ANY years ago -- in the mid seventies during Martial Law -- my daddy came out with a booklet entitled, Mula Ulo Hanggang Paa. It was a workbook that asked the reader to fill in the products that he used, from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet (from shampoo to tsinelas). As you filled the blanks in, you would realize then that majority, if not all , the products that you used in and on your body were all made elsewhere but the Philippines.
It was my dad's way of reminding us, Pinoys to be more patriotic and not forget our own products. As June 12 rolls in, let us find ways to show our love for our country.
1. Eat nothing but Pinoy flavors -- tapsilog, longsilog or sinangag and tuyo for breakfast. Suman and kakanin or halu-halo for merienda. Inihaw, tinola, sinigang and other Pinoy favorites for lunch and dinner. Need something to drink? Buko juice, sago't gulaman, ginumis.....
2. Listen to Pinoy music day and night -- from kundiman to pop -- the whole day.
3. Buy a flag and decorate it proudly -- in front of your residence, in your car. Wear the colors of the flag -- blue, red, yellow and white.
4. Buy Pinoy books -- As you buy your favorite Pinoy authors, squeeze in those cute children's books from Adarna, Anvil, Lampara and the likes for your kids (if you don't have children, get them for your inaanaks, nephews and nieces). My son, Naki began following the stories from Dragon Pula, Munting Patak Ulan and Unggoy at ang Matsing as early as he could see. Adarna also has a great line of heroes -- men and women, young and old.
5. Chuck those imported bags even for a while and bring out those baskets and bayong. My gosh, the whole world is crazy about our native bags, why shouldn't we be of our own? Besides, our products are environment-friendly as well as handy and fashionable.
6. Watch Pinoy movies and help revive the ailing film industry. The Manila Film Festival is a great way to start making your way back into our film culture. Want comedy? Try Super B. Want to cry buckets of tears? Magkapatid starring Sharon Cuneta and Judy Ann Santos.
7. Instead of just visiting museums (which is a very good idea), take time to walk around the streets of Old Manila, any of our old churches, town plazas or even schools like UST, Lyceum and the like......
Finally, give your fathers a great big hug and a loud smack on the cheek (Father's Day is in June, too) and ask him how life was in the good old days or during the Martial Law years or Edsa 1. A great way to learn about our history.....
