Filipinos are well-known around the world for being friendly, hardworking, hospitable, cheerful and happy. These are some of the many good stereotypes we have, and we can partly thank the OFWs for this as they represent us well around the world.
In this article, we will look into what foreigners think about Filipinos through a YouTube video of an OFW interviewing foreigners in Qatar.
Disclaimer: The information posted here is based on the personal experiences shared by the OFWs in the videos below. Please let this post serve as a guide only. If you have specific questions, you may ask the OFWs by commenting on their videos on their accounts.
Why Filipinos Have a Good Reputation in Qatar
In this YouTube video by Cha Risse and her friend, foreigners were interviewed to get their opinion about Filipinos. They walked around Doha Corniche and, in the second half of the video, Souq Waqif, to meet their respondents. Here’s a summary of what they said.
Filipinos are Good Persons
This seems to be the most common response among the foreigners. Many of them just said “good” without elaborating further; perhaps because they are in a hurry.
Those who said good includes a Nepalese, an Egyptian (who also said that he knows some Filipinos who are not good), a Bangladeshi, a Sudanese, a Kenyan, and an Indian.
Filipinos are Friendly
Friendly is also a very common answer in this interview by Cha Risse.
Many foreigners that have visited our country are, in fact, saying that Filipinos are one of the friendliest people on Earth.
In this interview, several foreigners said that they have many Filipino friends.
A Kenyan, in particular, said he has 10 friends, 3 ladies and 7 gentlemen, and that he already has plans to visit the Philippines someday to understand why Filipinos are so friendly.
Those who said Filipinos are friendly include a Nepalese, an Egyptian, and a Jordanian.
Filipinos are Hardworking
Filipinos indeed have a reputation of being very good employees abroad because they are hardworking.
In this video, some foreigners said Filipinos are just like normal people looking for jobs and trying to make their family’s lives better.
On a similar note, a German mentioned that 80 percent of their office is Filipino. He added that he would refer to them as colleague and are just normal people.
Another interviewee mentioned that he worked with four Filipinos and they are all hardworking.
One particular interviewee from Jordan is more generous with his praise, stating the following wonderful traits of Filipino employees:
- Filipinos are educated.
- Filipinos are perfect in their social relations.
- Filipinos are sharp.
- Filipinos won’t cheat in business.
- Filipinos come to work on time.
According to the Jordanian, all these traits are the reason why Filipinos are respected by employers in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Filipinos are Respectful
The value of respect has been taught to us since we are children, and we exercise it regularly by taking the hand of our elders and putting it against our foreheads as a sign of respect.
Respect has also been mentioned several times in the interview.
According to one Jordanian, he has met several thousand Filipinos, and every single one of them care not just about themselves, but are very polite and respectful to others.
Filipinos are Good Communicators
One interviewee said that Filipinos are good communicators. That means we are great at not just sharing ideas but listening to the ideas of others.
Filipinos Don’t Waste their Food
An Indian observed that Filipinos don’t waste their food. Back home in the Philippines, most of us are used to keeping the left overs and eating them later if it’s still okay.
These are some of the good things foreigners mentioned about Filipinos. We are definitely not perfect and some interviewed mentioned that some Filipinos they have worked with are not so good. OFWs should remember that they have a responsibility to represent the Philippines well to foreigners they meet quite often.
