Ang Ganda ng Pilipinas

As a Filipino-Chinese-Arab-American mutt (and a military brat at that), it’s so much easier to blend into a particular group, but also that much harder to find a personal identity. With all the traveling I’ve done, I’ve managed to spend a lot of time outside of the Philippines…

…And that just fucking sucks. I first came back to Manila in 2000, and 8 years later I am still here, falling in love with the city over and over and over again. A few days ago I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, listening to internet radio, when this song by Regine Velasquez (Asia’s Songbird) came on. 

The title of this blog entry is a key line from that song, and when it came on, I just started crying. Which is ridiculous, because the song is really upbeat, and it’s meant to encourage tourism in the Philippines! So close your eyes, and picture it: 

The Demigod, with his hands on his laptop, in a darkened office, crying to a 60-second upbeat pop jingle, encouraging people to visit the Philippines. 

Great. 

Just.

Effing.

Great. 

I’ve lost my marbles. But in fairness, the song really hits home (pun intended). And if you’ve ever heard Regine sing, you know that that golden voice is fit to launch a thousand ships. 

These are the song lyrics in Tagalog (and below that is my half-assed bastardization of a translation into English): 

 

Nakabalik ka na ba sa whitesand beach ng Boracay?

Mag “Hala Bira” sa Ati-atihan at nag party hanggang pa-morning

Narating mo na ba ang world-famous Rice Terraces

O nanood ng Moriones?

 

Tara na biyahe tayo ng tayo’y ma-in-love sa ganda ng Pilipinas

 

Na-explore mo na ba ang mga islands ng Palawan

Sa Bacolod mamiyesta, magsuot ng Masskara

Nakisaya ka na ba sa Higantes ng Angono; sa Vigan magbakasyon

 

Tara na biyahe tayo nang tayo’y ma-inlove sa ganda ng Pilipinas

Sa saya ng Pilipino!

 

In English: 

Have you had a chance to come back to the white sands of Boracay?

Shouted “Hala Bira!” in the Ati-Atihan Fiesta and partied til morning?

Have you had a chance to visit the world-famous Rice Terraces?

Or watched the Moriones festival?

Let’s go on a trip to see the beauty of the Philippines

Have you had a chance to explore the islands of Palawan?

Or partied in Bacolod, work a mask at the Masskara festival!

Have you hung out with the Giants of Angono?

Or taken a vacation in Vigan?

Let’s go on a trip to see the wonders of the Philippines and the wonderfulness amazingness wellness greatness sheer-undiluted-happiness of the Filipino!

Ok, a LOT of things are lost in translation. My shoddy English translation just doesn’t cut the original message. Even the phrase “tara na” loses all meaning in English: “let’s go”.

“Tara Na!” conjures up images of summer, sun, friends, the beach, pina coladas, sun tan oil, free-flowing beer and drunken nights, that roadtrip where anything can happen including a lesbian fling, the unplanned trip to the neighborhood bar in Brooklyn but ending up in Nova Scotia with a seal licking your frozen nose.

“Let’s go”, on the other hand, just conjures up images of your mother yelling at you to get dressed because you’re twenty minutes late for your dentist appointment and dearjesusmaryjosephandallthesaintsinheaven if you don’t hurry up she will pull out that aching tooth for you with your dad’s pliers and a stress ball to squeeze that serves as your anesthetic.

You really have to be a Filipino to appreciate the power of the song. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to be a Filipino to enjoy the wonders of the Philippines. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are the wonders described in the song: 

 

The talcum white sand beach of Boracay

The colorful street party that is the Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo, Aklan

The majestic, 2000-year old Banaue Rice Terraces built by the Ifugaos

The Carnivale-style Moriones festival, celebrating the stations of the cross

The pristine waters and caves of Palawan

Bacolod's fabulous street party: The Masskara Festival

Angono's fiesta to the giants: Higantes

Historic Vigan: a Rip-Van-Winkle Town that's still in Spanish Colonization Time

Metro Manila: My town, the city I love.

With over 700 words for "laugh", we know our business.

 

Proud. To. Be. Pinoy.