What Do Foreigners REALLY Think Of Filipinos? Let's Ask Them!

Pea hits the streets to flip the script on a previous episode where she asked Filipinos what they think of foreigners. This time she interviews foreign men living in or visiting the Philippines to get their unfiltered impressions of Filipino people — their friendliness, communication, cultural quirks, and whether real cross-cultural friendships are actually forming.

Interview #1: British man from Portsmouth (30+ visits over 22 years) ​

• Met his now-ex-wife in Dumaguete; she was from Siquijor ("she was flying on the broomstick" — joke about Siquijor's witchcraft reputation)
• Now has a new Filipina partner
• Gives Filipinos a 10+ rating — never had a problem in 30+ visits
• Says Filipinos are very kind and easy to talk to
• When asked about deeper conversations with average Filipinos (not his girlfriend): admits it doesn't happen often — "they usually ask about money"
• Says he's generous — gives 1,000 pesos to people with visible disabilities, but won't give money to begging children because their parents are watching and profiting
• Claims to have Filipino friends, but when asked what they talk about: "money" — again, not surprised
• Admits a lot of his social circle is other foreigners with Filipina wives (mentions an Australian friend married to a Filipina)
• Only negative experience in 22 years: a drunk Filipino guy with a gun started mouthing off at him about 15 years ago in Subic — the guy's friend pulled him away, nothing happened
• Strangest encounter: seeing completely naked people walking around in Subic and Leyte, nobody batting an eye

Interview #2: Norwegian man (single, first visit) ​

• Dropped his phone while biking and five strangers immediately rushed to help — his first impression of Filipino helpfulness
• All Filipinos he met spoke English except one person
• Confident he can make friends here — has lived in Denmark, America, Canada, Spain, and Norway and made friends everywhere
• Says desperate foreigners definitely come to the Philippines for women, but not all; Europeans especially come for the weather and cheap food
• Rating: A minus for Filipino people overall
• Says he got used to the loud noise

Interview #3: British man (visiting, has a Filipina partner) ​

• Addresses the Western perception that Filipinas just want older men for citizenship — says his personal experience shows "that's simply not the case"
• Doesn't really connect with Filipinos in his community back home
• Has no Filipino friends
• When asked what he has in common with an average Filipino: "the average Filipino wants to enjoy life, just as I want to enjoy my life"
• Finds Filipino family culture a "double-edged sword" — from a Western perspective, the family-is-everything dynamic is very strange
• Rating: A minus

Interview #4: American man (7-8 visits since 2016) ​

• First came to the Philippines with a Filipina girlfriend from the US who hadn't been back in years
• First impression of Manila: lots of traffic, a little dirty — but loved it once he got out of the city
• Says Filipinos communicate well, partly from exposure to American TV — they use the same phrases
• Notes the common he/she mix-up in Filipino English but says it's not confusing overall
• Believes he could have a deeper connection with Filipinos and would invite them to dinner
• Has no Filipino friends though
• Rating: A+ — says he's never encountered a rude Filipino, only rude foreigners

Interview #5: American man (11 months in, came after watching Pea's channel during COVID) ​

• Has a Filipina partner — "I came for the special Pea"
• Says basic communication works if you keep it simple, but Filipinos don't get his sarcasm at all
• Favorite Filipino gesture: the lip-pointing — initially thought they were asking for a kiss
• Crazy encounter: a woman near a beauty salon started screaming at him asking if he wanted to father her child; he screamed back louder and she stood there stunned, then walked off
• Acknowledges being put on a pedestal as a foreigner — sometimes preferential treatment, sometimes becoming a target for "pain handlers" (pan handlers)
• Smart tactic: stays away from his partner when she's shopping so the "foreigner tax" doesn't kick in on prices
• Bought a place up in the mountains specifically to escape the noise
• Gets annoyed by restaurant birthday celebrations — "just trying to eat and everybody's singing Happy Birthday"
• Rating: B

Pea's observations and takeaways ​

• Not surprised every man gave high marks — confirms the reputation of Filipinos as happy, smiling, friendly people is real
• The biggest surprise: almost none of them have actual Filipino friends — not counting girlfriend's family members or local service people like trike drivers
• She means the kind of friend you'd hang out with voluntarily and share thoughts with
• She developed theories about why but deliberately holds back, wanting viewers to weigh in
• Asks viewers directly: if you're living in the Philippines, do you have Filipino friends? If not, why not?

End-of-episode gag ​

• Pea does a comedic bit where "Blahala" (seemingly a Filipino authority figure/joke character) threatens her, and she pretends to recant everything honest she's said: "Everything I've been telling you is a lie, things are just perfect here in the Philippines"
• Asks "is that thing for real or you're just yanking my chain?"

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