Second level. We all know how steep that ramp is, right? And we also know that tight turn we would have to make before we could head to the exit.
Well, I just managed to make that tight right turn when I encountered a car driven by an elderly white man. His car blocked my way. He could have easily reversed, and make minor adjustments on his position to make room for my vehicle, but no! I had to be the one to make room for him.
In effect, he expected me to go back the way I had come from, meaning, make the tight turn again, and go back up the ramp. In reverse!
I initially refused to budge but I had to eventually give in to the frantic pleas of the guards. I had to be the one to give way because the white man refused to do anything except move forward.
We eventually managed to maneuver my large vehicle (I’m referring to a Montero Sport) to a small spot behind me just to accommodate this person who brushed me off with comments about “being in the Philippines alright!” And awful, deplorable “Filipino drivers!!!”
Yes, folks. To him, I was the one at fault. Am I bad. I should have trembled, and kowtowed the moment I spotted him. And maybe even licked the soles of his shoes or something before flying off with my SUV…to the ceiling perhaps? Or maybe even the netherworld…just to get my car out of his way.
In that very limited space, it was a minor miracle that I managed to come out without a dent or scratch.
It is this kind of attitude among these foreigners that draw the ire of locals like myself.
An American retiree I have constant exchanges with commented something about foreign men like him get ting in harm’s way because of “racist hostility”.
I replied that I totally agreed with him about that “racist hostility” thing but added that the hostility actually goes both ways.
I wrote something to the effect that we locals could hardly be blamed for losing our natural warmth and welcoming attitude towards foreign people when we have foreigners coming to our shores, and going about acting like they own the place.
I added that we Filipinos get criticized a lot by our so-called “guests” for behaving like Filipinos, whether rightly or wrongly, right in our very own country.
He replied that he totally agreed with me on this point but with one “but”. Not all foreigners are “bad”. Others really do try to fit in, and behave like the “guests” that they are. I told him that I, also, totally agreed with him there.
Going back to my previous statement about some foreigners getting hurt having it coming to them … yes, I really do regrettably believe that. And I’m not the only one.
Why do I believe that? Am I in grave danger of becoming violent towards them? Hardly. People like me just shake our heads and move on.
But I am not everyone. I believe that it only takes one badly-behaving guest, and the “wrong people” in the vicinity, and we will have a tragedy in our hands. Case in point: Mr. Phil Prins.
Do I condone violence? Of course, not. I just looked around matter-of-factly, and made a statement out of my observations. Hence, what I said above.
The men who attacked Mr. Prins should be punished in accordance with our own laws.
Violence of any kind against anyone, with or without provocation, should not, in any way, be tolerated by anyone, Filipino or foreign guest.
We Dumagueteños should start getting our act together, and do what we could, in our own little way, to give justice to our claim, that what we have is a City inhabited by gentle people.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
