THE BASIC VALUES OF THE FILIPINOS

FILIPINO CULTURE:

A. UTANG NA LOOB
There is no specific translation that can approximate the meaning of this Filipino value of utang
na loob. Debt of gratitude is a lean excuse of a translation because it does not even
approximate the fertile concept of the Filipino loob.
Utang na loob is a situation where an individual is required to return a favor or service received.
However, the return of such service or favor cannot be translated into monetary equivalent, and
may reciprocated in a month of service or even a lifetime.
For example, a congressman proudly gives a town a new chapel, a bridge, or a waiting shed (no
matter whether the money came from his pocket or from the government), this makes the
people indebted to him. And when elections come, he recites the litany of his projects and
people “ought” to repay these through their votes. Not to repay this form of debt means that
those who were benefited are walang utang na loob. After having been elected, the people
would approach this congressman for return of the favor by seeking employment for them.
Thus, this would end into a vicious cycle, where the person na pinagkakautangan ng loob
becomes the giver and the giver becomes the person na may utang na loob.
However, utang na loob may be interpreted in a positive outlook. If it is used with the concept of
justice, truth and human dignity, it would reflect the beautiful aspect of the Filipino character.
Thus, this altruistic feeling must voluntarily come from within the person himself, kusang loob;
and should not be demanded by coercing the person who has utang na loob, so as blind his
sense of judgment.
Furthermore, this value should be used discriminately. The pagtatanaw ng utang na loob should
emerge from within the self of an individual with sense of justice so as to repay the person for
the favor or services rendered.
We should always remember that in demanding for the return of indebtedness, the golden rule
“Do unto other as you would want them to do unto you.” By demanding the return of the favor,
would you wish to become indebted in return? And when indebted, would you want that person
to act the same way when they are demanding the return of the favor?
B. BAHALA NA
Filipinos, by nature, are a religious group of people. They firmly believe in the supernatural and
in all kinds of spirit dwelling in individual persons, places or things. They believe in a Supreme
Being who will take care of things for them. The Filipino is very religious who has a saint to pray
to each day of the week.
The term bahala na comes from the words Bathala na. It reflects the Filipino's dependence on
the supernatural being and on fate. This tends to move toward the commonly conceived
procrastination character of the Filipino.
C. MAÑANA HABIT
Mañana Habit can be traced back in the Spanish colonization era. The term “Mañana” is a
Spanish word that means “tomorrow”. This is a Filipino trait that enforces procrastination -
practice of putting off work to be done in the near future or in the last minute. This habit is
exemplified through the “ Mamaya na ” or “ Bukas na ”.
D. NINGAS KUGON
The term Ningas Kugon translates to “burning of cogon grass”. As a Filipino trait, it means that
Filipinos tend to have a strong enthusiasm in the beginning of each work or endeavor but
gradually slows down and lose their drive to work and finish the job. It is said that in work
Filipinos tend to do their job halfbaked or leave it unfinished.
E. AMOR PROPIO
As a reinforcement to the Philippine trait of “ Hiya” or shame,
Filipinos are akin to the traditional attitude of saving “face”.
Amor propio is another Spanish term that means a sense of self-esteem or self-respect that
prevents a person from swallowing his pride. It also means ego defensiveness or maintaining
one’s dignity and personal pride. According to the Philippines Australia Business Council, amor
propio often implies a vindictive reaction to questioning an individual’s action, integrity, or honor.
F. BAYANIHAN
In an article entitled “Filipino Culture: Bayanihan: The Filipino Value that Must be Retained”, it
describe bayanihan as: “ Bayanihan is a core essence of the Filipino culture . It is helping out
one’s neighbor as a community, and doing a task together, thus lessening the workload and
making the job easier . It is also called the ‘community spirit’ . It is best exhibited when people
wish to move locations in the rural area . The traditional Filipino house, the ‘bahay - kubo ’, can
be moved using wooden poles which are carried from the old place to the new one . This
requires a group of people to lift and carry the house on their shoulders . Able - bodied men
usually participated in such feats, while women stood and watched, casually chatting and
cheering the men on . Afterwards, there will be a small gathering as a form of celebration and
socialization . ” [SOURCE: https://everything-filipino.com/filipino-culture-bayanihanthe-filipino-
value-that-must-be-retained/]
NSTP as a citizenship training scheme focuses on translating the good citizenship values as
reflected in the Preamble of the Constitution into concrete action in building a better Philippines.

PREAMBLE of the
1987 Philippine Constitution

We, the sovereign Filipino people,

Imploring the aid of Almighty God,
In order to build a just and humane society
And establish a Government
That shall embody our ideals and aspirations,
Promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony,
And secure to ourselves our posterity the blessings of independence
And democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
Justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,
Do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

Meaning of Preamble:
o Derived from the Latin word “preambulare” which means “to walk before”
o It is the prologue of the Constitution
o Good Citizenship values reflected in the Preamble of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
CLUSTERS:

MAKA-DIYOS MAKA-TAO MAKA-BAYAN MAKA-KALIKASAN

1. Faith and belief in the 6. Love 11. Unity 16. Concern for the
Almighty God, active 7. Freedom 12. Equality environment
spirituality 8. Peace 13. Respect for the
2. Respect for Life 9. Truth Law and
3. Order 10. Justice Government
4. Work 14. Patriotism
5. Concern for the Family 15. Promotion of
and Future Common Good
Generations
FAITH IN ALMIGHTY GOD
 Jesus said to them “Have faith in God. Whoever says to the mountain,
‘Be Lifted up and thrown to the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but
believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him”. - Mark
11:22-23
 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all flaming arrows of the
evil one. - Ephesians 6:16
 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him,
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:31
 “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is
dead”. – James 3:26
 Faith will not always get for us what we want, but it will get what God wants
us to have. – Vance Havner
 The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today; let us
nove forward with strong and active faith - Franklin D. Roosevelt
 Faith is to believe what we do not see. The reward of this faith is to see what
we believe. - St. Augustine

o FAITH is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true.
o To have FAITH is to have confidence in something or someone

What are the effects of faith and Prayer in our lives?

 Do we continue to profess the same faith in God and appreciate the value of
prayer in ordinary times when there is no conflict or imminent danger to our lives and
nation?
Do we give enough time each day to thank God for being faithful to us despite or
our unfaithfulness to Him?

DEEPENING POINTS
o Faith in the Almighty God is an innate trademark Filipino value. Example: When the
country was plunged into shock and misery brought about by the devastation of the 1991
earthquake, Filipinos consoled themselves and lifted each other’s spirit by crying sincere
tears and by praying together with an extraordinary faith to get through such a calamity.
Such an attitude clearly defines the Filipinos’ unique regard for the value of Faith in the
Almighty.
o Our Faith is a call to conversion:
Turning away from graft and corruption
Indolence
Our desire for convenience rather than hard work
Growing adherence to materialism at the expense of the loss of our values and
integrity
Our sense of helplessness when confronted with adversity
o We should learn how to pray from our hearts, not merely by our lips. We pray for more
God-centered leaders who assume authority in the context of genuine service. We pray
because without God we can do nothing.

FAITH IN ACTION
Faith practices in the Home: Praying before having meals; praying of the Rosary;
Encouraging children to develop a habit of prayer and reflection especially when faced with
moral discernment; attending prayer sessions/Bible sharing and going to Sunday masses.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION
 I Am More Fully Aware Of The Things I Can Accomplish When I Live A Life Of Faith.
 I have in me the desire to the right things, make moral decisions, and work to the
best of my God-given gifts.
 I shall strive to hold my moral ground when I am confronted with things that
undermine my values and those which may injure the well-being of others.
 My faith is a gift that strengthens me in times of crisis and helps me arrive at
conscientious decisions.
 I also understand that my faith in God can bring me to appreciate myself, my family,
friends and colleagues, my job and my people better.
 God as a source of wisdom in everything we do.
  I shall live a life that is based on the right values and serve as an inspiration to others
who may be struggling in their own faith life.

 I have the gift of Faith in God which I received from my baptism;

 The gift of Faith in God in me needs to be nurtured daily through prayer and
acts of charity;
 My Christian life is strengthened by my faith in God;
 My strong Faith in God, coupled with other important values, will improve my
life and those of others;
 My faith is my assurance that will surely make a break through ups and
downs of life;
 My faith makes me thankful to God for the gift of life;
 I must not worry nor fear of tomorrow because worry is a sign of distrust;
 I must therefore believe in God Almighty and for sure I will not be alone in my
journey within and beyond because God is with me always until the end of
time.

RESPECT FOR LIFE

<Pictures: Abortion, Prostitution, Smoking, Murder, War and others that underline the non-
preservation of Life>
Activity Processing Points:
 Every person’s life is a precious gift, no individual has the right to harm or destroy
it.
 TERRORISM is to be condemned in the most absolute terms because it shows
complete contempt for human life and can never be justified.
 HUMAN LIFE must be respected, protected and preserved from the moment of
conception.
 “Our body is God’s Temple”, we should take care of it and regard it as sacred.
 We should uphold and recognize each other’s dignity as persons and grow to
appreciate each other’s worth because there exist in the human person sufficient
qualities and energies, a fundamental goodness.

RESPECT FOR LIFE IN ACTION

Practices in the home: instilling of discipline, recognition of the uniqueness and worth of
each member; Role modeling of parents so that children may grow in dignity and right values;
Stressing the importance of health and personal development.
PERSONAL RESOLUTION
I am a person of worth and dignity. My own humanity is a gift from God. I am aware
that my life is sacred and that I ought to take care of it. As my natural human rights protect me
from anything that may endanger my life and well being. I shall also be responsible for
upholding the rights of others. I recognize the value of every person. Hence, I will keep an
open mind and charitable attitude that I may be able to appreciate their own giftedness and
special roles in my life and society. I shall not ve an advocate of violence or any means that
may harm the life and dignity of others.
o Anti-abortion
o Pro-child
o Pro-life (All life deserves respect)
o Pro-family values
o Right to life (All of us have a right to live until we die)
o Respect for non-human life

ORDER
ORDER is putting everything in its right place.
Simple ways of prioritizing or putting things in order include the following: Cleanliness and
proper arrangement of things, belongings, living quarters, and workplace, time
management, budgeting and expense allocation, prioritization/sorting of activities
according to level of importance or urgency, and goal setting.
In doing first things first in the light of effecting change in our country, change/transformation
should begin with us before it can proceed to a broader scale. The determination to develop the
value on a wider scale towards national development should then evolve into a collective
resolve by every citizen to live out the value and allow it to pervade into our people’s
consciousness and culture
Learn to be orderly in your work by establishing a system and routine.
Basic values like diligence and cleanliness stem from the value of orderliness.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION
As a good citizen, I understand that the value of order is important in my quest to improve
myself as a person and as a citizen. I shall strive to arrange my life in a certain way that will
allow me to be more effective and productive citizen. I shall inspire others by my example to
live peacefully and more meaningfully by living the value of order everyday.
WORK
MAN is destined to work, it is in his nature.
Kapit sa Patalim
Ningas-Kugon
Manana habit
Pwede na
Bahala na
Utang na Loob
Don’t settle for mediocrity, aim for excellence
Performing their work with a sounder disposition, clearer understanding of their priorities and
more meaningful motivations.
Value of work: hard work, honest work and quality work.
To develop a more positive outlook and attitude towards the value of work

CONCERN FOR THE FAMILY AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

Major issues the Filipino Family face today:
o Broken Families (Separated Parents, etc)

o Teenage Pregnancies
 o Vulnerability of the youth to drug addiction and other vices
o Threats of technology and unrestricted media
o Declining family moral and values among Filipinos

Our Family is threatened daily by many issues that tend to destroy its sanctity, unity, and
harmony
A FAMILY is strengthened by the LOVE, UNDERSTANDING, and MUTUAL RESPECT among
its members
A FAMILY is the best place of REFUGE, STRENGTH, INSPIRATION, EXAMPLE and source of
LOVE for today’s youth at risk and couples whose values and virtues are challenged daily by
the ways of the world of immorality, violence and materialism.
More than ever, as parents, they work harder to teach and guide their children in the ways of
GOOD VALUES and RESPONSIBILITY as they are more vulnerable to negative influences
brought about by the advent of high technology and materialism which, gives them freer access
to activities that potentially undermine their good values and virtues.
Giving due respect to our elders and caring for them is a testament of our enduring value of
respect for our FAMILY as a people and confirms our love and deference to the people from
whose lives and labor we owe our own;

Our FAMILY is worth more than any wordly gain.

Make it a point to spend QUALITY TIME with your family as this will unite you more closely and
bind you in understanding and love,
PAGKAMA-TAO
LOVE
-Little acts of Love: Concerned and “available” Parent to their children; being more
understanding and charitable siblings; being more responsible and caring child; being sincere
and trustworthy colleague; Being good example of generosity, genuine concern, compassion
and integrity to their fellowmen
FREEDOM
Is the power to act or not to act, and so to perform deliberate acts of one’s own.
According to Dr. Jose Rizal, “Nations win their freedom be deserving it, by loving what is just,
what is good, what is great to the point of dying for it.”
Freedom should be practiced with a clear understanding of its bounds, a sense of discipline and
the virtue of charity.
The fruit of freedom is cultivated by a people’s genuine sense of cooperation and desire to be
responsible for their actions for the benefit of the common good.

FREEDOM IN ACTION
The real freedom is one that does not allow itself to be used to further one’s vested interests or
impede others from practicing their own freedom. Instead, every person should perceive
freedom as one that allows him to act responsibly, conscientiously and charitably so that
through it, he may grow to be a better citizen and person for others.

PEACE
PEACE cannot be attained through violence or other ways that do promote order.
Examples of situations by which the end of peace cannot be reached by the means of violence
and disorder:
 Physically harming children as a method of disciplining them
 Airing one’s sentiments on government and societal issues by way of a mutiny or
coup d’etat
 Resorting to fights and other violent displays to settle disputes/disagreements
 Stealing to pay-off a debt
 Resorting to acts of corruption to attain financial security
The Four (4) pillars of Peace: Love, Freedom, Truth and Justice
Essential Conditions:
TRUTH: will build peace if every individual sincerely acknowledges not only his rights,
but also his own duties to others.
 JUSTICE: … if in practice everyone respects the rights of others and actually fulfill his
duties towards them.
LOVE: … if people feel the needs of others as their own and share what they have with
others, specially the values of mind and spirit which they possess.
FREEDOM: will build peace and make it thrive if, in the choice of the mean to that end,
people act according to reason and assume responsibility for their own actions.
The Two (2) keys of Peace: Solidarity with the poor and Sustainable Human Development
Peace begins with one’s self and is a God-given gift that must be continuously nurtured by
prayer and reflection of one’s values and principles.
Peace is attainable through forgiveness and reconciliation
Peace is the fruit of justice, love and order.
There is a kind of peace which no amount of trouble can take away, and that is doing the will of
God and following the rule of law.
<Related issues: War on Drugs…>

TRUTH
Some issues dealing with the VALUE OF TRUTH
o Unexplained wealth of public officials, dishonesty in public offices
o How the media handles the truth
Activity Processing Points
During the times when I have not been truthful, did I hurt somebody in anyway? Did I
make a conscious effort to tell the truth after having reflected on the implications of my actions?
Did I do something to rectify my faults in this regard?
TRUTH entails transparency, honesty, integrity, sincerity and humility
The most essential quality for LEADERSHIP is NOT PERFECTION but CREDIBILITY: Being
TRUTHFUL
In the end, the TRUTH always prevails.
TRUTH IN ACTION:
Examples of how participants may cultivate and encourage the VALUE OF TRUTH in the
following areas:
Students
Teacher
Brgy Officials
Famous Quotes
Words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil - Plato
Liars when they speak the truth are not believed. - Aristotle
Falsehood is easy, truth so difficult - George Elliot

The TRUTH about lies

There are no half-truths or white lies…
Lies are the keys to a bad marriage, a run with the Law, the destruction of friendship

JUSTICE

A. Widening social disparity between the rich and poor in the Philippines
a. Many pending cases in the courts
b. The alarming rate of people without access to basic services
c. Social practices that diminish the essence of social justice (Ex. Inhuman working
conditions, unfair and illegal labor practices, abuse of power, graft and
corruption, preferential option to cater to people and agencies of power rather
than to those in need, trial by publicity, the overwhelming desire of people for
excess and luxury, etc.)

“Justice delayed is Justice denied”

JUSTICE is the key to progress, the foundation of freedom and the bedrock principle of unity
and equality among all men.

JUSTICE in Action
By nurturing an attitude of vigilance and understanding of situations that ten to undermine
justice in their relationship and in the community.
Being mindful of the rights and dignity of others and maintain a high level of respect for every
individual.
Seeking ways of reaching out the less-fortunate in life through charitable works or volunteer

<Reflect on the times you have caused injustice to someone while going about your different
roles in life. Sibling, relative, Friend, Member of the Society,,,>

PAGKAMAKA-BAYAN
UNITY
Is about sharing common vision and values, working together towards the same dream of
social justice, prosperity and happiness.

EQUALITY
Do I treat every person with Equal respect, regard and understanding?

It is a universally accepted truth that “All men are created equal, gifted with reason and freewill”.
This is the basic principle where our Bill of Human Rights are based.
No man is over and above the law.
EQUALITY IN ACTION
Students
Treat your classmates kindly and fairly.
Don’t bully those who are weak among you.
Be charitable instead to those who are less fortunate than you are
Let the weakness of others be your inspiration to help and serve them so that they may
feel adequate and blessed by your love and concern for them.
Learn to judge every person based on his/her own uniqueness and giftedness.
Be patient with people and be able to appreciate the beauty in each one.

RESPECT FOR LAW AND GOVERNMENT

Social Issues: Basic obedience of traffic rules and regulations; Vote-buying; Tax evasion

The law is not meant to curtail freedom; it is meant to ensure that every citizen acts responsibly
while exercising his freedom.
Laws and the government are mean to institute order in a society that has a tendency to abuse
freedom and trample on the rights of the weak.

PATRIOTISM
We must love our country by being vigilant and ready to defend it from internal and external
threat
We must patronize our country’s products.
We must be proud of our heritage and national identity
We must do simple acts of service to our fellowmen without intentions of furthering vested
interests by doing so.
We must be good workers by performing our duties as we should and with a high level of
competence, aiming always for excellence
We must carry ourselves as Filipinos with dignity and pride. We must not be dissuades by
material temptations.

PROMOTION FOR THE COMMON GOOD

Work towards things that promote the greater good of the majority vs. personal gain or benefit of
a select few.

The value of promoting the common good should move us to share and reach out to others in
need.

PAGKAMAKA-KALIKASAN
Treat Mother Earth as your own mother. In every sense of the word, she feeds us and sustains
our life, treat us kindly and lovingly by providing for us faithfully, not expecting anything in return
other than respect and love.
“Ang kalinisan ng ating kapaligiran ay ating kalusugan at kaunlarn ng bayan” (Our good health
is our wealth)
“Clean-as-you-go” program