PART TWO

FILIPINO VALUES

INTROPDUCTION

We have to revisit the past and return to the treasures of our cultural heritage in order to draw
guidance and inspiration from our for bears. Let us learn from the lessons which our predecessors have
handed down to us. The past is not just a mere collection of previous events or a corpus of legends,
maxims, and myths which are finished and deserve nothing but to be recalled. The past is still with us,
fresh and alive; it is not yet finished precisely because we are the past, insofar as it is the vital part or
life-line of our personality, attitudes, and character structure as a people.

Filipino values are the following:

1. Personal dignity – is the most important wealth on earth. Real wealth consists in personal
honor, integrity, honesty, credibility, and good reputation. Worldly riches and social fame can
be bought and lost, but one’s good character is lasting and priceless. The value of personal
dignity emphasizes personal honor rather than wealth at the expense of one’s good name; for
good name is preferable to opulence that comes from a bad origin.
2. Prudence – is the best panacea for perturbation and perplexity in all adversities. Whenever one
acts with caution, one can avoid committing big errors; whereas when a person acts carelessly
and hastily, he will make tremendous blunders. In another sense, if ever one acts violently and
impulsively, one will most like imperil himself; one may even probably kill somebody else or gets
himself killed.
3. Survival – No matter what kind of adversity the Filipino is facing, he will do anything possible to
overcome it if only to survive. Whenever he is bedridden, he strives to get well by any means or
cure, whether it be medical, herbal, or faith healing. Any form of healing ritual that goes beyond
logic and scientific explanation appeals to him for the sake of survival.
4. Diligence and patience – the Filipino values of diligence and patience embody the secret of the
people’s self-determination, will-power, and self-reliance in the pursuit of their goals and
ambitions. They constitute the strength, sturdiness, and endurance of the Filipino character as a
people. These cultural traits is that Filipino are industrious, hardworking, indefatigable,
involved, and engrossed; they are also forbearing, enduring, patient, persevering, resolute, and
long-suffering. They take these values as necessary for one’s own growth and development.
5. Diplomacy - this context should be understood as tactful dealings, smooth personal relations,
excellent way of making compromise, concessions, accommodation, settlement, and
rapprochement. Despite their religious, socio-cultural disparities, not to mention their varied
languages, Filipinos possess a common principle regarding the priceless value of peace and
reconciliation, harmony and brotherhood, and love for one another. Their moral heritage on
this matter is nationwide, transcending ethnic and geographical barriers. Filipino cultural
heritage teaches that the use of force or threat to resolve conflict is undiplomatic and
conciliatory. Intimidation will only exacerbate the situation and creates further indifference,
hostility, and resentment. Conflict or any form of dispute can be threshed out and resolved by
means of a humane, refined, or urbane approach.
6. Work – for the Filipinos, work is associated with personal success and happiness, material
prosperity in life, self-realization, and self-fulfillment. If only for this reason, the Filipino is
known for his being workaholic. But what is interesting about the value of work for the people
is their view that man is defined by his work. Is essentially related with one’s self-perfection and
self-development. To a large extent, it has a great deal to do with one’s well-being and
 progress, affluence and comfort, success and happiness in life. It offers a lot of opportunities for
the formation of man and society.
7. Self-initiative – knows the importance of proper timing, foresight, and anticipation. One may be
industrious and patient, but if he lacks foresight, he will be outwitted or surpassed by one who is
bold enough to initiate the first move. Means the ability to take the lead, the capacity to begin
the first step, or the power to blaze the trail. Refers to one’s own ability and power to begin, to
break the ground, to start the ball, to lay the first stone, and to make the first move or first step
in any undertaking. Who has the ability and power to get things underway and to make the
opening move in order to resolve a crucial issue or conflict is said to have the initiative. He does
not wait for others to make the first move as long as he can do it himself. Instead of relying
upon others to make things happen, he himself sets things in motion and leads the way.
8. The family – In Filipino thought and experience, the greatest success that a couple can attain in
life is family success, whereas the worst failure is family failure; the sweetest happiness is
conjugal happiness, whereas the most devastating unhappiness is the one that results from a
broken home. Filipinos are well known for their family-centeredness. Happiness and
unhappiness, success and failure, are centered on the Filipino family. One rises and falls with
one’s own family. Filipino give so much value to the family that they labor so hard and sacrifice
so much, if only to maintain an orderly, peaceful, successful, and happy family. It is for this
reason that family success is the measure of a successful life for the Filipinos.
9. Human fellowship – In human fellowship, man finds himself a human being in relation to
another human being. It is an interhuman dimension in which persons open themselves up to
one another, accept and confirm each other’s true self in the process of upholding truths and
values, thereby enriching the meaning of their living together in the world. May be loosely
translated as the “act of mutually acknowledging each other as fellow humans”. For life,
society, and the world relate us existentially to one another. We are living a shared life in a
shared society within a shared world.
10. Non-violence – violence is destructive rather than creative, divisive rather than conciliatory. It is
life-denying rather than life-affirming. Violence destroys rather than builds; it divides rather
than unites. In this light, Filipinos, in general, except for some over ambitious politicians, greedy
mercenaries, and terrorists, regard as priceless the value of peace and love for one another.
Peace is concomitant with social harmony and justice. Peace comes as a result of social order
and the legitimate exercise of freedom.
11. Education – Filipino value education next to religion. Parents sell or mortgage their piece of
land if only to support the schooling of their children.
12. Religion – Filipinos, in general, are God-centered and God-conscious. They are very religious.
They believe in the efficacy of prayers, rosaries, and novenas to their favorite saints.
13. Hospitality – refers to the feeling of generous friendliness which the people have towards
others, particularly towards guests and strangers. Filipinos are famous for their kind and
gracious manner towards visitors, affording and expressing welcome and warmheartedness
towards them.
14. Freedom and love of country – they can sacrifice everything in freedom’s name: their life,
family, education, career, ambition, and their future. A freedomless lifes for them, no matter
how comfortable it may seem, is stale and meaningless.
15. Self-discipline – keeps a close alliance with prudence which enables an individual to govern and
discipline himself by the use of reason. Intelligent choice and practical wisdom are needed to
measure pleasures against pains, thereby preferring pains that leas to greater pleasures to
pleasures that lead to greater pains. In other words, the other voice of self-discipline is
 moderation. Anything that is taken in excess is wrong, so we should avoid the extremes and live
moderately.
16. Parental responsibility – refers to the parent’s accountability for the proper upbringing, rearing
up, nurturing, training, discipline, and education of their children. This is the most important
type of responsibility in human society; for without this responsibility, the family, which is
regarded as the smallest unit, cannot long endure.