There’s no doubt that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has charmed the Filipinos in her recent visit. Her wit and humor drew applause from a crowd of around 800 students in a forum organized by ABS-CBN. She has all the right answers to questions on topics that are close to the hearts of Filipinos such as boxing and basketball. She has charmed us the way US Ambassador Kristie Kenney has.
The Philippines is quite matriarchal. Don’t most of us love our mothers more than our fathers? We are perhaps one of the few places in the third world where women enjoy equal rights with men. With a Catholic background and a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, Filipinos have high regard for women. Abuse against women is considered an abuse against one’s own mother, sister, and daughter. Wala ba kayong mga nanay? (Don’t you have mothers?) is a common question asked to offenders.
We are such a sucker for women in power. We admire women who excels at what we consider a man’s job. One of the best decisions the US ever made was probably to send a female US Ambassador to the Philippines. Ambassador Kristie Kenney is the first female ambassador to the Philippines. It’s also quite fortunate that she is so down to earth. I saw her once on TV dancing the papaya dance with Edu Manzano. And she’s into basketball – Filipinos’ most favorite sport.
Send over smart, witty, and beautiful women and you have the Filipinos’ attention.
Image taken from Ambassador Kenney’s blog
