MANILA – Filipinos remain the most cheerful and happiest people in Asia despite all the financial troubles and perennial political squabbles hobbling them, a senior Catholic bishop said recently.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a vocal critic of the administration, said the Filipino people have kept their optimism and hospitality in the face of varied economic and socio-political crises.

Cruz said proof of this were the indefatigable celebrations of fiestas, millions of mobile text messages sent all around, and the unwavering love of Filipinos for singing and laughing.

“Yes, the present administration has made it more and more difficult for the citizens to earn an honest living and have a comfortable life. It is true that a good number of Filipinos would rather work if not migrate to other countries on account of their discontent with the present and emerging future of their nation.
“Yet, millions of text jokes are sent all over the country, generating multi-million laughter, wedding celebrations, birthday parties, anniversary commemorations - no matter how humble - continue to be held practically everyday, the whole year round,” the archbishop explained.
Cruz was reacting to a recent Roper Report that branded Filipinos as “the unhappy people of Asia.” But the prelate said the report is “rather far from the truth because those who know the Philippines and the other countries in Asia better will find it hard to accept the Roper conclusion.”
“The Filipinos may have certain ambivalent if not altogether negative traits, but these do not support the Roper conclusion -although this may appear true at first glance on account of the many unhappy socio-ethical elements in the political and economic circumstances taking place in the country,” Cruz stressed.
He said more Filipinos are becoming poor and more children no longer go to school but the Philippines still has the longest Christmas celebration in the world and town fiestas here are held without fail.
The archbishop added that Filipinos remain hospitable and forever ready to share the little they have with others.
“New happy songs continue to be composed and happily sung as well. Street dancing has become more (prevalent). There are more local attempts at making it in the Guinness World Records just for the fun of it. Being a happy people -this could be one of the best Filipino traits. No Roper Report could take this away,” Cruz explained.