FILIPINO VALUES

FILIPINOVALUES

Meaning and Nature of Values

“ A Product of Eastern and Western Cultures.”

Three Aggrupations:

• They are the Vatican with Respect to faith and morals.

The conference of Islamic Nations with respect to national integration and / or segregation.

And the United States of America with respect to business, industry and

economy.

“ A filipino has an American mind, Spanish

heart, and Malay roots.”

“Value” comes from the latin word valere which

means to be “strong and vigorous.”

According to Edgar Shefield Brightman’s Personalistic Value

Theory, Value means ‘’ whatever is actually liked , prized esteemed , desired , approved or enjoy by anyone at anytime.It is actual experience of enjoying a desired object or activity.Hence value is an existing realization of desired.

•Values are our ideas of right or wrong, good and bad, to which we are committed and which influence our everyday behavior an decisions.

•Values are standards of which group or society judges the desirability and importance of person, ideas, action and goals.

•Values are shared conviction or beliefs in what are considered contributory to the welfare of the group.

B. The Filipino Value System

Cultural Values- are shared assumption of what is right , good , or important.

Values actually guide’s mans behavior and action as they relate with others in most situation in life.

Personally the Filipinos value more their honor(karangalan) and status than anything else.

Socially the Filipinos give more emphasis on

social relationships.

They engage themselves in mutual cooperation, which is best pictured through the Bayanihan.

Bayanihan is coined from the root word “bayad” which means to pay, and refers to the asking for payment for service done when there is not supposed to be any fees; Bayanihan means “tulungan sa isang gawain.”

Smooth Interpersonal Relationship (SIR) is the strong cultural force among Filipino in their effort to achieve social acceptance and maintain harmonious relationships

C. ROOTS OF THE FILIPINO

CHARACTER

The home environmentThe social environmentCulture and LanguageHistory

The educational system

Filipino Values

and Moral Developm

ent

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Filipino Character

Strengths in the

Filipino Charact

er

What are there in the Pinoy Character that makes us strong as a

people?

Atik!! Naa kaha?

1. Pagkikipagkapwa-Tao(regard for others)Filipinos - open to others and feel one with othersregard others with dignity and respectdeal with them as fellow human beings.

Hospitality Bayanihan (mutual assistance)

• sensitivity to people’s feelings (pakikiramdam)

• pagtitiwala or trust • sense of gratitude or

utang na loob.• very dependent on

interpersonal relationships; gives sense of security

• camaraderie and a feeling of closeness to one another.

Pakikipagkapwa-tao is a foundation for unity as well the

sense of social justice.

Pakikipagkapwa-tao• basic sense of justice and

fairness • concern for others. • ability to empathize with

others

2. Family Orientation-The greatest influence in the formation of cultural value is the family.

• Filipinos possess a genuine

and deep love for family

• source of personal identity, emotional and material

support and • one’s main commitment and

responsibility

honor and respect given to parents and elders;

care given to the children; the generosity towards kin in need, and in great sacrifices one endures for the welfare of the family.

3. Joy and humor

• Filipinos have a cheerful and fun-loving approach to life and its ups and downs

…pleasant disposition, a sense of humor and a propensity for happiness that contribute not only to the Filipino charm but also to the indomitability of

the Filipino spirit.

Laughing at ourselves and the mess we are in is an important coping

mechanism. ..playful, sometimes, disrespectful, we laugh at those we love and at those we hate and we make jokes

about our good fortune and bad.

4.Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity

We can adjust and to adapt to circumstances and the surrounding

environment, both physical and social; adjusts to whatever happens even in

unplanned or anticipated events. We possess a tolerance for ambiguity that enables us to remain unfazed by uncertainly or lack of information.

• creative, resourceful, quick learners; can improvise and make use of whatever is at hand in order to create and produce• accepts change; adapts

to life in any part of the world, in the ability to make new things out of old scraps

5. Hard Work and Industry

Who says Pinoys are

lazy?

• We have the capacity for hard work given proper conditions; • to raise one’s standard of living and to possess the essentials of a

decent life for one’s family

• We are willing to take the risks with jobs abroad and, while there, to work at two or three jobs. • The result is productivity and entrepreneurship for some and survival despite poverty for others

6. Faith and ReligiosityFilipinos have deep faith

in God.

HaveFAITH IN GOD

• Our innate religiosity enables us to comprehend and genuinely accept reality in the context of God’s will and plan.

• Religious expressions is very tangible expressed everyday; we relate to God like a human being – threaten, thank, ask forgiveness, appease by pledges.

• tragedy and bad fortune are accepted and some optimism characterizes even the poorest lives.

• related to bahala na which may be considered positively as a reservoir of psychic energy, a psychological prop on which we can lean during hard times.

This pampalakas ng loob allows us to act despite uncertainty.

• Our faith and daring was manifest at EDSA and other times in our history; seen in the capacity to accept failure and defeat

• we recognize forces external to ourselves as contributing to how events in our lives turn out.

Faith and ReligiosityOur faith and daring was manifest at EDSA and other times in our history even when it was difficult to be brave

The results of the Filipino’s faith are

courage, daring optimism, inner peace,

as well as the capacity to genuinely accept tragedy

and death.

7. Ability to Survive

• Filipinos have an ability to survive.

• Filipinos make do with what is available in the environment.

…basic optimism, flexibility and adaptability, hard work and a deep faith in God.

It is manifested in the millions of Filipinos who bravely live through the harshest

economic and social circumstances. What we might be able to do under better

circumstances?

8. Resiliency

COUNTLESS CATASTROPHES

VOLCANIC ERUPTION ENDLESS WARS IN MINDANAO

FLASH FLOODS landslides TYPHOON

Weaknesses in the Filipino

CharacterS

What about weaknesses in character?

Daghan pod oy! Pamalandungi ,dong.

1. Extreme PersonalismFilipinos view the world in terms of personal relationship

Hoy, bata! Hindi dito

tinatapon ang basura!

Hoy, kung galit ka sa akin, wag mong

pagalitan ang bata!

Filipinos view the world in terms of personal relationships; no separation between an objective task and emotional involvement.

We tend to give personal interpretations to actions, i.e., “take things personally”.

Thus, a sincere question may be viewed as a challenge to one’s competence or positive feedback may be interpreted as a sign of special affection.

There is in fact some basis for such interpretations as Filipinos are quite personal in criticism and praise.

Personalism is also manifested in the necessity for the establishment of personal relationships before any business or work relationships can be successful.

2 Extreme PersonalismBecause of this personalistic world view, Filipinos have difficulty dealing with all forms of personal stimuli.

We tend to be uncomfortable with bureaucracy, with rules and regulations and with standard procedures, all of which tend to be impersonal.

we tend to ignore them or we ask for exceptions..

Personal contacts are involved in any transaction and these are difficult to turn

down.

Preference is usually given to

family and friends in hiring, delivery of services and even in voting.

Extreme personalism thus leads to the graft and corruption evident in Philippine society.

3.Extreme Family Centeredness

Excessive concern for the family creates an in-group to

which the Filipino is

fiercely loyal to the detriment of concern for

the larger community or

for the common good.

Excessive concern for family manifests itself in the use of one’s office and

power as a means of promoting the

interest of the family,

factionalism, patronage and

political dynasties, and in the

protection of erring family members.

Family centeredness results to a lack of concern for the common good and acts as a

block to national consciousness.

4. Lack of Discipline

The Filipino’s lack of discipline is manifests in a casual and relaxed attitude towards time and space which manifests itself in lack of precision and compulsiveness, in poor time management and procrastination.

an aversion for following strictly a set of procedures and this results in lack of standardization and quality control.

We are impatient and unable to delay gratification or reward, resulting in the use of short-cuts, in skirting the rules (the palusot syndrome) and in foolhardiness.

We are guilty of ningas cogon, starting out projects with full vigor and interest which abruptly die down leaving things unfinished.

Our lack of discipline often results in efficient and wasteful work systems

violations of rules leading to more serious transgressions and a casual work ethic

leading to carelessness and lack of follow-through.

5. Passivity and Lack of Initiative

Filipinos are generally passive and lacking in initiative.

There is strong reliance on others (e.g., leaders, government) to do things for us related to our need for a strong authority.

There is high tolerance for inefficiency, poor service and even violations of one’s basic rights. In many ways, it can be said

that the Filipino is too patient and long suffering (matiisin).

Filipinos tend to be

complacent and there rarely is a sense of urgency

about any problem.

Too easily resigned to one’s fate. Filipinos are thus easily oppressed

and exploited.

6. Colonial Mentality

Filipinos have a colonial mentality which is made up of two dimensions: the first is a lack of patriotism or an active awareness, appreciation and love of the Philippines; the second is an actual preference for things foreign.

Filipino culture is characterized by an openness to the outside—adapting and

incorporating the foreign elements into our image of ourselves - not built around a deep core of

Philippine history and language.

The result is cultural vagueness or weakness that makes Filipinos extraordinarily susceptible to the wholesale acceptance of modern mass culture which is often Western. Thus there is preference for foreign fashion, entertainment, lifestyles, technology, consumer items, etc.

The Filipino colonial mentality is manifested in the alienation of the elite from their roots and from the masses as well as in the basic feeling of national inferiority that makes it difficult for Filipinos to relate as equals to Westerners.

7. Kanya-Kanya Syndrome

Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving attitude that generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness toward others, particularly one’s peers who seem to have gained some status or prestige.

The kanya-kanya syndrome is also

evident in the personal ambition

and the drive for power and status

that is completely insensitive to the

common good. Personal and in-group interests

reign supreme.

The public is made to feel that service from these offices and from these civil servants is an extra perk that is to be paid for.

This characteristic is also evident in the lack of a sense of service among people in the government bureaucracy.

The kanya-kanya syndrome results in the dampening of cooperative and community spirit and in the trampling upon the rights of others.

8. Lack of Self-analysis and Self-reflection

There is a tendency in

the Filipino to be superficial

and even somewhat

flighty. In the face of serious problems, both personal and

social, there is lack of

analysis or reflection.

We joke about the most serious matters and this prevents looking deeply into the problem. There is no felt need to validate our hypotheses or explanations of things. Thus, we are satisfied with superficial explanations and superficial solutions to problems.

We tend to emphasize on form (maporma) rather than on substance; to be satisfied with rhetoric and to substitute this for reality; rhetoric and endless words are very much part of public discourse.

As long as the right things are said, as long as the proper documents and reports exist, as long as the proper committees, task forces or offices are firmed, Filipinos are deluded into believing that what ought to be, actually exists.

The Filipino lack of self-analysis and our emphasis on norms is reinforced by an educational system that is often more

form than substance and a legal system that tends to substitute law for reality.

D. The Filipino Cultural Values

1.“Utang na loob”or debt of

gratitude

Filipinos always recognize one’s indebtedness.  This means that he owed to a person who has helped him through the trials he had undergone. 

He repays that person in whatever kind, whatever time and situation.  It is one way of showing deep appreciation for lending out a hand.

It is a Filipino value that is difficult to translate. Literally it has several meanings such as shy, timid, sensitive rather than ashamed. Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of behaviour and make it a point not to cause another person’s embarrassment.  Each is anticipated to have hiya in the way they behave to win respect from the community. This is a value that gives a Filipino a sense of social decency and politeness.

2.Hiya

• It means getting along with others to preserve a harmonious relationship. It invites the Filipinos to do good and to be a nice companion.

The value of pakikisama results in camaraderie and a feeling of closeness to one another. Pakikisama is also sharing one’s wealth, talent, time and self with fellow human beings and working together for a common good. This value bridges the gap between cultures.

3.Pakikisama

BAHALA NA- is an

expression which expresses that fatalistic outlook of the Filipino. It happens when one simply resigns to the consequences of life’s difficulties.

It is believing that life depends on:

Swerte or buenas (good luck) Tadhana (decried by fate) Malas (bad luck)

Expressions which reflect bahala na are: iginuhit ng tadhana (decried by fate)

malas (bad luck) swerte (good luck) gulong ng palad (life’s ups and downs)

tsamba (undeserved success brought about by luck)

In every positive way, bahala na is what makes people move, take risks and plan for the future (Panopio & Rolda, 2000).

5. Authoritarianism

The dependence of Filipinos in a paternalistic rather than in a stern way upon the elders of the family, upon their boss, if employed, and upon people in authority as their father figure.

6. Amor-propioThe Individual’s highly emotional reaction to protect his honor and dignity when they are threatened or questioned and to retaliate.

Common forms of amor-propio are “hele-hele bago quire” or “pakipot” which shows at the outset a person initially refusing an offer even if he really wants very much to accept it.

AmistadMa.

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