The Paradox of Being Filipino from Afar
Navigating identity, distance, and how to still show up for home.
Even when I was still living in the Philippines, I loved my identity. I felt it in my bones, and I never wanted to be anyone else. But now, eight years into living abroad, my connection to my Filipino identity feels even stronger—almost like a quiet, constant clamoring within me.
There’s truth to the saying distance makes the heart grow fonder. Every day I spend away from home, the more I see how my thoughts, my habits, and even the way I interact with people have been shaped by where I grew up. The people around me don’t think, speak, or act quite the same way I do. The fact that I am different heightens my awareness of my culture, and in many ways, it makes me even prouder to be Filipino. I feel like I understand myself—and the way my heritage has shaped me—better now than I ever did before.
But here lies the paradox: with all this deepened connectedness to my identity, I also feel further from the Philippines than ever.
This, of course, is true in the most literal sense. I live halfway around the world. But it’s also a detachment that I feel internally—I don’t always know what’s happening back home. I see the news, but I don’t consume it the way I used to, when 24 Oras was in the background during dinnertime. When I was still a journalist, I even had a hand in breaking the news myself. Now, I only seem to find out about things when they make enough noise on Facebook.
It made me realize something: the more I seek ways to stay connected to my Filipino heritage, the more I also feel out of touch with what it actually means to live back home.
I felt this most strongly today, when I realized I had forgotten about the anniversary of the People Power Revolution. Moments like this always make me feel a certain urgency—because they are reminders that we are on the cusp of historical revisionism, and that many people in power today remain selfish, corrupt, and incompetent. And so I wondered: How can immigrants like me—who are physically and politically detached—still make a difference? Even just a drop in the ocean?
One piece of advice resonated with me, and it came from The Financial Diet. The idea is simple:
If you are in a position where you are financially stable, where you have the economic privilege of not living hand-to-mouth, then the best thing you can do is give to the causes you believe in. Fund the change you want to see—not just the lifestyle you want to have.
This hit me because it offered something tangible. Even as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), feeling removed from the day-to-day realities of home, I can still be present.
And this advice isn’t just limited to financial contributions—there are many ways to “fund” change. If you have a platform, you can use it to amplify important conversations and ensure that truth is not drowned out. If you have time, you can mentor or volunteer for organizations helping marginalized communities. If you have skills, you can offer them to causes that need expertise, from copywriting to graphic design to legal aid.
Being away from the Philippines means I have to be more intentional about what my identity means, and how I carry it, show up for it, and keep it alive in relevant ways.
Are you an OFW, or just someone living away from home? How do you navigate this feeling? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I relate to this so much! I was born in the Philippines but moved to the US when I was 3 years old. I think growing up, my identity as a Filipino was really watered down in order to integrate into the larger American society. It was only until I moved to Australia/ NZ that I reconnected with what it means to be Filipino and reshaped my relationship with being American. It’s a dance I’m constantly in. Now, I feel like I’m a mix of all the different countries I’ve lived in, and that kind of identity fragmentation can feel really hard to grasp at times, which you so eloquently put here.
I'm a migrant living in Australia for 20 years now. My kids basically grew up here na. I know that feeling well. You just try to navigate and create your own home away from home. And with kids, it's even more challenging at the same time, refreshing. Because you we get to recreate traditions from the culture that we grew up with. We love coming back to the Philippines for visits. But we have etched our home here now. Still Filipinos at heart because that's never going away.