She always surprises almost everyone with her looks, her personal character traits, her passion, her interests, her successes in any field of endeavors she engages in. She commands respect and is admired and emulated.
From the legendary Princess Urduja, to Gabriela Silang, from the international star Leah Salonga, to famous political leaders former President Corazon Aquino up to incumbent President Gloria Arroyo, from international beauty queens Margie Moran, Gloria Diaz, Melanie Marquez up to Precious Lara Quigaman, the list of Filipino women is actually endless.
A Filipino woman is like no other. We may say she is a mixture of different kinds of woman. She adopted different descriptions of woman from different races. She acquired the looks from the Chinese and the Malay. She adopted the western clothing, from long gowns to lingerie. It is quite disappointing to say that she might not be unique in her looks but it does not matter. What makes her a Filipino woman is not her looks but the seal of a true Filipino woman.
A Filipino woman is respected and revered by her counterparts in society. She can avail of education; she can hold office and own properties. Unlike during the time of colonial that a Filipino woman was not allowed to be educated and to work. Indeed, one of the most respected roles in Philippine society is that of a Mother.
To state the essence of a Filipino woman is similar to creating a most indefinable fragrance. She is Chinita (Chinese in complexion); she is Morena (tan in complexion) which most foreign men are looking for. She is sensual yet conservative; modest but bewitching. She is the well-behaved housewife. She is the general of an army of rebelling patriots. She may be small but she is as courageous as Joan of Arc. Perhaps, the one true common denominator is that a Filipino woman has an indomitable spirit and she can love so purely and so powerfully. These characteristics she carries with her wherever fate brings her. In fact these are what help her to survive in foreign lands among strangers.
She is a considerate daughter. She is a loyal friend. As a wife she is loving and supportive, an ever dynamic factor in her husband's life and career. Never has the phrase "Behind every great man is a woman," been more true in the case of a Filipino woman. She is the driving force in a family, in a marriage, or in a relationship. Perhaps, the secret is that she can hold her own and her tongue at the right moment. But for the most part, the Filipino woman is dignified.
Let us not forget her sense of humor. They are the true optimist always finding something positive out of dreadful situations. Her laughter is probably her most attractive attribute. And when she engages a member of the opposite sex in a conversation and makes him laugh, before she knows it, she completely captured him.
What is most striking is her source of strength. She has an inherently strong faith. When things go bad, she will say to herself "Bahala na ang Diyos." (God will provide.) For the sake of her loved ones she will pray on bent knees. She would lift everyone's cause except her own. Even if she claims to be non-religious, deep down, she knows who her God is and that He will not forsake her. This is what gives her the power and the will to face any situation. I have tried to depict what a Filipino woman is all about. But I am afraid; I have still drawn an incomplete picture. These are not only attributes that I have read about nor do they simply exist on books.
I have seen them in my grandmothers and my mother. I have seen them in other women in my family and circle of acquaintances. Here in the Philippines, I have seen them in Filipino women who are leaders and those who are ordinary. Does it matter if she now lives in United States, or any other foreign countries? I hardly think so. She retains them. She may add to it, but essentially, what makes her Filipino woman remains.
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