Filipinas Are All The Same? Not The WARAY!

Pea sits down with three Waray women — Garla, Rose, and Rich — from the Leyte region of the Eastern Visayas to break down what makes Waray Filipinas distinct from women of other Filipino tribes. The Philippines has 110 different tribes speaking 120 languages, and Pea (herself Waray) argues that lumping all Filipinas together misses real personality, cultural, and behavioral differences that foreigners should know about.

What "Waray" means ​

• It's simultaneously a language, a cultural identity, and a people — spoken by residents of Eastern Visayas, particularly Samar and Leyte
• The literal meaning of "Waray" is "nothing can stop us"
• All three women speak Waray at home as their primary language, but also speak Tagalog

The "angry" reputation ​

• Waray people speak extremely fast and at high volume, which makes other Filipinos think they're arguing
• Rose describes friends from Manila or Cebu hearing her on the phone with family and asking "are you angry? Are you fighting with your family member?"
• Garla compares the speaking style to "an assault rifle"
• They insist they're not actually angry — that's just how Waray sounds

How Waray women differ from other Filipinas ​

• Garla: Waray women are "aggressive" — both verbally and physically — but this aggression is actually affectionate; they're rough with each other as a form of closeness
• Rose: Waray women have "expressive eyes" that are "mesmerizing, bewitching" and a "radiant smile" brighter than other Filipinas — she says this completely seriously and the group owns it
• Rich: the word she uses is "fierce" — they're Waray warriors, and the women carry that reputation of being "feisty and spicy and also sweet"

Waray women and sex ​

• All three confirm Waray women are more sexually aggressive than other Filipinas
• Garla: based on "observation with my friends" (with air quotes), Waray women will initiate sex, especially if the man is "torpe" (shy/passive) — "we're just going to initiate it and make it easier for him"
• Rose: Waray women "tend to initiate" but also have a "submissive role" — she's coy about specifics but admits "maybe sometimes"
• Rich: her friends confirm that it's acceptable for the woman to make the first move — "come and get me"
• Pea explains "torpe" for the audience: a man who's very shy or feminine in romantic situations

Physical differences ​

• Waray women tend to be darker-skinned ("kayumangi") compared to other Filipinas
• The explanation: they spend more time outdoors near the ocean and swimming
• All three confirm they swim regularly and spend a lot of time at the beach/ocean

Rapid-fire personality traits ​

• Bossy: all say yes (Rose initially hesitates, then admits yes)
• Quick to fight: "depends," but all have been in actual fights
  • Rich fought to defend herself when she felt disrespected: "I don't let others disrespect me"
  • Garla got in a fight defending a friend — not herself — and rushed in like backup: "it makes me angry when my friend is attacked"
• Seeking revenge: confirmed — Waray people are known for being vengeful, and the specific method is "barang" (sorcery/witchcraft)

Barang: Waray black magic ​

• Barang is real sorcery/witchcraft practiced in the Waray tradition for revenge
• Method: a doll (like a voodoo doll) is used with needles, along with a ceremony performed by a "mambarang" (the practitioner)
• Purpose: make the target person get sick, have an accident, or suffer — "bad bad bad things to happen to that person"
• Effects described include bugs coming out of the target's mouth
• Pea compares it to English "voodoo" for the audience
• The women describe it with a "from what I've heard, disclaimer" but clearly take it seriously
• Pea jokes about the business potential: "imagine the business of the mambarang — 'this guy hurt me, you have to let him suffer'"

Tampo (silent treatment) ​

• All three women practice "tampo" — the Filipino version of the silent treatment
• Rose explains it: instead of addressing an issue directly, you "act distant or quiet to express what you feel"
• Rich admits she does tampo specifically when things don't go her way — a temper tantrum expressed through silence
• Pea asks if it's childish; they dodge the question

Superstitions ​

• Sweeping the floor at night makes good luck leave your house (but using a vacuum cleaner apparently doesn't count — "because you're rich" enough to afford one)
• A black butterfly repeatedly visiting your house means someone in the family will get sick — Rose says this has actually happened to her family
• The San Juanico Bridge legend: children were told not to go out because child blood was supposedly offered as a sacrifice to make the bridge sturdy — Garla's parents used this as a warning

Religion ​

• All three say they're religious with a "strong belief in God"
• But they push back on the idea that Waray women are specifically more religious — faith depends on the individual person, not the tribe

Why foreigners don't come to Leyte ​

• Very few tourist spots compared to Cebu, Bohol, or Manila
• The economy isn't tourism-based
• The region is a natural disaster hotspot — constantly hit by typhoons and earthquakes, which deters visitors
• Rose specifically mentions that foreigners prefer beach destinations and tend to flock to Cebu
• Because foreigners are rare, any foreigner who visits gets intense attention and staring, especially in the barangays

Waray women and dating foreigners ​

• None of the three have dated a foreigner
• All three want to — Rich says "of course, but they are not here"
• Garla has a male friend from Sweden she met on Telegram (she's evasive about who messaged first — "I forgot")
• When asked what their parents would say about dating a foreigner:
  • Garla's parents: "When is the wedding?" — direct to the point
  • Rose's parents: mixed feelings — happy but surprised/shocked
  • Rich's mom: "wow" followed by "when will he come?" (to meet the family)
• All agree their families would be happy, not opposed

How Waray women get a man's attention ​

• Simple: they wave and say hi, then ask for his number
• Waray women don't mind making the first move — they'll show their interest transparently if they sense the guy is interested

Closing messages from the three women ​

• Rich: "Never give up, never give in — we've got to fight for what we believe in" (which Pea notes is a Pokémon quote)
• Garla: "Do not forget to chase your dreams and enjoy your life"
• Rose: "Brace yourself — a bom is coming" (a bom/aam = foreigner — predicting that after this video, foreigners will start visiting Leyte)

📺 Watch the full video on YouTube

🔔 Subscribe to The Filipina Pea