Filipino Values and Traits

Lesson in Understanding the Self and Sikolohiyang Pilipino

1. P ilipino Values and Traits Prepared by: Orlando A. Pistan, MAEd -GC Psychology Instructor

2. The Philippines Emerged in the 1890s after over 3 centuries of colonialization of the Spaniards. Liberation from the last colonizers, the Japanese, only occurred in 1946. Colonial mentality remains. An individual’s race, ethnicity and physical characteristics are not the only factors that makes a person’s national identity. Our values and traits are also important indicators that set us apart from others.

3. Who is a Filipino?

4. Who is a Filipino? Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article IV, Section 1, it states that: The following are citizens of the Philippines: 1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution; 2. Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines; 4. Those who are naturalized in accordance of law

5. Who is a Filipino? There are two (2) generally recognized forms of acquiring Philippine citizenship:  1. Filipino by birth Jus soli (right of soil) which is the legal principle that a person’s nationality at birth is determined by the place of birth (e.g. the territory of a given state) Jus sanguinis (right of blood) which is the legal principle that, at birth, an individual acquires the nationality of his/her natural parent/s. The Philippine adheres to this principle. 2. Filipino by naturalization which is the judicial act of adopting a foreigner and clothing him with the privileges of a native-born citizen. It implies the renunciation of a former nationality and the fact of entrance into a similar relation towards a new body politic.

6. Culture and Self-Identity Culture and history have greatly influenced the manner Filipino learn, live and behave. Growing up in a particular culture develops one’s personality and values. Cultural heritages and values is being passed from generation to generation.

7. The Filipino 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 a 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.

8. The Filipino Hospitality In most local shops, Filipino salesperson 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.

9. 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 and Kuya ; Tito and Tita ; Lolo and Lola; and Manong and Aling .

10. 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 choose 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.

11. Bayanihan Bayanihan is the spirit of 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.

12. Bayanihan This trait is particularly manifested in how Filipinos rally themselves to send aid to those who are severely affected by natural calamities.

13. Self-sacrifice Filipinos go out of their way to extend help to their friends and family 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 income and save up for them. OFWs sacrifice a lot; that is why they are regarded as 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.

14. “ Bahala na ” Attitude “ Bahala na ” is the Filipino version of the famous line “Hakuna Matata”.. Which means “No worries”. "Hakuna matata" is a Swahili language phrase from East Africa; translated, it means "no trouble". The word "hakuna" means "there is not here" while "matata" means "problems".

15. “ Bahala na ” Attitude 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.

16. Mañana Habit This is the Filipino term for procrastination. It was derived from a longer Filipino phrase called “ Mamaya na ”.. which means dawdling things, in which could have been done at an earlier time. It is a poor habit of laziness that results in heavier workloads.

17. Ningas Kugon “ Ningas ” is a local term for flame and “ kugon ” is a Filipino term for Cogon grass that easily burns out after it is put into flames. The phrase refers to the attitude of eagerly starting things but quickly losing eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty and negative circumstances. Laziness is a common problem among Filipinos; that is why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad ” or Lazy Juan.

18. High Pride It is believed and observed that Filipinos hold on 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.

19. Crab Mentality This is considered as a toxic trait among Filipinos. One resents the achievement of other people, instead of feeling happy for the person. They ruin each other’s reputation rather than bringing them up, resulting to no progress.

20. Filipino Time Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at commitments. They tend to disregard punctuality altogether. The 7:00 PM call time becomes adjusted to 7:30 PM or even beyond, and almost everyone arrives at the same time because everyone is using this concept.

21. Filipino Values and Traits Thank you for paying attention.