Filipino Culture provides warm Hospitality to all

Part of the Filipino culture is to always treat our guests warmly, whether they are foreigners or not, therefore  if there is one thing that foreigners would usually comment about right after they visit the Philippines, it would probably not be the food or the places they visited, but the hospitality of the people.

We put out our best every time a guest comes to visit us. You might see this trait the moment you land in the country. You will be greeted warmly at the airport, hotel, restaurants, and just about everywhere you go. You will be given much attention. They will always ask you about the services they provide. The Philippines has very good quality service for foreigners. It is not just with the foreigners that we are very hospitable. We are very much like that with Filipino guests as well, especially if they are not very close to us.

Many see this part of the Filipino culture as a positive trait to praise. Still, some think that Filipinos sometimes go overboard with their hospitality. Some would spend a lot on food and a new set of china for the guests, for instance. It is reasonable if you are part of business like a hotel or a resort, but if you are a working Filipino who pushed blood and sweat to earn money (money is really hard to come by here), some Filipinos think they should think twice before spending for guests.

It is hard to get rid of this trait though, as it has been part of the Filipino culture since the ancient times. Before the Philippines was even a colony of Spain, the Datus (rulers of the land) already warmly welcomed foreign people landing here to barter and trade. When the Spaniards first came, they were also treated with great hospitality before things got out of hand and both parties became hostile.

What are signs that the Filipino is being hospitable towards you? Here’s a few.

They give you more than one greeting. If you go into a store, they would always say, “Welcome to our store!” which is reasonable, but they would also give you, “Thank you for coming!” or “Have a nice day!” whether you buy something or not.

They take out their best china. Women are kind of obsessed with plates for some reason. My mom keeps all her best ones in a china cabinet. She only takes them out when a guest we are not very close with arrives. If it’s a relative, they might get the second best china. If you’re their child, you get what is used every day.

They offer to show you around. I have more than once offered to show a foreigner friend around the area for free.

They would force you to eat their food. A big part of the Filipino culture is the food. We like foreigners to like our food. I have many times brought street food for foreigner friends (and only the ones I think are most delicious).

The Filipino hospitality is part of the Filipino culture, and it is something unavoidable. You will surely get your share of situations where the Filipino hospitality would warmly greet you.