GE 1 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

CHAPTER II
UNPACKING THE SELF

Lesson IV: The Political Self and Being Filipino

Who is a Filipino?
Technically, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are “… those
whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17, 1973, of
Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and those
who are naturalized in accordance with law.” However, citizenship is not the only marker of
being a Filipino. Culture and history have greatly influenced the manner Filipinos learn, live, and
behave to date. People who were born and grew up in the same culture develop and share
common personality traits and values. Generations after generations, common traits and values
have been passed on that the Filipinos of today still embody.

Filipino Values and Traits

The Philippines is a lush island paradise famous for its grandiose mountain views,
pristine beaches, and rich and diverse culture changing from province to province. While the
Philippines may be well known for its awe-inspiring beauty, perhaps the Filipinos’ unique traits,
reputable values, and laudable talents make the country a place to be.
Tourists who have visited the Philippines can never forget the big and bright smiles that
greeted them, the colorful and loud jeepneys, the common Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay!”
and “Salamat!” and habits such as saying “po” and “opo” to the elders, leaving shoes or
slippers at the front door before entering a house, and the importunate asking og “Kumain ka na
ba?” meaning “Have you eaten yet?” Indeed, it is a marvel to experience these unique traits of
the Filipinos firsthand. Few of these traits are as follows.

The Filipino Hospitality

A Filipino trait that is known everywhere is the Filipino’s brand of hospitality. Filipinos
welcome their guests and tourists as if they are their own brothers and sisters; they always make
their guests feel at home, offering them something to eat, or even place to stay. They will bring
out their best sets of plates and chinaware for their honored guests and would even go as far as
spending a lot of money and going into debt just so they can satisfy them. In most local shops,
Filipino salespersons will greet their customers with warm welcome and say thank you when
they leave even without buying anything. Filipinos also anticipate giving tours to friends who
will visit their hometown and treating them to the best restaurants and delicacies for free. During
festivals or fiestas, Filipinos serve heaps of festive food and invite the whole barangay over.
They are also fond of giving pasalubong or tokens from their travels and pabaon or farewell gifts
to their visitors.

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 for
older sister; kuya for older brother; Tito and Tita for uncle and aunt, respectively; Lolo and Lola
for grandfather and grandmother; and Manong and Aling for older people outside the family.

Close Family Ties

Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their families regardless if the children are old
enough and already have families of their own. They are also fond of family reunions during
birthdays, holidays, or fiestas year-round. Some Filipino families even opt to live in a big house
where everyone can stay together. Nursing homes are almost always not an option for family
members and choose to take care of their elders themselves.

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 a fire or flooding incident. They always try to
maintain a positive outlook in life which makes them resilient and able to manage almost
everything with a simple smile.

Self-sacrifice
The self-sacrificing attitude of Filipinos can be seen as an extension of the Filipino
hospitality. Filipinos 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 hundreds of miles away to earn more money and save up for them. Overseas
Filipino Workers (OFWs) sacrifice a lot; that is why they are regarded as the modern day
Filipino heroes. There are also times when the eldest among the children of the family would
give up school to work and provide for the rest of the family and educate his or her siblings.

Bayanihan
Bayanihan is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about
giving without expecting something in return. Filipinos are always ready to share and help their
friends and loved ones who are in need. It may not always be in monetary form, but the time and
effort they give also count as a form of help for them. This trait is particularly manifested in how
Filipinos rally themselves to send aid to those who are severely affected by natural calamities.

“Bahala Na” Attitude

“Bahala na” is the Filipino version of the famous line “Hakuna Matata,” meaning no
worries. The phrase is said to have originated from “Bathala na,” where Bathala means God,
and the phrase meaning leaving everything into God’s hands. It can also be viewed as something
similar to the cheerful and positive attitude of Filipinos and allowing situations take care of
themselves instead of worrying about them.

Colonial Mentality
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 the Spanish, American and Japanese
rule.

“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.

“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. Ningas kugon refers to the attitude of eagerly starting
things but quickly losing eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty, just like how fast thefire of
a Cogon grass burns out moments after being ignited. Laziness is a common problem among
Filipinos; that is why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad” or Lazy Juan.

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.

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 adequacies to improve
one’s self.

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 everyones is using Filipino time.

Filipino Markers
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 values 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.
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
3. Myths and Legends
Due to the Philippine’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.
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.

How To Be A Good Filipino

The following are a few ways on 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.
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 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.