Lesson 7

The Political Self and Being a Filipino

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Develop a Filipino identity;

2. Identify the different Filipino values and traits; and
3. Reflect on your selfhood in relation to your national identity.

Who is a Filipino?

1. Technically speaking, according to our 1987 Philippine Constitution, a Filipino is anyone who
is: A. those who are fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;
B. Those born before January 17, 1973 of Filipino mothers who elect Philippine
citizenship upon reaching the age of majority
C. Those who are naturalized in accordance with the law.

2.Culture and History- greatly affects the manners of Filipinos, the way they live, learn and
develop their personalities.

Common Filipino Values and Traits

1. Filipino Hospitality- Hospitality is a trait displayed by every Filipino, characterized by

heart-warming generosity and friendliness exhibited to foreigners and locals alike.
Filipinos receive guests, even strangers, in a warm and pleasant way, often going out of
their way to make the visitor comfortable
2. Respect for Elders- Respect for one's elders is traditional in the Philippines. When a
Filipino child meets an older family member, the youth customarily greets them with a
gesture called mano po, taking the older relative's hand and placing it on his or her own
forehead to express profound respect for the elder.
3. Close Family Ties- Strong Family Ties in the Philippines. Filipinos are family oriented
people. They have a strong family values that keep people together on Sundays,
holidays and even after they are married. The Filipino Family centers on its members.
4. Cheerful Personality- Filipinos have a habit of smiling and laughing a lot. Smiling or
laughing has been the coping strategy for many Filipinos especially during trying times
and calamities.
5. Self-sacrifice- Most Filipinos are willing to work abroad just to provide a comfortable life
for the family members. OFW nowadays are perfect examples of self-sacrifice and
modern day heroes.
6. Bayanihan- is a Filipino custom derived from a Filipino word “bayan”, which means
nation, town or community. The term bayanihan itself literally means “being in a
bayan”, which refers to the spirit of communal unity, work and cooperation to achieve a
particular goal.
7. “Bahala na” Attitude- Bahala na is both a socio-cultural value in the Philippines, and a
phrasing in Filipino language that is either said as an expression of a fatalistic attitude
towards life or as a determined one in a challenging situation where things are risky and
uncertain.
8. Colonial Mentality- is the internalized attitude of ethnic or cultural inferiority felt by
people as a result of colonization, i.e. them being colonized by another group. It
 corresponds with the belief that the cultural values of the colonizer are inherently
superior to one's own.
9. “Manana Habit- is one of the most negative traits of some people. It means mamaya na
in Filipino or to do a certain thing in a later time. It is a procrastinating way of doing
things or simple means finding a way to delay a work to be done.
10. Ningas Kugon- is actually a Filipino idiom which describes someone who is only doing
well, in whatever it is that they're doing, during the beginning. It figuratively means that
the individual is unable to maintain the quality of his/her work any better than a Cogon
grass maintains its burn (ningas).
11. Pride- Most Filipinos hold on 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 party asks for an apology first.
12. Crab Mentality- A way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither
can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the
side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.
13. Filipino Time- means being minutes to hours late compared to the standard time. It's
like having our own clock, albeit aware that the right time is the World Standard Time.
In our defense, not all Filipinos are usually late.

How to be a Good Filipino?

1. Be an active Filipino citizen- one should be aware of the current events and participated
In the government programs that aims for progress and development.
2. Study the Philippine History- learning the story in the past and the lessons that one can
understand lead one Filipino to appreciate more and love more about his country and
the welfare of the entire nation.
3. Support Local Products- patronizing the local products and industries in our country are
not only helping local businessmen but it also help in a bigger scale in general the
economy of the country.
4. Speak the Filipino Language- learn, love and be proud of our own language, it is the way
to preserve our culture, heritage and our civilization in general.
5. Democracy in Dissent- Respect in each other’s points of view and differences.

Source:
Eden Joy Alata and Bernardo Nicholas Caslib and et. Al., 2018 Understanding the Self: Rex
Bookstore, Manila, Philippines. Pgs 88-97
 Activity 7
Proud to be a Filipino
Instruction: Create an acrostic which will describe you being a Filipino. In may be express in
English or in Tagalog or Cebuano if you wish!

F-

I-

L-

I-

P-

I-

N-

O-

Does being a Filipino affect your “self”? why?