#KeepthePHSmiling: A Celebration of Filipino’s Beautiful Smile

We, Filipinos, are known in the world to have the capacity to smile despite the numerous hardships and catastrophes we encounter, may it be personal, national or even global crisis. Being resilient and optimistic are two of our strengths that enable us to strongly face life challenges – to rise above our problems, stand-still and be the source of inspiration to our fellow countrymen and the rest of the world. Even when we are faced with left and right disasters we can still manage to smile, crack a joke and focus on the brighter side.

Keisha #KeepThePHSmiling

We are known for our Filipino smile. Our genuine and contagious smile is our simple yet powerful and priceless weapon we carry everyday to radiate happiness and positivity, to connect with our families, friends and even with other nations and to bridge the gap when there’s dispute and misunderstanding. It’s a beautiful gift innate in our human spirit  to find joy in all life’s circumstances.  No wonder we earn admiration from other countries for this distinct Filipino quality.

To celebrate this exquisite gift, I compiled a list of beautiful smiles of Filipinos caught on cam which I hope will inspire all of you to find happiness despite the hardships we experience – from poverty to typhoon and to all the minor issues we encounter daily.

Clouie MangalanA genuine smile that comes from the heart of an innocent child. Isn’t it refreshing to chance upon and see the glowing eyes matched with a perfect smile of this young girl from San Juan? Oh, you made my heart melt little girl…
(Photo from: Colgate Philippines)

#KeepThePHSmiling CebuIt’s not a secret how difficult it is to be a fisherman. You have to wake up early, explore the mid sea and wait for a good catch. In this photo, we can’t visualize his struggle to battle the waves to reach his destination, all we can see is the joy in his eyes for a job well done.
(photo from Colgate Philippines)

Cristina PahanlayA photo of two mothers who are working hard, selling bracelets to support their children’s dream to finish school. It’s a mother’s characteristic to do everything for her children.
(photo from Colgate Philippines)

Bullet Manila Project Smile Manila Shoot Dondi PoliceFlashing his pearly whites despite the tedious work of a policeman. Have a positive outlook no matter how dragging and rough the demands of your work  will be. Always look at the brighter side and realize the importance of your role in the community.
(photo from Colgate Philippines)

IMG_0277This grandmother-granddaughter duo from Mt. Province will definitely bring you happiness with their infectious smiles. Grandmother’s love is the best!
(photo from Colgate Philippines)

Smile is indeed a person’s asset. It’s an expression of our willingness to share a part of ourselves to others. It’s a symbol of love, friendship and care for other individuals. A beautiful smile is not just a facial expression, it is a representation of our humanity as a Filipino and a reflection of what’s inside our heart.

Allow me to share my family’s captured moments featuring our beautiful smiles.

Kaye & NoelMy husband and I’s pre-nup photo, shot in Thunderbird, Binangonan, Rizal almost seven years ago.
It’s pure bliss when we finally decided to seal our love and proceed to the next level of our relationship.

OndoyTyphoon Ondoy
We were one of the families greatly affected by the Typhoon Ondoy way back in year 2009. I was 8 months pregnant when this catastrophe happened. Our bungalow house, cars and all our things were submerged in the flood. Water inside our house was chest-deep and beyond human in our streets. We were all stranded in my mother-in-law’s small attic, with no electricity, no bathroom to use, imagine how hard was that for a pregnant woman. My father-in-law even prepared used bus tires that can serve as a boat if in case water will continue to rise. Good thing we have food and mineral water to share and deep faith in God that nothing bad will happen to all of us. Truly, it was a horrible and devastating experience that I will never forget and would never want my daughter to go through.

A day after the heavy rainfall, one of our helpers was all smiles despite the heavy workload caused by the typhoon. Photo was taken in our garage. Though devastated, all of us also managed to be happy thanking God that we are alive and safe most especially the baby inside my tummy.

Keisha's 1st Birthday 2Keisha’s 1st Birthday
We were so happy to celebrate our daughter’s first birthday. Just to give you a backstory, I was forced to give birth via Cesarean section for safety measures since we live in a flood-prone area and we just got hit by Typhoon Ondoy. When I was in the operating room, giving birth, I noticed that there was a commotion. I knew something was wrong. Then, afterwards, I found out that my baby was born with her umbilical cord wrapped 4x around her neck which is a rare case. Should I gave birth 2 days after, she could have lost her breath. Thinking about it now, still scares me a lot.

This photo is a testament of God’s love for me and my husband! We will be forever grateful to Him for giving us the privilege  to be parents of this beautiful miracle baby.

#KeepthePHSmiling Photo Promo

In line with this, I would like to encourage all of you to spread smiles online by joining Colgate’s #KeepthePHSmiling Photo Promo in celebration of the Oral Health Month.

Keep the Philippines Smiling

Get a chance to win any of the following:

Win an instant film camera (instax), 20.1 Megapixel Point ‘n Shoot camera or an Action Camera (Silver Edition)

#KeepthePHSmiling Photo Promo mechanics:

  1. Simply post a photo on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram of what a Filipino smile is all about.
  2. Include a caption answering the question, “What makes him/her/them smile?”.
  3. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #KeepthePHSmiling to make your entries count.
  4. Promo runs from February 1 to April 1, 2016.

Be one with us in this advocacy as we keep the Philippines smiling! For sample entry, visit my Instagram page (@kayefig).

For the full promo mechanics, visit http://bit.ly/KeepThePhilippinesSmiling

*Per DOH-FDA Permit No. 1098 series of 2015

For more information, you may visit the following:

Colgate Philippines on FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

#KeepthePHSmiling

16 comments
  1. I love all those photos – everyone has a great and contagious smile! I’ve read somewhere that seeing people smile releases endorfines in you, making you happier than you would have been had they not smiled at you! This is a great contest and purpose 🙂 Keep smiling!

  2. This is such a great contest! I love all the beautiful pictures of smiling people. A good smile is so important to first impressions.

  3. It’s great that your spreading awareness to the filipino community, and nice to see such beautiful faces smiling. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

  4. What a lovely post, and so many lovely photos. This sounds like a really wonderful campaign. So many beautiful smiles.

  5. Your family went through so much and well as others. Life isn’t easy and always nice to smile. God is with us no matter what. You have a beautiful family and the picture came out great!

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