CWTS 1 M6 W5

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COLLEGE OF CRIMININAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

NSTP – CWTS 1

MODULE 6 – WEEK 5

Prepared by: ALBERT B. GALORA


Instructor

Checked by: ANGELO D. VILLANUEVA


NSTP Coordinator

Noted by: MARK P. CIANO, MSCRIM


Dean, Criminology Dept.

Approved by: JOSSETTE Y. PEREZ-DAES, RN


President
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NSTP – CWTS 1
MODULE 6 - WEEK 5

Roots of the Filipino Character

Here are some highlights from “A Moral Recovery Program: Building a People – Building
a Nation” by Patricia Licuanan (1988).

The strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino have their roots in many factors such as (a)
the home environment, (b) the social environment, (c) culture and language, (d) history, (e) the
educational system, (f) religion, (g) the economic environment, (h) the political environment, (i)
mass media, and (j) leadership and role models.

1. The Family and Home Environment. Child-bearing practices, family relations, and
family attitudes and orientation are the main components of the home environment.
Child-bearing in the Filipino family generally is characterized by high nurturance, low
independence training, and low discipline. The Filipino child grows up in an
atmosphere of affection and overprotection, where one learns security and trust, on
the one hand, and dependence, on the other. In the indulgent atmosphere of the
Filipino home, rigid standards of behavior or performance are not imposed, leading to
a lack of discipline. Attempts to maintain discipline come in the form of many “no’s”
and “don’ts” and a system of criticism to keep children in line. Sometimes, subtle
comparisons among siblings are also used by mothers to control their children. These
may contribute to the “crab mentality.”

In a large family where we are encouraged to get along with our siblings and other
relatives, we learn pakikipagkapwa-tao. In an authoritarian setting, we learn
respect for age and authority; at the same time, we become passive and
dependent o authority. In the family, children are taught to value family and to give
it primary importance.

2. The Social Environment. The main components of the social environment are social
structures and social systems such as interpersonal, religious, and community
interaction. The social environment of the Filipino is characterized by a feudal structure
with great gaps between the rich minority and the poor majority. These gaps are not
merely economic but cultural as well, with the elite being highly Westernized and
alienated from the masses. This feudal structure develops dependence and passivity.
The Filipino is raised in an environment where one must depend on relationships
with others in order to survive. In a poor country where resources are scarce and
where the systems meant to respond to people’s needs can be insensitive, inefficient,
or non-existent, the Filipino becomes very dependent on kinship and interpersonal
relationships.
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Sensitivity about hurting established relationships controls our behavior. We are


restrained from making criticisms no matter how constructive, so standards of quality
are not imposed. We have difficulty saying no to requests and are pressured to favor
our family and friends. That trying to get ahead of others is not considered acceptable
exerts a strong brake upon efforts to improve our individual performance. The struggle
for survival and our dependence on relationships make us in-group oriented.

3. Culture and Language. Much has been written about Filipino cultural values. Such
characteristics as warmth and person orientation, devotion to family, and sense of joy
and humor are part of our culture and are reinforced by all socializing forces like the
family, school, and peer group. Filipino culture rewards such traits and corresponding
behavioral patterns develop because they make one more likable and enable life to
proceed more easily.

Aside from emphasizing interpersonal values, Filipino culture is also characterized


by an openness to the outside world which easily incorporates foreign elements
without a basic consciousness of our cultural core. This is related to our colonial
mentality and to the use of English as the medium of instruction in schools.
The introduction of English as the medium of education de-Filipinized the youth
and taught them to regard American culture as superior. The use of English
contributes also to a lack of self-confidence on the part of the Filipino. The fact that
doing well means using the foreign language, which foreigners inevitable can
handle better, leads to an inferiority complex. At a very early age, we find that our
self-esteem depends on the mastery of something foreign.

The use of a foreign language may also explain the Filipino’s unreflectiveness and
mental laziness. Thinking our native language, but expressing ourselves in
English, results not only in a lack of confidence, but also in a lack in our power of
expression, imprecision, and a stunted development of one’s intellectual powers.

4. History. We are the product of our colonial history, which is regarded by many as the
culprit behind our lack of nationalism and our colonial mentality. Colonialism
developed a mindset in the Filipino which encouraged us to think of the colonial power
as superior and more powerful. As a second-class citizen beneath the Spanish and
then the Americans, we developed a dependence on foreign powers that makes us
believe we are not responsible for our country’s fate.

The American influence is more ingrained in the Philippines because the


Americans set up a public school system where we learned English and the American
way of life. Present-day media reinforce these colonial influences and the Filipino elite
set the example by their Western ways.

Another vestige of our colonial past is our basic attitude toward the government,
which we have learned to identify as foreign and apart from us. Thus, we do not identify
with government and are distrustful and uncooperative toward it. Much time and
energy is spent trying to outsmart the government, which we have learned from our
colonial past to regard as an enemy.
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5. The Educational System. Aside from the problems inherent in the use of a foreign
language in our educational system, the educational system leads to other problems
for us as a people. The lack of suitable local textbooks and dependence on foreign
textbooks, particularly in the higher school levels, force Filipino students as well as
their teachers to use school materials that are irrelevant to the Philippine setting. From
this comes a mindset that things learned in school are not related to real life.

Aside from the influences of the formal curriculum, there are the influences of the
“hidden curriculum,” i.e., the values taught informally by the Philippine school
system. Schools appear to be highly authoritarian, with the teacher as the central
focus. The Filipino student is taught to be dependent on the teacher as we attempt
to record verbatim what the teacher says and to give this back during examinations
in its original form and with little processing. Usually, teachers reward well-behaved
and obedient students. Some teachers tend to be uncomfortable with those who
ask questions and express a different viewpoint. Hence, the Filipino student learns
passivity and conformity.

6. Religion. Religion is the root of Filipino’s optimism and capacity to accept life’s
hardships. However, religion also instills in us attitudes of resignation and a
preoccupation with the afterlife and superstitions.

7. The Economic Environment. Many local traits are rooted in the poverty and hard life
that is the lot of most Filipinos. Our difficulties drive us to take risks, impel us to work
very hard, and develop in us the ability to survive. Poverty however, has also become
an excuse for graft and corruption, particularly among the lower rungs of the
bureaucracy. Unless things get too difficult, passivity sets in.

8. The Political Environment. The Philippine political environment is characterized by a


centralization of power. Political power or authority is concentrated in the hands of the
elite and the participation of most Filipinos often is limited to voting in elections.

Similarly, basic services from the government are concentrated in Manila and its
outlying towns and provinces. A great majority of Filipinos are not reached by such
basic services as water, electricity, roads, and health services. Government
structures and systems – e.g., justice and education – are often ineffective or
inefficient.

Since the government often is not there to offer basic services, we depend on our
family, kin, and neighbors for our everyday needs. The absence of government
enhances our extreme family- and even community-centeredness. We find it
difficult to identify with a nation-family, since the government is not there to
symbolize or represent the state.

The fact that political power is still very much concentrated in the hands of a few
may lead to passivity. The inefficiency of government structures and systems also
leads to a lack of integrity and accountability in our public servants.
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9. Mass Media. Mass media reinforce our colonial mentality. Advertisements using
Caucasian models and emphasizing a product’s similarity with imported brands are
part of our daily lives.

The tendency of media to produce escapist movies, soap operas, comics, ets.,
feed the Filipino’s passivity. Rather than confront our poverty and oppression, we
fantasize instead. The propensity to use flashy sets, designer clothes, superstars,
and other bongga features reinforce porma.

10. Leadership and Role Models. Filipinos look up to their leaders as role models. Political
leaders are the main models, but all other leaders serve as role models as well. Thus,
when our leaders violate the law or show themselves to be self-serving and driven by
personal interest, when there is lack of public accountability, there is a negative impact
on the Filipinos.

Nationalism and Patriotism

The philosophy of nationalism nowadays does not concern itself much with the aggressive
and dangerous form of invidious nationalism that often occupies center stage in the news and in
sociological research. Although this pernicious form can be of significant, instrumental value
mobilizing oppressed people and giving them a sense of dignity, its moral costs are usually taken
by philosophers to outweigh its benefits.

The term nationalism is generally used to describe two things. The first is the attitude of
the members of a nation which includes the concepts of national identity, origin, ethnicity, and
cultural ties. The second is the action that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve
or sustain full statehood with complete authority over domestic and international affairs. Patriotism
is love of and devotion to one’s country.
The word comes from the Greek patris, meaning “fatherland.” However, patriotism has
had different meanings over time, and its meanings is highly dependent upon context, geography,
and philosophy. Although patriotism is used in certain vernaculars as a synonym for nationalism,
nationalism is not necessarily considered an inherent part of patriotism. Likewise, patriotism is
strengthened by adherence to a native religion, particularly some communities that may have
their own holy places. This also implies a value preference for a specific civic or political
community.

Development of Nationalism and Patriotism in the Philippines

Nationalism is characterized by the attachment of superiority to one’s country, an


aspiration for its continuity and prosperity, and maintaining a high regard and respect for its laws,
principles and policies. A country is an artificial body of people that need protection and identity.
The government constitutes all non-political and political personnel in the service of the country.
They range from the President to the last civil servant. Philippine nationalism witnessed an
upsurge of patriotic sentiments and nationalistic ideals in the late 1800s as a result of the Filipino
Propaganda Movement from 1872 to 1892. It became the main ideology of the first Asian
nationalist uprising, the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Spain already ruled the Philippines for
about 333 years before Philippine nationalism was developed.
The term Filipino originally referred to Spaniards born in the Philippines and not the native
inhabitants. But certain events finally led to the development of native patriotism and transcended
the cultural and geographical boundaries that had been barriers to the unification of the
inhabitants of the archipelago.
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Personal Development Plan

Do you know where you are going to? Where do you see yourself one year, five years,
and perhaps ten years down the road?

A personal development plan will help you figure that out and help you get there.

Wells (2012), in his book Seven Simple Steps – Life Transformation Guide, states that
success requires an articulated goal. It is not a product of wishful thinking. Purpose will set the
context and get you thinking about your life and what is important to you.

Prepare your own personal development plan. Be guided by these components suggested
by Wells.

1. Your True Self. Begin with some introspection to help you define your values, your
patterns, and your beliefs.

2. Make It Personal. Understand success and achievement, and what it means to you and
to others.

3. Know Your Outcome. Set your goals and how to achieve them. This section is really about
knowing where you’re going.

4. Design Success. Lay out your “success blueprint.” If the prior section covers where you’re
going, this is about how you’ll get there.

5. Harness the Power. Determine to make your plans a reality. In order to succeed, you need
more than a plan; that plan needs to be executed.

6. Accept Success. Establish a mindset to succeed in bringing your desired outcomes to


fruition.

7. Life is Circular. Look forward to the future, and move on beyond the completion of your
plan.

Reference: Human Person Gearing towards Social Development: NSTP-CWTS 1


Worktext for College Students, Second Edition
By: Herminigildo S. Villasoto, Noemi S. Villasoto

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