I am Filipino. I am a child of God who is the Creator of all that is in our world and the universe. I am as perfect and as beautiful as my Creator planned me to be, for God created me in His image, out of His perfect love.
As a child of God, I am special and beloved, like everyone else in our world, no less than the stars above or anyone on earth. As such, I have equal right and claim to all the beauty and bounty that God provided in my country and in the world.
I am an equal part of the family of humanity. I am a sibling to all the men and women of our world, a brethren to all Christians, to all Muslims, to all Jews, to all Buddhists, and to all other people whose faiths lie somewhere else.
I am Filipino. My Creator blessed me and my people a specific place on earth, an archipelago of 7,641 wonderful islands, where the sun always shines, which the whole world calls the “Pearl of the Orient”. Pilipinas is the home of my people. It is the motherland of every Filipino, wherever he or she may be in the world today.
Today, my country is an open and free society; home to many tongues and cultures, to many colors and faiths; home to all types of peoples who come from various corners of the earth, and who try to live with each other, in an atmosphere of respect, freedom and harmony.
And yet I am wonderfully distinct and unique. You will know me by the word “po” in my sentences. You will know my children by their “mano po”. You will know me by the warmth of my smile and hospitality. Most important of all, you will know me by my loving and caring heart, even if you are a stranger.
I am Filipino. Inheritor of a great country of heroes and wonderful people.
“In my blood runs the immortal seeds of our heroes”. I am the descendant of Dagohoy, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and all those who fought for our land to become a nation of free people. I am part of the grandeur of Banawe, the enchantment of Boracay, the beauty of Manila Bay, and the depth and breadth of Tubbataha Reef.
God made me a Filipino because His plan for me is to be part of the Filipino family. As such, I shall always be a proud Filipino wherever I may go. I shall be a kapatid to anyone and everyone who is Filipino, whoever and wherever he or she may be in our world.
I am Filipino. I am born of love, out of God’s immeasurable love, in a country and in a world that can only be made beautiful by love. Love is the reason why God made me. It is what He wants me to bring into this world, so love shall be who I am.
I am born to succeed. God has equipped me, within me and around me, with all the essentials I need to succeed in this world. God wants the best, the highest, and the most beautiful for me and the Filipino, because we are His people.
I am born of freedom, in a free country. As such, I shall strive to ensure that my people and country shall always remain free. I shall use my freedom to help others gain their own freedom.
I am Filipino. I am who I am today because of the role God wants me to play.
I am born as part of the whole, as part of the answer to the question, as part of the solution to the problem. I am part of the hope that God sent to our people and country. I am part of the light that God sent to enable and ennoble humanity and the world.
I am an essential part of God’s great plan for the Filipino. I shall strive to do my share so our country may attain its highest potential and reach its beautiful destiny. I shall exert my utmost best so the Filipino may become great, not only in the eyes of the world, but moreso in the eyes of our Lord. Truly, the world is yet to see the full measure of the beauty and greatness of the Filipino.
I am Filipino.
Alex Lacson
2008
Alex wrote this poem to help develop a healthy, positive, developmental, unifying and solution-seeking identity for the Filipino, beginning with our youth today.