Republic of the Philippines

CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

MAIN CAMPUS
M.J. Cuenco Ave, Cor R. Palma Street, Cebu City, Philippines
Website: https://www.ctu.edu.ph
Phone: +6332 402 4060 loc. 1137

Position Paper in
Understanding
the Self
(Totoo Ba?: Is the Philippines a Collectivist Society?)

May 2022
Submitted to:
Michelle P. Trangia
Social Science Adviser

Submitted by:
Group 4
Ceniza, Joshua E.
Estenzo, Necca A.
Galagar, Crizel M.
Gierran, Renz Allen G.
Macalam, Ma. Junill L.
Salve, Shelou Pearl B.
 The history of the Philippines has always been a beautiful painting characterized with
numerous colorful cultures that are of various sources from the Eastern and Western part of the
world. Some were introduced and adapted through interaction and friendship, while others were
enforced and learned through war and colonization. All of the influences from foreign countries
which the Philippines had experienced to be entangled with—may it be through a friendly
trading experience, through a bloody war, or through modernization—all of them led to the kind
of society that the Philippines has now. One way to describe a society is through categorizing it
as an individualistic or a collectivist society. An individualistic society (mostly adapted by
western countries) is distinguished due to its individualistic cultures, wherein the needs and
desires of each person are prioritized than those of the group and the relationships between the
persons within that group (Nickerson, 2021). On the other hand, a collectivist society (mostly
adapted by eastern countries) practices collectivist cultures, wherein it is focused on the group’s
goals and needs rather than those of each individual’s goals and needs (Cherry, 2022). In
distinguishing which type of society is being manifested in a country, there are a lot of
distinguishing factors or indicators which include majority of the citizens’ perspective of self,
lifestyle, relationships, way of child-rearing, ideals of graceful aging, amount of power distance,
and leadership (Trangia, 2022). Although a huge percentage of the Filipinos are influenced by
their western colonizers, Filipinos still cannot deny their roots which is of Malay descent
(Eastern ancestors of Filipino—since they are eastern people, it is undeniable that Filipinos are
imbued with Eastern philosophy, which includes the collectivism culture, ever since the ancient
times) and the location of the country which is among the countries of the east. It can therefore
be considered that although western influences had been introduced during certain periods in the
past to the Philippine society by the different colonizers who inhabited the Philippines, namely
Spaniards and Americans, many of which may still be evident even in the current times; the
country’s roots and nature (due to its location which still impacts many aspects of the country
until now) will always have a greater manifestation on the Philippine society. With all of those
being said, Filipinos may have both western and eastern characteristics in its society but it is
leaning more towards the eastern influences, which means that its society is characterized with
more eastern qualities and is more of a collectivist society.

The Philippines is regarded as a collectivist society because of its strong family ties,
which prioritize the needs of the family over individual needs. The majority of the Philippine
population is united by shared values and traits that are instilled in them at a young age and then
applied in their daily lives. Filipinos are known for their strong and close family ties, and they
value their family above all else. In fact, according to Look Upgrade (2017), family is a big help
in improving a country's economy because helping each other with the help and support of
family leads to a high quality of the country's products. The Philippines Economy will grow
rapidly and contribute to an increase in demand for the country if all Filipinos work together.
Moreover, Filipinos place a high value on social harmony and maintaining harmonious
relationships, so they may be hesitant to express their true feelings or deliver unwelcome news.
The degree of interdependence and loyalty in Philippine society dates back to centuries ago, and
according to a Hofstede (n.d.) study assessing countries' Individualism vs. Collectivism, the
Philippines received a score of 32, indicating that the Philippines is a collectivist society. The
way children look after their parents until they die is an example that almost every Filipino can
relate to. It is not uncommon for Filipino families to live in the same house, from the
grandparents to the children, and household decisions are made based on what is best for the
family rather than the individual.

Furthermore, Filipinos are more inclined to be attentive to the needs of others. This
characteristic is highly visible within our society. According to Mike Grogan (2016), a
best-selling author, Filipinos are the most helpful or generous people on the planet Earth. Not
only Mike Grogan did experience such a thing from the Filipinos but also Anthony Bourdain, a
world-renowned chef. When he shot an episode of his television show in the Philippines, he said
that “I experienced the extreme generosity of the Filipinos compared to other cultures around the
world”. Such statements of these two significant individuals about Filipinos are pure fact and are
widely acknowledged throughout the country. Responding to the needs of others is one of the
traits which stands out the most among Filipinos. Filipinos live in a country wherein the needs of
a certain group are prioritized over the needs of an individual. They are known for putting others'
needs ahead of their own because they want to see others succeed. Many of them believe that it
is better to give than to receive, especially when it comes to younger children. Most Filipino
parents want their children to succeed and live better lives than they did. Even if the family is
poor, they will make sacrifices for a loved one, whether it is for an education or because they are
hungry. They will do their best to help a loved one, no matter how difficult it is for them.
Filipinos will put others ahead of themselves and assist that individual regardless of the difficulty
because most of the Filipinos are raised to be helpful citizens of our country. Filipinos are
naturally generous and helpful. They give what they can, and offer assistance to family
members—and even strangers—as needed. This can be seen in the country's abundance of
charity drives and foundations, especially when natural disasters strike (Outsource Accelerator,
2022). Filipinos also behold and inherit the spirit of Bayanihan from their ancestors. Bayanihan
is one of the long-standing Filipino beliefs that motivates people to help their neighbors in need
without expecting anything in return. It also implies that they are assisting one another
(Menguin, 2022). Jef Menguin also states that Bayanihan is derived from the word Bayani,
which means someone who adores and loves his bayan (bayan means either community or
nation). With this characteristic, the Philippines is considered as a collectivist society wherein
Filipinos give more importance on the needs of a group rather than the needs of an individual.
 Admittedly, some people argue that the Philippines is considered an individualistic
society rather than a collectivist one. According to Ilda (2011), individualism is the opposite of
collectivism which is defined as the pursuit of individual rather than common or collective
interests. Individualists believe that governments should not give rights to the individual but
rather, protect them. Filipinos are more clannish than collective towards the whole society and
are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only since there is only minimal
cooperation that is happening in this country. However, they fail to see that a society coming
together to help people can benefit the community as a whole. What distinguishes it from other
societies is that a collectivist society is concerned with decisions that benefit everyone.
Furthermore, it is the belief that the good of society should take precedence over personal
well-being. In a Hofstede Insights country comparison, the Philippines was considered a
collectivistic society in terms of individualism - the fundamental issue addressed by this
dimension is the degree of interdependence that society maintains among its members. Helping
others and asking for help is not only encouraged, but also required. In these societies, having
strong families and friendship groups is important, and people may sacrifice their happiness or
time for the benefit of someone else or the greater good of a group. Furthermore, as stated by
AFS-USA (n.d.) People should not assume someone is an individualist just because of its
cultural background. On the individualist-collectivist spectrum, everyone falls somewhere. Even
in a collectivist culture, individuals who are more individualistic can be found. Furthermore,
according to psychology research, people shift along this spectrum depending on the situation,
leaning more collectivist or individualist. In multicultural communities and contexts, this
adaptability is more common.One of the reasons we seek intercultural exchange is to learn to
adopt multiple cultural frames and apply them appropriately in various communities and
situations.

The Philippines is a 7641-island archipelago with over 100 ethnic groups and a
combination of foreign influences that have formed a distinct Filipino culture. The Philippines'
culture is a mix of eastern and western influences, including traditional Filipino and Spanish
Catholic traditions, as well as influences from America and other Asian countries (Aurellana ,
2020) . Filipinos are very smiling, they smile whatever circumstances they experience in life.
The cheerfulness of the Filipinos is to the next level because no matter how bad the situation is,
they are trying to find a solution to lighten the mood. You can easily find internet pictures of kids
swimming in the flood after a big typhoon (Eastvantage, n.d.).They are also respectful, they
usually add “po” or “opo” to any sentence to express respect and they insert the word “Kuya” or
“Ate” when they are talking to someone older than them and do bless or “mano” that was already
taught to every Filipino when they are still young (Entertain, 2020). They are also generous in
that they still give something to their neighbors even if they only have a small amount of it, they
organize cultural activities like Bayanihan to collectively help someone in need, and they help
each other in times of crisis. Filipinos are usually very warm and friendly people who enjoy
conversing with those around them. It is common to find strangers engaging in conversation or
sharing stories to family, friends or foreigners about their hometown, family or country. Filipinos
are often expressive and sentimental while maintaining a light-hearted demeanour. Filipinos are
also smart in that they learn to speak many languages. Every school in the Philippines taught
their students how to speak English and Tagalog so that they become multi-language speakers
(Cultural Atlas, n.d.). Filipinos also love to eat and sing with friends so that they can have a
bonding with their loved ones. Lastly, Filipinos have a strong faith in God. Every Filipino has
been taught how to pray to God before sleeping. You can see so many religious statues in every
corner of Filipino houses and they go to church every Sunday (Bragais, 2020).

A lot of people may be wondering how the Filipino self transformed into who he is today.
The first thing that makes the Filipinos come up and transform into what their selves are today
are the influences they got from their previous or past generation influencers and/or colonizers.
In the last few centuries, Western Thought has had a consistent and widespread influence around
the world. Some famous philosophers and thinkers believe that Westernization is the same as
modernization, a viewpoint on which not everyone agrees. Despite the west's immense impact,
some cultures have managed to maintain their identity and remain unconverted. Even if this topic
is only focused on Filipino culture, there is no doubt that they are one of those who are following
in the footsteps of the west. There has been an ongoing debate on the make-up of Philippine
culture because this will generally determine whether Philippine psychology is classified as
Asian or Western psychology. Clearly, the west has had a significant influence on Filipino
culture, including our education, music, show business, lifestyle, fashion, and infrastructure.
Nevertheless, even if the Philippines may not be one of those countries that remained
unconverted, it is undeniable that even after it embraced many influences on its culture, it still
remains unique as it never betrayed its roots and nature of being an eastern country, and thus,
projecting a collectivist society. It just embraced some changes to survive and adapt during many
difficult circumstances that it encountered. Afterall, flexibility and adaptability is an essential
ability to possess if one wants to survive and hopefully thrive during trying times.

In the Philippines, family needs take precedence over individual needs because it is a
collectivist society. Filipinos value social harmony and maintaining happy relationships, hence
they may be cautious to express their true sentiments or deliver unwanted news. Many Filipinos
participate in traditional barrio fiestas to commemorate patron saint feast days (district festivals).

The Philippines is a collectivist society which encourages selflessness, with the primary
goal of meeting the needs of the group rather than individual demands. In the context of
Filipinos, one of the most important values is family. If not the most important, Filipinos, in
general, will prioritize their family. The families' needs take precedence over the individual
needs. Every drop of blood will spill if it means making life a bit easier for their family. Look no
farther than the OFWs, the unsung heroes who keep the country's economy afloat. Collectivist
culture also emphasizes social togetherness and supporting one another. Filipinos' togetherness
and compassion are very visible, making the country a collectivist one. This is evident since our
country is governed by a democratic system. It demonstrates how Filipinos work together as a
unit. The country values the rights and freedoms of its citizens by protecting its public
welfare. In a collectivist society, the people are encouraged to accomplish good things for the
betterment of society. Its citizens are never left to solve their own problems. One’s issue becomes
the collective's responsibility. Strength is in their numbers that makes one feel safe and secured.
For instance, Filipinos have this characteristic known as "Bayanihan". When folks in the area
needed assistance, they promptly find a way to help without hesitation. They look out for one
another and treat others like family members. Moreover, during times of adversity, you will see a
heart full of compassion and loyalty. They consider not only their own interests but also the
interests of those around them. Filipinos value their close bonds with their family and extended
family. Filipinos also place a high importance on social harmony and preserving harmonious
relationships. It gives a group a more harmonic sense, allowing them to achieve more meaningful
and productive goals. With the Philippines being a collectivist society, it has an impact on every
Filipino's life and unknowingly has an impact on themself. One's self is shaped by the things
around him, not by himself. Every norms, rules, rights, and culture of the place he lives in
influences the way he thinks and moves.
 REFERENCES

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