Chapter II Lesson 4 : The Political Self and Being Filipino

Lesson Objectives

1. Develop a Filipino identity

2. Identity different Filipino values and traits, and
3. Reflect on your selfhood in relation to your identity.

ACTIVITY

Who is a Filipino?

Cut out pictures or illustrations from magazines and newspapers that show what
being a Filipino is about. Paste them below.

ANALYSIS

Answer the question below in relation to what you have in the previous activity.

1. How do the pictures remind you of your being a Filipino?

2. Are you proud being a Filipino? Why and why not?

3. Imagine that you were of a different nationality. What would change in you
aside from your citizenship and origin?

4. How extensive are the effects of being a Filipino in your selfhood?

ABSTRACTION

What makes a Filipino a genuine Filipino? Do physical characteristics such as

having dark hair, flat nose, and dark skin complexion make one a Filipino? Or it is a
person’s language, birth place, and ethnicity ? If you were to introduce yourself as a
Filipino to a person of another nationality and he or she asks” who are Filipinos?”
what will you reply?

- The Philippines as we know it today has only emerged in the 1890’s after
over three centuries of colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, liberation
from the last colonizer’s, Japanese, only occurred in 1946. Foreign culture,
beliefs, language, and religion have made a huge dent on our own by setting
a foundation to the contemporary Filipino Identity and culture. To date,
colonial mentality remains an issue. Given the wide discrepancy between the
liberation period and today’s time, would it be safe to say that Filipinos have
truly developed an identity of their own? Or are we still living in the shadow
of our colonial friends?
- In this chapter, you will learn that an individual’s race, ethnicity, and physical
characteristics are not the only factors that make a person’s national identity.
Values and traits are important indicators that set apart one nationality from
the other. These values and traits may not always be a positive thing, but
being able to identity one’s self apart from other nationalities and point out
weaknesses and mistakes, paired with unity and commitment, make progress
a possibility. Through common goals, principles, values of its people, a nation
empowers itself.
-

WHO IS A FILIPINO?

- Filipinos are often referenced to globally renowned personalities like Manny

Pacquiao, Lea Salonga and Michael Cinco who have made Filipinos recognized
around the world through their expertise. However, being a Filipino is far
more than just being related to these notables’ figures, Independence Day
and Buwan ng Wika celebrations prompt us to go back to our roots and
reflect on the question: who is a Filipino?
- Technically, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution , Filipino citizens
are….those whose fathers and mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those
born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine
citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and those naturalized in
accordance with law.” However, citizenship is not the only marker of being a
Filipino , culture and history have greatly influenced the manner Filipinos
 learn, live, and behave to date. People who were born and grew up in the
same culture develop and share common personality traits and values.
Generations after generations, common traits and values have been passed
on that Filipinos of today still embody.

FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS

- The Philippines is a lush island paradise famous for its grandiose mountain
views, pristine beaches, and rich diverse culture changing from province to
province. While the Philippines, may be well known for its awe-inspiring
beauty perhaps the Filipinos unique traits, reputable values, and laudable
talents make the country a place to be.
- Tourists who have visited the Philippines can never forget the big and bright
smiles that greeted them, the colorful and loud jeepneys, the common
Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay!” and “salamat” and habits such as saying
“po” and “opo” to the elders, leaving shoes or slippers at the door before
entering a house, and the importunate asking of “kumainkana?” meaning
“have you eaten yet?”. Indeed, it is a marvel to experience these unique
traits of the Filipino firsthand. Few of these traits are as follows:

THE FILIPINO HOSPITALITY- A Filipino traits that is known everywhere is the

Filipino’s brand of hospitality. Filipinos welcome their guests and tourists as if
they are their own brothers and sisters; they always make their guests feel at
home, offering them something to eat or even a place to stay. They will bring
out their best sets of plates and chinaware for their honored guests and
would even go as far as spending a lot of money and going into debt just so
they can satisfy them. In most local shops, Filipino salespersons will greet
their customers with warm welcome and say thank you when they leave even
without buying anything. Filipinos also anticipate giving tours to friends who
will visit their hometown and treating them to best restaurants and delicacies
for free. During festivals or fiestas, Filipino serve heaps of festive food and
invite the whole Barangay over. They are also fond of giving pasalubong or
tokens from their travels and pabaon or farewell gifts to their visitors.

RESPECT FOR ELDERS- Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hand while
saying “Mano po” and constantly using “po” and “opo” in conversations.
Forgetting to address older people properly will regard them as rude and
impolite. There is also a wide array of references to elder people such as ate
for older sister; kuya for older brother , tito and tita for uncle and aunts,
respectively; lolo and lola for grandmother and grandfather; and manong and
aling for older people outside the family.
CLOSE FAMILY TIES- Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their families
regardless if the children are old enough and already have families of their
own. They are also fond of family reunions during birthdays, holidays, or
fiestas year-round. Some Filipino families even opt to live in a big house
where everyone can stay together. Nursing homes are almost always not an
option for family members and choose to take care of their elders
themselves.

CHEERFUL PERSONALITY- Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot.

They smile when they are happy, or sometimes even when they are sad or
angry. Smiling has been a coping strategy for many Filipinos especially during
trying times and calamities. For instance, Filipinos smile and wave at the
camera while being interviewed even after a fire or flooding incident. They
always try to maintain a positive outlook in life which makes them resilient
and able to manage almost everything with a simple smile.

SELF-SACRIFICE- The self-sacrificing attitude of a Filipinos can be seen as an

extension of the Filipino hospitality. Filipinos go out of their way to extend
help to their loved ones and would even go to the extent of working abroad
hundreds of miles away to earn more money and save up for them. Overseas
Filipino workers (OFW’s) sacrifice a lot; that is why they are regarded as the
modern day Filipino heroes. There are also times when the eldest among the
children of the family would give up school to work and provide for the rest
of the family and educate his or her siblings.

BAYANIHAN- Is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos is

also about giving without expecting something in return. Filipinos are always
ready to share and help their friends and loved ones who in need. It may not
always be in monetary form, but the time and effort they give also count as
form of help for them. This trait is particularly manifested in how Filipinos
rally themselves to send aid to those who are severely affected by natural
calamities.

‘’BAHALA NA’’ ATTITUDE- Is the Filipino version of the famous line

HakunaMatata” meaning no worries. The phrase is said to have originated
from “Bathalana” when Bathala means God, and the phrase meaning leaving
everything into God’s hands. It can also view as something similar to cheerful
and positive attitude. Filipinos and allowing situations take care of
themselves instead of worrying about them.
 COLONIAL MENTALITY- is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the attitude
where Filipinos favor foreign products more than their own. This does not
only concern goods, but also the desire to look more foreign than local and
keep up with the foreign beauty trends. It is attributed to the centuries of
colonization Filipino had experienced under the Spanish, Americans, and
Japanese rule.

MANANA HABIT-This is the Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived

from a longer Filipino phrase called “mamayana” meaning dawdling things,
which could have been done at an earlier time. It is a poor habit of laziness
that results in heavier workloads.

“NINGAS KUGON”- Is a Filipino term for flame and “kugon” is a Filipino term
for Cogon grass that easily burns out after it is put into flames. Ningaskugon
refers to the attitude of eagerly starting things but quickly losing eagerness
soon after experiencing difficulty; just like how fast the fire of a cogon grass
burns out moments after being ignited. Laziness is common problem among
Filipinos; that’s why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad” or lazy Juan.

PRIDE- Most Filipinos hold on their pride as if they are more precious than
keeping a good relationship with family and loved ones. When two parties
are not in good terms, they find it so hard to apologized and wait until the
other party asks for an apology.

CRAB MENTALITY- This is toxic that among Filipinos where one resents the
achievements of another, instead of feeling happy for that person. Just like
crabs in a container, they pull each other down and ruin each other’s
reputation rather than bringing them up resulting to no progress. Filipinos
should change this troublesome attitude and focus more on their own
inadequacies to improve one’s self.

FILIPINO TIME- Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at

commitments, dinners, or parties especially if they are meeting someone
close to them. They tend to not observe punctuality altogether. The 7:00 pm
call time becomes adjusted to 7:30 pm, and almost everyone arrives at the
same time because everyone is using Filipino time.

FILIPINO MARKERS
- What then are the hallmarks of our being a Filipino? What makes us truly
relish in our being a Filipino? The following are constant reminders of our
nationality.
1. PROVERBS OR SALAWIKAIN- just like any other proverbs, are sayings that convey
lessons ND REFLECTIONS ON Filipino practices, beliefs, and traditions. Damian
Eugenio, regarded as the Mother of Philippine Folklore, classified proverbs into six
categories (Eugenio 2000)

- A. proverbs expressing a general attitude toward life and the laws that
govern life;
- B. ethical proverbs recommending certain virtues and condemning certain
vices;
- C. proverbs expressing a system of values;
- D. proverbs expressing general truths and observations about life and human
nature;
- E. humorous proverbs ; and
- F. miscellaneous proverbs
An example of a Filipino proverb is the saying “ kung may tiyaga may nilaga”
which means that hard work will rewarded if one is persistent.

2. SUPERSTITUIONS- Filipinos also subscribe to their own set of superstitions passed

down from generation to generation. Some of these may be influenced by beliefs
from the other cultures, but Filipinos have retold these superstitions according o
their own experiences and they sometimes end up even more interesting.

According to a Filipino superstition, a woman singing while cooking will end up a

spinster so parents remind their daughters to avoid singing while preparing their
meals. Filipinos also avoid taking picture in threes as the one in the center is said to
die, according to another superstition.

3.MYTHS AND LEGENDS- Due to the Philippine’s rich culture and history, numerous
myths and legends have sprung about things that are beyond one’s imagination.
These stories are aimed to explain the origin of things, at the same time, teach a
valuable lesson. Some of these stories stemmed in pre-Christianity period, but have
evolved to the stories we know today.

A famous Filipino legend is about the origin of the pineapple fruit. It is about a story
of a young and lazy girl named Pina who always asked where her mother kept the
things she needed without looking for them first. When Pina’s mother got tired of
being asked where she hid her things, her mother wished that eyes be planted on
Pina’s face so she would start using them. To her mother’s surprise the next
morning, Pina was gone and a fruit sprung in the yard, implanted with “eyes” all
around its body which was later called “pinya” the Filipino term for “pineapple”.
4. HEROES AND ICONS

Heroes serve as a reminder of true patriotism and nationalism as they have

sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country’s freedom and progress. Every year,
we lend a whole day to celebrate pit heroes, usually the last Monday of August, to
remember their greatness, brave, and resilience that has led to the freedom we
know today.

Famous Pilipino icons such as Lea Salonga, Manny Pacquiao, and our very
own national hero, Jose Rizal, also serve as important Filipino markers as they have
made the Filipino name more pronounced worldwide through their own expertise.

How to Be a Good Filipino

Now you know that your traits and values are important indicators of being a
Filipino. The problem now is how to truly become one and how you can be useful to
the development and progress of our country. The following are few ways on how to
be a good Filipino:

1. Be an active Filipino citizen.

A good Filipino citizen is aware of the current events and participates in

government programs that aim for the country’s progression and development.
By simply exercising your right to vote, you also become an active citizen. When
it comes to voting, the rich and the poor have equal voting rights-every Filipino
citizen of legal age have a chance in choosing the right leaders for the Philippines
who are genuine in helping and caring for the Filipino people.

2. Study the Philippine history.

The road of the Philippine history is long and bloody, and by learning and
fully understanding the events of the Philippine history, you will learn so much as
to why it is so important for you to love your country with your life, extend help
to your fellow Filipinos in need, and recognize abuse of political power.
3. Support local products.

When you buy local products, you do now only support local
manufacturers and businessmen, but you also help strengthen the local
economy. How is this so? There will be more demand of local products, thus,
local businesses will be in need for more employees which will open new job
opportunities. The business owners will also invest within the country and are
less likely to leave. Supporting our local products also displays our creativity,
innovativeness, and resourcefulness.
4. Speak the Filipino language.
The history of the Filipino language was as long and hard as the Philippine
history. Jose Rizal highlighted the importance of speaking a national language as
a way of displaying the love for one’s country has been a decade-long debate
whether to use Filipino as the instructional language in school and to translate
textbooks into Filipino; however, this is still not strictly imposed.
5. Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with dissent.
This period in the history of the Philippines has seen how the internet has
spawned tons of possibilities for people, both good and bad. For instance, it is
easier for Filipinos working abroad to communicate with their loved ones left in
the Philippines through the internet. Despite this, the internet has also made the
spread of fake news very common; likewise, the internet has also made us
engage in intense arguments with people across the globe about our political
positions, for example. It is a part of being a good Filipino to understand and
verify what you read online, especially in social media, before actually believing
in it and spreading it like wildfire. It is also the responsibility of every Filipino to
recognize disagreement in political views, be tolerant, and argue intelligently
without having to resort into name-calling people.