Filipino Culture 1

Filipino Culture Charlette Encomienda and Janessa Gorgonio Elementary Social Studies and Exceptional Children Chaminade University of Honolulu

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Abstract The background of the Filipino culture will be discussed in this paper. The background of the Filipino culture consists of their language, their values (like religion and sports), and Filipino heroes. To get the main point of the Filipino culture out, the Philippines must be learned. The Philippines history is a major impact of the Filipino culture. Another main point that will be discussed in the paper will include the Filipino culture in schools. And more specifically, the Filipino culture in Hawaiis schools. Pages 3-5 are main points just about the Filipino culture. Pages 5-10 are main points about the Filipinos in Hawaii.

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Set in the western Pacific Ocean, the Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,000 islands. The Philippines can be described as a melting pot. The point must be made that because the nation is diverse, the Filipino culture is just as diverse, with different languages spoken and religions practiced. Kallie Szczepanski states that [t]he Philippines is an incredibly diverse nation in terms of language, religion, ethnicity and also geography (2013). The history of the Philippines plays an important role in the diversity of the Philippines and in the Filipino culture that is seen today. The earliest history that the Philippines have is about 30,000 years ago. The Negritos immigrated from Sumatra and Borneo via boats or land-bridges (Szczepanski, 2013) and were the first people to have come to the Philippine islands. The next groups of people that came to the Philippines were the Malays, then the Chinese, and then the Arabs. The next group that came claimed the Philippines for about 377 years, and that was the Spanish. The islands were under Spanish rule after Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines for Spain in 1521 (Szczepanski, 2013). During this time, the Spanish influenced the Philippines in Roman Catholicism. According to Szczpanski, the Spanish spread their culture across the archipelago (2013). After the Spanish-American War was over in 1896, the Philippines declared its independence from Spain. Although Spain no longer ruled the Philippines, the defeated Spanish ceded the [Philippines] to the United States in the December 10, 1898 Treaty of Paris (Szczepanski, 2013). On July 4, 1946, the Republic of the Philippines was established. There are about 80 major language groups, with more than 500 dialects in the Philippines. But the national language that is spoken in the Philippines is Filipino which is based on one of the major languages, Tagalog. English is widely spoken in the Philippines in the Philippines. Some important phrases in Filipino that were found from the website, Tagalog Lang, include pagiging magalang, which means being respectful especially to older people;

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pakikisama, which means getting along; pamilya, which means family; pagtutulungan, which means helping neighbors;utang na loob, which means debt of gratitude; and bayanihan, which means community spirit (Unknown). There are many other well-known phrases in Filipino, but the few that are mentioned reflect the values that the Filipino culture have. Among many values that the Filipino culture have, some of the values inclure a strong religious faith, respect for authority, and high regard for self-esteem and smooth interpersonal relationships. The Filipino culture really value the family as the center of social structure (Kwintessential Ltd., 2012). The family is a major factor of strength and stability. Another value that Filipinos put great emphasis on is having good face. Kwintessential Ltd. Explains another value that the Filipinos put great emphasis on, Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of behavior and if they fail to do so they bring shame not only upon themselves, but also upon their family. One indication of this might be a willingness to spend more than they can afford on a party rather than be shamed by their economic circumstances. If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized, or does not live up to expectations, they feel shame and lose self-esteem. (2012) There are many other cultural values that the Filipinos have, but the most important ones and the values that are most emphasized are family and face work. Other facts about the Filipino culture include religion. The National Commision for Culture and the Arts state that [r]eligion is a very important part of the [Filipino] culture, and to emphasize this point many fiestas and festivals

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are celebrated throughout the year (2011). According to Kwinkessential Ltd., the major religion that Filipinos participate in is Roman Catholicism (2012). The heroes that Filipinos have include revolutionists that promoted the Philippines independence. Dr. Jose P. Rizal is among one of the heroes that the Filipinos have. Dr. Jose P. Rizal is known for his two novels [that] stirred the conscience of his people (The Philippine National Heroes, Unknown). For his leadership in the reform movement against Spain, Dr. Jose P. Rizal and later killed. His execution was the last straw for other Filipinos who called for a bloody revolution against Spain. Another hero that the Filipinos have is Andres Bonifacio. He founded the secret society to fight Spain. Andres Bonifacio grew up in the slums and never knew the benefits of a prosperous life (The Internet 1996 World Exposition, Unknown). One last recognized hero is General Gregorio del Pilar. The Internet 1996 World Exposition state that General Gregorio del Pilar died on December 2, 1899, in the Tirad Pass, to enable [president] Aguinaldo to escape from the Americans (Unknown). General Gregorio del Pilar is one of the youngest and bravest generals ever produced by the Philippines. Just like the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean race, Filipinos came to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations. On December 20, 1906, the first group of sakadas (contract laborers) were recruited by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association (HSPA) to work on the sugar plantations, (Aquino, 2008). By the 1930s approximately 100,000 Filipinos had arrived in the islands of Hawaii. In 1946, the HSPA imported the last group of 6,000 Filipino sakadas to Hawaii. Many Filipinos immigrated to Hawaii in hopes of living a better life. Little did they know, the conditions in Hawaii would be worse than what they were used to back home. The terms that the Filipinos agreed to ended up being nothing like what they experienced once they arrived in Hawaii. Three year contracts turned into lifetime contracts of working on the plantation fields.

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Filipino plantation workers had become the majority of the plantation workforce, replacing the Japanese which caused some tension between the two ethnic groups, (Aquino, 2005) It was only toward the late 1950s that immigration laws enabled Filipinos already in Hawaii to get their families beyond the quotas. Then, in 1965, immigration laws allowed not only family members to Hawaii but also professionals including doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers, accountants, teachers, etc. Today, about 3,500 immigrants from the Philippines come to Hawaii every year. Filipinos are now the second largest racial group and are the fastest growing ethnic minority living in Hawaii, (Aquino & Magdalena). The reason for this is because of the large amounts of immigrants who come to Hawaii every year. Many of the immigrants are young and because of that, the Filipino population continues to grow because they are having more children. Other racial groups like the Japanese are older and arent having any more children. In 2010, there were 197,497 Filipinos in Hawaii not including individuals with a mixed background. When Filipino mixed individuals were added to the population, the numbers sky rocketed to 342,095. The majority of the Hawaii Filipino community are Ilokano. There is also a large amount of Filipinos who are Visayans (from the southern region of Philippines) and Tagalogs. Although the Filipino community in Hawaii may be large and have been in Hawaii since the plantation days, most are part of the working class and only a few are part of the middle and upper class. 21% of Filipino students qualify for either free of reduced school lunch, (Takayama, 2008). Also, many parents work 2-3 jobs which may be difficult for them to be involved with their childrens school life. Along with that, many Filipino households in Hawaii may be a home for multiple families which may affect the students performance. It may affect a students overall performance in school because they may feel tired, unmotivated, etc. because they may not have their parents guidance at home. Also, things at home may be chaotic which could result

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in not being able to do their homework. The reasons behind this are endless. Studies also show that Filipinos tend to score lower than East Asian and Caucasian students on standardized tests. So what could possibly be the reason behind Filipino students poor performance in schools? I believe that their culture is what causes them to have a learning barrier in the United States. Filipino students are not inclined to challenge authority and instead, they are to abide by authority rules. Elders are to be respected which to them means that elders should never be questioned or talked back to and must be listened to. With that being said, Filipino students are not prepared to question the teacher even if they disagree. This reserve may block them from asking teachers for help when they need it. It is important for teachers to be proactive when working with Filipino students and make sure that they understand the material. Another learning barrier is that Filipino culture emphasizes obedience and respect which may exhibit a students reluctance speaking out in the classroom. They are used to keeping quiet even if they may have something that they would like to say. Filipinos also place a great emphasis on polite language and gentle conversation. Because of this, Filipino students may speak in a soft and gentle voice and may avoid asking direct questions. I interviewed one of my cousins who immigrated to Hawaii when she was 11 and asked her how school was like back home. Her response was, The teachers were very strict and was like the boss of the class. We werent allowed to talk much and we listened most of the time. My teacher was very scary and mean. Today, I am not sure if classrooms in the Philippines are anything like what my cousin described but I would not question it. So how exactly should we approach immigrated Filipino students? The first thing a teacher should do to understand his/her students is to be knowledgable about their culture/background. This will help a teacher better understand why students may act a certain way in class and it is

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important to learn about other cultures so that you wont offend them in any way. Learning more about your their culture will help avoid any discrepancies between you and your students. Teachers should also built a trusting relationship with their students. Filipino students may be perceived as quiet and not willing to participate in answering questions. This is typical because teachers are perceived as an authority figure and by being quiet, students are demonstrating respect. Another reason is probably because they may not understand you or may be hesitant to speak up because English isnt their first language. In order to help your students break out of their comfort zone, teachers need to build a trusting relationship with them. One way to build their trust is to establish a safe environment. Students need to feel comfortable in their learning environment and a way to establish this is to set rules. Students should praise and accept everyones differences not bash on them. A way to establish rules so that all students will understand is to role play and/or draw them. Stating the rules may not be effective especially for ELL students. Another way to build a trusting relationship is to have the class participate in team building exercises that will allow them to get to know each other and the teacher. On the teachers part, teachers should get to know their students personally. Having lunch or a short meeting with them will allow the students and teacher to interact with each other and talk about things that you normally wouldnt ask during classroom instruction. Talking to Filipino students personally will help them realize that although you are an authority figure, it is okay to talk and share your thoughts and ideas. Students will feel comfortable to be around the teacher and will make it easier for them to learn in the classroom. When students start to open up to the teacher, the students will learn to trust you and may participate more during class instruction. Because of their different background, Filipino ELL students may feel disconnected to the curriculum being learned. To engage these students, teachers should try to link the curriculum

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with the students experiences. For example, when learning about communities, have students explore their current community through walking field trips and have them compare/contrast it to the one that they grew up in the Philippines. Filipino students are very prideful and like to share their stories about their homeland and incorporating their experiences with the curriculum will definitely keep them engaged and interesting. Working with a partner may also help them engaged. Teacher should pair an ELL student preferably with someone who speaks the same language as them or someone who they often interact with during group work or recess. Itll allow the student to feel more comfortable and willing to learn. Another way to teach Filipino ELL students is to provide any kind of visual for them to see. For example, words should be written out accompanied by pictures, references should be posted around the walls of the classroom to help the students while they are working, and students could have individual word lists to refer to when they may need it. Last but not least, teachers should provide individualized/differentiated instruction. Every student may have different preferred learning styles and because of this, teachers need to accommodate to them. Some examples of individualized instruction are drawing, role-playing, outdoor activities, using hands-on materials, singing songs or turning the lesson into a game. I (Charlette) have some experience with immigrated Filipino students. Although I am Filipino, most of my family members and I are first generation Filipinos in America meaning that our parents are from the Philippines but we were born here in America. However, I was able to observe Filipino ELL students in my previous O&P class. One of the students that I observed was a Filipino kindergarten boy. He was very shy and always had a confused and terrified look on his face. Whenever my OPT teacher talked to him, hed always be hesitant to say anything and always chose to nod instead. When he sat down on the floor with the rest of his classmates,

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he kept to himself while the rest chatted amongst themselves. I wasnt able to work with him because he was taken out of the classroom to work with an ELL teacher in a different classroom. Also, from experience, I realized that Filipinos like to stick to their own kind. When I say this, I mean that Filipinos who can speak their language like to stick together rather than to mingle with people of different race. I think that the reason behind this is because they feel more comfortable being around people who are similar to them and they have a common background that they can build on.

Aquino, B., & Magdalena, F. (n.d.). A brief history of filipinos on hawaii. Retrieved from http://hawaii.edu/cps/hawaii-filipinos.html

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Aquino, B. (2005, December 11). Why did filipinos come to hawaii?. Retrieved from http://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/12/11/editorial/special.html

Takayama, B. (2008). Academic achievement across school types in hawaii. Retrieved from http://www.ksbe.edu/spi/Hulili/Hulili_vol_5/Academic_achievement_across_school_ty pes_in_Hawaii.pdf The Internet 1996 World Exposition. (Unknown). The Philippine National Heroes. Retrieved from http://park.org/Philippines/centennial/herolist.htm Tagalog Lang. (Unknown). Filipino Culture. Retrieved from http://tagaloglang.com/FilipinoCulture/ Kwintessential Ltd. (2012). Philippines - Language, Culture, Customs, and Etiquette. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/philippines-countryprofile.html Szczepanski, K. (2013). The Philippines: Facts and History. Retrieved from http://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/p/philippinesprof.htm National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (2011). Philippine Fast Facts. Retrieved from http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/culture-profile-phil-fastfacts.php