Understanding Filipino traits, values,

and culture
What are Filipinos known for?
The term kapwa, or a shared inner self, lies at the core of Filipino values and psychology. A
person who treats another as a kapwa has a shared sense of identity and consciousness
with that other.

Both at the individual and community level, strong emphasis is placed on social acceptance
and maintaining social harmony. As such, social approval and caring about what others will
think, say, or do strongly influence social behavior.

Here are some of the values that Filipinos are known for:

The family
The family is at the center of the Filipino community. Children are not expected to leave
their parents’ house until they get married; and even after then, many couples opt to stay
with or close to their or their spouse’s parents. 

Also, they’re expected to care for their aging parents instead of sending them to a

retirement home. This is why it’s common to see different generations or multiple families
living in a single residence. 

The value that Filipinos put into caring for one’s family can also be seen as one of the
reasons why nurses and caregivers from the country provide their patients and clients with
a high level of care.

Humor and positivity

Optimism, humor, and positivity are valued traits in the Philippines. The country has a long
list of national holidays, and many provinces and cities have their own sets of local holidays.
At the same time, in the face of difficult or challenging situations, members of the
community are encouraged to look at the brighter side of things.

The inclination for finding the good in the bad can be traced to the country’s location, which
lies in the path of typhoons and sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire. In a place where natural
calamities are commonplace, humor and positivity work as a coping mechanism, much like
how some children laugh to hide their embarrassment after slipping or falling.

What are Filipinos known for?

Flexibility and adaptability

The term bahala na, which can be translated to “whatever happens, happens”, is one of the
more familiar phrases used in the country. 

It is perhaps the most representative of how Filipinos value adaptability and quick
thinking. The expression exemplifies one’s belief in a higher power and submitting one’s
fate to elements that cannot be controlled.

People who use the term bahala na do not see anything wrong with it, as it serves as a sort
of positive affirmation that allows them to deal with a problem right then and there. 

However, those who see it as a negative Filipino trait often view it as a form of fatalistic

submission or a way to absolve one from the responsibility of their actions.

Faith and religion

Spirituality is deeply ingrained in Filipinos. A form of animism was already being practiced in
many pre-colonial societies and Islam has been firmly established in the southern islands
even before the pre-Hispanic era. 

These days, religion still plays a big part in society and the everyday lives of Filipinos.

The Catholic Church’s views still affect the passing of some laws, most towns still hold
fiestas to honor their patron saints, and many regular non-working national holidays are
dedicated to celebrating various religious activities and events. 

To many Filipinos, religion helps shape their values and principles.

Filipino hospitality
Filipinos are naturally hospitable. Guests can be expected to extend a warm welcome to
their guests regardless of where they come from, how well they know their host, and why
they’re visiting someone’s home.

Hosts typically provide their guests with food and entertainment and, if there’s time, a tour
around the local destinations. 
Before they leave, guests are entreated to take home pasalubong or souvenirs, which often
come in the form of delicacies and local sweets.

Filipino traditions, values, and influences

Brief Philippine history

The pre-colonial Philippines

Long before the Spanish arrived in the Philippines, the communities in the archipelago have
been trading with what is now China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its location beside continental Asia and along the border of the Pacific Ocean provided the
archipelago’s inhabitants the chance to interact and communicate with different groups of
people. 

Some of the major influences in the country come from India and Arabia.

The Spanish occupation

The Spanish Colonial Period began with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521 and ended in
1898—lasting a total of 333 years. 

The islands were named The Republic of the Philippines in 1543, in honor of King Philip II
of Spain. Christianity was also given heavy emphasis during this time.

The American occupation and beyond 

After Spain was defeated in the Spanish-American War, the Philippines was occupied by
America, Japan, and again, America after World War II.  

By 1946, the United States had ceded its sovereignty over the country, and elections were
held to elect the first president of the independent republic.
Languages of the Philippines
There are around 181 languages used in the Philippines. 131 of them are considered official
languages, including Filipino and English.

It’s typical for Filipinos to grow up bilingual, and many even speak 3 languages— English,
Filipino, plus the indigenous language in their area.

Philippine languages have been influenced by many other languages, including each
other. In 1937, Filipino was named the National Language of the Philippines.

Spanish influence in the Filipino language

It is believed that a third of Filipino words are derived from Spanish.

During the Spanish occupation, friars and priests, with great reluctance and much delay,
conducted religious instruction and almost all forms of formal education using Spanish
under the orders of the Spanish government. 

It was at this time that many Spanish words were borrowed into Tagalog. 

American occupation and the English language

The American occupation saw the wide adoption of English as the language of instruction in
schools throughout the country. 

Before and after World War II, the Philippine government actively took solid steps toward
establishing a national language based on Tagalog, which was used as a second language
by almost half of the country’s population at the time. 

In the present day, both Filipino and English are taught as academic subjects and used as
languages of instruction in primary and secondary schools and universities throughout the
country. 

News and entertainment programs that are aired throughout the country are also often
delivered in these languages.

Religion
More often than not, the Filipino people place their moral values in religion, particularly
Catholicism and Islam. Religion is seen as a universal value that further strengthens the
family and sometimes even affects the government in power. 
This shouldn’t be an issue for business owners, since BPO in the Philippines is a major
driving force for the country’s economic growth.

This loosens up the tensions between the Philippine government and foreign business
owners and investors, making it easy for investments to go through and for businesses to
receive tax relief on top of it all. 

However, since Filipino talents have strong feelings about their religious beliefs, it’s best if

you keep your conversations both professional and friendly when religion gets involved.

Filipino traditions, values, and influences

Filipino cuisine
Filipino cuisine is a mesh between Chinese, Mexican, Malay, Spanish, Indian, and
American cooking. 

It usually consists of 6 meals per day, including breakfast, snacks, lunch, brunch, dinner,
and a final reach toward snacks to end the day on a full stomach. Most Filipino dishes
involve rice, which is served alongside other edibles.

Most Filipinos regularly use spoons, forks, and knives to eat their food. But, sometimes
hands come into play when seafood is involved. 

Some of their most popular dishes include: 

 Chorizo, 
 Lumpia, 
 Paksiw (pork or fish in vinegar and other spices), 
 Kare-kare (a stew made of ox-tail), 
 Sinigang (soup delicacy made of pork, prawns, or fish), and 
 Longanisa (sweet sausage).

On the other hand, some popular snacks are bibingka (rice cake made with margarine or
butter), polvoron (powder candy), puto (rice cakes), and chocolate.

Filipino work ethic

If you are considering hiring from, or outsourcing to the Philippines, it’s important to
understand the differences in culture, so that you can get the best out of your workforce.  

The Filipino workforce is some of the hardest working and loyal people on the planet.  They
are very strongly community and family-oriented, which should be reflected in the workplace
and management styles.
It is hard to make generalizations, but Filipinos are very strong in more creative
and communication-based roles – examples of this are design, content production, arts,
and most customer-facing activities.  

They are also very strong in English (spoken and written) – especially considering it is
technically (historically) a second language for them.

To keep people motivated, engaged, and doing their best, they need to be happy and
everyone needs to benefit from the relationship – it needs to be a win-win.

Philippines – a top outsourcing destination

Read this article to see why the Philippines is a top outsourcing (and employment)
destination.  Here we have outlined some of the top reasons why the Philippines is the
Swiss banking of outsourcing.

Managing a Filipino workforce

Managing people generally is not easy.  To get the best out of a workforce, you have to
invest heavily in the environment, and processes to ensure that you are providing adequate
nurturing for their skills and career.

The workforce in the Philippines is no different. Properly managing a nurturing the

workforce in the Philippines isn’t necessarily easy, but if you get it right, you can
build an incredibly dedicated, loyal, and highly effective team.  

We have written several articles covering these very items.  Below

are some recommendations:

Get the best from employing young professionals

This article reviews a recent podcast interview we had with Eileen Juan, the founder and
‘Queen Bee’ of The Picture Company.  She talks about how to motivate and get the best out
of her Filipino workforce.

Get the best out of your Filipino workforce

This article explores the ways of getting the best performance possible from your
Philippines-based team.

Resilience and adaptability of the Filipino workforce

This article summarises the learnings from our podcast interview with Gerrard Aguelles, a
technical trainer and web developer.  In this article, he explains how Filipinos are adaptable
and how they respond to working with foreigners.

Payment solutions for Filipino workforce

The Philippines also keeps up when it comes to technology in payment solutions. This
proves how far the country has gone when it comes to financial inclusion.

In a 2019 report by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), account ownership went up to

28.6%, good progress from 22.6% in 2017. Some of the unbanked citizens, meanwhile,
place their money on mobile payment platforms.

With the rise of mobile payment and B2B platforms, transactions like receiving remittances,
transferring allowances, and opening a savings account can now be done with a single
click. 

With this, Filipinos can spend more time with their loved ones and bond together with their
friends. Businesses with a Filipino workforce don’t even have to worry anymore about
excessive transfer fees when sending to different currencies.

Holidays in the Philippines

The Philippines is renowned for its national and local celebrations and festivals.  They have
wonderful celebrations, which focus on and celebrate many of the core values mentioned
above.  As a result of so much festivity, the country has more holidays than most other
nations.

These holidays are briefly outlined below – and you can get full details of Philippine holidays
here.

The Philippines has plenty of regular and special non-working holidays that celebrate
national, religious, and cultural events. Regular non-working holidays refer to holidays with
a fixed date, and schools and offices are typically closed on these days. These are:

 January 1 – New Year’s Day

 April 1 – Maundy Thursday
 April 2 – Good Friday
 April 9 – Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)
 May 1 – Labor Day
 June 12  – Independence Day
 August 30, or last Monday of August – National Heroes’ Day
 November 30 – Bonifacio Day
 December 25 – Christmas Day
 December 30  – Rizal Day
Special non-working holidays, meanwhile, refer to holidays that are enacted by Congress or
declared by the president. 

Some holidays may apply to academic institutions but may not affect business schedules or
government functions. Some of the special non-working holidays celebrated in the country
include:

 February 12, 2021, Friday – Chinese New Year

 February 25, 2021, Thursday – EDSA Revolution Anniversary
 April 3, 2021 – Black Saturday
 August 21, 2021, Saturday – Ninoy Aquino Day
 November 1, 2021, Monday – All Saints’ Day
 December 8, 2021, Wednesday, – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
 December 31, 2021, Friday – Last day of the year

Employees who work on regular holidays receive 200% the sum of their daily rate plus their
daily cost of living allowance. Those who work on a special holiday, on the other hand, get
130%.

Holidays in the Philippines

How Filipino culture and values benefit outsourcing

There are plenty of reasons why many businesses prefer to outsource their processes to
BPO companies in the Philippines, and these include the high linguistic and cultural
compatibility between Filipinos and their clients.

This factor not only affects the quality of service provided by the workforce, but also plays
an important role in how the office dynamics work. To conduct a harmonious and effective
working relationship, it’s best if both parties take the extra mile in familiarizing themselves

It also covers holidays and general allowances and expectations.  As we mention above,
there are a lot of holidays in the Philippines, and they are a core part of the culture and
community.  

Equally, there are a lot of allowances and peripheral things that you should know about
when hiring a Filipino workforce (from within The Philippines).

Filipino salaries and income

the Philippine workforce earns considerably less than the workforce of the West. 
Sometimes this can be seen as unethical. But the Philippine economy is booming – it has
been growing at above 6% year-on-year for the last 5+ years.
This is impressive growth. And it is largely fuelled by its young, and relatively well-
paid workforce. A young Filipino graduate can live relatively well on a $300 Monthly salary –
as we explore in this article.

Filipino culture and values shine

The people of The Philippines can stand tall and be proud of their culture and values. It is
an exciting time of rapid growth and relative prosperity for the people of The Philippines.
And it couldn’t be more well deserved, or hard-earned.

Managing a team in the Philippines is not always easy – but then people management is a
complex nuanced subject at the best of times.  But once you have mastered it, the rewards
are substantial – for all involved!