How this Kiwi got called Filipino

Somewhere between navigating Manila traffic, working in a bilingual newsroom, eating more rice than I ever had and adjusting to the heat, people started calling this Kiwi Filipino.

At first, I laughed it off.

After all, I was in the Philippines through the Asia New Zealand Foundation media internship programme to learn about journalism for three months.

But as the weeks went by, I found myself learning just as much about life outside the newsroom.

A different kind of newsroom

Inside the Philippine STAR, I had to learn a different style of journalism.

I was in a country of just under 120 million people, grappling with huge political, social and economic issues.

The Philippine STAR, where Judson worked. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

The pace and scale were unlike anything I had experienced in a Kiwi newsroom, with stories that could have dominated New Zealand headlines for weeks, appearing daily.

During my time there, the country faced the second impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, a Senate shooting, a deadly building collapse and rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

Judson attended an Office of the President press briefing at the New Executive Building in Malacañang with Palace Press Officer Claire Castro. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

And it wasn't just the stories that were different. The newsroom itself took some getting used to.

It was loud, social and communal. Reporters shared information freely, with a strong sense that journalism was a collective effort.

Working for a newspaper born in the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution gave me a deeper appreciation of its place in Philippine history.

That history also came alive through the journalists I worked alongside.

The Philippine Star editor-in-chief Amy Pamintuan, left, and Kate Judson, right, at the Philippine Star newsroom in Manila. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age  

Editor-in-chief Amy Pamintuan had been there since the newspaper launched, starting as a reporter and working her way through the newsroom. She told me she had kept bail papers on hand after writing a story that put her at risk.

Judson visited the studio of Politiko Talks, where veteran journalist Marichu Villanueva is a host. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

Veteran journalist Marichu Villanueva gave me a glimpse into the world of Philippine politics, taking me along to Tuesday Club and the studio of Politiko Talks, where she gave me a behind-the-scenes view of her show.

Between their stories and the assignments I was given, I began to understand just how different reporting in the Philippines could be.

A very different beat

I reported from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Malacañang Palace, and watched New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters meet regional counterparts during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Judson attended the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Manila in July. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

I also interviewed former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio, one of the country’s leading voices on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.

At the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila - Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

Some stories also brought me closer to the connections between the Philippines and New Zealand.

My story about Filipino nurses moving to New Zealand struck a chord with readers, generating more than 10,500 reactions and 2,000 shares and comments on social media.

Then there was Robin Padilla.

After the Duterte impeachment proceedings, I locked eyes with the famous Filipino actor-turned-senator and suddenly realised where I was.

I was a New Zealand journalist in a Philippine press room, watching political history unfold from the inside.

It was a world away from the reporting I was used to back home. But while I was finding my feet as a journalist, I was also learning how to live in Manila.

During Judson’s internship, Vice President Sara Duterte faced her second impeachment proceedings, and she had the opportunity to attend and cover it. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

Learning to live like a local

The biggest lessons weren't always in the newsroom.

Carrying a small fan everywhere and using an umbrella for shade instead of rain stopped feeling excessive and started feeling sensible.

I became accustomed to wearing pants in 30-degree heat, planning supermarket visits around queues and spending more time in shopping malls than expected.

Judson spent many days exploring Manila’s sprawling shopping malls. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

I even had a spontaneous karaoke session with my driver.

Food became another way of getting to know the country.

I discovered ube, a purple yam, developed a daily craving for rice and acquired a taste for matcha.

Judson discovered a taste for matcha. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

And then, I fell in love with Filipino food, particularly Manam restaurant’s famous beef tamarind soup with watermelon, or sinigang in Tagalog. 

"Then I fell in love with Filipino food, particularly Manam restaurant’s famous beef tamarind soup with watermelon, or sinigang in Tagalog," Kate. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

My Filipino friends taught me to eat with a fork and spoon - without using a knife.

Although a fish bone once became lodged in my throat, a reporter friend convinced me to swallow a mouthful of rice to dislodge it.

It worked!

Looking back, it was these small, everyday moments that made Manila stop feeling like somewhere I was visiting and start feeling like somewhere I was living.

Judson experienced Manila’s busy public transport system, from jeepneys and buses to the MRT (Metro Rail Transit). Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

But settling into life in the Philippines also made me look at home differently.

I began noticing things I had rarely thought about in New Zealand.

I became conscious of where my drinking water came from, how long short journeys could take and the infrastructure I had taken for granted.

Among the skills Judson gained was the ability to navigate the city’s infamous traffic. Photo: Kate Judson / Wairarapa Times-Age

On my way to work, I saw children begging, informal settlements alongside my apartment block and people working long hours to make ends meet.

Yet alongside that hardship was extraordinary generosity.

People wanted to feed me. My new friends and I spent days together rather than squeezing catch-ups into an hour. When people asked how I was, they genuinely wanted to know.

Spot Judson in the crowd, alongside many new friends. Photo: Equippers

Over time, those friendships and everyday experiences changed how I saw the Philippines, and perhaps even how I saw myself.

Then came a moment that made me realise just how much.

I caught myself staring at another Westerner in a shopping mall before remembering that I was also a foreigner.

After three months of navigating Manila, eating Filipino food, working in a Filipino newsroom and being called “Ate” (older sister), I wondered: had I become Filipino?

No. But I left with a deeper understanding of the Philippines, a greater appreciation for the people who welcomed me into their lives, and a renewed gratitude for the things I had taken for granted at home.

Maybe that was what people meant when they told me I was becoming Filipino.

Not that I had stopped being a Kiwi.

Just that, somewhere along the way, the Philippines had started to feel a little like home.

 -Asia Media Centre

Banner Image - Kate Judson recently spent three months with The Philippine Star in Manila through the Asia New Zealand Foundation media internship programme. Photo: Kate Judson