UNPACKING THE SELF

LESSON 4: The Polical Self and Being

Filipino
Objectives:

 develop a Filipino Identity;

 identify different Filipino values and
traits; and
 reflect on your selfhood in relation to
your national identity.
What makes a Filipino a genuine
Filipino?
Who is a Filipino?

Filipinos are often referenced to globally renowned

personalities like Manny Pacquiao, Lea Salonga, and
Michael Cinco who have made Filipinos recognized
around the world through their expertise. However,
being a Filipino is far more than just being related to
these notable figures. Independence Day and
Buwan ng Wika celebrations prompt us to go back
to our roots and reflect on the question: Who is
a Filipino?
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 of
"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 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.
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 grandfather; 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.
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. 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
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.
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 inadequacies to improve one's self.
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.
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

What then are the hallmarks of our being a

Filipino? What makes us truly relish in our being
a Filipino? The following are constant reminders
of our nationality.

An example of a Filipino proverb is the saying

"Kung may tiyaga, may nilaga," which means
that hard work will be rewarded if one is
persistent.
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. Damiana
Eugenio, regarded as the Mother of Philippine
Folklore, classified proverbs into six categories
(Eugenio, 2000):
Filipino Markers
a. proverbs expressing a general attitude
toward life and the laws that govern life;
b.ethical proverbs recommending certain
virtues 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.
Filipino Markers
a. proverbs expressing a general attitude
toward life and the laws that govern life;
b.ethical proverbs recommending certain
virtues 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.
Filipino Markers
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.
Filipino Markers
According to a Filipino superstition, a woman
singing while cooking will end up a spinster so
parents remind their daughters to avoid singing
while preparing their meals. Filipinos also avoid
taking picture in threes as the one in the center
is said to die, according to another superstition.
Filipino Markers
3. Myths and Legends
Due to the Philippines'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.
Filipino Markers
A famous Filipino legend is about the origin of
the pineapple fruit. It is about a story of a
young and lazy girl named Pina. When Pina's
mother got tired of being asked where she hid
her things, her mother wished that eyes be
planted on Pina's face so she would start using
them. To her mother's surprise the next
morning, Pina was gone and a fruit sprung in
the yard, implanted with "eyes" all around its
body which was later called "pinya," the Filipino
term for "pineapple."
Filipino Markers
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 become a good Filipino?
Now you know that your traits and values are
important indicators of being a Filipino. The
problem now is how to truly become one and
how you can be useful to the development and
progress of our country. 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.
When it comes to voting, the rich and the poor
have equal voting rights-every Filipino citizen of
legal age have a chance in choosing the right
leaders for the Philippines who are genuine in
helping and caring for the Filipino people.
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 the spread of fake
news very common.
 Likewise, 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.