We Filipinos are the greatest copycats of all times. We simply wait for something from the West or Europe, copy it, adopt it and finally go nuts about it, like it were our very own. Talk of “gaya-gaya puto maya,” that’s us, Filipinos.
From “American Idol” to “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” from “Survivor” to “Big Brother,” from “Got Talent” to “Got Deal,” from “Rap” to “Hip Hop,” we Pinoys simply swallow other peoples’ “cuisine” hook, line and sinker—forgive the cliché. Freddie Aguilar is right, we ape a lot and go bananas over imported culture.
Now, take Halloween. Nothing in it is Filipino. It is not Asian but Celtic in origin and, again, we celebrate this event, which was originally pagan, as if we were Irish. (Tried doing Riverdance?) We spend so much money on costumes and masks just to be “in” for a few hours, then complain of poverty the rest of the week. We are so hungry for happiness that we do things that we ought not to be doing like imitating what Americans and Europeans do on Oct. 31. Trick or treat? Some Filipinos might just trick you and kill you for your money on the night of Halloween. Now that’s really the horrible spirit of Halloween, isn’t it? Yes, we like to cheer up the kids, and can’t wait for the big one called Christmas, which is just around the bend.
Halloween is business, no more, no less. Nothing hallow about it, we celebrate it not because it is Filipino, but because it is imported. “Trick or Treat”? I say “trash.”
—POMPEYO S. PEDROCHE,
pspedroche@gmail.com