LESSON 4:

FILIPINO VALUES AND

MORAL DEVELOPMENT
Let’s Warm-up!
What makes a Filipino
different from the rest of
the people in the world?
MORAL
AGENT
 Moral agents are those agents expected to
meet the demands of morality. Not all agents
are moral agents. Young children and animals,
being capable of performing actions, may be
agents in the way that stones, plants and cars
are no way that stones, plants and cars are
not. But though they are agents they are not
automatically considered moral agents. For a
moral agent must also be capable of
conforming to at least some of the demands of
morality.
VIRTUE ETHICS
 Virtue ethics is philosophy developed by Aristotle
and other ancient Greeks and other ancient
Greeks. It is quest to understand and live a life of
moral life of moral character. This character-based
approach to morality assumes that we acquire
virtue through practice. By practicing being honest,
brave, just, generous, and so on, a person
develops an honorable and moral character.
According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits,
people will likely make the virtuous habits, people
will likely make the right choice when faced with
ethical challenges.
VIRTUE ETHICS
 Virtues, according to Aristotle, are habits
and that the good life is a life of mindless
routine. the good life is a life of mindless
routine.
 dispositions to act in certain ways in
response to similar situations, the habits of
o similar situations, the habits of behaving
in behaving in certain way
 Thus, good conduct arises from habits that
in turn can only be acquired by repeated
action and correction
 Strengths of the Filipino Character
Pakikipagkapwa-Tao
Filipinos – open to others and feel one with others regard others
with dignity and respect deal with them as fellow human beings.

 basic sense of justice and fairness

 concern for others
 ability to empathize with others
 helpfulness and generosity in times of
need(pakikiramay); practice of bayanihan or mutual
assistance, Filipino hospitality.
 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.
 Strengths of the Filipino Character
Family Orientation
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
toward skin in need, and in great sacrifices one
endures for the welfare of the family.
 sense of family results in a feeling of
belongingness and rootedness in a basic sense
of security
 Strengths of the Filipino Character
Joy and Humor
Filipinos have a cheerful and fun-loving approach
to life and its ups and downs.
 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.
 manifested in the Filipino’s love for socials and
celebrations, to laugh even in the most trying
of times
 The result is a certain emotional balance,
optimism, a healthy disrespect for power and
office and the capacity to survive.
 Strengths of the Filipino Character
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.
 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
thing out of old scraps,
 Creative in cultural sphere
 The result is productivity, innovation,
entrepreneurship, equanimity and survival.
 Strengths of the Filipino Character

Hard Work and Industry

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 entrepreneurs'

hip for some and survival despite poverty for
others.
 Strengths of the Filipino Character

Faith and Religiosity

Filipinos have deep faith 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.
 Strengths of the Filipino Character

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?
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character

Extreme Personalism
 Filipinos view the world in terms of personal
relationship
 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.
Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
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.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
Lack of Discipline
 It 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.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
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.
 Filipinos tend to be complacent and there rarely is a
sense of urgency about any problem.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
Passivity and Lack of Initiative
 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 isa
sense of urgency about any problem.
 Too easily resigned to one’s fate. Filipinos are thus
easily oppressed and exploited
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
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.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
Colonial Mentality
 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.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
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.
 This characteristic is also evident in the lack of a
sense of service among people in the government
bureaucracy.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
Kanya-Kanya Syndrome
 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.
 The kanya-kanya syndrome results in the
dampening of cooperative and community spirit and
in the trampling upon the rights of others.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
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.
 Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
Lack of Self-analysis and Self-reflection
 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
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
TRUSTWORT  Trustworthiness concerns a variety of behavioral
qualities - honesty, integrity, reliability and loyalty.
HINESS
THERE ARE THREE DIMENSIONS:
 Truthfulness — truthfulness means not intentionally
misrepresenting a fact (lying). Intent is the crucial
distinction between truthfulness and truth itself.
 Sincerity/non-deception — a sincere person does
not act, say half-truths, or stay silent with the intention
of creating beliefs or leaving impressions that are
untrue or misleading.
 Frankness — In relationships involving trust, honesty
may also require us to volunteer information that
another person needs to know. Honesty in conduct
prohibits stealing, cheating, fraud, and trickery.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
TRUSTWORT INTEGRITY
 The person of integrity takes time for self-
HINESS reflection so that the events, crises and the
necessities of the day do not determine the
course of their moral life. They stay in control.
The four enemies of integrity are:
 Self-interest — Things we want
 Self-protection — Things we do not want
 Self-deception — A refusal to see a
situation clearly
 Self-righteousness — An end-justifies-
the-means attitude
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
TRUSTWORT RELIABILITY

HINESS  When we make promises or commitments to

people our ethical duties go beyond legal
obligations. The ethical dimension of promise-
keeping imposes the responsibility of making
all reasonable efforts to fulfill our
commitments.
 It is also important to:
 Avoid bad-faith excuses — Honorable
people don't rationalize noncompliance or
create justifications for escaping
commitments.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
TRUSTWORT RELIABILITY

HINESS  Avoid unwise commitments — before

making a promise consider carefully whether
you are willing and likely to keep it. Think
about unknown or future events that could
make it difficult, undesirable or impossible to
keep your commitment. Sometimes, all we can
do is promise to do our best.
 Avoid unclear commitments — Since others
will expect you to live up to what they think
you have promised to do, be sure that, when
you make a promise, the other person
understands what you are committing to do.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
LOYALTY
TRUSTWORT  Loyalty is about promoting and protecting the
interests of certain people, organizations or
HINESS affiliations. Some relationships — husband-wife,
employer-employee, citizen-country — create an
expectation of loyalty.
 Prioritizing Loyalties. Because so many
individuals and groups make loyalty claims on us, it
is often impossible to honor them all simultaneously.
Consequently, we must rank our loyalty obligations
in some rational fashion. In our personal lives, for
example, it’s perfectly reasonable, and ethical, to
look out for the interests of our children, parents
and spouses even if we have to subordinate our
obligations to other children, neighbors, or co-
workers in doing so.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
TRUSTWORT LOYALTY

HINESS  Safeguarding Confidential Information.

Loyalty requires us to keep secrets or
information learned in confidence.
 Avoiding Conflicting Interests. Employees
and public servants have an additional
responsibility to make all professional
decisions on merit not personal interests.
Their goal is to maintain the trust of the public.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
 Respect is about honoring the essential worth and
RESPECT dignity of all people, including oneself.
Respect focuses on:
 Civility, Courtesy and Decency - A respectful
person is a good listener. The respectful
person treats others with consideration,
conforming to accepted notions of taste and
propriety, and doesn’t resort to intimidation,
coercion or violence except in extraordinary
and limited situations to teach discipline,
maintain order or achieve social justice.
 Tolerance - An ethical person accepts
individual differences and beliefs and judge
others only on their character.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
Life is full of choices. Being responsible means
RESPONSIBILITY overseeing our choices and therefore our lives. It means
being accountable for what we do and who we are. It
also means recognizing that what we do, and what we
do not do, matters.
Accountability. An accountable person is not a victim
and does not shift blame or claim credit for the work of
others.
Pursuit of Excellence. The pursuit of excellence has
an ethical dimension when others rely upon our
knowledge, ability or willingness to perform tasks
safely and effectively.
Diligence. Responsible people are reliable, careful,
prepared and informed.
Perseverance. Responsible people finish what they
start, overcoming rather than surrendering to obstacles
and excuses.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
RESPONSIBILITY  Continuous Improvement. Responsible people
look for ways to do their work better.
 Self-Restraint. Responsible people exercise self-
control, restraining passions and appetites (such as
lust, hatred, gluttony, greedand fear). They delay
gratification if necessary and never feel it’s
necessary to "win at any cost."
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
• Fairness is a tricky concept. Disagreeing parties tend to
FAIRNESS maintain that there is only one fair position - their own.
But while some situations and decisions are clearly
unfair, fairness usually refers to a range of morally
justifiable outcomes rather than discovery of one fair
answer.
 Process. A fair person uses open and unbiased
processes for gathering and evaluating information
necessary to make decisions. Fair people do not
wait for the truth to come to them; they seek out
relevant information and conflicting perspectives
before making important decisions.
 Impartiality. Decisions should be unbiased without
favoritism or prejudice.
 Equity. It is important not to take advantage of the
weakness, disadvantage or ignorance of others.
Fairness requires that an individual, company, or
society correct mistakes, promptly and voluntarily.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
CARING  Caring is the heart of ethics. It is scarcely
possible to be truly ethical and not genuinely
concerned with the welfare others. That is
because ethics is ultimately about our
responsibilities toward other people.
Sometimes we must hurt those we care for
and some decisions, while quite ethical, do
cause pain. But one should consciously cause
no more harm than is reasonably necessary.
SIX CORE ETHICAL VALUES
CITIZENSHIP  The concept of citizenship includes how we
ought to behave as part of a community. The
good citizen knows the laws and obeys them -
but they also volunteer and stay informed on
the issues of the day.

 Citizens do more than their "fair" share to

make society work, now and for future
generations. Citizenship can have many
expressions, such as conserving resources,
recycling, using public transportation and
cleaning up litter