CHAPTER VI

UNDERSTANDING THE FILIPINO

VALUE SYSTEM
VITALIANO R. GOROSPE, S.J.

Since the February 1986 Revolution(1), values development has been one major

concern of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS). Undersecretary
Minda Sutaria has publicized the second draft of the DECS Overall Values
Framework, designed to assist teachers at all levels. This latest draft, basically similar
to that proposed by Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J. in "Paideia, Humanism, and Magpakatao:
Values for National Reconstruction,"(2) bases its framework on the provisions of the
Philippine Constitution of 1986.

If we are to discover our traditional values and make sure that they contribute to the
"just and humane society" and "total human liberation and development" of which the
Philippine Constitution speaks, we must ask some basic questions.

1) What is the philosophical basis of Filipino values?

2) What is distinctive about the Filipino value system?

VALUE PHILOSOPHY

A brief introduction to the philosophy of human values is necessary for an

understanding of Filipino values and values education. A Filipino experiences family
closeness and solidarity (pagpapahalaga sa pamilya), politeness (use of po or ho),
hospitality (tuloy po kayo), gratitude (utang na loob) from "within", that is,
subjectively and emotionally, unlike a non-Filipino observer, social scientist, or
psychologist who studies Filipino values objectively from "without" or "from a
distance". Such Filipino values as social acceptance, (pakikisama, amor propio,
economic security, pagmamay-ari), and trust in God (paniniwala sa
Diyos,bathala or Maykapal) find their philosophical basis in man's dynamic openness
toward nature and the world (e.g., the value of hanap-buhay ng magsasaka), one's
fellowmen (the values of paggalang, hiya, katarungan, pag-ibig), and God (the values
of pananampalataya, pananalangin, kabanalan).
This dynamic openness of man is an openness to the possibilities of the future. That is
why values are something to be realized. Take the value of peace. The Philippine
situation is now characterized by insurgency; conflict between the NPA, the MNLF
and the AFP; vigilante groups; hostility and division--in short, an absence of national
peace and order. Human values are not merely private. All values have a social aspect.
The government official who demands porsiyento, the fireman or policeman who
extorts tong or lagay for a service which is his duty, all contribute to the worsening
graft and corruption. We are all responsible for one another (tayong lahat ay may
pananagutan sa isa't-isa).

Values are both subjective and objective. They involve a subject or person who values
(e.g., a young girl) and an object or value to be realized (e.g.,pagkamahinhin). Justice
is objective because it is a value that should be realized by all. It also becomes
subjective if justice becomes a value for me. There is an objective difference between
value and disvalue, pleasure and pain, life and death, poverty and affluence, heroism
and cowardice, truth and error, right and wrong, holiness and sinfulness. The
difference is not only in the mind or a matter of personal taste or preference. Even if I
close my eyes to the ugly poverty around me, the poor will not disappear.

Values are not objective in the sense that they are found in some static heaven: they
are relational and embodied in person-value-types (ideal moral persons). For example,
to a tipong-mukhang kuarta [an avaricious look] profit is more important than service;
to a tipong-politiko [political type], pera [money], propaganda,politika [politics] are
more valuable than honesty; tipong siyentipiko [scientist type] or tipong-artista [actor
type] personify agham [science] and sining [art];tipong madasalin [pious type] may
exemplify kabanalan (piety). Cory Aquino embodied all that we wanted our President
to be--credible, honest, just, with a strong faith in God and in our people. The ideal
type or Filipino model during the "parliament of  the streets" was the tipong-maka-
Diyos (religions), makatao(people-oriented), makabayan (nationalistic).

The heroes of EDSA placed the good of the Filipino people before the safety and
security of their families. They were willing to risk their lives for God and people.
Value-ranking or the priority of values is not merely arbitrary or subjective. There is
an objective ranking of values based on existence or reality and other objective
criteria. Using the criteria of permanence, ability to be shared, and depth of
satisfaction, Max Scheler ranked human values from the lowest to the highest as
follows:(3) sense values like sensual pleasure are exemplified by
the lakuatsero or pabling; utilitarian values like profit and efficiency by the
businessman and technocrat; life values, by the doctor and the hero, e.g., Dr. Bobby
de la Paz and Emilio Jacinto; cultural values, by the genius and the artist, e.g., Jose
Rizal and Francisco Balagtas; religious values, by the saint, e.g., Mother Teresa or
Lorenzo Ruiz. Moral and religious values are pre-eminent and claim the highest
priority in the objective scale of values because they are absolutely necessary in order
to become fully human (magpakatao). 

FILIPINO VALUES: NATURE, CONSTELLATION

AND CONTEXT

What are Filipino values? What is distinctly Filipino in our value system? The
Filipino value system arises from our culture or way of life, our distinctive way of
becoming human in this particular place and time. We speak of Filipino values in a
fourfold sense.

First, although mankind shares universal human values, it is obvious that certain
values take on for us a distinctively Filipino flavor. The Greek ideal of moderation
ormeden agan, the Roman in medio stat virtus, the Confucian and Buddhist "doctrine
of the Middle", find their Filipino equivalent in hindi labis, hindi kulang, katamtaman
lamang.

Secondly, when we speak of Filipino values, we do not mean that elements of these
Filipino values are absent in the value systems of other peoples and cultures. All
people eat, talk and sing, but they eat different foods, speak various languages and
sing different songs. Thus, we easily recognize Filipino, American, Chinese, Japanese
or any other foreign food, language or music. The difference lies in the way these
elements are ranked, combined or emphasized so that they take on a distinctively
Filipino slant or cast. For instance, in China, honesty and hard work may rank highest;
Chinese and Japanese cultures give great value to politeness and beauty; American
culture to promptness and efficiency; and Filipino culture to trust in God and family
centeredness. In this sense of value-ranking and priority of values, we can speak of
dominant Filipino values.

Thirdly, universal human values in a Filipino context (historical, cultural, socio-

economic, political, moral and religious) take on a distinctive set of Filipino meanings
and motivations. This is true not only of the aims and goals, beliefs, convictions, and
social principles of the traditional value system of the lowland rural family(4) but also
of what Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. calls the Filipino "nationalistic" tradition
(pagsasarili, pagkakaisa, pakikisama, pakikipagkapwa-tao, andpagkabayani.(5)
A Filipino value or disvalue does not exist alone, in isolation or in a vacuum. Filipino
values like bahala na, utang na loob, hiya, pakikisama, pakiusap are clustered around
core values like social acceptance, economic security, social mobility, and are always
found in a definite context or set of circumstances. Both positive values and negative
disvalues together form a characteristic constellation in school (aralan at
dasalan [studying and praying], kuwentuhan at laruan [story telling and
game], inggitan at tsismisan [envying and gossiping]), which differs from the
configuration found in government offices
(pagkakaisa [unity] ,pagkabayani [heroism], intriga [intrigue], palakasan [show of
power], sipsipan [bribery], palusot), in business firms (palabra de honor [word of
honor],delicadeza [finesse], "commission", "kickback", padulas [grease
money], lagay [bribe]), or in the barrio barangays
(paggalang [honoring], pagdadamayan[comforting], bayanihan [cooperation], bahala
na [come what may], utang na
loob [gratefulness], hiya[shame]/pakiusap[appear], palakasan [show of power]). To
change a framework of values, it may be necessary to change the constellation and
context of those negative values that hinder Filipino and Christian development.

Fourthly, we can speak of Filipino values in the sense that the historical consciousness
of values has evolved among our people. The Filipino concept of justice has evolved
from inequality to equality, and to human dignity; from the tribe, to the family, and to
the nation(6). Filipino consciousness of these different values varies at different periods
of our history. It is only in the last two decades that the Filipino people have become
more conscious of overpopulation and family planning, environmental pollution
(Kawasaki sintering plant) and wildlife conservation (Calauit Island), and the
violation of human rights (Martial Law), active non-violence and People Power (1986
non-violent Revolution).

FILIPINO VALUES: AMBIVALENCE AND

SPLIT-LEVEL CHRISTIANITY

Are Filipino values good or bad? The truth is that Filipino values are ambivalent in
the sense that they are a potential for good or evil, a help or hindrance to personal and
national development, depending on how they are understood, practiced or lived.
They can be used in a good or evil context, e.g., pakikisama sa kabuktutanor sa
kaunlaran. Filipino values have both positive and negative aspects depending on the
context in which they are found. In a social system or atmosphere of extreme
insecurity, the positive qualities of the Filipino take on negative and ugly appearances.
For example, utang na loob can lead to pakiusap, nepotism and
"cronyism". Pagmamay-ari ng kapangyarihan (the possession of power) and their
abuse could lead to class distinction or the "malakas-mahina system". Hiya can
become pakitang tao or gaya-gaya; machismo (tunay na lalake) is partly responsible
for the "querida system" and the doble kara morality.

To show the ambivalence of Filipino values, one example will suffice. Take the well
known but ambivalent Filipino bahala na mentality. On the one hand, this Filipino
attitude could be the root of the positive value of risk taking, entrepreneurship, and
social responsibility. Prof. Jose de Mesa, in a pioneer book on the Filipino and
Christian meaning of bahala na, stresses the positive meaning of this virtue of risk-
taking, enterprise and joint trust in both human effort (bahala tayong lahat) and divine
Providence (bahala ang Maykapal)(7). A people's will to take chances and risks, no
matter what difficulties and problems the future entails, is necessary for a nation's
growth and destiny. Bahala na could be a genuine faith and trust in Divine Providence
that also presupposes a self-reliance (pagsasarili) that took the form of People Power
in the EDSA revolution. Bahala na was a positive and nationalistic virtue for Jose
Rizal, who believed that Filipinos could no longer rely on the Spaniards, but only on
themselves and on God.

On the other hand, in the past the negative aspect of bahala

na which dominated Filipino life meant a false sense of resignation (ganyan lang ang
buhay), a superstitious belief or blind faith (malas/suwerte, tadhana, kapalaran), or
escape from decision-making and social responsibility. As such it may be the root
cause of national apathy (walang pakialam) and collective paralysis of action (bakit
pa kikilos) to solve both local and national problems. Everything is already
predetermined or fated. Negatively, bahala na could engender a false sense of security
with God as insurance or a security blanket. For example, if God wants Filipino
families to have plenty of children (anak ay kayamanan), God will take care of
everything. Bahala na could be the cause of the absence of national initiative and of
that discipline required for national growth. When negativebahala na prevails,
nothing ever gets done. Potholed roads, uncollected garbage, countless unsolved
murders, carnaping and smuggling remain year after year. How many have ever been
arrested, convicted or jailed for wanton murder or for notorious graft and corruption?
A sense of national frustration, helplessness, and despair grips the nation and the
people no longer care. Nothing is going to happen--Bahala na, come what may.

From a Filipino perspective, what social reforms are necessary to transform bahala

na positively? No society will long endure unless there is justice; that is, unless a
system of reward and punishment exists and is effective. If in Philippine society lying
and stealing people's money are rewarded and truthfulness and honesty are punished,
what else can one expect but a badly broken political will for national reform? The
present government should therefore prioritize an effective system of universal
sanctions for those who hold power. From a Christian perspective, the Christian
doctrines of divine Providence, creation, stewardship of land and property, and the
conservation of our natural resources remain the challenge and task of parents,
educators, and Christian evangelizers.

Split-level Christianity or double-standard morality, the immorality and hypocrisy of

many so-called Filipino Christians, is a scandal to both Christians and non-Christians
alike.(8) It is important to distinguish between pseudo Christianity in all its varied
forms and authentic Christianity; between bad and good Christians. We must also take
into account the ambiguity of any religious commitment, which is not something
made once and for all, but a life-long process which demands constant conversion and
renewal. We must also distinguish between Filipino actual and normative behaviour
(between what is and what ought to be). Filipino values are not static, i.e., they are not
simply what they are, but dynamic, i.e., they become. From a historical perspective,
the question to ask about Filipino values is: Ganito kami noon: paano kayo ngayon?
How are we to know towards what goal or direction Filipino values ought to move or
become?

Now that we have regained our democratic form of government once again and have
arrived at a privileged historical kairos, how do we transform Filipino values to build
a more "just and humane society" (Preamble, 1987 Constitution)? We need both
external structural and internal cultural change. It is here that the Christian faith
should, in the last analysis, point the way to the kind of values education needed for
national reconstruction.

Ateneo de Manila University

Manila