CHAPTER 2

WHO IS THE FILIPINO

CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter emphasizes the relevance of Philippine Heritage and Culture. It focuses on
appreciating the cultural way of life of the Filipinos in Ancient Times and its growth through time.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Express appreciation of the legacy of Philippine heritage
2. Compare and contrast the cultural way of life of the Philippines in Ancient Times and today’s modern
times

Lesson Outline

1. Filipino Traits and Values

2. The Early Filipinos
a. Social, Economic and Political Life
LESSON 1: FILIPINO TRAITS AND VALUES
Introduction
What makes a Filipino a genuine Filipino? Do physical characteristics such as having dark hair,
flat nose and dark complexion make one a Filipino? Or it is a person’s language, birthplace and ethnicity?
If you were to introduce yourself as a Filipino to a person of another nationality and he or she asks, “Who
are Filipinos?” what will you reply?
The Philippines as we know it today has only emerged in the 1890s after over three centuries of
colonization of the Spaniards, meanwhile liberations from the last colonizers the Japanese only occurred
in 1946. Foreign culture, beliefs, language, religion have made a huge dent on our own by setting a
foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity and culture. To date colonial mentality remains an issue.
Given the wide discrepancy between the liberation period and todays time, would it be safe to say that
Filipinos have truly developed an identity of their own? Or are we still living in the shadow of our colonial
friends.
Who is a Filipino?
Filipinos are often reference to globally renowned personalities like Manny Pacquiao, Lea
Salonga and Michael Cinco who have made Filipinos recognized around the world through their
expertise. However being a Filipino is a far more than just being related to these notable figures.
Independence Day and Buwan ng Wika celebration prompt us to go back to our roots and reflect on the
question: Who is a Filipino?
Technically according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are those whose
fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17,1973 of Filipino mothers,
who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and those who are naturalized in
accordance with law. However, citizenship is not the only marker of being a Filipino. Culture and history
have greatly influenced the manner Filipinos learn, live and behave to date. People who were born and
grew up in the same culture develop and share common personality, traits and values. Generation after
generations common traits and values have been passed on that Filipinos of today still embody.
Filipino Values and Traits
The Philippines is a lush island paradise famous for its grandiose mountain views, pristine
beaches, and rich and diverse culture changing from province to province. While the Philippines may be
well known for its awe-inspiring beauty, perhaps the Filipinos unique traits, reputable values, and laudable
talents make the country a place to be.
Tourist who have visited the Philippines can never forget the big and bright smiles that greeted
them. The colorful and loud jeepneys, the common Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay” and “Salamat”
and habits such as saying “po” at “opo” to the elders, leaving shoes or slippers at the front door before
entering a house, and the importunate asking of “kumainkanaba?” meaning “have you eaten yet? “It is
marvel to experience these unique traits of the Filipinos firsthand. Few of these traits are as follow.
The Filipino Hospitality
A Filipino trait that is known everywhere is the Filipinos brand of hospitality, Filipinos welcome
their guests and tourists as if they are their own brothers and sisters; they always make their guests feel
at home, offering them something to eat, or even place to stay. They will bring out their best sets of plates
and chinaware for their honored guests and would even go as far as spending a lot of money and going
into debt just so they can satisfy them. In most local shops, Filipinos salesperson will greet their
customers with warm welcome and say thank you when they leave even without buying anything.
Filipinos also anticipate giving tour to friends who will visit their hometown and treating them to the best
restaurants and delicacies for free. During festivals or fiestas, Filipinos serve heaps of festive food and
invite the whole barangay over. They are also fond of giving pasalubong or tokens from their travels and
pabaon or farewell gifts to their visitors.

Respect for Elders

Filipinos greet their elders by kissing their hand while saying “Mano po!” and constantly using “po”
and “opo” in conversations. Forgetting to address older people properly will regard them as rude and
impolite. There is also a wide array of references to elder people such as Ate for older sister; Kuya for
older brother;tito and tita for uncle and aunt, respectively; Lolo and Lola for grandfather and grandfather;
andManongandAlingfor older people outside the family.\
Close Family Ties
Filipinos maintain a tight relationship with their families regardless if the children are old enough
and already have families of their own. They are also fond of family reunions during birthdays, holidays, or
fiesta year-round. Some Filipino families even opt to live in a big house where everyone can stay
together. Nursing homes are almost always not an option for family members and choose to take care of
their elders themselves.
Cheerful Personality
Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. They smile when they are happy, or
sometimes even when they are sad or angry. Smiling has been a coping strategy for many Filipinos
especially during trying times and calamities. For instance, Filipinos smile and wave at the camera while
being interviewed even after a fire or flooding incident. They always try to maintain a positive outlook in
life which makes them resilient and able to manage almost everything with a simple smile.
Self- Sacrifice
The self-sacrificing attitude of Filipinos can be seen as an extension of the Filipino hospitality.
Filipinos go out of their way to extend help to their friends, families, and loved ones. They wish comfort
and better lives for their loved ones and would even go to the extent of working abroad hundreds of miles
away to earn more money and save up for them. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) sacrifice a lot; that is
why they are regarded as the modern day Filipino heroes. There are also times when the eldest among
the children of the family would give up school to work and provide for the rest of the family and educate
his or her siblings.
Bayanihan
Bayanihan is the spirit of communal unity and cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about giving
without expecting something in return. Filipinos are always ready to share and help their friends and loved
ones who are in need. It may not always be in monetary form, but the time and effort they give also count
as form of help for them. This trait is particularly manifested in how Filipinos rally themselves to send aid
to those who are severely affected by natural calamities.
“Bahalana” Attitude
“Bahala Na” is the Filipino version of the famous line “hakunamatata” meaning no worries the
phrase is said to be originated from “bathalana” where bathala means God, and the phrase meaning
leaving everything into God’s hands. It can also be viewed as something similar to the cheerful and
positive attitude of Filipinos and following situations take care of themselves instead of worrying about
them.
Colonial Mentality
Colonial mentality is regarded as the lack of patriotism and the attitude where Filipinos favor
foreign products more than their own. This does not only concern goods but also the desire to look more
foreign than local and keep up with foreign beauty trends. It is attributed to the centuries of colonization
Filipinos had experienced under the Spanish, American and Japanese rule.
“Maṅana” Habit
This is the Filipino term of procrastination, it was derived from a longer Filipino phrase called
“mamayana” meaning dawdling things, which could have been done at an earlier time. It is a poor habit of
laziness that results in heavier workload.

“NingasKugon”
“Ningas” is a Filipino term for flame and “Kugon” is a Filipino term for cogon grass that easily
burns out after it is put into flames. Ningaskugon refers to the attitude of eagerly starting things but quickly
losing eagerness soon after experiencing difficulty, just like how fast the fire of a cogon grass burns out
moments after being ignited. Laziness is a common problem among Filipinos; that is why Filipinos
regarded as “Juan Tamad” or lazy Juan.

Pride
Most Filipinos hold on to their pride as if they are more precious than keeping a good relationship
with family and loved ones. When two parties are not in good terms, they find it so hard to apologize and
wait until the other partyasks for an apology first.

Crab Mentality
This is a toxic trait among Filipinos where one resents the achievements of another, instead of
feeling happy for that person. Just like crabs in a container they pull each other down and ruin each
other’s reputation rather than bringing them up, resulting to no progress. Filipino should change this
troublesome attitude and focus more on their own inadequacies to improve one’s self.

Filipino Time
Filipinos have this common attitude of arriving late at commitments, dinner, or parties especially if
they are meeting someone close to them. They tend to not observe punctuality altogether. The 7:00 pm
call time becomes adjusted to 7:30 pm, and almost everyone arrives at the same time because everyone
is using Filipino time.
LESSON 2: THE EARLY FILIPINOS

Many historians and scientists believe that the first inhabitants of the Philippine islands emerged
during the Pleistocene period. There are two theories on where the inhabitants (first Filipino) came from
namely: Beyer’s “Migration theory” and Jocano’s “Evolution theory”. Noted social scientist Henry Otley
Beyer believes that Filipinos descended from different groups that came from Southeast Asia in
successive waves of migration. Each group had a distinct culture, withits own customs and traditions.
While Jocano believes that Asians, including Filipinos are the result of a lengthy process of evolution and
migration.
Migration Theory
The first migrant were what Beyer caked the “Dawnmen” ( or cavemen” because they live in
caves). The dawnmen resembled Java Man, Peking Man and other Asian Home sapiens who existed
about 250,000 years ago. They did not have any knowledge of agriculture, and lived by hunting and
fishing. It was precisely in search of food that they came to the Philippines by way of the land bridges that
connected the Philippines and Indonesia. Owing perhaps to their migratory nature, they eventually left the
Philippines for destination unknown.
The second group of migrants was composed of dark skinned pygmies called “Aetas” or
“Negritoes”. About 30,000 years ago they crossed the land bridged from Malaya, Borneo and Australia
until they reached Palawan, Mindoro and Mindanao. They are pygmies who went around practically
naked and were good at hunting, fishing and food gathering. They used spears and small flint stones
weapons. The Aetas were already in the Philippines when the land bridges disappeared due to the
thinning of the ice glaciers and the subsequent increase in seawater level. This natural events “forced”
them to remain in the country and become its first permanent inhabitants.
Because of the disappearance of the land bridges the third wave of migrants was necessarily
skilled in seafaring. These were the Indonesianswho came to the islands in boat, they were more
advanced than the Aetas that they had tools made out of stone and steel. Which enabled them to build
sturdier houses, they engaged in farming and mining, and used materials made of brass; they wore
clothing and other body ornaments.
Last to migrate to the Philippines according to Beyer were Malays. They were believed to have
come from Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula more than 2,000 years ago. Like the
Indonesians they also traveled in boats. The Malay were brown-skinned and of medium height, with
straight black hair and flat noses. Their technology was said to be more advanced than that of their
predecessors, they engaged in pottery, weaving, jewelry making and metal smelting, and introduced the
irrigation system in rice planting.

Jocano’s Theory
Renowned Filipino anthropologist Felipe LandaJocano disputes Beyer’s belief that Filipinos
descended from Negritoes and Malays who migrated in the Philippines thousands of years ago.
According to Jocano, it is difficult to prove that Negritoes were the first inhabitants of this country. The
only thing that can positively concluded from fossil evidence, he says that the first men who came to the
Philippines also went to New Guinea, Java, Borneo and Australia.
Social, Economic and Political Life of Early Filipinos
Economic life
Early Filipinos primarily engaged in the following economic activities: farming, fishing, poultryand swine
raising, gold mining and trade agricultural activities among early Filipinos had an early beginning. The
people first used the slash-and burn method of planting rice. Later they adopted wet agriculture. The
slash-and-burn methods was common in the interior and high coastal areaswhile wet agriculture was
practiced in the lowlands. During the planting season, the early Filipinos performed certain rituals to
ensure a bountiful harvest work in the fields also followed the changes in season. The methods used in
wet agriculture are similar to what is being done in the rural areas today. Other crops being raised aside
from rice were millet, bananas, sweet potato or camote, areca nuts, oil, cotton, wine and vinegar and
coconuts. Abaca was raised and its fibers were gathered and made into ropes of fabrics.
Social Life
The family was, as it still is today, the smallest but the most significant unit of ancient society. The father
and mother were accorded complete obedience and respect by the children. The father was the head of
the family while the mother managed household affairs. The early Filipinos had close family ties. There
were four social classes in ancient Filipino society: the chiefs, nobles, freemen and the slaves. The datu
or the cheif headed a barangay or community. His family, relatives and elders belonged to the
maginooclass group of nobles. The freemen or middle class belong to the timawa o maharlika group. Men
who were born free or were freed from slavery composed the lowest social class because they had no
property and were under control of their master. A Filipino could become a slave through birth, in ability to
pay debts, purchase, punishment for crimes or being held captive in war. Slaves were on of two
kinds:alipingnamamahay at alipingsaguguilid. The alipingnamamahay enjoyed certain privileges such as
the right to own property, and the right to work for any master. The alipingsaguguilid did not enjoy right
and freedom at all. Women occupied a high position in early society. They were regarded as equals of
men and were given this same respect conferred upon the men. The mother of the family had the honor
of naming the children.

Political Life
The Barangay the weakest side of the culture of the early Fiipinos was their political and social
organization, and they were weak here in precisely the same way that the now uncivilized peoples of
Northern Luzon are still weak. Their state did not embrace the whole tribe or nation; included simply the
community there were in the Philippines no large states, nor even great rajas and sultan such as were
found in the Malay Archipelago, but instead on every island were a multitude of small communities, each
independent of the other and frequently waging war. The unit of their political order was a little cluster of
houses of from thirty to one hundred families, called a “barangay” which still exist in the Philippines as the
“barrio” at the head of each barangay was a chief known as the “dato” a word no longer used in the
northern Philippines, though it persist among the Moro of Mindanao. The power of this datos within their
small areas appear to have been great and they were treated with utmost respect by the people. The
barangay were grouped together in tiny federations including about as much territory as the present
towns, whose affairs were conducted by the chiefs or datos although sometimes the same to have all
been in obedience to single chief, known in some places as the “hari” at other times by the hindu word
“raja’ or the Mohammedan term “sultan” sometimes the power of one of these rajas seems to have
extended over the whole of a small island, but usually their “kingdoms” embraced only a few miles.
SYNTHESIS
In this chapter, you will learn that an individual’s race, ethnicity and physical characteristics are
not the only factors that make a person’s national identity. Values and traits are also important indicators
that set apart one nationality from the other. These values and traits may not always be a positive thing,
but being able to identify one’s self apart from other nationalities and point out weaknesses and mistakes
paired with unity and commitment, make progress a possibility. Through common goals, principles, and
values of its people a nation empower itself.

REFERENCES:

Agoncillo, Teodoro. History of the Filipino People, (2010). C&E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.