The Positive and Negative Filipino Values

Submitted to:
Prof. Josephine Q. Benignos

Submitted by:
Victor Benjamin L. Venida
 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Respect has great importance in everyday life. Children are taught to respect their parents,

teachers, and elders, school rules and traffic laws, family and cultural traditions, other

people's feelings and rights, their respective country's flag and leaders, the truth and people's

differing opinions. And they come to value respect for such things; when they are older, they

may shake their heads at people who seem not to have learned to respect them. People may

also come to believe that, at some level, all people are worthy of respect. People may learn

that jobs and relationships become unbearable if they receive no respect in them; they may

learn both that their lives together go better when they respect the things that deserve to be

respected and that they should respect some things independently of considerations of how

their lives would go. In the Philippines, like any other Asian countries, people show their

respect or in their terms Paggalang to the elder by gestures and by the words they use before

the person’s name. Being younger to someone and just calling them with their first name is

considered impolite and an act of rudeness in the Philippines. There are many ways of

showing respect in the Philippines, or maybe for Filipino people who are staying in other

countries because of some reasons, foreigners would know if he is a Filipino if he or she is

using the words PO and OPO usually as a sign of respect.

In English it means being respectful or giving due respect for a person. Filipinos are

accustomed to using the words “po,” “opo,” and “ho” when they are conversing with older

people or sometimes to people with higher position or status in the society. Using these words

is customary in the Philippines and it shows sign of respect. Paggalang can also be given to

the elders by virtue of kissing their hands before leaving and upon arrival. Younger member

of the family gives due respect to older siblings by calling them kuya (older brother) or ate

(older sister). Henceforth, the term “Paggalang” will be used by the author to mean the

Filipino form and concept of respect.

would address or call their older female siblings "ate." If there are more than one older female

sibling, the younger ones would call the older siblings " ate (name)” Ate is also used to show

respect to older cousins just like the way one would call it to address an older sister.

These are few names for daddy for showing respect. Itay, tatay, and papa all means dad and is

used by the siblings to call or address their dad. In cases of step-fathers, still they are shown

respect by being address as itay, tatay, papa, or daddy followed by their first names. Example

would be a young boy addressing his stepdad as, "Tatay Manny" or "Papa Manny."

Just like with dads, Filipino siblings would address their moms as, inay, nanay, or mama.

And in cases of having step-mothers, it is pretty much like with the step-fathers because

Filipino siblings would address their stepmoms by calling them mom and then their first

name such as, "Mommy Julie" or "Mama Julie."

Filipinos used either of these two to address their aunt. But there are also cases where

Filipinos prefer calling their step-mothers tita. Tita or Tiya is also used to show respect to

people outside of the family. For Example as a person addresses his mom's co-worker and

friend, another example is, A boy went home one day with a friend, who is a girl, and she

addressed his mom as “Tita”.

And another sign of respect to elders is the gesture of Mano or Pagmamano which is a way of

accepting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand-kissing, the person giving the greeting

bows towards the offered hand of the elder and presses his or her forehead on the elder's

hand. Usually performed with the right hand, the person showing respect may ask “Mano po”

to the elder in order to ask permission to initiate the gesture. Typically someone may mano to

his or her older relatives upon entry into their home or upon seeing them. There is also what
Filipino call Beso-Beso which is a replacement for the gesture of Mano. The beso-beso which

originated from the Spanish word for “kiss”, is a common greeting in the Philippines similar

to the “mano.” This kind of gesture is commonly used among the upper classes as a greeting

to relatives and close friends, but is not done usually for an older person unlike the “mano”.

The word “mano” is Spanish for “hand” while the word “po” is often used in Filipino culture

and language at the end of each sentence as a sign of respect when addressing someone older.

Put together, “mano po” literally translates to “your hand please” as the greeting initiates the

gesture of touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on one’s forehead. The

Philippines is the only country in Asia that holds this specific tradition and its origins evolved

from the mixture of western and eastern tradition.

Today, we are now living in a world of the Millennials. Millennials are said to be the most

liberal generation by far. They act, speak, and think based on their instincts, impulses, and

pleasures. Their open-mindedness stems from their evident characteristic – they are spirited.

We cannot blame them. Their era is the age of technology which continues to reinvent and

change so often. Whereas, the world’s political situation and other aspects of life we

lamented for years seem to be stuck and hopeless.

Millennials are said to be outward thinking and value fame, money, and career. They are

confident, upbeat, and enjoy self-expression. Pondering on their intrinsic value – which to

older ones lies at the heart of ethics – is given less emphasis.

Perhaps that leads to the question, is PO and OPO dead? We seldom hear the millennials

utter these words which the older generation value the most. Or are others just too clingy to
tradition and are sincerely respectful that they notice the absence of PO and OPO from the

youth?

To start with, most children nowadays grow up with Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and

Nickelodeon. For another thing, their orientation gears toward Westernized dreams and

realities. They usually communicate in English. The use of PO and OPO just does not fit in

the situation, and that means no disrespect. To be fair, they are verbally trained by the

society, imposing no strict rule in the use of terminology.

The Traditionalists (1900-1945) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964) perhaps cling to tradition.
They keep the words PO and OPO alive. For one, they came of age just in time to experience
the Cold War, series of economic crises, and AID epidemics among others. Also, they saw
and experienced hardship. To add, they remain respectful to elders to show gratitude.
Options are limited or none at all but to give and show respect.

Most would claim the words PO and OPO are dying. Possibly, the younger generation of

today is just reinventing them. Instead of clinging to tradition, they utter HI and HELLO.

The same way most would assert the “mano po” gesture is slowly fading. It maybe but again,

the gesture is now commonly done through “beso beso.”

Filipinos are known for being hospitable and caring. They are respectful and courteous even

to those who are not close to them. The younger generation may be changing the ways the

elders do things before. That, though, does not mean disrespect. They are merely themselves

– dynamic and dashing.

We dare say; it is commendable others are clinging to or perhaps are sincerely respectful. If

you belong to these others who do not want this Filipino custom to vanish or reinvented, we

challenge you. Coach and show the youth how to keep this tradition alive. Another effective

way to teach kids PO and OPO is to model it yourself. Start from within and surely, that
value you’ve instilled in your children will forever be engraved in their system. May they be

millennials or the next generation after them.

These justify our actions and behavior.

Here are some suggestions to help us as we grow up:

1. Let us look at the lives of great men and women. Let us discover their values

that is the many things they considered most important in life. Let us learn from

them, and be inspired by the example that they gave us.

2. Let us look at ourselves. Let us be willing to set aside some of our time for

silence and reflection. Only then we can be able to listen to our hearts and become

aware of our own values.

3. Let us not be afraid to live according to our values. In whatever we say or do, let

us act and behave because of the good and beautiful things that are most precious

to us.
What are the positive Filipinos values as of today?

A. Close Family Ties

The family is considered the basic unit of our society. It is usually composed of

grandfather, grandmother, parents and children. It may be observed that the Filipino

family is closely-knit.

It is an extended clan of blood relatives. The close ties are also

reflected in the frequent family reunion held on such as weddings, anniversaries,

Christmas, New Year, All Saints Day and Town Fiestas.

However, closeness of family members can be readily seen by the way parents

bring up their children. Even when family members are far from each other because of

work situation or demands or when children are married and living in other places. We

also love to care for our old folks until they die. As much as possible, we don’t allow them

to be cared for by any institution for the aged.

B. Strong Belief in the Education of Children

This is a sure mean of success run in every Filipino family. Traditionally, parents

try their best always to spend every centavo of earning to send their children to school. If

parents cannot support schooling, usually elder sister or brother shoulder the education

of the younger ones until everyone finishing a career. It is a pride of every Filipino to be

able to have their children earn a career.

C. Respectfulness

The children have a great respect for their parent and elders. They have been

thought to kiss the hands of the elders. This manifest the due respect we should give to

our elders not only for the holiday but for the rest of the year and the year to come as

well.
 Furthermore, Filipinos use “Po” and “Opo” when talking to their elders. The children

are expected to consult their parents about any activity or plan they wish to undertake.

D. Hospitality

Filipino hospitality is said to be outstanding. Anytime a visitor come, he is sure to be

offered food or drinks. If the guest stayed overnight, he is made to feel comfortable as if

he were in his own house. Hospitality, on the other hand, has its good and bad sides.

This trait may encourage overdependence and laziness. The trait may also lead to

poverty as a result of lavish spending for fiestas, wedding and anniversaries. However, it

is good if its end is to help a person in need. Thus, the government may utilize this trait in

getting support for its charitable projects, and promoting, cooperation and brotherhood.

E. Humility

This trait may be seemed in the way a Filipino speaks with others. A Filipino does

not drag about himself. Sometimes, we mistake humility with timidity and shyness. Our

tendency to depreciate ourselves often a mistake action of humility.

F. Courage

The Filipinos are courageous people as attested to by those who suffered and died

for their country. This is a value that should be preserved by our people. The demand

and complexities of modern life can only be met by people with strong hearts and healthy

minds and bodies.

G. Loyalty to Friends

The Filipinos considered friendship as important to them which means helping each in
times of need. Extending help or doing a good turn to one’s friend will always be valued and
never forgotten. A friend is considered a member of the family that any help he can give is
heartily welcomed.

H. Honesty
 Honesty is the virtue and righteousness in deed and in thought. In a person, this

virtue strengthens him against cheating and lying. It results in cooperation and trust

among neighbors, friends and co-workers. In the highest officers of the land, “katapatan”

is the sole measure of leadership and public trust.

I. Delicadeza

Delicadeza is the virtue that determines a person’s sensitivity to what is right or

wrong. A sense of prudence and poverty is implicit in a person with delicadeza. It also

serves as an early warning device in recognizing the traps of graft and corruption,

whether the guise of “pagtanaw ng utang na loob” or an innocent gift.

J. Orderliness

Kaayusan in Tagalog terms is the learning of an orderliness. It begins at home at an

early mental discipline instilled on children by their parents. An order home is an evidence of

this virtue on work in the family in the formative years of life. Kaayusan ripens into the habit

of discipline allocation of time and energy to work and play. It usually results in a citizen with

a sincere respect and adherence for the spirit and the letter of the law.

K. The Bayanihan Spirit

Filipino people are fond of group work, offering help freely to friends or neighbors

needing a help. A person planting or clearing his fields or moving his house may call

several neighbors for help work done this way is done gaily and cheerfully and without

expectation of payment except for a free meal.

L. Godliness

Filipino value denotes the religious character of the people who firmly believe in the

supernatural and in kinds of spirit dwelling in individual person, place or thing.

M. Hardworking
 Filipinos have the capacity for hard work given proper condition. The desire to race

one’s standard of living and to possess the essential of a descent for one’s family

combined with the right opportunities and incentives makes the Filipino work very hard.

This is manifest most noticeably in willingness to take risk with jobs abroad and there to

work one, two or three jobs. The result is productivity and entrepreneurship for some and

survival despite poverty.

N. Ability to Survive

Filipinos have an ability to survive which is manifested in our capacity for

endurance despite difficult times and our ability to get by on so very little. This survival

instinct is related to the Filipinos other strengths basic optimisms, flexibility and

adoptability, hard work and deep faith in God. It is manifested in the millions of Filipinos

who bravely live through the harshest economic and social circumstances.

O. Joy and Humor

Filipinos have a cheerful and fun loving approach to life and its ups and downs. We

have a pleasant disposition, a sense of humor and a propensity for happiness that

contribute not only to the Filipino charm but to incommunitability of the Filipino spirit. This

sense of joy and humor is manifested in the Filipino love for social and celebration, in our

capacity to laugh even in the most crying times, and in appear of political satire.

What are the negative Filipino values as of today?

A. Bahala Na
This trait means leaving everything to chance or “letting the circumstances take care of

itself”. It implies fatalism under the pretext of trusting in Divine providence. By saying “bahala

na”, a person resigns himself to luck as he believes the end-result depends ultimately on

fate. It is a Filipino’s way of avoiding rationalization or good reason. It is the same as saying,

“Que sera sera (whatever will be, will be)”.

The Filipino’s “bahala na” attitude is everywhere and with everyone. It could apply on big or

small circumstances. For instance, a student who suddenly feels lazy to do his homework

will just say “bahala na”. In this case, he resigns himself to whatever could happen in class

the next day.

This negative Filipino trait tends to be the cause of laziness by so many people. A lot of poor

people resign themselves to the kind of life they have thinking that it is what God meant for

them to have and He will take care of their needs. Their belief is that life finds a solution for

itself.

B. Ningas Kugon

Filipinos are fond of starting a project with so much enthusiasm. This enthusiasm is so

contagious that it spreads like wildfire. At the first sign of problem or difficulty, this

enthusiasm is consumed as fast as it has spread. This is the quintessential Filipino trait

“ningas kugon” meaning “grassfire”.

This trait is the reason for the Filipino’s “show-off” attitude; why so many projects are left

unfinished and government officials corrupt.

The picture is this: when you put several crabs in a crate, they will all try to climb out in order

to break free. You’ll observe that when one gets a bit ahead, the other crabs will pull him

down. A lot of Filipinos are like these crabs. Whenever one sees another progressing in their

own field, others become resentful and instead of seeing the achievement of that person,

they will try to highlight everything negative about him in an effort to bring him down or

tarnish if not lessen the person’s newly-acquired good image. It is an unhealthy competition

in a way.

Instead of doing things that could help one to develop and become better than his

competitors, Filipinos devote so much of their time gossiping and back-biting. It is their way

of deviating people’s attention on their inadequacy by focusing on other people’s faults.

C. Patigasan

This means resisting all efforts to a reconciliation. Because of the Filipino “amor propio” or

ego-defensiveness, it is very difficult for them to surrender their pride. It is noticeable that

most Filipinos find it difficult to say the word “sorry”. It’s better for them to act tough

(”matigas”) rather than say sorry because to do the same is to sacrifice their precious pride.

Mañana or “Bukas na”

This is the Filipino habit of leaving for tomorrow what they can do today. Most Filipinos have

this habit of postponing their actions for a later time thus reducing accomplishments.

Filipinos are fond of saying “bukas na lang” (I’ll do it tomorrow) due to laziness. As a result,

the work they produce is crammed. This arises from an indolent mentality that a problem will

go away by itself.
D. Kanya-kanya (to each his own)

This is the Filipino self-centeredness and lack of regard for others. This happens when most

people are similarly situated such us in a calamity and in instances where family is involved

as “blood is thicker than water”.

In instances however when the others sis not meet the same fate, the Filipino helpfulness

comes out. If one is able to help another without danger to himself and his family, they will

readily extend a helping hand.

E. Balimbing

A reference to the many-sided star fruit, the term is applied to someone who changes

allegiance for personal convenience. The allusion is that the person is not only double-faced,

but multiple-faced. This was evident in the Marcos downfall where his cronies and enemies

turned against him and embraced the Aquino government. These people are said to be

“balimbing”.

F. Fatalism

An attitude of "what goes around, comes around" or "come what may." We have a tendency

to surrender our future to fate. We often accept bad news or circumstances without trying to

stop or change them. This can sometimes be helpful in adversity, but it can also keep us

from finding ways out of situations. Also, constantly expecting the worst can get pretty

depressing.

G. Filipino Time
Related to the mañana habit, Filipino time refers to the Filipinos’ own unique brand of time,

which is known to be minutes or hours behind the standard time. In other words, we tend

not to observe punctuality at all. This behavior usually drives time-observant foreigners

crazy. While we Filipinos with our easy-going ways have somewhat become used to Filipino

time, it still is a bad habit that needs to be dropped.

H. Being Onion-Skinned (Balat Sibuyas)

We Filipinos are famous for being onion-skinned or easily slighted at perceived insults. While

it’s perfectly normal for us to taunt and criticize others, we can’t handle the same when it’s

being hurled back at us. Incidents showcasing our extra-sensitivity to insults usually involve

a foreigner making either a bonafide racist remark or a humorous jab at us Filipinos. True to

form, our reactions would range from righteous indignation to excessive grandstanding.

While it is alright to feel incensed, throwing a fit in front of the world would inevitably do us no

good at all.

I. General Disregard for Rules

Why is it so hard for Filipinos to obey the rules? This social phenomenon is not exclusive to

hardened criminals either—a look at everyday life in the country shows Filipinos from the

entire social strata nonchalantly breaking the rules, whether it is something as benign as

jaywalking or as dangerous as beating the red light.

An interesting theory goes that the Filipinos’ penchant for law-breaking goes beyond mere

lack of discipline or failure to implement the rules. It is something that is ingrained in our very

culture. Being oppressed under the yoke of colonization for such a long time made our

ancestors defiant of the rules they believed to be discriminatory. Although such “self-
righteous disobedience” may have been alright during their time, the behavior would

continue to manifest itself among the later Filipinos, resulting in an utter lack of respect for

the rules.

J. Colonial Mentality

Probably one of the biggest flaws we have as a nation is our colonial mentality, defined as a

preference for all things foreign over our own, a negative trait we acquired from our days

under the Spanish and the Americans. As a result, we Filipinos have been indoctrinated with

the misconception that our culture is inferior to that of our past colonizers.

Glaring examples of colonial mentality include patronizing foreign instead of local brands,

favoring foreign values over our own, and even desiring to look more “Western” (think

whitening products). If we can’t even have pride in our own country, then unfortunately we

will always be stuck with this self-defeating mentality.

K. Balikbayan Box Mentality

While there is nothing wrong with giving gifts to one’s family and friends (we Filipinos do

highly value them after all), it becomes a different matter when said family and friends either

misconstrue or abuse the OFW’s generosity.

In local parlance, this has become known as the “Balikbayan box mentality.” People

ingrained with this mentality either become exploitative or jealous of the success of the

OFW, not knowing that he/she is working hard away from his loved ones in a foreign country.

Some also believe that the practice undoubtedly contributes to the Filipinos’ colonial

mentality.
L. Corruption

One of the biggest social ills our country has continued to face since time immemorial is the

issue of corruption. Let’s face it, our “culture of corruption” is embedded deep within our

system and reinforced by a complex web of economic and social factors which include

personal ambitions and a twisted sense of loyalty to friends and kin. The Philippines is in for

a long haul if our officials and we ourselves do not get rid of this very negative habit.

M. Maintaining Double Standards

This behavior can be observed in just about every sector of Philippine society, with the most

common example being the condemnation of an adulterous woman while applauding a

polygamous man. On the national scale, we see politicians spouting promises of reform and

good governance only to break them in the end. Long story short, some Filipinos are

hypocrites to the core.

N. Excessive Partying

Now there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fiesta and party every now and then, it’s just that

we Filipinos tend to overdo it. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and even somber

funerals are celebrated by Filipinos like there is no tomorrow. Sometimes we even make up

the slightest of reasons just so we could have an excuse to party. What’s more, a host would

sometimes even strain his own finances just to impress his guests.

As for fiestas, it seems that every LGU down to the smallest barangay in the country has a

fiesta to celebrate. Like we said, it’s alright to party, but we should really focus on austerity

and working hard first.