Local lover: The Pinoy Pride phenomenon

Not since the first EDSA revolution back in 1986 has there been this much overwhelming pride and coolness in being Pinoy. I, for one, have been exposed to our map since kindergarten and never thought of it as a cool thing. I was actually annoyed by the random dots of islands we seem to have scattered all around. I still remember how a heartless teacher of mine tortured our juvenile hands with the task of drawing the Philippine map — freehand — for our final exams. Why, now, does it seem so graphically interesting and deep? Is it Pacquiao’s doing? Our local designers’? The presidential candidates, perhaps? No matter who started this craze, we can now all be thankful that our local symbols and icons have crossed over from the sometimes tacky Filipiniana-tourist/balikbayan section, to the coolest brands and shops out there. Now we can go beyond wearing our hearts on our sleeves — we can also put our love for country on our bags, hoodies, slippers and, in bad weather, on our umbrellas. Go, Team Pinoy!