Filipinos would do ANYTHING for the family, even if it takes sacrificing one’s self. I think it’s the main reason why we have a lot of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) is because they want to provide for their family and want to give them a better life. These workers wouldn’t be going abroad if they just want to get rich for their own good. They try their best to cut down on their expenses so that they will be able to send money back home.

I’m not a hundred percent supportive of this act of “heroism,” (because we’re letting go of our real calling to help the country) but it is an example to show how much we value our family. It is one thing that keeps us alive and drives us to work hard.

When I talk about family, it’s not just the immediate family. Filipino families are huuuuuge: extended families, clans, ancestral families, etc etc. When I go to the province, I always meet someone new who is related to my family. She’s the cousin of your third cousin! He’s the brother of the brother of your grandmother. Everyone seems related to each other. We are all connected. That’s why when there are fiestas, the whole house is full of strangers, but my relatives say that I am related to them.