I'm Your Foreignoy: What I learned from my time on Eat Bulaga

This Saturday, May 2, will be the grand finals of "You’re My Foreignoy," a segment on Eat Bulaga where foreigners in the Philippines compete while dancing, singing, and acting as Filipinos.

I joined at the behest of our neighbours and colleagues in Payatas as part of our work at the Fairplay for All Foundation (FFA). With the help of a few friends I tracked down a time to stop by the Eat Bulaga studio and audition. Soon after, I was told I’d be on the show the following Monday.

It all happened quite quickly, so I was nervous. Not least because whenever I’d sing at our house in Payatas, the dog would run away with its tail between its legs.

But that Monday, I got through singing Parokya ni Edgar's "Harana." After the brief interview with Pia and Allan (nice to hear I have a ‘charming smile’), I won the daily show.

It was my first step into what this kind of showbiz was like. You have to adjust quickly. Things change almost every minute, whether it’s the day and time you’re supposed to show up, an opening dance number that gets scrapped just before you go on, or being handed a MassKara headdress that just won’t stay on moments before you’re live.

In other words it’s hectic. Everyone at the show works really hard to put it all together and it’s a stressful situation. So much goes on backstage, and everyone has to adjust quickly to the constant shouts coming from all sides.

Neither did I know what to expect of the other contestants (all models referred by their agencies), but everyone was really nice and supportive. So it was a great experience, all for good fun, and hopefully raised some more interest for Fairplay for All.

So six of us were in the weekly finals. Aaron won and Bobby (great voice) later received the Wildcard slot.

Love for foreigners

Now I could feel a little bitter about losing. Judging who was the most "Pusong Pinoy" was based on "personality," "stage presence," and "talent," but not how well you know Tagalog, the culture, or what you’re doing in the Philippines. But you know that going into it. It’s all meant for fun, for entertainment.

And the context for the show is the general superficial love for foreigners – whether it’s how almost every billboard model must be white, the myriad of whitening products, or the "Hey Joe" that most white guys receive on a daily basis.

(As an aside, a friend of mine came to the Philippines and I told him we’d let everyone know he was here. So he was confused and paranoid when people shouted "Hey Joe" wherever he went. His name was Joseph.)

But where else would you find a TV show for foreigners to stand on stage and say how much they love the country? It’s one of the reasons many foreigners feel welcome here.

On the other hand, once you scratch beyond the surface there are far deeper issues in play. No foreigner own land or business here, something which prevents much development in the country and pushes foreign investments overseas. And any foreigner who has the gall to criticize or joke about the Philippines is lambasted on social media or even declared persona non grata.

Whether its Teri Hatcher apologizing for words her fictional character said on "Desperate Housewives," Alec Baldwin being told he’d be beaten up by a senator and declared persona non grata for a joke, or the horrifically racist backlash against Senegal for a perceived slight in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, it’s no secret some Filipinos can be overly sensitive when the tables are turned.

There is, of course, historical context to this. Colonization by the Spanish, then the Americans, and the horrific events of World War II left a mark. There was an insecurity about being Filipino to some extent.

With Manny Pacquiao about to face Floyd Mayweather, then, it’s relevant to point out his power to unite the nation on fight day didn’t come from his boxing prowess as much as how he showed the world the Philippines was a force to be reckoned with, at a time when it was hurting. Something which also explains the quick forgiveness for his transgressions.

What is Pusong Pinoy?

Yet there are plenty of reasons to be proud of the Philippines. Some of the 7,107 islands are truly beautiful, from beaches, to mountains, to volcanoes. Filipinos generally are very friendly and hard-working. My point isn’t to criticize the country. It is, after five years living in the country and a brief stint on “You’re My Foreignoy”, to hopefully point to the real meaning I see in ‘Pusong Pinoy’.

Pusong Pinoy isn’t shouting to a bunch of strangers that you love their country. Pusong Pinoy means more than that. It means genuinely wanting to help people, to care for people, and to make the Philippines better. The heart of the best Filipinos I know is always looking to make things better; it’s admitting that the Philippines is far from perfect, and working hard to make it better.

No one wants to sit in hours of traffic every day, deal with shoddy facilities because public money was siphoned off, or see over 40 percent of Manila’s people living in slums. But that’s the reality we live in.

We all want things to improve, and they can. Partly by reclaiming the idea of Pusong Pinoy.

The heart of the best Filipinos I know is to love this country despite its flaws, to be honest about those problems, and to work hard – in spite of all the obstacles – to make the Philippines the county we all want it to be. And in our own way, all of us can contribute to that.

Roy Moore is the co-executive director of Fairplay for All Foundation. For more information about the foundation, follow him on Twitter @roymondous or email ffafoundation@gmail.com.