THE POLITICAL SELF and

BEING FILIPINO
PROF. ISIDRO APOLLO G. VALENSOY, JR.
Course Facilitator
LESSON OBJECTIVES:

1) TO DEVELOP A FILIPINO IDENTITY;

2) TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT FILIPINO
VALUES;
3) TO REFLECT ON HIS OR HER
SELFHOOD IN RELATION TO HIS
NATIONAL IDENTITY.
ACTIVITY:

CUT OUT PICTURES FROM MAGAZINES

AND NEWSPAPERS OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THAT CALL TO MIND YOUR BEING
FILIPINO. POST THEM ON AT AN AREA
DESIGNATED TO YOUR GROUP AT THE
CHALKBOARD.
 ANALYSIS:

1) HOW DOES THE PICTURES REMIND YOU OF YOUR

BEING FILIPINO?
2) ARE YOU PROUD OF BEING A FILIPINO? WHY AND
WHY NOT?
3) IMAGINE YOU WERE OF A DIFFERENT
NATIONALITY, WHAT WOULD CHANGE IN YOU
ASIDE FROM YOUR NATIONALITY AND ORIGIN?
4) HOW EXTENSIVE ARE THE EFFECTS OF BEING
FILIPINO IN YOUR SELFHOOD?
 THE WORLD “OUTSIDE” OF US

IN THE PAST, HOW DOES ONE GET THE

OPPORTUNITY OF KNOWING ABOUT WHAT’S IN
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD?

AT PRESENT, HOW DO WE GET IN TOUCH WITH

WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?
 THE WORLD “OUTSIDE” OF US

IN THE PAST, HOW DOES ONE GET THE OPPORTUNITY OF

KNOWING ABOUT WHAT’S IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
WORLD?

AT PRESENT, HOW DO WE GET IN TOUCH WITH WHAT’S

HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?

WHAT PHENOMENON GAVE WAY FOR EVERYONE TO BE

KEPT UPDATED OF WHAT’S HAPPENING EVERY NOW AND
THEN?
 WHAT MAKES A FILIPINO A GENUINE FILIPINO?

IS IT THE COLOR OF OUR HAIR? IS IT OUR

COMPLEXION? IS IT THE WAY WE SPEAK? IS IT
BECAUSE OF OUR BIRTHPLACE? IS IT BECAUSE OF OUR
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?
 WHAT MAKES A FILIPINO A GENUINE FILIPINO?

THE PHILIPPINES AS WE KNOW IT HAS ONLY EMERGED

IN THE 1890s AFTER OVER THREE CENTURIES OF
COLONIZATION OF THE SPANIARDS, AMERICANS, AND
JAPANESE. HOW DID THIS AFFECT US?

DO FILIPINOS HAVE TRULY DEVELOPED AN IDENTITY

OF THEIR OWN? OR ARE THEY STILL LIVING IN THE
SHADOW OF THEIR COLONIAL FRIENDS?
 WHO IS THE FILIPINO?

FILIPINOS ARE OFTENLY REFERENCED FROM

GLOBALLY RENOWNED PERSONALITIES LIKE…

BUT WHAT OCCASIONS THAT WE PUBLICLY

CELEBRATE PROMPT US TO GO BACK TO OUR
ROOTS AND REFLECT ON THE QUESTION: “WHO
IS THE FILIPINO?”
 WHO IS THE FILIPINO?

WHAT THE 1987 PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION SAYS:

“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.”
 WHO IS THE FILIPINO?

IS CITIZENSHIP THE ONLY MARKER OF BEING A

FILIPINO?

CULTURE, HISTORY, AND TRADITIONS

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
 FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS

THE FILIPINO HOSPITALITY

RESPECT FOR ELDERS
CLOSE FAMILY TIES
CHEERFUL PERSONALITY
SELF-SACRIFICE
BAYANIHAN
BAHALA NA ATTITUDE
COLONIAL MENTALITY
MANANA HABIT
NINGAS KUGON
PRIDE
CRAB MENTALITY
FILIPINO TIME
FILIPINO MARKERS (HALLMARKS)

• PROVERBS OR SALAWIKAIN
• SUPERSTITIONS
• MYTHS AND LEGENDS
• HEROES AND ICONS
HOW TO BE A GOOD FILIPINO

• BE AN ACTIVE FILIPINO CITIZEN

• STUDY THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY
• SUPPORT LOCAL PRODUCTS
• SPEAK THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE
• DO NOT SPREAD FAKE NEWS AND BE DEMOCRATIC IN ENGAGING
WITH DISSENT