Pinoy Ako, Pinoy Tayo
I watched the launch of Pinoy Big Brother last weekend and was amused to find that 2 out of the 6 contestants were Fil-something. One was a Filipino raised in Australia and another one is a Filipino based in Switzerland who speaks German. And of course, who can forget Sam Milby from the first season?
A cursory look at the Philippine National team (basketball of course. 
also shows the same phenomenon. Caguioa, Helterbrand, Menk, Taulava, etc. etc. Fil- representing the Philippines.
Now we are feeling the effects of out-migration. All these offspring of migrants are coming back and making a name for themselves in the land of their parents.
I wonder where it all started, I mean the projection of these Fil- Filipinos in local media? Of course there are the Filipino-Chinese but they’ve been around for some time. The earliest I can recall is the Fil- in the PBA. Of course that was for economic reasons (Sometimes I wonder why bother with a Reinforced Conference with imports?) But then again, the Fil- phenomenon in showbiz including Pinoy Big Brother is no less for economic reasons. Ay talaga nga naman, popular culture can be so contrived.
All this of course raises questions of identity. Who is the Filipino?, especially when the Philippine National Team is composed of Fil-. It also raises the spectre of new hierarchies, which no matter the innocent protestations to the contrary, will inevitably be created.
The presence of the Fil- in Pinoy Big Brother makes the song of Orange and Lemons even more relevant Just imagine the Fil-Australian and the Fil-Swiss singing along with the homegrown Pinoys, "Pinoy Ako, Pinoy Tayo".
