Filipinos are able to greet each other just with the use of their eyebrows. They do this by establishing eye contact and raising both eyebrows very briefly up and down. This is a typical recognition signal. A smile to go with it becomes a friendly ‘hello’ without words.

Filipinos are big on smiles. We have different smiles for different situations and smiles indicate different meaning. Learn how to decipher the meaning in Filipino smiles by reading this separate article: Deciphering the Filipino Smile.

One eyebrow raised means displeasure and annoyance. When it is coupled with a bit of a side of a lip or inside of a cheek, that means a deeper annoyance. Another sign of displeasure is through rolling of both eyes while looking slowly away from the person/thing which is the reason for the displeasure. Some Filipinas mutter under their breath while others manifest their agitation by rolling and twisting their lips from side to side while staring hard on a blank space.

When a Filipina lowers her head with a hard gaze and eyebrows knit, she is definitely angry about something you did. A good example would be a husband coming home very late without calling but still acts nonchalantly about it. He will definitely get this kind of stare which is also a Filipina’s way of demanding an explanation.

An abrupt backward toss of the head with hard eye contact is a challenge, and is usually accompanied by the query: ”What is it you want?” without breaking eye contact. This should be distinguished from a nonchalant toss of the head usually done by girls coupled by an impatient “hmp!” which could either mean “I don’t believe in what you are saying” or a more rude “you are not worth my time”.

“The Evil Eye”

Staring is considered rude and aggressive. The better part of valor when confronted by a glaring, tough-looking character is to look briefly and then cast one’s gaze away. A hard stare has the universal meaning of condemnation (dagger-look), but among Filipinos, fixed eye contact is regarded as provocation. An intoxicated thug or an armed soldier girding with a girl will consider your stare intimidation or blatant censure and is always a cause of trouble.

Parents often control their child’s public behavior by a silent look without angry words, so intense eye contact is a danger signal. My mum is an expert on this. We were 6 in the family and all of us grew up well-behaved because we we knew very well what our mum’s stare means whenever we’re in public.

It is also a traditional belief that persons who dabble in occult practices can cause illness by giving one the ‘evil eye’. Referred to as “mangkukulam” (a kind of sorcerer or witch), these individuals are believed to be responsible for all sorts of maladies and afflictions. More than 80% of the population is Catholic, but pre-hispanic beliefs die hard, and for many, particularly those outside the cities, a stranger capable of giving an innocent passerby the ‘evil eye’ really exists.