CHAPTER 3

Lesson 3: IS JUAN TAMAD REALLY LAZY?

Learning Objectives:
1. Read and analyze Juan Tamad folktale using the elements of reasoning.
2. Discover other dimensions of the folktale.
3. Synthesize the dimensions of the folktale and make connections to the present trends and perspectives on
it.

Juan Tamad story is a folktale that has been embraced by Filipinos for a century. It has become an
entertaining part of the Philippine folklore. It has also become a basis for Filippinos’ laziness. But is Juan really
lazy?

Main Ideas

 Juan Tamad story is a folktale that can be analyzed using the elements of reasoning.
 Juan Tamad folktale promotes apathy and cynicism but can be viewed the other way around.
 Traditional folktales can influence the many challenges and trends of the 21 st century.

Let’s Recall

 Why do we call Juan as “Juan Tamad”?

 What stories have you read about him? Can you cite what he did in those stories?

Juan, the Son of Fabio and Sofia

For a century now, Juan Tamad folktale has been a source of entertainment to Filipinos. Not just
entertainment, it has been used as a pretext why most Filipinos have no sense of initiative and have no jobs. This
belief has been oberved as not fair. Two government officials have actually noted that Filipinos have no jobs because
until now they embrace the utmost laziness of Juan Tamad.

Buhay na Pinagdaanan ni Juan Tamad na Anac ni Fabio at ni Sofia sa Caharian nang Portugal (The Life Lived
by Juan Tamad, Son of Fabio and Sofia, in the Kingdom of Portugal).
- the book published in 1919
-includes a poem consisting of 78 pages of four-line stanzas at seven stanzas per page.
-It tells us about how Juan Tamad was born to a couple named Fabio and Sofia, and his adventures in
Portugal
Juan Tamad story
-illustrates extreme laziness and stupidity. One scenario is when ripe fruit. Being too lazy and undmindful to
climb the tree to pluck the fruit, he instead decided to lie beneath the tree and waited for the fruit to fall.

Given this,
Has anyone tried to discover why he waited there all days for the fruit to fall?
Has anyone cared to give a second thought why Filipinos are compared to him?
Has anyone thought to find out who authored it and when was it written?

Elements of Reasoning
There are two essetial dimensions of thinking that you need to master in order to learn how to upgrade your
thinking.
1. You need to be able to identify the “parts”bof your thinking.
2. You need to be able to assess these parts of thinking, as follows:

 All Reasoning has a purpose.

 All reasoning is an attempt to figure something out , to settle some questions, to solve some problems.
 All reasoning is based on assumptions.
 All reasoning is done from some points of view.
 All reasoning is based on data, information, and evidence.
 All reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by concepts and ideas.
 All reasoning contains inferences by which we draw conclusions and give meaning to data.
 All reasoning leading somewhere has implications and consequences.