ABSTRACT
The Philippines sees itself, and is seen by its Asian neighbors, as different. Being a predominantly Catholic country, with a long history of institutions adapted from the West, it confounds orientalist expectations of Asia, English is widely spoken and its people's hospitality to foreigners is well-known. Manila and other major cities have most of the amenities available in the West, lor those who can afford them. In contrast to other cities in Southeast Ass a. such as Singapore, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, Philippine cities appear not to have retained an exotic strangeness: everything, except the poverty, appears familiar. Western pop culture is pervasive and even its indigenous versions seem readily accessible. As a result, many westerners seeking "otherness" dismiss die Philippines as a damaged and imitative culture. This familiarity is advantageous when establishing sexual or domestic ties: unsurprisingly, the Philippines is a major source of "mail order brides" and domestic workers for other countries. Outsiders generally perceive Filipino women as docile and eager to please, yet within the Philippines women are generally portrayed as strong, dominating, and highly protective of their families. What are seen as docility and eagerness from the outside are seen as flexibility and responsibility from the inside. The Filipino practice of acknowledging status differences and a preference for masking hostilities facilitates relationships with foreigners. This practice, however, reveals the Filipinos' basic Asian orientation. Thus, contrary to initial expectations, the Philippines is as exotic or, alternatively, as accessible as other Southeast Asian countries. How did this contradiction come about?
