines Articles
Words of a
Foreigner living in Negros island |
By Raymond Stoffel from
Luxembourg
I was feeling encouraged by the article of Mr Abdul
Nasser Ali S. Alhah-moud, published in your honorable
newspaper on Sunday, August 12th past, to take the pen
and write my own article about my feelings here in
beautiful Negros – although I am not a big writer.
I congratulate and thank Mr Alhahmoud for the thinking
that he expresses about BACOLOD- THE CITY OF SMILES. I
think that this gentleman has understood many things
in the Philippines – and I TOTALLY share his
impressions about this town and country, especially
Negros Occidental, and that I learned to know, to
appreciate and to love – like my own country of
origin.
I congratulate Mr Alhahmoud for saying « I LIKE
BACOLOD AND THE PHILIPPINES – I WILL RETURN ». I
gladly join him in that statement.
Being a privileged person residing now in peaceful
Bago-City, who feels accepted and cheered by his
beautiful Filipino family and so many good Filipino
friends here motivated me also to write this article,
just to express to all of you Negrense and Filipinos
how much I admire you and to thank you for your
hospitality to me – as a GUEST.
But I also have some words more to say… Can a friend
of you all have some words to say ? No naughty words…
of course… just FRIENDLY words to you, my Filipino
friends – but also to many of my friends from abroad,
the foreigners residing in Philippines…
TO OUR FILIPINO FRIENDS :
Sometimes I feel embarrassed when I get priority and
preferential treatment sometimes – in stores, in
public transportation, in public offices – in the
street. My friends, I do NOT deserve such priority and
preferential treat-ment, even though it results out of
your natural kindness – I just feel like an honored
GUEST in this country who is not aiming at such
treatments. YOU are the HOSTS – and I thank you much
for your hospitality. I feel good among you all and
again THANK YOU for making me feel good in YOUR
country.
But please do NOT consider us foreigners as superior :
: : , just because maybe of some hard cash and
currencies – we gladly share with you…
Also, sometimes, attitudes and reliabilities in
business and working relations could be improved on
Filipino side… We are living in a world of
globalization and international standards – improving
reliability in working relations can only contribute
to increase Filipino competitively in business, my
friends… Just a friend’s word.
As for your internal Filipino attitudes – can you
accept ONE advice from a good friend and GUEST in your
country?
PLEASE drop off the arrogant and descendent attitudes
towards your OWN COUNTRY PEOPLE. The fact of sometimes
wearing a uniform and sitting behind a counter DOES
NOT ALLOW YOU TO TREAT YOUR OWN PEOPLE LIKE DIRT ! If
you’re standing BEHIND the counter, just put yourself
in the skin and feelings of the people standing IN
FRONT of it. I just speak for THE FILIPINOS !
This just as a small example.
TO OUR FOREIGN FRIENDS LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES :
A few rules, my friends… you may accept or reject, but
this is what I am thinking and for the first time
speaking out loud in public.
1. DO NEVER COMPARE. The Philippines and our countries
of origin are DIFFERENT. We must not compare –
comparing political and economical system of the
Philippines with our own local systems of origin is
POISON – not only for us foreigners but also for the
Filipinos. As much as ARROGANCE is poison – for
everyone.
Do you think that WE foreigners are better, know
better ? NO. In each political and economical system
there are lacks and advantages. Here in Philippines,
let’s just consider the ADVANTAGES of the local system
and try in a friendly way to help to improve it’s
lacks…
2. ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND. Never forget that we are
privileged GUESTS in a country which accepted us with
open arms and with the natural kindness of its people
! So we are not entitled to have any opinion about
internal Filipino problems – but we gladly will help
IF WE ARE REQUESTED SO. We are enjoying hospitality of
a nice country with lovely and lovable people – so we
will not impose our own habits.
3. HELP AND SHARE. We are privileged through our
nicely working economical and political systems. We
are not living here in Philippines just to take profit
and have a nice life – BUT TO SHARE IT WITH OUR HOSTS
! As much as the Filipinos share to us their natural
kindness, let’s share OUR good parts of our origins
and cultures to them – WITHOUT IMPOSING ! This is just
a way to say « SALAMAT ».
I am not and don’t want to be a preacher man – I just
speak out loud this time what I have been thinking
since years that I am regularly coming and going
in-between Philippines and my country…
TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS OF MY COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN :
Our country LUXEMBOURG (Europe) is cited as a
distinguished nation providing development in third
countries. Pursuant to United Nations, we are a
leading nation investing the highest percentage of our
national brutto internal revenue into development in
third countries. Congrats ! But just ONE timid
question to my government: what part of all this goes
to help in the PHILIP-PINES ? ZERO PERCENT. Sometimes
I feel ashamed of a government that I helped, through
my democratic voting right, to elect. I speak these
words out LOUD in Europe since times, but no effect…
What can I do ? I am just a simple and humble person
BUT ONLY REPRESENT ONE VOTE AMONG THOUSANDS, gentlemen
in Europe !
To our PRESS, generally in Europe, I just want to
mention : The only occasions that Philippines are
referred to in reports and documentaries are on
occasions and subjects of natural disasters,
criminality investigations and other NEGATIVE points.
AT LEAST PLEASE PROVIDE ALSO SOMETIMES POSITIVE
INFORMATION'S IN EUROPE ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES. The
Philippines have also so much beauty and so many
outstanding issues worth to be shown abroad, but
unfortunately ignored by European media.
This is just a suggestion to RTL (Radio Television
Luxembourg), THE BIGGEST PUBLIC MEDIA IN EUROPE and
ONE of the biggest in THE WORLD ! Why can you not show
the BEAUTY THE PHILIPPINES instead of disaster
information ?
My dear friends here in Negros and the Philippines,
thank you for having taken your time to read this
article. I apologize to not be a big writer, but I
just express my feelings.
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