"WHY do you carry such big boxes?" foreigners usually ask Filipinos abroad. They have noticed and are very curious, that we Filipinos have the habit of carrying gigantic boxes. Some Filipinos are already embarrassed because, foreigners think they look weird. But I tell you, be proud of it! It is our great balikbayan box.

It is not just any ordinary box. In fact, it is a symbol of the Filipinos’ strong and mighty love for the family. Just think. What is inside those huge, enormous boxes? Pasalubong, of course! And you know what it means--a piece of the joy and happiness the Filipinos have experienced during their trip. Let’s not forget our dear overseas workers who left their families and had only one choice, that is, to work abroad. In America, Saudi Arabia and other countries, our hard-working overseas workers do their jobs day and night, far away from home, away from their loved ones. Though all the hardships and trials they all go through, they come back to their homeland with that big box full of the joys and only the joys they have experienced.

Other foreigners carry classy and expensive luggage with brand names such as Samsonite, Louis Vuitton and Benetton while we Filipinos carry luggage but also boxes. Maybe they think that we ought to buy more decent-looking bags instead of that box. But no, using the balikbayan box is a tradition we should be very proud of!