Chapter Ii: Unpacking The Self A. The Political Self: Study Guide For Module No. 10

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.
0 10-July-2020
Study Guide in GE1: Understanding the Self Module No. 10
STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 10
CHAPTER II: UNPACKING THE SELF

A. THE POLITICAL SELF
MODULE OVERVIEW
Filipinos possess common values that contribute to the formation of a unique identity and provide answers to
the questions as to “Who we are as Filipinos?” These Filipino values, whether positive or negative, are
continually passed on from one generation to another which defines the Filipino whether within the country or
elsewhere.
This module also gives an overview of the Philippine politics and political culture.
MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Take pride of the Filipino Identity

2. Identify Filipino values and traits
3. Assess one’s own level of active citizenship
LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)
What makes a Filipino a genuine Filipino? Do physical appearance and characteristics make one a
Filipino? Or is it a person’s language, birthplace or ethnicity? If you were to go to a foreign place
and introduce yourself as a Filipino, what will you tell about yourself that speaks about you being a
Filipino?
DEVELOPING A FILIPINO IDENTITY
According to Yacat (2005), the question of who the Filipino is

can be best explained by looking at the three facets that form
the identity of the Filipino.
1. The Socio-political dimension

A Filipino is a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines. By
citizen, it pertains to a member of the political community who
has the right and privilege to participate in political activities
and political affairs. Article IV, section 1 of the 1987 constitution
defines Filipino as:
o Born in the Philippines
o Having parents who are citizens of the
Philippines
o Born before January 17, 1973 of Filipina
mothers
o Naturalized in accordance to the law.
As citizen of the Republic of the Philippines, a Filipino may enjoy full political and civil rights, and is
obliged to pledge allegiance to the state, and the state in return provides protection and public
goods and services to him.
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020
2. Cultural Roots
Culture is defined as all socially learned behaviors, beliefs, feelings and values the members of
society experience. Culture in general affects almost every aspect of an individual socially,
economically, and politically. Culture shapes the way we think, do things, how we feel, behave and
relate. Our values are likewise, the products of culture. As a social being, a Filipino is influenced by
his cultural milieu, which can be seen through the manifestation of values.
Two types of political involvements:
1. Political engagement as proactive engagement in the public arena. This can be seen
when one campaigns for an elected position, joins political rallies or street
demonstrations.
2. Political participation in any organization to address social problems, such as community
organizing.
3. Consciousness
It is the psychological dimension or awareness of oneself as a Filipino, which leads to a pride of
being a Filipino. Unfortunately, captive consciousness is still prevalent in the Filipinos primarily
because of their long period of colonization. The Filipino consciousness was shaped and developed
to fit the needs of the colonizers. There is a need to counter this consciousness by instilling a kind of
nationalist consciousness, especially among the youth.
FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS
Positive
Hospitability. It’s one of the most popular traits of Filipinos. We are usually friendly and welcoming
to our guests. This Filipino attribute makes the Philippines one of the most favorite destinations by
tourists who want to enjoy the beauty of our nature and the friendliness of our people, not to
mention we can also understand and speak English.
Adaptability and resilience. Despite of all the calamities that struck our country, like the strong
earthquake and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that devastated the central part of Visayas in
2013, Filipinos are persistent enough to get back on their feet, even without the solid help from the
government. Filipinos can also adapt to any type of environment and mingle with any kind of people
all over the world.
Resourcefulness and creativity. Filipinos are known for ingenuity. We are creative in many ways,
whether it’s in art, music, science, technology and business. Some of our smartest countrymen can
come up with a brilliant idea despite of poverty or lack of financial resources. Filipinos are also good
in recycling trash and turn them into ingenious products.
Faithfulness. The Filipinos are one of the most faithful people in the world. Whatever our religion is,
we remain faithful and we don’t lose hope for a better tomorrow. Our faithfulness and hopefulness
keep us kind, positive, peaceful and determined to achieve our goals no matter how impossible they
may seem.

Unity in bayanihan spirit. We are in close relationship with our neighbors. In barangays and most
subdivisions, the people in the neighborhood know each other, talk each other, help each other, and
protect each other. Our communities are organized. We help each other to make our fiestas,
festivals and other events lively and colorful to make sure that our visitors will have a great
experience.
Thriftiness. There may be Filipinos who are living beyond their means. But on the brighter side,
there are also many Filipinos who are frugal. We shop wisely to save our money for future important
uses. We are conscious on the price tag, discounts and quality of the products we buy to get the
most out of our money. Filipino parents also do sacrifices like skipping the stuff they want to buy for
themselves just to save their money to buy things that can make their children happy.
Politeness. Filipinos are courteous people. The children and young Filipinos will always use the
words “po” and “opo” to show respect to someone who’s older or who’s in the higher position than
them. We also do the “mano po” gesture (bringing the back of the hand of an elder to one’s
forehead) as a sign of respect to our elders. Moreover, Filipino workers will always address their
customers with “sir” or “ma’am” to show humility and honor to serve them.
Jolliness and sense of humor. The Philippines is a country of smiles. Nothing can take away the
humor and jolliness of many Filipinos… not even super typhoon Yolanda – the strongest recorded
typhoon that made a landfall. Despite of the tragedy, Yolanda survivors can still be seen smiling,
positive and hopeful to rebuild their lives even better. The Filipino humor is evident everywhere,
from comedy films, TV shows, to every Filipino you will meet.
Discretion and dignity. Perhaps many of our politicians don’t have a delicadeza. But our people,
especially the Filipinas, still observe delicadeza. Despite of the growing number of Filipinos who are
giving up their delicadeza, there are still many Filipinos who always think twice before they make a
decision that can affect their dignity and honor.
Gratefulness. Aside from being hospitable, Filipinos are also thankful. We don’t forget anyone who
helped us, whether he (she) is a Filipino or not. We even build monuments to show our utmost
respect and gratitude to our heroes and other foreign personalities who helped the Filipino people.
We show our warmest gratitude to the international communities who helped us rebuild our lives
after Haiyan and other disasters struck us.
Honesty and commitment. Perhaps “palabra de honor” is not evident among our politicians, but
it’s still evident among the common Filipinos. When we make a promise, we try our best to fulfill that
promise even if it will undermine ourselves. For us, to fulfill a promise to others is a great self
fulfillment. We are also candor. What we see in you, we will tell you frankly.
Family-oriented. Filipinos are willing to make big sacrifices just to make sure that their loved ones
will have a good life. Our parents will do anything just to give us a brighter future. They are even
willing to work in a foreign soil just to achieve such goal.
Negative
Crab Mentality. Simply put, this refers to the behavior of preventing someone from achieving
something due to jealousy or envy. Instead of praising or rendering assistance, someone with crab
mentality would think “if I can’t have it, then you can’t as well” and will purposely try to bring his/her

victim down. And just like the crabs who could have escaped from the bucket if they only stopped
pulling each other down, nothing ever gets accomplished.
Ningas Kugon. One reason why we sometimes exert half-hearted effort in our undertakings is due
to this attitude. Translated to “burning cogon grass” in English, this idiom is meant to illustrate how
Filipinos initially exhibit great enthusiasm at the beginning of a project. Our eagerness however,
fades away just as quickly as the fire is extinguished, leaving our work either half-baked or
unfinished.
Mañana Habit. It is ironic that the Spanish would accuse Filipinos of being lazy when they
themselves taught us the mañana habit in the first place. Known as “tomorrow” in English, the habit
encourages procrastination, an “ability” we Filipinos have since turned into an art form. Even the
most urgent of projects and tasks can be relegated for some other time; we are only forced to work
on them when the deadline is near. It’s a miracle we get things done in this country.
Filipino Time. Related to the mañana habit, Filipino time refers to the Filipinos’ own unique brand
of time, which is known to be minutes or hours behind the standard time. In other words, we tend
not to observe punctuality at all. This behavior usually drives time-observant foreigners crazy. While
we Filipinos with our easy-going ways have somewhat become used to Filipino time, it still is a bad
habit that needs to be dropped.
Being Onion Skinned or Balat-sibuyas. We Filipinos are famous for being onion-skinned or easily
slighted at perceived insults. While it’s perfectly normal for us to taunt and criticize others, we can’t
handle the same when it’s being hurled back at us. Incidents showcasing our extra-sensitivity to
insults usually involve a foreigner making either a bonafide racist remark or a humorous jab at us
Filipinos. True to form, our reactions would range from righteous indignation to excessive
grandstanding. While it is alright to feel incensed, throwing a fit in front of the world would inevitably
do us no good at all.
Disregard for Rules. Why is it so hard for Filipinos to obey the rules? This social phenomenon is
not exclusive to hardened criminals either—a look at everyday life in the country shows Filipinos
from the entire social strata nonchalantly breaking the rules, whether it is something as benign as
jaywalking or as dangerous as beating the red light. An interesting theory goes that the Filipinos’
penchant for law-breaking goes beyond mere lack of discipline or failure to implement the rules. It is
something that is ingrained in our very culture. Being oppressed under the yoke of colonization for
such a long time made our ancestors defiant of the rules they believed to be discriminatory.
Although such “self-righteous disobedience” may have been alright during their time, the behavior
would continue to manifest itself among the later Filipinos, resulting in an utter lack of respect for the
rules.
Colonial Mentality. Probably one of the biggest flaws we have as a nation is our colonial mentality,
defined as a preference for all things foreign over our own, a negative trait we acquired from our
days under the Spanish and the Americans. As a result, we Filipinos have been indoctrinated with
the misconception that our culture is inferior to that of our past colonizers. Glaring examples of
colonial mentality include patronizing foreign instead of local brands, favoring foreign values over
our own, and even desiring to look more “Western” (think whitening products). If we can’t even have
pride in our own country, then unfortunately we will always be stuck with this self-defeating
mentality.

Balikbayan Box Mentality. While there is nothing wrong with giving gifts to one’s family and friends
(we Filipinos do highly value them after all), it becomes a different matter when said family and
friends either misconstrue or abuse the OFW’s generosity.
In local parlance, this has become known as the “Balikbayan box mentality.” People ingrained with
this mentality either become exploitative or jealous of the success of the OFW, not knowing that
he/she is working hard away from his loved ones in a foreign country. Some also believe that the
practice undoubtedly contributes to the Filipinos’ colonial mentality.
Bahala na Attitude. Roughly translated as “come what may”, this is the Filipinos’ own version of
fatalism, the belief of leaving everything to the hands of fate. This attitude, while not inherently
detrimental in itself, is still a double-edged sword. On one hand, positive aspects of this behavior
include belief in Divine Providence and national social responsibility. On the other hand, the attitude
can also promote a sense of helplessness and resignation of one’s fate at the local level, and a
countrywide lack of empathy and collective action on the national level. This is also the reason why
we tend to have amnesia over past wrongdoings committed by our leaders.
Corruption. One of the biggest social ills our country has continued to face since time immemorial
is the issue of corruption. Let’s face it, our “culture of corruption” is embedded deep within our
system and reinforced by a complex web of economic and social factors which include personal
ambitions and a twisted sense of loyalty to friends and kin. The Philippines is in for a long haul if our
officials and we ourselves do not get rid of this very negative habit.
Maintaining Double Standards. This behavior can be observed in just about every sector of
Philippine society, with the most common example being the condemnation of an adulterous woman
while applauding a polygamous man. On the national scale, we see politicians spouting promises of
reform and good governance only to break them in the end. Long story short, some Filipinos are
hypocrites to the core.
Excessive Partying. Now there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fiesta and party every now and
then, it’s just that we Filipinos tend to overdo it. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and even
somber funerals are celebrated by Filipinos like there is no tomorrow. Sometimes we even make up
the slightest of reasons just so we could have an excuse to party. What’s more, a host would
sometimes even strain his own finances just to impress his guests.
POLITICS AND POLITICAL CULTURE
According to Aristotle, Man is a “political animal” Other people might easily interpret this as
something that refers to the intrinsic desire of every human being to lead or govern. This is far from
what is meant by the Philosopher. Similar to being a social animal, humans come together and form
a political body. The creation of a political body is intended for the attainment of a good life. For
instance, the city-state which originates from the Greek word Polis, is understood as the highest and
the most desirable form of organized society. Aristotle believed that humans, like animals,
intrinsically work together to achieve a common goal. Like the saying “No man is an island,” humans
are interconnected and must work together.
Kendall (1998) defines politics as a social institution through which power is acquired and exercised
by people and groups. In Aristotle’s work, Politics, he describes the role that politics and the political
community must play in bringing about the virtuous life in citizenry. Politics is an important part of
human development because it promotes ideologies about democracy, citizenship, human rights,
freedom, family, health and other social issues. Politics exists in all human power and understand

proper functioning of a democratic society as a citizen.
Stevens, Anglin and Jussim (2015) cite that in some people, politics is a central component of their
identity. For other, politics may be a more peripheral concern but temporarily becomes a central one
in certain situations. The political community where one belong offers an important opportunity for
them to define themselves and provide opportunities to satisfy their needs for affiliation. The political
self organizes one’s beliefs, attitudes and affiliation. People use their political values and belief
systems to themselves as unique individuals in society.
Political Culture is the pattern of individual attitudes and orientation towards politics among
members of a political system. (Almond and Verba, 1965)
Characteristics of Political Culture in the Philippines:
1. Dominance of family ties or kinship system . In local government units such as municipality
or barangay, big clans dominate the political arena. Political dynasties usually control the
government. In the Philippines where consanguinity is given utmost importance, it does not
matter if the political candidate is inefficient, immoral or corrupt. As long as he or she is part
of a political dynasty found trustworthy by the community, he or she would also be
considered trustworthy.
2. Euphemism. Officials and employees in lower positions are not frank or straightforward in
criticizing officials of higher rank instead, the parinig or patutsada are used in confronting to
address the problems or issues. They put more premium on the relationship as criticisms
might offend them. Thus in the end, problems and issues are not resolved.
3. Utang na Loob. Filipinos feel obliged to pay immediately or in the future any favor they
receive from another person. They always look for opportunity to return any favor given to
them. In politics, utang na loob is instrumental in becoming a popular politician. Some
politicians give everything to their constituents especially during elections to instill in them
the sense of utang na loob as a guarantee to win their votes.
4. Sense of overdependency. Some constituents rely on elected official or a “patron” politician

for their personal and economic needs. This culture results in the re-election of incompetent
officials whose means to stay in power is to provide temporary relief to impoverished Filipino
families.
5. Belief that majority of politicians are corrupt. The term buwaya has been used to describe
corrupt politicians in the Philippines signifying their greed for money and power. Many
Filipinos believe that politicians are corrupt and are in government service only to promote
their vested interest and not the public interest.
6. Lack of political maturity. People elect officials based on popularity and personality and not
on performance and platform. Politics is no longer limited to individuals with backgrounds in
political science and law as even celebrities are now able to hold positions in office by sheer
popularity.

LEARNING ACTIVITY
MY PERSONAL POLITICAL THOUGHTS
1. Identify current political issues in the Philippines and recount circumstances that led
to the issue. As a citizen, what can you do to prevent the issue from recurring?
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2. If you are to become a member of the congress someday, what laws will you
propose? Give at least 2 and explain why.
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LEARNING ACTIVITY
Pinoy ako, pero….
Aside from the negative Filipino traits that were presented. Identify other traits that you
observe from your surroundings and enumerate ways on how to stop such trait.
Trait Action to be done
SUMMARY
The task to nation building is never simple. It is the moral duty of every citizen to partake in a
democratic process of continuous shaping and reshaping the nation. The Philippines is a

democratic nation is still overshadowed by weak democratic and political institutions, strong sense
of regionalism and familism, colonial consciousness and prevalent political dynasty. It is the moral
obligation of all citizens to responsibly exercise both their political and civil rights and obligations to
strengthen the moral and political fabric of the society.
As a political self, the Filipino has to participate in identity and value formulation, and the
enhancement of sense of nationalism. The self must inculcate the values of civic and political
consciousness, and clearly define himself and his relationship with others as a political self.
REFERENCES

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FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

Study Guide in GE1: Understanding the Self Module No. 10

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 10