For the almost five years I have lived here in Australia, and all the times I was able to travel to other parts of South East Asia (HK, Singapore, Indonesia), I see Filipinos who abide by the local laws. I see Filipinos who are obedient, who are disciplined, and who are commendable. And yet when you take these same Filipinos and bring them back in The Philippines, they’d be having a hard time following laws. So I can’t help but wonder, why are Filipinos so hard-headed?

I ask this question all the time whenever I’m back home, or when I watch or hear news or trending posts on social media about people deliberately disobeying the law or not following the rules.

And I’m not even talking about rules during lockdown periods or super-strict city ordinances. I’m talking about simple rules like, I don’t know, crossing the street? Or getting on and off the bus/jeepneys. Or very basic road rules regarding counter-flowing or driving on sidewalks.

One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out these rules. And yet, some Filipinos find it really hard to follow them.

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