Manhood in the Philippines: circumcision and spicy noodles

Copyranter got tipped off (pardon the pun) to this bizarre Filipino ad in which a boy and his father bond over mannish pursuits like circumcision and spicy noodles:



He even provided translation:

Doctor: Mr. Suarez, he's OK.
Kid: Dad, it didn't hurt!
Dad: I told you you can do it. You're a big boy already!
Kid: I didn't even cry!
VO: Because he's already a big boy, he can now eat Sweet & Spicy Lucky Me! Pancit Canton. It has the right blend and the right amount of spice that we enjoy.
Dad: Oh, can you handle it?
Kid (lowering voice): I can!

Beyond my "intactivist" leanings, the age of the boy getting circumcised freaked me out. Here's Yahoo! Answers' explanation:

"In the Philippines it is expected that all males are circumcised before puberty. If not, a boy will be teased as "supot". It is because he is not seen as "man enough" to face the pain."

Although I guess I should consider this boy lucky to have been brought to a doctor:

"In the rural areas, the quack doctor pulls the foreskin, and places a block of wood under the foreskin. The kid is given a leaf to bite on as the quack doctor whacks the foreskin off, often with a sharpened bamboo or coconut knife, or now, mostly machete knife."

In this context it's not all that different from female genital mutilation, is it?

Coming soon:

Old woman: Mrs. Rahim, she's OK.
Kid: Mom, it didn't hurt!
Mom: I told you you can do it. You're a big girl already!
Kid: I didn't even cry!
VO: Because she's already a big girl, she can now eat Sweet & Spicy Lucky Me! Iskudhexkaris. It has the right blend and the right amount of spice that we enjoy.
Mom: Oh, can you handle it?
Kid (lowering voice): I can!

I don't want to be too xenophobic here, but ads like this make me happy I live in a country where a typical coming of age is having a sip of your dad's beer while out fishing...