Comparison

Following the Japan disasters last March 11, 2011, the world was awed by the actions of the Japanese people. There were no looting, chaos, and people appear to be patient, respectful and dignified despite the tragedies. Ultimately, Filipinos then started comparing themselves with Japan. There's nothing wrong with comparing, but sometimes it's not healthy. Like in this case.

Some Filipinos say, if the disasters happened in the Philippines, surely there will be looting and violence. Yes, that may be true, but what is forgotten is if it happened in the country, I am also sure good things will happen too. During the Ondoy disaster in 2009, there was looting indeed, but in the general picture, there were more incidents of heroism and bravery. There was chaos in some areas, but there were more stories of sharing and compassion. There was greed, but also tales of bayanihan.

Some also say the Japanese media is 'better' than Philippines because they didn't show dead bodies. It's not entirely true, for one, there are photos of dead bodies online. And I don't think showing parts of dead bodies is entirely wrong. Of course, as long as the face is not shown and it won't be a long footage. Filipinos are dramatic people in general. We are also visual people. Showing parts of a dead body may be distasteful for some, but it also connects a story to the viewer. It tells the viewer what happened even without the words. Like the Maguindanao massacre, parts of dead bodies were shown like hands. The footage connected the viewer to the story and it translated to emotions, which turned that to a call for justice.

I'll always believe that Filipinos are great people. They may not be perfect (who are anyway), but they are loving, patriotic, hard working and fun people.