T he Philippines is said to be 85% Christian and approximately 10% Muslim. While probably four-percent of the remaining people belong to other faith or religions, an educated guess is that nonbelievers account for less-than one half of one-percent of the Filipino population.

When Joseph “Erap” Estrada was the President of the Philippines, he was asked how Filipino atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers could participate in Christmas services in Malacañang, the presidential palace. He said that even nonbelievers would join in singing Christmas carols because he said that he made sure that the agnostic (sic) in the hall was improved by the use of cork-lined ceiling panels, which of course made voices sound better.

In the United States the American Humanist Association has put up ads on buses that say, “NO GOD? NO PROBLEM!” While the Atheists United organization usually has holiday signs that read “Reason’s Greetings.”

W ell, how do Filipino atheists greet people during the Advent season, without sounding religious? Here are some of the atheists’ ways:

Many of them say, “Happy Holidays,” in greetings their friends.

However, some agnostics from Pampanga say, “Appy Olidays.”

They park presents under the tree that they call the “Giftmas Tree.”

They give signs of affection that they call “Kissmas.”

Some of them call the bearded fellow in red costume as “Sinta Claus,” “sinta” being the colloquial term for “beloved” or “sweetheart” in some Filipino languages.

Filipino communists who think that “religion is the opium of the people” use the family name of their supreme leader in welcoming each other during Advent with “Sison’s Greetings.” # # #