Module 8

THE POLITICAL SELF

Introduction

As members of the society, people are naturally obligated to participate

in a political system as social citizens. Politics is the way that people living
in groups make decisions. It is about making agreements between people so that
they can live together in groups such as tribes, cities, or countries. As Aristotle
stated, “man is, by nature, a political man.” This is because man is a social being
and that people naturally drawn to various political involvement in order to satisfy their
social needs. The political self-explores how our social and economic contexts
profoundly affect our overall well-being. It is the aspect of our identity that
is political, such as beliefs about what a “good society” means or how much government
regulation is appropriate.
This section allows students to have an understanding of their self – concept in
political perspective and improve one’s political identity as a Filipino.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. identify values, traits, political community and institutions as aspects
of political self.
2. describe what a democratic culture is.
3. understand the concept of self in political thought; and
4. examine one’s political identity.

Learning Content

Who is a Filipino?

According the 1987 Phil. Constitution, Filipino citizen are "those whose father or mother
are citizens of the Philippines those born before Jan.17, 1973 of Filipino, mother who
elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority and those who are
naturalized in accordance with law".

What is Political?

It is primarily concerned with the making as distinguished from the administration of

governmental policy. A republic is a political system in which the government remains
mostly subject to those governed. Some scholars define any political system in which the
citizens legitimize the government.
The Philippines today has only emerged in the 1980s after over three centuries
colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, the Japanese only occured in 1946. Foreign
culture, beliefs, language, and religion have made a huge dent on our own by setting a
foundation to the contemporary Filipino identity and culture. Filipino have truly
developed an identity of their own? or we still living in the shadow of our colonial
friends.
The individual's race, ethnicity, and physical characteristics are not the only factors that
make a person's national identity. The important of values and traits are set apart ne
nationality from the other. This values and traits may not always be a positive thing, but
being able to identity one's self apart from other nationalities and point out weakness
and mistakes, paired with unity and progress a possibility.

What is Political Self?

It captures the extent to which a person thinks of themselves as a “political person”.

These are beliefs about what a “good society” means or how much government
regulation is appropriate. Political self-organization then refers to the formation
of political patterns through the local interactions of the members only; this can be seen
in the formation of public opinion, political movements, and political revolutions. In a
cultural context, self-organizing processes can be seen in the formation of customs and
the development of beliefs. In a socioeconomic context self-organization can be seen in
the growth, competition, and extinction of companies, national economies and the stock
market.

Filipino Traits and Values

What do Filipinos value?

The term kapwa or a shared inner self lies at the core of Filipino values and psychology.
A person who treats another as a kapwa has a shared a sense of identity and
consciousness with that ‘other’ person. Both in the individual and community level,
strong emphasis is placed on social acceptance and maintaining social harmony. As
such, social approval and caring about what others will think, say, or do strongly
influence social behavior.

FILIPINO TRAITS
Hospitality - Offer the warmth and comfort of your place to a friend
or relative who needs a place to stay.
- Give more than of your best to make your guests feel at
home.
Cheerful & Optimistic - Problems are inevitable but Filipinos are known to be
positive and joyful – plaster a sweet smile on your face.
Respect - Pagmamano, beso, and paghalik sa kamay should be
manifested.
- Use po and opo and/or polite expressions when talking
to someone older than you.
Close family Ties - Maintain a harmonious relationship with your family
members.
- Avoid conflicts and if possible settle disputes and
misunderstandings.
 - Support and help your family and relatives up to any
extent.
Bayanihan/Unity and - Sincerely extend help to your fellowmen.
Helpfulness - Do not choose whom to help.
- Offer help when someone needs assistance.
Filipino Time - Show respect, sincerity and sensitivity by arriving at a
meeting or event on time.
Mañana Habit - Procrastination leads to a bulkier and heavier
workload.
- Do not delay tasks.
Colonial Mentality - Support locals.
Ningas Kugon - Be consistent of the ventures and things you have
started.
Crab Mentality - Be happy of other’s achievements and success.
- Put off jealousy / enviousness.
Pride - Learn to ask for an apology without waiting for the
other party to do it.

FILIPINO MARKERS

Proverbs or Salawikain - Filipino proverbs or Philippine proverbs are traditional

sayings or maxims used by Filipinos based on local culture, wisdom, and philosophies
from Filipino life. If used in everyday conversations, proverbs are utilized to emphasize
a point or a thought of reasoning: the Filipino philosophy.

Examples:
1. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. (Meaning: Never lose hope in life.)
2. Kapag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng tinapay. (Meaning: Repay evil with kindness
and blessing.)
3. Ang buhay ay parang gulong. (Meaning: There is no permanent situation in this
world.)

Superstitions - beliefs or practice based upon one's trust in luck or other irrational,
unscientific, or supernatural forces. Often, it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding
of science or causality, a belief in fate or magic, or fear of that which is unknown.

Examples:
1. The number of steps of staircases at home should not be divisible by three.
2. Don’t go straight home after attending a wake.
3. Siblings should not marry within the same year (sukob).

Myths and Legends - historical fact morphs into a legend when the truth has been
exaggerated to the point that real people or events have taken on a romanticized, "larger
than life" quality. In contrast, a myth is a type of symbolic storytelling that was never
based on fact.
Examples:
1. Mythical creatures such as duwende, diwata, engkanto, kapre, aswang, etc.
2. The Legend of Makahiya
3. The Heartbreaking Story of Alitaptap (Bataan Legend)

Heroes and Icons - heroes serve as reminder of true patriotism and nationalism as
they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country`s freedom and progress.
Examples: Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, Lea Salonga

Political Community and Institutions

According to Aristotle, every community “is established for the sake of some
good.” This is because “everyone does everything for the sake of what they believe to be
good,” though they of course can be wrong about what “the good” is. It follows that a
political community must also be established for the sake of some good. Like Plato,
Aristotle believed that such a community must be large enough to be self-sufficient, but
must nevertheless remain relatively small. It is a group of like-minded people who share
common political goals and values such as social justice, lowering taxes, improving
educational policy, etc.
Political institutions definitely impact our economy, education, culture and
society. For example, political parties, trade unions, legislature and judiciary are
needed in order to safeguard the interests of citizens of the country and to ensure the
unity and integrity of the nation. It further results in the overall development of the
country. they ensure that the laws are being followed by the citizens of the country.

Establishing a Democratic Culture

The word democracy describes a political system. In a democratic country, all

eligible citizens have the right to participate, either directly or indirectly, in making the
decisions that affect them.
Democratic culture is defined as the desire and ability of individuals in a
population to participate actively, individually and together, to the government of public
affairs affecting them. The existence of a democratic culture within a population is
characterized by the active contribution, effective and in duration, of members of civil
society to development of: the common good, the terms of “living together” and the
construction of collective decisions. An example of democracy at work is in the
Philippines, where people have political freedom and equality. In our country, supreme
powers lies with the people, the power of the elected representatives would be supreme,
democracy requires free and fair election and requires respect for law and minority
opinion.

Strengthening your Political Skills

Political skill is the ability to effectively understand others at work, and to use
such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one's personal and/or
organizational objectives. Dimensions include social astuteness (how well you
understand other), interpersonal influence (how you make others feel at ease),
networking ability (using your formal and informal network to advance your goals) and
apparent sincerity (how genuine and sincere you appear to others).

How to Improve your Political Skills

1. Make a political "book." With any organization or group you're involved with, it's
a good idea to gather some insights on the people you work with most often.
Record notes regarding how they each tend to approach problems.

2. Draw a "power web." Create a chart showing the power relationships among all
the people in your organization or workgroup. Power relationships are those
connections in which the parties help one another move projects forward and
obtain needed support and resources.

3. Strengthen and forge relationships. Review your power web to spot opportunities
to strengthen existing relationships, as well as forge new ones. For example, ask
yourself which individuals on your web might make valuable power-relationship
partners — but you haven't yet cultivated mutually beneficial connections with
them.

4. A key part of developing and wielding political skill is simply knowing other
people — their major concerns and their priorities. By figuring out what you can
do for them and what they can do for you, you nurture relationships of mutual
influence and benefit.

Teaching & Learning Activities

Measuring Your Political Skill

Instructions: Using the following scale, please place a number in the blank next to each
item that best describes how much you agree with each statement in your work
environment.
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Disagree
1 2 3 4 5

Rating
1. I spend a lot of time and effort at work networking with others
2. I am able to make most people feel comfortable and at ease around
him
3. I am able to communicate easily and effectively with others
4. It is easy for me to develop good rapport with most people
 5. I understand people very well
6. I am good at building relationships with influential people at work
7. I am particularly good at sensing the motivations and hidden
agendas of others
8. When communicating with others, I try to be genuine in what I say
and do
9. I have developed a large network of colleagues and associates at work
who I can call on for support when I really need to get things done
10. At work, I know a lot of important people and am well connected
11. I spend a lot of time and effort at work developing connections with
others
12. I am good at getting people to like me
13. My behavior suggests it is important to me that people believe I am
sincere in what I say and do
14. I try to show a genuine interest in other people
15. I am good at using connections and my network to make things
happen at work
16. I have good intuition or “savvy” about how to present myself to
others
17. I always seems to instinctively know the right things to say or do to
influence others
18. I pay close attention to peoples’ facial expressions

Your Overall Political Skill Rating

Total all your self-ratings and divide by 18. The closer you are to 5 the stronger your
competence in political skill

Your Specific Dimensions

Research by Ferris, Davidson and Perrewé (2005) identifies four dimensions of political
skill. Each is critical.

Social Astuteness (Total of questions 5, 7, 16, 17 and 18, then divided by 5). An
average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This covers how well you
understand others, their motivations, hidden agendas and knowing what are the right
things to say and do.
Interpersonal Influence (Total of questions 2, 3, 4 and 12, then divided by 4). An
average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This covers making others
feel at ease, are likeable and communicate well with others, building rapport.
Networking Ability (Total of questions 1, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 15, then divided by 6). An
average close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This covers networking skills
– whereby you want to network and can do so easily, especially with influential people.
You can deftly use your informal and formal network to advance your goals.
Apparent Sincerity (Total of questions 8, 13 and 14, then divided by 3). An average
close to 5 indicates competence in this dimension. This covers how genuine and sincere
you appear to others. Scoring high suggests you know how important it is to be seen as
sincerely interested in others at all times.

Recommended Learning Materials & Resources for Supplementary Reading

For further readings of the traits and values of a Filipino, visit this link
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Filipino-Traits-and-Characteristics

Loob at Kapwa: An Introduction to a Filipino Virtue Ethics -

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09552367.2015.1043173?
journalCode=casp20

Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) Adopted

SYNCHRONOUS
- Video conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet, or Facebook room)
- Learning Management System
ASYNCHRONOUS
- Printed Module

Assessment Tasks

1. Conduct a short interview with your parents/grandparents about Filipino traits

and values, superstitions, legends which they believe are important part of their
lives as Filipinos. What are its implications to the present generation? Provide
your insights.

2. Cite a particular political group, institution or affiliation you are actively involved
with. Describe its goals and purpose, activities, accomplishments and your
personal reasons of joining the community. How does it contribute to the
development of your political identity?

3. Under the following sectors, enumerate at least two activities which show how
you exercise democracy as a Filipino student.

a. Education
 b. Religion
c. Media
d. Health
e. Government

4. As a Filipino student, share at least three politically driven contributions to

address the COVID19 public health emergency?

References

Alata, E. et al. 2018. Understanding the Self. RexBook Store, Inc. (RBSI)

https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Filipino-Traits-and-Characteristics

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09552367.2015.1043173?journalCo
de=casp20

https://www.7stonesboracay.com/15-filipino-traits-that-make-the-philippines-fun-to-
visit/

https://positivepoliticalintelligence.com/free-self-assessment-of-your-political-skill/