THE POLITICAL SELF

Filipino Culture and Value

The complexity of Filipino culture is compounded as this has been exposed to continuous and
various streams of culture from without. These influences were not passively absorbed in to the
Filipino culture but acquired in a selective way and this process of acculturation varied from region
to region. These practices and beliefs have been acquired from generation to generation and have
been integrated in the personality of the Filipino.

Trait vs Values

Trait is referred to as distinguishing characteristics, typically one belonging to a person. Values is the
regard that something is held to deserve, important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the
members of a culture about what is good and bad, desirable or undesirable. It has a major
influence on person's behaviour and attitude that serve as broad guidelines in all situations. The
Filipino values can best be seen from the aspects of personal and social relationships. They value
more their honor and status than anything else. Most of them takes care of their honor
( karangalan ) rather than wealth.

In making a decision, they usually consult and take into consideration the agreement of the family
members as the feelings of those who are to be affected. In social status, Filipinos give more
emphasis on social relationships. This can be seen through the hospitality they give to their visitors
and friends. They love to mingle with people particularly with friends and relatives. They engage
themselves in mutual cooperation which is best pictured through "bayanihan'. Filipinos are very
subtle to the qualities of worth, equality and connectedness.

In terms of emotion, Filipinos are unsurprisingly friendly. They smile at people even when they are
strangers. They are warm and simple. Women in the Philippines highly regarded and respected and
can be relied when it comes to family affairs.

According to Felipe M.de Leon Jr., Filipinos achieve maturity through social integration hence,
considered masters of interpersonal skills. They are exceedingly active and creative in interpersonal
relations, social interactions and social probing and always seeking and exploring ways of
harmonizing and connecting with other.

STAGES AND DEVELOPMENT OF FILIPINO VALUE FORMATION:

Preconditional stage: Childhood

•is the phase wherein children comply with values of those who assert power on
them.

The Conventional Stage: Youth

•during this stage, adolescence identify with their peers, idols and teachers due to
interpersonal communication

Postconventional Stage: Adulthood

 •The people internalize the values they have imbibed in the first two stage without
fear.

FILIPINO VALUES AND POLITICS

Whether or not you are involved in figuring out how take care of our country, city or state we are
still bound to follow and govern the rules. Politics is a subjective matter to talk about but culture and
values could help us discover our contribution to what kind of government or officials we have now.
Prof. Felipe M.de Leon Jr. wrote Understanding the Filipino Values, in his work he pointed out the
top 5 clusters leaders that Filipinos follow.

a. Makatao (nurturant qualities )

b. Matapat, maka – Diyos (upright, God-centered )
c. Malakas ang loob (courageous with political will )
d. Makatarungan, demokratiko, pantay-pantay (fair and just)
e. Magaling, marunong( intelligent, capable )

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES OF FILIPINO POLITICAL CHARACTER

Leading a nation is such a difficult task to make you get to hold your aspiration and some may
compromise their values, belief and culture for power. Like it or not we need a leader because if
men could rule themselves there would be no need of common coercive power.

As Jun Asuncion, described that sincere leader produces sincere follower and when a president steal
public funds the greediness will cascades from top to bottom from national down to the barangays
destroying the political culture and the nation. Asuncion, enumerated some of our traits that could
be our strength and weaknesses as a Filipino leader.

Filipino weaknesses

a. Utang na Loob (Debt of Graditude/will) this trait is at the cons corruption for this
prevents the mind from siding to the ideals of common good but rather reduces it to
side with things or with people whom the political Filipinos are indebted.

Ex. Funded their campaign

b. Crab-Mentality - we pull each other down out of envy. This is what divides the Filipinos
and prevents from building a progressive nation. Ex. Opposition
c. Ningas-Cogon - Total retreat after taking a few steps. Ex. Road projects
d. Manana Habit - Pushing everything for tomorrow instead of today could impede our
country's progress. Ex. Good bills are made to wait for years.
e. Hiya ( Shyness) - false modesty, expression of inferiority.

Filipino Strengths
a. Strong Family Orientation (family ties) - Filipinos stay together even after years Filipinos
abroad goes back home because of their loyalty to family and relatives.
b. Utang naLoob (Debt of Gratitude) - shows thankfulness, looking back to people and place
that have helped and touched their lives.
 c. Pakikisama (Social Flexibility ) - Filipinos always strive for harmony making a good inter
personal relationship with other nationalities.
d. Endurance — because of past struggles Filipinos became strong people that could handle
difficult situations over an extended period of 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

Filipino proverbs, just like any other proverbs, are sayings that convey lessons and
reflections on Filipino practices, beliefs, and traditions. Damiana 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 be rewarded if one is persistent.

2. Superstitions

Filipinos also subscribe to their own set of superstitions passed down from generation to
generation. Some of these may be influenced by beliefs from other cultures, but Filipinos
have retold these superstitions according to 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 Philippines'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 tired of being asked where she hid her things, her mother wished
be planted on Pina's face so she would start using them. To her surprise the next morning, Pina was
gone and a fruit sprung in implanted with "eyes" all around its body which was later called 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 our heroes, usually the last Monday of August, to remember their greatness,
bravery and resilience that has led to the freedom we know today.

Famous Filipino 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 Filipinos. 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 a few ways 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 not 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. Speaking Filipino also serves as a unique identifier of being a Filipino. It
 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.