Hard Work, Diligence, Initiative

Throughout my one year here in Qatar, I deliberately was not into socializing with other people other than a few of my office mates. I wanted to observe first the cultures, customs and behavior of the different nationalities I will be in contact here in Qatar. This included the Filipino community. I am not sure if it's a bad thing but I wanted to get to know first the established norms in Qatar before I fully immerse myself into it.
One thing I have noticed is how Filipinos stand out from a crowd. You look at a group of Asians and you know who is a Filipino and who is not. There's something in the Filipino that makes him stand out. What is more important is how well Filipinos are known be diligent and hard working professionals. Go to the different online forums here in Qatar and the rest of the Gulf, you are sure to find stories that tell of the Filipinos’ professional and exceptional work. There are the honest and reliable taxi drivers, the courteous and caring nurse, the diligent and professional engineers, and so forth and so on. And yet we have the often raised question as to why Filipinos excel abroad but not in their country?
Comparing a Filipino to a worker of a different nationality (which I dare not say), an Arab Project Manager in our company once said: “I prefer a Filipino technician. If I tell him to connect a wiring, he will not only connect it but also see to it that the wiring is laid straight and proper. Then he will come back and ask me if there is anything more to do for the day. If I give the same job to a (nationality withheld) technician, he will do the connection for the next 8 hours and will not even arrange the wiring layout!” I have observed the same behavior. If I give a technician (not Filipino) a job he will only do what you asked of him he will not go beyond what you instructed him to do. You have to specify each and every detail of the work flow to get the job done right. But with a Filipino, tell him the current situation and tell him what you need in the end, he will take care of filling in the blanks. (NB. I am not bashing other nationalities I am just stating personal experiences.)
So what makes the Filipino standout? Yes, it’s his hard work, diligence and initiative. They are the selling points and differentiators of every OFW. But really why does it seem Filipinos excel more in another country but not their own?
I do not dare say that I know the answer to this question but I think there are certain practices, often taken for granted, that lead Filipinos not to draw out the innate talent in themselves.

Money talks
As youngsters we were already initiated into a world where “money talks”. You have the Mr. and Ms. Elementary school contest or any variation of it. In the guise of being a talent contest, it is actually a fund raising and the winner is determined by the number of tickets they can sell. And parents, in their eagerness to give their child the glory and honor of being the winner, really spend money. In the end only those with money wins and the kid who may be exuding in talent ends up losing. So as kids we are imparted early on that no matter how good you are, without money you are a loser. But we all know this is not true yet we perpetuate such practice. I hope our school teachers teach our future generations better and do away with this.

Influence
When I was a fresh college graduate it was hard for me to find a job at a “reputable” company. You know why? The job ads most of these companies often read “graduates of UP, La Salle, Ateneo” – rich schools with a lot of influence. Why you ask? I have always wondered so. Then as I was working I realized that to do and succeed in business in our country, most of your employees should have connections in Government. Positions in management and marketing go to sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. of an influential person in Government or Business. And these kids study in these schools. Haven’t the graduates of these same schools been running our Government for the past 61 years and yet we are still in a mess? I hope more companies will give a break to children from average families to succeed and become leaders in business and industry because of what they know and not whom they know.

Yet there is still hope. Because when the playing field is even, when success is gained through hard work and merit, the Filipino stands out against others. He is able to show the rest of the world that his race is hard working, diligent, and has initiative. Add to it the Filipino traits of honesty, patience, discipline, dedication and loyalty.

We have heard so many stories of success of Filipino workers. Every OFW is inspiring the future generation that hard work, diligence and initiative will bring success and happiness in life. So as long as every Filipino aspires and works for a better educated and inspired next generation, then future Filipinos will succeed not only abroad but most specially in our country – even without using influence.