AKO BA TO? ASAL PINOY?

It is polite to be late!!! Be punctual in a party and get branded as too eager and greedy for food. Magsabi ng Oo kahit Hindi!
 

Cross the street right beneath the footbridge. Pwedeng magbigay ng tong sa pulis! Pwedeng sakay-baba sa gitna ng daan. Sandali lang. sakayDont stare at another guy or you get in trouble. Kantiawan ang nagkakaraoke, saksak ang aabutin mo! Very Filipino???!!!

   

To understand the behavior of the Filipino, we must answer the question:

The Filipino Personality & Culture



To identify the Filipino personality is difficult to pursue because:

There is a problem of choosing a reliable method to analyze the traits and values of Filipinos, a people whose country had been greatly influenced by colonizers; Most researchers have used western models not applicable to Filipino culture. That is, according to Landa Jocano (1978), the discrepancies between research findings and real Filipino behavior.

1.

2.

Despite the limitations, we find the essence of a Filipino personality based on scientific research and observation of the history and the cultural way of life of Filipinos.

WHO IS THE FILIPINO?

In the 16th century, more than 7,000 islands were inhabited by Negritoes, Indonesians, Malays and the Chinese of the Ming dynasty. There was no Filipino yet. Pedro Chirino (1969) in his book The Philippines in 1600 likened the Philippines to a Spanish seed planted in Malay soil and nourished by Chinese and American influences.

The FILIPINO SOUL

is a synthesis of: 1. the Malay 2. the Chinese mind, and 3. the Indian art

1. The Malays are charming, trusting as a child, naturally tolerant, forbearing and kind. He laughs a good deal, and is convinced that tomorrow everything will be better. He is generous and is usually unwilling to press a point due to largeness of heart. He is brave to the point of recklessness. The Malay is frivolous, characterized as lack of seriousness. His religious rituals are occasion for merrymaking and enjoyment. His meetings are reduced into a litany of green jokes and bawdy stories about dancing girls. He praises the man who gets along well with others, marunong makisama. 2. The Chinese mind is a blend of philosophy and pragmatism. His patience and perseverance, hardiness and foresight, frugality and thrift have been transplanted into the Filipino psyche. The Confucian philosophy accounts for most of the values the Filipinos imbibed. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D), some 3,000 Chinese (618traders came and established residence in the Philippines. According to Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil (1978), about 10% of Filipino Guerrerogenes is Chinese. 3. The Indian elements in the Filipino lie mainly in art, manners, beliefs and language.

The FILIPINO HEART: Spanish Christian. Christian.

Christianization and social organizations along western lines were contributions of the Spaniards. Eighty percent (80%) of Filipinos embraced Spanish Catholicism, a religion based on folk Catholicism mixed with pre-Spanish presuperstitions and pagan beliefs. Many of the value judgments or the social standards of Filipino life are Spanish in origin. Delicadeza is a Spanish concept. Emphasis on appearance, reputation, privilege and status are all Spanish.

The MIND OF THE FILIPINO: AMERICAN

Some of the elements are: the public health system, road system, mass education, English language, Western democracy, presidential system, Congress. The American regime made the Filipinos pragmatic. For many centuries inside a monastic culture, the Filipinos suddenly were exposed to Hollywood. Where before he had an obedient mind, now he is asking questions. Under the Americans, Filipinos became materialistic and individualistic, no longer the Orientals

What is the thinking of others.

The Filipino Value Orientation



The Filipino is frequently diagnosed as one suffering from identity crisis. crisis. He is ambivalent in his convictions and distrustful of his competence. He is Asian by birth but matured with a Western mind. The Filipino value is more

  

outerouter-directed than inner-directed. inner-

They are little more than unfortunate clones of the West. They suffer from a lack of their own culture. (says Delia Aguilar, 1995).


His sense of inferiority was wrought in the Filipino mind by the Spaniards: He is not as good as the white man because he is native, brown and smallsmallnosed, and an Asian.


The Filipino psychology permeates four histories and four cultures: Malay, Spanish, American and Japanese.


He is a creation of diverse social, economic, cultural, political and psychological stresses.



The Filipino Aims, Goals and Aspirations



  

Fr. Frank Lynch (1976) identifies the three basic aims that predominantly motivate and control the behavior of the Filipino: 1. social acceptance 2. economic security, and 3. social mobility (considered the most important).

1. Social acceptance
Social acceptance as goal is defined as being taken by ones fellow for what he is or is believed to be and being that image in accordance with his status. Attainment of social acceptance is assisted by two intermediate values which are recognized as important and satisfying goals: Smoothness of interpersonal relations, relations, on one hand, and sensitivity to personal affront, affront, on the other.

Smooth Interpersonal Relationship (SIR) is the ability to get along with others in such a way as to avoid signs of conflict. The method used to maintain SIR includes pakikisama, euphemism, and the use of go-between. goSensitivity to Personal Affront --- the loss of social acceptance is guarded against by two sanctions that discourage behavior descriptive of those relations: i. hiya ii. amor propio

2. Economic Security
Economic Security. For the average Filipino, economic security as a goal means the desire to possess the essentials for a decent human life and the opportunities for improving onself. It suggests self-sufficiency to maintain ones dignity and family. Instrumental to this goal-value of economic security is the value of reciprocity. Reciprocity is that principle of behavior wherein every service, solicited or not, demands a return, the nature and proportion of which is determined by the relative status of the parties involved and the kind of exchange of issue. The utang na loob reciprocity is most consciously generated when a transfer of goods or services takes place between individuals belonging to two different groups.

3. Social Mobility
Social Mobility (is considered the most important).  It is going up the ladder of social class--- from class--lower class to elite class;  It is emerging from poverty to riches.

The Filipino Hierarchy of Needs



Dr. Tomas Andres has observed that the Filipino is motivated by the following hierarchy of needs:
HEROISM SOCIAL MOBILITY SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE

RECIPROCITY

FAMILISM

1. FAMILISM


As against Maslows Physiological Needs) the Filipino has the need to belong. More than any belong. physical need, he must be part of the family. In times of need, mayroon siyang matutuluyan, may dadamay, may masisilungan. If hungry, hindi sya matitiis ng pamilya at may mauuwian. For the Filipino, he would rather suffer hunger with the family.

2. RECIPROCITY


The Filipino has the need to be reciprocated. Kung reciprocated. may itinanim, may aanihin. He is governed by Utang na Loob. Someday, those with whom the Filipino was generous enough will be able to repay somehow in any way.

3. SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE


The Filipino has the need to be accepted in a bigger group. No wonder he wants to preserve balance and harmony, employ SIR, reciprocate (magbayad ng utang na loob), huwag manghiya at ayaw mapahiya.

4. SOCIAL MOBILITY


The Filipino aspires to climb the socio-economic socioladder: From being poor, to middle class and probably becoming an elite. Improving from rags to riches, ala-Nora Aunor is a dream. Education alais a value to transport one from prestige to economic stability. The Filipino will do any means, even going abroad as an OFW, to improve the lot of the family.

5. HEROISM (or Pagkabayani) Pagkabayani)



The Filipino has the ultimate need to be esteemed and revered. He gets a lifting revered. spirit when he does good to his family or society and this achievement is recognized and acknowledged. He is kilalangkilalang-tao, an esteemed and revered member of the family or society. Certainly, the ultimate sense of heroism is when the Filipino sheds blood for ones own country, becoming a hero.

How does the Filipino preserve equilibrium?



Not to rock the boat, the Filipino looks for meaning in what is not said. The silence for the Filipino together with the pauses between silences are very meaningful. They convey messages. The Filipino seek mainly to receive messages that often do not have to be stated directly or explicitly. The Filipino is indirect because he wants to keep his interpersonal encounters pleasant and friendly. In that way, the channel of communication will remain open. The Filipino cannot be frank. When a Filipino listens to a person, his immediate instinctive reaction is to try to figure out what the speaker likes, what he is like, what kind of a person he is and by identifying himself with the speaker, he can understand what he is talking about.

For the Filipino, his concept of society is the absence of conflict and existence of equilibrium in society.


If a Japanese or an American is slapped, they will either ask for the reason or simply go away. But generally, a classical Filipino will go away but will come back with a weapon in hand to kill the one who slapped him.

Example of Filipinos Indirectness

    

  

Parinig - letting the other party hear by speaking to a different person. In the Jeepney: God knows who does not pay! Biruan Biru-biro kung sanglan, totoo king tamaan BiruBatuBatu-bato sa langit ang tamaan huwag magagalit. The Filipino uses a camouflage of words para hindi makasakit ng damdamin at kalooban. Therefore, the Filipino can talk anything under the sun because he will not hurt anyone. The Filipino feels safe and secure. But when directly, frankly, singled out for derogation, and pushed to the wall and is hurt, the defense mechanism of the Filipino is often lively: verbally and behaviorally. Pakipot to close up not to lay self open; The Filipino is not making the first move towards involvement or commitment. Hinihingi ko lang, hindi nagagalit. Hindi mapagtanim, masama lang magalit. Pakitang tao He is showy for the benefit of social approval. The Filipino feels he is being watched. Thus, he is expected some roles and evaluated by the community.

Communication is peculiar among Filipinos

YES for Pinoys has seven (7) meanings:
        

He does not know; He is annoyed; He wants to impress; He wants to end the conversation; He half understood the instruction or what is being said; He is not sure of himself; and, He knows better than the one speaking to him. The Filipino says YES and NO in order not to offend. Yes has various meanings, one of them is NO.

Ill Try
ILL TRY means according to how it is said. Drop by dinner tonight --- Ill try --- means he is asking you to repeat the invitation more strongly because:


invitations to a persons home are not made lightly in the Philippines. Therefore, repeat strongly and repetitively; Pakikisama demands that invitations are made frequently when the host does expect the guest to accept. Or else, pabalat bunga lang. Thus, say, Ill try.

SILENCE
 

The Filipino SILENCE means something should not reveal anything big. (For other countries it means yes or agree or approve or consenting). However, do not force him to talk. Otherwise, he will tell you nothing. Filipino feels that he should not reveal anything because he fears to stir up conflict with people. If he reveals his thoughts to individuals, he reveals some only which he thinks would be acceptable to you. Even when a Filipino could not agree with you, he will choose weak agreement by saying: Siguro nga or Baka saying: or Yata rather than disagree with you.

The Filipino Concept of Time

For Westerners, time is gold, or time is money. They count every second and every minute and hours. Time is limited and must not be wasted. It is linear in nature and has an end.  For Filipinos, times is unending and limitless as a circle (cyclical). Time has no beginning and no end. Being close to nature, he says:

  

Sisikat pa ang araw, May bukas pa! Magbubukang liwayway na

Thus, unlike the westerners who track down time by the clock, the Filipino would rather measure time according to nature. There is no wonder then that the Filipino can not come on time.

The Filipinos Split Level Christian Personality

Ang Pinoy, sisimba; paglabas sa simbahan:
       

Magmumura Magsusugal Mangangaliwa o mambababae magnanakaw sa gobyerno magsusugal iinom ng alak magsasabong tataya sa jueteng

History tells us, the Spaniards imposed Catholicism on animist Filipinos without educating them. Moreover, they preached religion but acted otherwise. Filipinos do not understand Catholicism fully. Thus, they prefer to go to Quiapo for the magic (milagro ng Nazareno). The Filipino prays and acts differently.

SUCH IS THE FILIPINO PERSONALITY - - VIBRANT

ALIVE &

INTERESTING!!!

The End