Cultural Relativism Group 3

This document discusses two examples of cultural relativism in the Philippines: "duway" and "po at opo". "Duway" refers to the cultural practice in Palawan of child marriage, which was traditionally legal but is now regulated by law. "Po at opo" are Tagalog words used to show respect to elders that have no direct translation, originating from the culture's emphasis on social hierarchy. The document provides supporting details on the customs and perspectives from experts to explain these practices in their cultural contexts.

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Cultural Relativism Group 3

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charles bautista

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Cultural relativism

table of contents:
Introduction

Example of Cultural Relativism in

the Philippines

Supporting Details

Citations
Cultural
Relativism
- The view that ethical and social standards reflect
the cultural context from which they are derived

- It is the ability to understand a culture on its own

terms and not to make judgments using the
standards of one’s own culture.
Example of Cultural Relativism
in The philippines
"Duway"
This tackles about the legality of
getting married and having a family
at early age.
Example of Cultural Relativism
in The philippines
"Po at opo"
These are the words that Filipinos are using
to show their respect when talking to elders
and/or to someone that they respect. This is
Originated from the Tagalog language that
has no exact equivalent to other language.
Supporting Details:
"Duway"
- In Barangay Ransang, Palawan, young girls with huge responsibilty
is being called The Child Brides of Palaw'an. It is a culture practice
which is the younger girls is getting married to older men. According to
tribal leader it was a tradition they grew up with.

- In their tribe, it was legal for men to have many wives, and getting
married their own siblings to preserve their lineage. This cultural
practice called "duway"
- The law of, "Indigenous People's Right Act" (IPRA) stated that there was
no illegal age for married.

- However to address the concern of child brides in the palawan lawmakers

drafted a bill titled, "Children not brides"

- According to Dr. Camille Gracia (Psychologist), This is part of our culture

that cannot changed but can be fixed.
Supporting details:
"Po at opo"
- Since, Kayumanggi(brown) people in the
Philippines knew that their origin came from older
people, they use "opo" and "po" as the sign of
acknowledgement and respect to their origins
who survived the past events of catastrophies
because of God's grace to them.And their survival
resulted to the existence of present generations of
humans.
- In the Philippines, there is a high regard for social hierarchy based on age.
When you meet someone for the first time and it’s not too obvious through
physical appearance if he/she is older than you, it is already expected that the
age will be asked. Finding out someone’s age will determine how you will
address and speak to the other person. It is generally not acceptable to call
someone just by their first name if they are older than you by 2 years or more.

-Some very basic and common words for showing respect are po and opo.
They both basically mean “yes” in a respectful way but used differently in
sentences. Po is interjected in any sentence to make it respectful when talking
to someone older or to a person in authority. So instead of just plainly saying
“Salamat” (thank you), you must say “Salamat po” or “Thank you po” to make it
polite. Po is also used when answering if an older person is calling them.
Citations:
Mataripis (2011) The origin of Po and Opo
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/the-origin-of-po-and-opo.1737301/?
fbclid=IwAR0XqhM4VmqXsE9tTExlwEung20WDIb3a-BHWHeVRxu-jGhRVeeoMKoiy2A.

Remitbee (2020) Remitbee Culture: "Po" and "Opo" - Why is it Important for
Filipinos?
https://www.remitbee.com/blog/remitbee-culture-po-and-opo-why-is-it-important-for-
filipinos?fbclid=IwAR2xZ6o35b424CaprC8nbfPa9_XIOQek9XKad7Qk1O5ZLgzVz38yIAz_s-A.

GMA News (2020) The child brides of Palawan

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/familyandrelationships/729783/the-child-
brides-of-palawan/story/?amp&fbclid=IwAR2j19kOyJB2G--
lSu6WK9xYFvDuEW0Q5wB6PaPuQXtdxDD0dDKNzjUbh3Y