Sino ka?

USAPING BAYAN
Rev. Fr. Nelson Flores, MSCK, JD.

MARAMING umaangkin sa karangalan na masabi na sila’y Filipino pero kundi man, ‘di nila alam ay utal sila sa katutubong wika at walang malalim na ugnayan sa lahing pilit na inaangkin? Paano ‘yun?

The truth of the matter is most Filipino immigrants to America or any Anglo-Saxon countries, especially those who can no longer talk in their native tongues, are likely to suffer from an identity crisis. (This is also true to most nationals of other colored nations). Much as they want to assimilate with the dominant culture, they can’t totally do so because they are culturally, systematically or institutionally prohibited due to the color of their skin, their origin.

While an immigrant from another Anglo-Saxon country will always be another American. (You never hear them being called a Brit-Am or Aussie-Am etc… they are just plain Americans by virtue of the color of their skin), descendants of Filipinos who migrated will always be Fil-Ams.

Come to think of it, depending on which side of the fence one is on, the term Fil-Am could be racist identification just like Filipino was once a upon a time a deregatory classification for “Indios” wishing to be equal with the Spanish conquistadores.

Unless you are “truly useful” to the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture here (but you still remain a minority, a Fil-Am), most Fil-Ams will always be held at bay, a second fiddle. They will always be tagged as different, a point of curiosity to some WASP, a minority.

Unfortunately, these Fil-Ams are also no longer totally welcome to where their parents or grandparents came from. They are now looked down as foreigners by those who stayed behind in the land of their ancestors.

Sino ka ngayon?