THE POLITICAL SELF AND BEING A FILIPINO

The Philippines today has only emerged in the 1980s after over three centuries colonization of the
Spaniards. Meanwhile, the Japanese only occurred in 1946. Foreign culture, beliefs, language, and religion
have made a huge dent on our own by setting a foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity and culture.
Would be safe to say that Filipino have truly developed an identity of their own? or are we still living in the
shadow of our colonial friends?
The individual's race, ethnicity, ang physical characteristics are not the only factors that make a
person’s national identity. The important of values and traits are set apart one nationality from the other. This
values and traits may not always be a positive thing, but being able to identify one's self apart from other
nationalities and point out weakness and mistakes, paired with unity and commitment, make progress a
possibility.
FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS
Positive
1. Filipino Hospitality- Is a trait displayed by every Filipino, characterized by heart-warming generosity and
friendliness exhibited to foreigners and locals alike. Filipinos receive guests, even strangers, in a warm and
pleasant way, often going out of their way to make the visitor comfortable.
2. Respect for Elders- Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hand while saying “Mano po!” and constantly
using “po” and “opo” in conversations. Forgetting to address older people properly will regard them as rude and
impolite. There is also a wide array of references to elder people such as “ate”, “kuya”, “tito” and “tita”, “lolo”
and “lola” and “Manong” and “Aling” for older people outside the family.
3. Close Family Ties- Is a unique nature in the typical Filipino family. This is common since most Filipino
families are following the extended family structure. In this setup, the children are living with their parent even
after their marriage. This may continue until they have their own children. In the provinces, you can see three
families living in the same house together with their parents.
4. Cheerful Personality- Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. They smile when they are happy,
or sometimes even when they are sad or angry. Smiling has been a coping strategy for many Filipinos
especially during trying times and calamities. For instance, Filipinos smile and wave at the camera while being
interviewed even after fire or flooding incident. They always try to maintain positive outlook in life which makes
them resilient and able to manage almost everything with a simple smile.
5. Self-Sacrifice- It can be seen as an extension of the Filipino hospitality. They go out of their way to extend
help to their friends, families and loved ones. They wish comfort and better lives for their loved ones and would
even go to the extent of working abroad to earn more money and save up for them. OFW sacrifice a lot; that is
why they are regarded as the modern-day Filipino heroes. There are also times when the eldest among
children of the family would give up school to work and provide for the rest of the family and educate his or her
siblings.
6. Bayanihan- Is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about giving without
expecting something in return. It may not always be in a monetary form, but the time and effort they give also
count as a form of help for others.
Negative
7. “Bahala Na” Attitude- Is the Filipino version of the famous line “Hakuna Matata”, meaning no worries. The
phrase is said to have originated from “Bathala na”, meaning leaving everything into God’s hands.
8. Colonial Mentality- is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the attitude where Filipinos favor foreign
products more than their own. This does not only concern goods, but also the desire to look more foreign than
local and keep up with foreign beauty trends. It is attributed to the centuries of colonization Filipinos had
experienced under Spanish, American and Japanese rule.
9. “Mañana” habit- This is the Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived from a longer Filipino phrase
called “Mamaya na” meaning dawdling things, which could have been done at an earlier time. It is a poor habit
of laziness that results in heavier workloads.
10. Ningas Kugon- “Ningas” is a Filipino term for flame and “Kugon” is a Filipino term for Cogon grass that
easily burns out after it is put into flames. It refers to the attitude of eagerly starting things quickly and losing
eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty. Laziness is a common problem among Filipinos; that is why they
are regarded as “Juan Tamad” or Lazy Juan.
11. Pride- Most Filipinos hold on to their pride as if they are more precious than keeping a good relationship
with family and loved ones. When two parties are not in good terms, they find it so hard to apologize and wait
until the other party asks for an apology first.
12. Crab Mentality- This is a toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievement of another,
instead of feeling happy for that person. Just like crabs in a container, they pull each other down and ruin each
other’s reputation rather than bringing them up, resulting to no progress. Filipinos should change this
troublesome attitude and focus more on their own inadequacies to improve one’s self.
13. Filipino Time- Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at commitments, dinner or parties
especially if they are meeting someone close to them. They tend to not observe punctuality altogether. The
7:00 PM call time becomes adjusted to 7:30 PM, and almost everyone arrives at the same time because
everyone is using Filipino time.
 Filipino Markers
1. Proverbs or Salawikain- Filipino proverbs, just like any other proverbs, are sayings that convey lessons
and reflections on Filipino practices, beliefs and traditions. An example 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 others have retold these
according to their own experiences and they end up even more interesting.
According to a Filipino superstition, a woman singing while cooking will end up a spinster. Also, taking
pictures in threes should avoid as the one in the center is said to die.
3. Myths and Legends- Due to Philippine’s rich in 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.
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 celebrate our heroes, usually
the last month of august, to remember their greatness, bravery and resilient that has led to the freedom we
have today.
Famous Filipino Icons such as Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga and our very own national hero, Dr. Jose
Rizal, also serve as important Filipino markers as they have made the Filipino name more pronounced
worldwide through their own expertise.
Who am I in the Cyberworld? (Digital Self)
These days, more people are becoming
active in using the internet for research,
pleasure, business, communication and other
purposes. Indeed, the internet is of great help
for everyone. On the other hand, people
assume different identities while in the
cyberspace. People act differently when they
are online and offline. We have real identity and
online identity.
Online identity- it is actually the sum of all our
characteristics and our interactions.
Partial identity- it is a subset of characteristics
that make up our identity. Meanwhile, persona
is the partial identity we create that represents
ourselves in a specific situation.
Setting Boundaries to your Online Self: Smart
Sharing
 Is this post/story necessary?
 Is there a real benefit to this post? Is it
funny, warm-hearted, teachable-or am I
just making noise online without
purpose?
 Have we (as a family or parent/child)
resolved this issue? An issue that is still
being worked out at home, or one that is
either vulnerable or highly emotional,
should not be made in public.
 Is it appropriate? Does it stay within the
boundaries of our family values?
 Will this seem as funny in 5, 10 or 15 years? Or is this post better suited for sharing with a small group
of family members? Or maybe not at all?
Rules to follow
Here are additional guidelines for proper sharing of information and ethical use of the internet according to
New (2014):
 Stick to safer sites.
 Guard your passwords.
 Limit what you share.
 Remember that anything you put online or post in a site is there forever, even if you try to delete it.
 Do not be mean or embarrass other people online.
 Always tell if you see strange or bad behavior online.
 Be choosy about your online friends.
 Be patient.