The pliant Filipinos
By Rolo B. Cena
Arabian Diaries

There’s not much difference between Arabs and Filipinos celebrating life. Arabians do spend much of their time with their families inside and outside of their very abode in the same token as we Filipinos do.

After a month of voluminous and taxing work, a group of Filipinos in the company organized a party in one of the beaches along the famed Corniche coastline that stretches from Dammam to Al-Khobar in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Being my first day out, I, along with other colleagues were excited.

Amazement befell when we learned that the beach party would be held in the evening for the reason that it is not advisable during the day. My eyebrows raised but because we often do night beach party in our place, and out of curiosity, we still joined.

At the beach, I noticed locals and migrant workers flocked, pitched their tents like the early Christians of the good old days. Just like what we do in our country, they cooked food, performed their own frolics, and enjoyed with gusto the beach sans the sun.

In the still of the night, we Filipinos enjoyed what we usually enjoy in the daytime back home. Clueless, I spoke to one national and learned that doing business in the night has been part of their unique culture. One reason is the climate. During daytime, especially after 11:00 o’clock in the morning, no one can withstand the heat of the flaming sun. I felt it myself; this is true.

Nocturnal! Yes, they are. Just like the howling owls, they go out of the streets, play at the park, hold picnic at the beach, visit malls, shop, work, and do anything under the moon, literally.

Malls, trading and small business establishments open at night. And when we say “night,” they are open from 6:30 p.m. till midnight to 2:00 a.m. They usually sleep at daytime. This is the reason why most of them report to work late in the morning.

But as the humid breeze parched by the burning sun blows us here, the pliancy we Filipinos are known for has become more of a habit and behavior than a value. What do I mean? We go with the tide. As the old adage goes, “when in Rome, do what the Romans do.”

True enough, Filipinos in Saudi Arabia (and all over Middle East) learned to be flexible and as pliant as the bamboo tree. When we used to sleep at night and do our chores (outside of work, of course) during weekends and day time back home, in this rugged part of this ecologically imbalanced world, we do it at night.

At first, one would get irritated for your schedule is affected but as time wears on, your Filipino system unknowingly merges to the Arabian one that later you’ll see no further adjustments are necessary.

Islams do pray five times a day: 4:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 3:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. Our Muslim counterparts in the workplace are given the privilege to do their prayers while at work; they are provided with prayer room. While works are left untouched and undone sometimes, we Filipinos shoulder the mess; we do their unfinished business. Strictly in the Philippines, the moment one fails to deliver, it has a corresponding sanction. Not in here; they are excused. This is the law; it is their law.

City shorts, spaghetti straps, tubeless and sleeveless blouses and shirts are absolutely not allowed to be worn outside of your residence. Women have to wear Arabian long black gowns with sole edges touching the ground. Men are not allowed to visit women’s flats and conversely, women are prohibited in the bachelors’ units.

We Filipinos become adjusted to it: we strictly obey rules and follow policies. While most Filipinos are known for law-breaking, it is a wonder to note that our fellow “kababayans” in the mid-east are keen observes of these.

Weekends here are not Saturdays and Sundays. Weekends for Islams are Thursdays and Fridays. Again, this is something we must accept by heart and earn to adjust. Back home, it is during the weekends that we spend time with the family. Spending time with loved ones while staying in the sandy continent means doing chats, emails, and phone calls during Thursdays and Fridays. The problem is, our loved ones work and school during these days.

It has been a universal fact that Muslims do not take pork for food. In contrast, we Filipinos love to serve pork and its derivatives at the dining table. Taking pork and other pork products is against the law just as taking alcohol is.

How do we reconcile? In the beginning, we do it by force; and once the tough gets going, the going gets easier. We then strictly adhere to it; it becomes a schedule; and this schedule becomes a habit. This habit now grows into a passion we can’t afford to miss; this passion becomes life.

This is life in the mid-east. While we have the choice, this is what we chose.

This is one of the Filipino values that become a living proof of today: flexibility

Published, Dumaguete StarInformer, 12 October 2008, Sunday Issue