42 Tan, Ivy Kristine C.

September
3, 2014
3EPh SA
The Filipin natin is a !ast "r#in" $mm%nity an& a$$r&in" t
'atinal Statisti$s ()$e *'S(+ as ! 2010, the pp%latin ! the Philippines
has alrea&y rea$he& ,2,33-,113. .es every $iti/en $ntrib%te t the
prsperity ! %r $%ntry0 1hat are the thin"s that hin&ers them t help0
1hat are the a$tins t be ma&e t $%ntera$t it0
The #r2 ! 3s. Patri$ia 4i$%anan entitle& 5A 3ral 6e$very Pr"ram7
8%il&in" peple98%il&in" 'atin: has been an in!rmative tl t assess a
Filipin as an in&ivi&%al. She &is$%sses ab%t the stren"ths an& #ea2ness,
the rts ! the Filipin $hara$ter an& the pssible strate"ies t $han"e an&
t imprve the Filipins $hara$ter t b%il& a better natin.
The stren"ths ! the Filipin $hara$ter are Pakikipagkapwa-Tao, !amily
rientatin, ;y an& h%mr, <e=ibility, a&aptability an& $reativity, har& #r2
an& in&%stry, !aith an& reli"isity an& the ability t s%rvive. (n the ther
han&, the #ea2nesses ! the Filipin $hara$ter are e=treme persnalism,
e=treme !amily>$entere&ness, la$2 ! &is$ipline, passivity an& la$2 !
initiative, $lnial mentality, kanya-kanya syn&rme an& la$2 ! sel!>analysis
an& sel!>re<e$tin.
The Filipin $hara$ter is in<%en$e& by hme envirnment, s$ial
envirnment, $%lt%re an& lan"%a"e, histry, e&%$atinal system, reli"in, the
e$nmi$ envirnment, pliti$al envirnment, mass me&ia, an& lea&ership
an& rle m&els. These are the !a$trs be$a%se #e h%man ten& t imitate
#hat #e bserve an& see. 1e a&apt t e=perien$es an& tea$hin"s an&
embra$e it #ith%t thin2in" i! it is really $rre$t. 1e ;%st ten& t $n!rm t
#hat the ma;rity ! the s$iety &es.
These are the spe$i?$ strate"ies !r the $han"e !r the betterment !
%r $%ntry. 1e m%st r"ani/e pr"rams an& a#ar&s t thse #h are
prmtin" natinalism in their #ays an& pra$ti$es in li!e. Attentin !rm the
"vernment an& '@(s m%st be eA%ally "iven t the $mmn "& an& nt a
spe$i?$ pp%latin nly. The "vernment sh%l& systemati/e in!rmatin
&isseminatin prperly t &evelp inte"rity an& a$$%ntability. (bservatin>
a$tin>re<e$tin habit m%st be in$rprate& in trainin" pr"rams in any ?el&
s that #e may &evelp sel!>re<e$tin an& analysis.
As I have rea& thr%"h 4i$%ananBs #r2, she has &is$%sse& the
$hara$ter ! the Filipin peple thr%"hly an& $rrelate& it as a stren"th an&
as a #ea2ness an& as a !a$tr that #%l& aCe$t %r natin b%t there #ere
sme va"%e ar"%ments an& t i&eal s%""estins. In the ?rst tpi$ #hi$h is
the stren"th ! the Filipin $hara$ter, 4i$%anan have %se& Filipin term that
are #ell &e?ne& an& has "iven mre emphasis in $nveyin" her pint li2e in
Pakikipagkapwa-tao #here she %se& bayanihan an& pakikiramay t elabrate
this stren"th better. 8y %sin" Filipin terms, it #%l& have a "reater appeal t
her inten&e& rea&ers #h are Filipins an& they #%l& %n&erstan& it easily
an& i! a !rei"ner #%l& rea& that arti$le, he may still %n&erstan& it be$a%se
it is #ell e=plaine&. In every stren"th, 4i$%anan has als pla$e& a per$eive&
res%lt ! the stren"th t $rrelate it #ith the b%il&in" ! the natin. As she
#as &is$%ssin" !aith an& reli"isity as a stren"th, she mentine& the 5bahala
na pra$ti$e ! the Filipins #hi$h has nthin" t & #ith reli"in an& th%s
this is a mispla$e& ar"%ment. That pra$ti$e m%st nt als be pla$e& t be a
stren"th ! Filipins &espite that it may "ive a reservir psy$hi$ ener"y t the
Filipins be$a%se it sh#s mre ! the 5happy>">l%$2y: si&e ! Filipins. That
sh#s that Filipins are $ntente& #ith #hatever they earn #hether it is bi"
r small as ln" as there is smethin" that they earn. This is #ea2ness an&
sh#s passivity that #%l&nBt lea& t the $han"e #e aim an& !r the
prsperity ! %r natin.
(n the ne=t tpi$ #hi$h is the #ea2nesses ! the Filipin $hara$ter, I
a"ree t #ea2ness #hi$h is e=treme persnalism. This is in&ee& very evi&ent
here in the Philippines. It is very sa& t say that even as early as the y%th in
s$hl are alrea&y pra$ti$in" this in ele$tin" )$ers in s$hl>#i&e
r"ani/atins. They & nt base it in the s2ills b%t n the relatinship that
the $an&i&ate have #ith them. The %sa"e ! terms li2e palusot an& ningas
cogon in &is$%ssin" la$2 ! &is$ipline as a #ea2ness has helpe& in leavin" an
impa$t t the rea&ers. I &isa"ree n la$2 ! initiative as a #ea2ness be$a%se
this is t ar$hetypal. 't ma;rity ! the Filipins are havin" this trait an& it
is very &is$riminatin".
(n the tpi$ ! rts ! the Filipin $hara$ter, I a$$laim n h#
4i$%anan has ass$iate& it #ith $n$rete e=amples an& the "iven stren"ths
an& #ea2nesses. In the &is$%ssin ! the many !a$es ! the Filipin, the
FilipinsB stren"ths an& #ea2nesses are $rrelate& t ea$h ther an& the
prsB an& $nsB are #ell &is$%sse&.
The "als an& strate"ies !r $han"e are #ell &is$%sse& thr%"h "ivin"
a lt ! e=amples an& the e=amples are als #ell e=plaine&. The strate"ies
has als prin$iples that it m%st meet an& it #as als &is$%sse& in the arti$le.
These prin$iples has als serve& as a "%i&e t prevent "in" a#ay !rm the
main "al #hi$h is t $reate $han"e !r the betterment ! the natin. The
spe$i?$ strate"ies li2e &evelpin" patritism an& natinal pri&e is "iven
&iCerent ?el& #here it may be appli$able an& the meth&s t apply this is
#ell e=plaine&. D#ever, there #ere $ertain s%""este& strate"ies are t
i&eal an& it $anBt be applie& s%$h as the 'atinal 6e<e$tin 1ee2en& !r
)$ials an& emplyees. This pra$ti$e is t i&eal an& it #%l&nBt be ta2en
seri%sly espe$ially in the system ! %r "vernment.
As a #hle, the #r2 #ritten by 4i$%anan has been in!rmative an&
#ell &is$%sse&. It has been a #a2in" pint t a st%&ent li2e me t re<e$t n
my pra$ti$es an& traits. I have reali/e& that I have &evelpe& sme ! the
#ea2ness ! the Filipin $hara$ter an& n# I may ?n& a #ay t $%ntera$t it.
It has remin&e& me that thse FilipinsB traits really e=ist an& I sh%l& be the
$han"e in my #n #ay. I sh%l& learn h# t prperly intera$t #ith peple
#ith thse traits an& help them t $rre$t it in a s%btle #ay.