Gift Ideas for Filipinas

Thinking of gifts for a Filipina friend?

Tagalog Lang has a few pointers

Like any other woman, a Filipina will love to receive flowers, jewelry, chocolates and perfume, and according to her interests, the latest books, CDs and DVDs. She'll also love clothes, but then you have to figure out her size (extra small is a good bet). As for specifics, that will depend on the location, personality and such of your Filipina friend.

If she is in the Philippines, she will appreciate getting something from well-known foreign brands. Although Manila and other large cities are cosmopolitan enough to have items from overseas available, these are usually expensive. We're referring to jeans, gadgets, perfume, purses and cosmetics. Highly sought after are brands like Guess, Gap, DKNY and others that are prominent in fashion magazines. Calvin Klein fragrances such as Obsession and Eternity are popular -- get a set that includes body lotion or a shower gel. Skincare products are a bit tricky, because quite a few Filipinas experience negative reactions to formulations tailored to Westerners. If you insist on such a gift, go with "milder" Japanese brands like Shiseido and Kanebo. For cosmetics, select a pretty compact from Estee Lauder or Elizabeth Arden -- pretty is the key word, but be sure to get it in the appropriate complexion shade. And you can't go wrong with a camera from Canon or a CD player from Sony.

If your Filipina friend has just moved from the Philippines to a four-season country, keep in mind that she has lived most of her life in the tropics, where it is not considered warm until it is over 100 degrees F (37+ C). She will soon discover that even the thickest sweater she used to wear back home will not serve her in spring, autumn and especially not winter! Expand her wardrobe -- she needs turtlenecks, coats, mittens, scarves, gloves and a cute cap to cover her ears when she makes her first snow angel according to your instructions. Also, she might be homesick. If she does not live near the Filipinotowns in Los Angeles or other large cities, she's going to start craving the food, magazines and TV shows she used to take for granted. Do something about it. Arrange a trip to a Filipino enclave so she can stock up on stuff, or find a way to get her something from back home.

If your friend is a Filipina American, please refrain from getting hung up on her ethnicity. She might appreciate you greeting her folks in their language (they'll start considering you their son-in-law), but they're already forcing her to take tinikling lessons and eat dinuguan. Don't go out of your way to get her Filipino stuff, unless of course she's just recently gotten into that mode. Many a Filipino American has entered college and discovered that he/she is considered a Filipino by everyone else, so he/she suddenly decides to work on it -- treks off to the library to borrow books to study Tagalog and starts hankering for Filipino music and movies and learning how to cook Filipino food. Do not belittle this as a mere phase. She is rediscovering her heritage, so be supportive! Join her, and get her dictionaries, language-learning CDs and cookbooks!

Finally, no matter what the background of your Filipina friend, if you have access to her family -- you can visit them or have their mailing address -- it would be nice to get them gifts too. We're referring to her parents, grandparents, siblings, and close aunts, uncles and cousins. They'll say you're "so thoughtful" and she'll agree.

We've picked the items below to give you a few ideas. Don't fret about trusting your own judgment. As Filipinos are wont to say, "It's really the thought that counts." and Filipinas mean it!

an elegant assortment of Godiva chocolates

Sanyo ECJ-D55S Rice Cooker

Forget about the alleged callousness of a blender and get her a rice cooker -- rice was not meant to be cooked without one! This has fuzzy logic technology to control cooking time so she doesn't have to keep checking the pot. Usually qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

Filipinas - Magazine -

covers stories of interest to Filipinos worldwide, esp. Filipino Americans features celebrities of Filipino descent such as Lou Diamond Phillips comes out monthly throughout the year (12 issues/12 months) Usually priced at $18.00 ($1.50/issue) !

Hamilton Beach Ice Shaver

Anyone who's attempted to make halo-halo while growing up in the Philippines knows the drill -- one has to use that standard unwieldy metal contraption over a very large block of ice the exact same way you shave wood! With this ice shaver, she can give your biceps a rest and even use much smaller chunks of ice -- cubes! Usually priced at $19.99!

Jasmine Trias

Filipinos are currently crazy for American Idol runner-up Jasmine Trias, who was born in Honolulu. How popular is she? Upon visiting the Philippines after her appearance on American TV, she was feted by President Macapagal-Arroyo herself and was signed to endorse McDonald's -- there's even a Filipino Golden Arches meal named after her! Usually priced at $14.99!

Filipino Movies on DVD

There's nothing like watching a movie from one's own country and in one's own language. Filipina favorites are romances like Nasaan Ka Man, comedies like Manay Po!, and fantasies like Volta. Ask who her favorite actor or actress is. You're likely to find at least one DVD featuring her favorite star at Amazon. Usually priced at $19.99 each!