Guide Questions from the readings, Defining Filipino Culture through Arts.

1. Why cultural identity is essential for development.

Cultural identity is the foundation for societal development. As we accept and interpret
not only our personal identity but also the values, beliefs, traditions, actions, and customs of
the community in which we live, we are able to get in touch and develop deeper relationships
with the world around us. This will then lead to us building stronger relationships with
people we share a commonality with that’ll help in our own as well as other people’s
development. Our culture's progress and evolution are two things that go hand-in-hand.

2. What is the relationship between cultural identity, art, and development?

Art influences cultural identity while cultural identity influences development. It is

through art, along with other core principles such as beliefs and customs, that we are capable
of forming or developing our cultural identity. Now it is with these cultural identities that we
can experience personal and social development because this identity is what gives us a sense
of who we are. Now putting it all together, art produced by a specific community is a part of
one’s cultural identity, and the said cultural identity will affect the way that individual will
develop socially, physically, and emotionally.

3. What are some problems regarding Filipino cultural identity posited by Dr.Felipe De Leon?
What could be the ill effects of Western education? How did this affect the Filipino psyche?
As a result of the high degree of Westernization in our educational system, Filipinos
become more and more Westernized and estranged from their cultural roots as they move up
the academic ladder. Because of this, a Filipino is more likely to find employment outside of
his or her neighborhood, possibly in Manila or another nation, the more specialized his or her
education. Since Indigenous concepts and ideas, knowledge, systems, and practices align
with our psyche, the more it gets westernized, the more we lose our sense of identity.
4. Specify three (3) concrete examples of how Filipino consciousness was altered. Expound on
your answer and tackle the different implications of the examples cited by Dr. De Leon.
One is the alienation from being a Filipino. With the coming of Spanish authority, the
Filipinos' sense of dignity and value began to diminish. But during the American era, public
education was the most methodically used to separate the Filipino from his roots. There is no
such thing as a damaged culture, only a damaged self-image. If the Spaniards tried to convert
the Filipinos primarily via religion, the Americans did so through formal education.
Second is the alienation from sustainable living. American ideas, attitudes, and behaviors
were presented as models for what was desirable, modern, and civilized. The pleasantness of
traditional Philippine living, on the other hand, was made to appear like a liability. A
mistranslation of the Bahay Kubo was taught to thousands of Filipino children: "My nipa hut
is very small," whereas the original stated, "My nipa hut even if it's small." Even if it's small,
with all the plants around it and its creative use of bamboo, it could be a model for a
sustainable lifestyle. But instead, we look down on it.
 The third is the alienation from the land. We fantasize about things that are unrelated to
our actual needs and current social and material situations as a result of glorifying an alien
lifestyle. Many of us fantasize about a tropical white Christmas complete with Santa Claus,
sleigh bells, and mistletoe. Our collective experiences have been so overlooked that,
according to a survey, 80 percent of farmers' children do not want to be farmers, preferring to
work in white-collar industries and live a bourgeois lifestyle.
5. What could be the threats of Professional tribalism?

Professional tribalism can lead to discriminatory behaviors and selfishness based on in-
group loyalty since this creates a social division in a traditional society comprised of
communities or people related by social, religious, economic, or blood ties, with a shared
culture. Each of the tribes’ formed allegiance may heighten unhealthy and unnecessary
competition. It also has the potential to destroy the unity or ability of communities to act for
the benefit of everyone because these tribes will be after their own good.
6. How can post-modern theories be both a threat and an opportunity to redefine the Filipino
cultural identity?
Post-modern theories can be an opportunity due to the fact that it results in a more
comprehensive understanding of themes in art history, aesthetics, and art criticism assisting
Filipino intellectuals and academics in deconstructing colonialism and elite privilege,
particularly in the arts. However, it can also be a threat because numerous features of
structuralist philosophy turned out to be another formalism, and hence elitist, while the
relativism of many postmodern critiques precluded the construction of a vision for the nation
due to its feared imposition on every person's freedom to construct his or her own distinct
identity.
7. Specify the characteristics of traditional Filipino Arts and expound on each. Explain their
significance to counter the cultural amnesia of Filipinos.
One characteristic is the integration of the arts with other values and functions. This
means that art is not valued on its own. We learned from the previous topics that art without
function is still considered art for its aesthetics may still be intrinsically linked to utilitarian,
religious, moral, spiritual, social, and environmental concerns.
Another characteristic is the unity of the arts. The integration of artistic senses is
consistent with the integration of faculties. No sensory mode or aesthetic intelligence should
be developed at the expense of others.
Art is also integrated with everyday life and not regarded as a separate activity. Everyone
can use it; specialists are not the only ones. As a result, there won't be any specific places or
spaces designated for art because it may be found everywhere and whenever there is human
activity.
There are relatively no superstars, for the source of power does not come from an
individual, which is why there is equal opportunity for everyone to participate in the artistic
and creative process.
Another attribute is the flexibility of the material, technical, and formal requirements.
There is no fixed choice of materials that may be utilized, the individual’s imagination is the
 limit. This attribute ensures the participation of a wider audience in the artistic endeavors of
our community.
Use of available resources for artistic creation. In line with the flexible use of various
materials in producing art, an individual’s artistic skills can be further enhanced judging on
their use of available resources or simply by their resourcefulness.
Emphasis on the creative process rather than the finished product. The most expensive
materials may not turn out as expensive as they should’ve looked, and low-cost materials can
be turned into something else much more than raggedy. Regardless, it is the creative process
that bears much more significance rather than the final product.
The last characteristic is the simultaneity of conception and realization. The practice
of instant mirroring or biofeedback, along with an emphasis on the creative process, affirms
the creative imagination and creates an optimal environment for communal participation.
8. What could be the difference between Western cultural values to Filipino Traditional values
that can be mirrored through arts? Explain
In Philippine culture, there is an underlying faith in humanity's unity. A profoundly
shared devotion fosters an extended sense of self, a community rather than individualistic
orientation, intuitive and holistic rather than logical and analytic, and a preference for
interdependence and relationships over self-assertion and privacy which is the tendency for
the western culture. Instead of being overly concerned with protecting their private realm, as
is the case with Westerners, many Filipinos actively seek a convergence of their life with the
lives of others. As a result, Filipinos develop highly skillful and creative interpersonal
relationships and social engagement.