When you enter a Filipino home, greet the elders first and with genuine respect, offering mano (touching the back of an elder’s hand to your forehead) to the older generations. Even without mano, always add “po” and “opo” when speaking to elders.
Before leaving, seek out the elders and the household to say goodbye — don’t slip out silently. A warm “paalam po” (goodbye, respectfully) honors the host’s home and the people in it, closing the visit with the same courtesy it opened with.
- Greet elders before younger people, both when you arrive and when you leave.
- Always use “po”/“opo” with elders, even in casual visits; dropping it reads as careless.