Marilou Parayaoan is one of star employees at The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (Airports Authority). Born in the Philippines, she is proud of Filipino heritage. In her interview, she talks about how family, religion, and hospitality are the centerpieces of her culture.
Marilou is also passionate about her work as an internal auditor and how the Airports Authority has created a diverse cultural workspace where she enjoys coming to the office each day.
Over the years, Marilou has taken advantage of career and professional education opportunities the Airports Authority has had to offer to sustain her certifications.
Marilou Parayaoan
Audit Manager, MWAA
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Marilou Parayaoan, I was born and raised in the city of Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines. In 1762, Bacolor was once the capital of the Philippines (according to the Philippines history books). I have 7 older and 2 younger siblings. My mother who is of Spanish/Filipino descent is 94 years old while my father who was of Chinese/Filipino descent died 11 years ago, btw he was a WWII Veteran. It is typical for Filipinos to have mixed heritage or ancestry. My family moved to the States in 2006.
Tell us what are some of those special components of your culture?
- Family bonds are important to Filipinos. The elderly are honored and respected. From an early age, children are taught to say 'po' and 'opo' to address their elders both within their communities as well as their families. There is a special greeting to show veneration, 'mano po,' whereby you take the hand of an elderly person and place it on your forehead as if receiving his blessing.
- Extended families in the Philippines live together, and even distant members are given the title of cousin.
- Children have several sets of godparents so that the support system is strong. There may be a few houses grouped on the same piece of land, or in the same neighborhood so that children from different parents are part of one household. Single aunts, uncles, or grandparents look after them while their parents’ work.
- The major festivals are also celebrated together. If a family originates outside the city, they journey back to the rural area where they have their roots, to celebrate.
- The country is also linguistically diverse, with eight major dialects and over 170 languages spoken throughout the inhabited islands. The official language of the Philippines is Filipino, which is mainly Tagalog (the dialect from central and southern Luzon) combined with words from various other languages. For example, English is widely spoken throughout the Philippines, and it is common to hear Filipinos use a mixture of English and Tagalog (known informally as ‘Taglish’) in everyday conversations.
Tell me what stood out to you growing up?
The family bond stood out to me growing up. Love and respect for my parents and siblings and extended family members. Finally, my mom’s faith in God and her resilience while the love that my Dad showered us when he was still with us is forever in our hearts.
What does it mean to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month?
Filipinos are known to be the most hospitable people in the world. We know how to accommodate our visitors or friends very well. Even to strangers we know how to smile and greet them which made them feel always welcome.
Why do you think representation matters?
Without equal representation people will feel like they aren't heard or seen.
What brought you to MWAA?
I was looking for a workplace where I can practice what I loved doing – internal audit.
What do you enjoy most about working at MWAA?
Working with the Office of Audit gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people (internal and external staff). Learned different cultures because of the diverse workforce.
How has MWAA supported your career?
The continuing professional education or trainings helped me sustain my profession as a CPA and internal auditor.
What do you tell your friends about what it is like to work at MWAA?
Great benefits and work environment. There is respect among and between management and staff and a culture and commitment to customer service.
What has been the most pleasant experience/surprise working at MWAA?
Seeing the airplanes up close in the airfield and I also had the chance to see how the Silver line tunnels were built.