Filipino Characters in the Community

Filipino Community

The Filipino community is always a lively one filled with interesting characters. While not every Filipino you’ll meet fits into a stereotype, there are some you really can’t miss and must know about if you plan to meet a Filipino community and/or live in the Philippines.

The Marites

A Marites is a stereotype name for an older Filipino woman who is the source of all the neighborhood gossip. She is what Filipinos would call, “chismosa” or a gossiper. She is that Tita (auntie) who sees all and hears all. 

In a barangay, there are usually more than one Marites and they usually gather in front of one of their gates or in front of a sari-sari (convenient) store to do their meetings. They meet not only to exchange information they get from looking out their window but to also insert their judgmental comments on the topic at hand. While they can be toxic, they are normally harmless if they do not have scandalous information about you.

The Tiburcio

This is your typical Filipino drunken Tito (uncle). Usually married to a Marites, he also has fellow Tiburcio friends in the neighborhood.

He is usually found drinking some Red Horse with his friends in the middle of the barangay. If not seated with his friends at a table, you can find him at a local karaoke bar singing to his heart’s content. Some of their favorite song choices include: “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and “Touch by Touch” by Joy. In fact, he will even carry his drunken karaoke skills to family gatherings. Despite his quirks, he is usually nice at heart; but that doesn’t spare him from commenting on your weight and love life.

The Jejemons

These are best described as the budget hypebeasts of the Philippines. They usually dress up in loud fake designer clothes, have their own music (Look up “Budots”), and have their own language (Jejenese) which is usually seen in the way they text. 

They can even come off cocky or overconfident when hitting on people they find attractive, usually in the form of catcalling those who enter sari-sari stores. While this can scare or annoy some people, they are often harmless and it is best to ignore them and their advances.

Happy Filipino Community

The Conyos

Also known as “rich kids” they are often characterized by their expensive lifestyles and English mixed with their local Filipino dialect. Only found in metropolitans, you can often find them in groups in upscale areas either drinking boba tea or Starbucks. They initially come off as superficial and pretentious although not many of them are like that.    

They are intimidating to the average Filipino joe but are usually very sheltered and harmless. Behind the money, they’re just like everyone else.

The OFW

Short for Overseas Filipino Workers, these are Filipinos that work abroad to make a living for their families. You can often spot them on Facebook wearing thick coats in their profile pictures and often commenting “Regards to your family” on their friends’ pictures. After being away from the Philippines for so long, they exude an air of superiority. They tend to wear designer clothes, always compare how things are in the Philippines to the country they work in, and say how everything in the Philippines is so much cheaper. 

Despite seeming unpatriotic, they’ll never fail to say that they are proud to be Pinoy or to acknowledge fellow Filipinos as kababayans (fellow countrymen).

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