This is not unusual scenario for most of the Filipinos living in abroad. I remember a Filipino song with a lyrics “San ka man mapunta..babalik ka rin..babalik ka rin.” That’s exactly the point! Wherever you are in the globe, your heart will still find its one true home.

Check out his 24 hour fitness video where he sports a Manny Pacquiao shirt Brown Nation used to sell.

Thanks Dino!

The image shows the tribal tattoo of Michael Valdez from Milpitas, CA. It covered his arm and chest and he plans to extend it around his back to his whole arms.

For Jeffrey of Canada, having a rosary tat on his chest symbolizes protection. He accompanied the rosary with 3 stars and a sun which means that he is a one true Filipino.

The bearer of this tattoo is Rick Reddaway from Jackson.

Get a taste of their healthy dishes epecially seasoned with “bagoong”, a fermented fish that is substitute for salt for a more umami flavor. Not just that, be amazed with their white sand beaches and ancestral houses.

Proud that he is an Ilokano, Jae of San Jose had this tattoo on his chest as a symbol and commemoration of his ancestors.

luckyvanstattoo.com

Gerald Genus (Sac-Town, Cali)
“For my Catholic Religion. To forever wear a cross on my neck.”

Getting inked is something. A tattoo of a seemingly-necklace with a cross as the pendant is another thing. It just shows devotion to Catholicism.

Despite being a predominantly Catholic nation, Philippines was able to produce just one saint in Lorenzo Ruiz’s persona.

He was born of a Chinese and Filipino parents, both Catholic. Ruiz’s devotion started out as early as his childhood days when he became an altar boy and later on a calligrapher for the Dominican friars.

Also known as San Lorenzo de Manila, Ruiz was beatified in the Philippines during Pope John Paul II’s 1981 Papal visit. This ceremony was the first beatification held outside the Vatican City. The saint was canonized due to his resistance of giving up his Catholic faith which lead to his gruesome death after painful tortures enacted by the Japanese.

James Bryan (Honolulu)
Flip Pride

Filipinos’ firm religious belief has long surpassed the colonial period it underwent and never was shaken by any threats of imperialism. Now, with 81% of its population as Roman Catholics, Philippines is known as the third largest Catholic nation in the world next to Brazil and Mexico.

Catholicism is a good object of discussion of debates for its controversial beliefs and practices. Pressing issues on veneration of saints, opposition to contraception, and its separation from the State are among others. Despite all of these, Filipinos remain steadfast to its teachings.

On what makes Catholic a subcategory of Christianity or what’s the difference between Catholicism and Christianity is still a mystery for the author and an amply vague topic to be discussed.

Done by Tha Kuya, Salvation Design Ink from San Diego, CA