Before approaching, Filipino-American Eileen even teaches Craig the traditional greeting of “mano po”—how young folks address the elderly as a sign of respect—complete with little gestures. “I don’t always understand exactly what she’s saying, but I do know whenever we say ‘hi’ to her, we gotta do ‘the bless,’” she says.
Before speaking to the kids, the grandma is seen invested in what seems like a TV drama. With peeled ponkan on her side, she blurts out, “Ah maayo ra na sila sa sunod na salida.” Eileen immediately does “the bless” upon approaching her lola, which prompts Craig to do the same once the hand is offered. This gesture charms the grandmother, who utters the classic line in Filipino family gatherings, “Oy kagwapo, imo ning boyprend?”
The accuracy of Eileen’s reaction, the lola’s quirks, and the sincere depiction of Filipino culture squeezed into a short clip warmed the hearts of many folks online. Once you check out the full episode, you’ll also notice the way they cooked rice , and the local dishes served for dinner, like tortang talong and sinigang na isda .
While it’s a cute and fun watch, what ultimately made this worthy of a share is the fact that it actually showed Bisaya as a language, and was clear with this representation. No vague coding, no subtle hints. In a Manila-centric society, this is definitely a win. Just imagine how many Bisaya-speaking kids would feel seen after watching this?@Gra_pple’s uploaded clip with a Filipino flag and sparkling heart emojis.