Mindanaoan can’t help but blog about this. What happened late last Saturday night at a 24 hour fastfood store located at Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao reminded me of so many things — two of which are the need for Mindanaoans to be more assertive and why I love Mindanao (and why it will always be home for me). Before I go any further, however, I would just like to emphasize that the following are just my personal opinions and are not meant to hit anyone. My post is more like a reminder…an eye-opener, if you will…of the fact that discrimination even among Filipinos (still) exist.

Last Saturday night, right after the Tatak Environmentalist event, I went to a fastfood store at Divisoria. I decided to grab some grub as I waited for my brother to fetch me. As I fell in line at the counter, an irate man approached the cashier and yelled at her. He spoke in Tagalog. Apparently, he ordered siopao and couldn’t understand why it took so long for him to be served. He even showed the cashier his cellular phone — apparently he “timed” the entire thing using his phone’s stopwatch. From the very instant he paid and sat — he said he was “running late” and that “7 minutes” already passed and still no siopao! And then he said:

“Sa Manila, hindi ganito ang service! Mabilis ang buhay dun, Miss. Hindi ako taga-rito, taga-Manila ako at nakakapanghinayang naman na ang pangit ng service dito! Siopao lang, 7 minutes? Hindi to puwede sa Manila”

He then said that he wanted to cancel his order and that he wanted a refund.

The poor female cashier looked at him, a bit stunned. She just listened to the irate customer and then took some cash from the register and gave it to the guy. The guy took the cash and left.

The story doesn’t end there, unfortunately. A few minutes later, the guy came back and spoke to the store manager. His loud voice was hard to miss: “Buti pa magsara na lang kayo. Hindi kayo uubra sa Manila.”

At that point, some customers, myself included, couldn’t help but tell the customer off. An elderly couple remarked that he already got his refund so he was free to leave. For my part, I told him that it was unnecessary to insist that Manila was better.

His comments were unnecessary and uncalled for, IMO.

That Saturday night incident proved a few things — that Mindanaoans can still be courteous and patient, that Mindanaoans know when to acknowledge if they’re at fault (although I think a mere 7 minutes isn’t that big of a deal), that there really are “Manila people” who still insist that life in imperial Manila is still faster and better and that there are “Manila people” who forget that those from outside Manila (Mindanaoans, for instance) are now a big part of the very core that “move” Manila, of the very system that make things happen.

It’s the “probinsiyanos” who move Manila. The “probinsiyanos” who flock to Manila in search of better fortune — they’re the taxi drivers, salesladies in some Mall of Asia stores, MRT ticket sellers, security guards assigned at the House of Representatives (Congress), waiters of accredited caterers at the Senate and many more. They’re the ones who help shape and move Manila.

Sadly, the irate customer failed to remember that the very people who provide the “better service in Manila” are basically the same people whom he hit with his complaints.

Manila may be the capital of the Philippines but that doesn’t mean that it’s the be all and end all, so to speak.

No need to use it as the yardstick and certainly, no need to discriminate. Whether you’re from Manila or not, whether you speak Bisaya or not — we’re all Filipinos. That’s what’s important. That’s what’s necessary. That’s what’s real.

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