Current Filipino Values

Filipinos are often admired for their resiliency. This concept may not have been clearly understood by many of the Filipino people, though the constant attribution of this characteristic has deeply ingrained in the psyche of most Filipinos, that they are people who are capable of facing different adversities in life. This characteristic has been described as the ability of Filipinos to withstand many disasters and natural calamities that annually come to the country and cause loss of many properties, livelihood and lives.

The Philippines is located in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the reason why it is prone to typhoons or super typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and which is being aggravated by the climate change. Filipinos continue to live, to work and to smile despite all the calamities they experience every now and then. There are some authors who argue that Filipino Resiliency is intertwined with other Filipino traits which form into a chain reaction when beset with adversities of whatever kind.

First, Filipino resiliency is not just a one dimensional ability which springs from one’s inner strength. Resiliency is developed as a fruit of the equilibrium between internal strength and the external support coming from family and community at large.

Second, the ability of Filipinos to overcome formidable forces around them is not just a personal strength but is a result of many factors. To illustrate this point, a person reacts to a stimulus around him based on his past experiences which build his entire character. Every person is a product of the many elements surrounding him namely: personal or family background, educational system, societal influences, religious beliefs and personal goals in life which affect his behavioural patterns. (Agapay 1991, 21)

Third, alongside with weak character traits of Filipinos, for instance, the attitude of enduring long suffering and being too patient with it and to easily resign to one’s fate, to the point of being exploited, (Zulueta and Nebres, 12) and the lack of exhaustive study and analysis of problems but only take them lightly even to the extent of joking and laughing at those serious problems that affect their life is being “offset by their strong and resilient character.” (Ibid., 14)

This attitude is intertwined with the “bahala na” attitude of fatalism which means, while relying one’s fate in God (Bathala) with whatever eventualities may come beyond control, one gains courage which is indispensable to bear hardship, thus becoming resilient. (Ortigas and Regalado 1978, 21)

Fourth, in the study conducted by Hechanova and Waelde, the respondents of their survey would show that resiliency is not an isolated characteristic because it has been influenced by the many factors within and outside the persons. It is “faith – based resiliency” (Hechanova and Waelde 2020, 4) which is a very important source of strength anchored in Filipino spirituality that helps him surmount difficulty and to find peace amidst personal hardship and societal catastrophe. (Andres 1996, 78) It is their faith and religiosity that enable the Filipinos to consider success as a blessing from God and to accept “tragedy and misfortune” “with an open heart.” (Zulueta and Nebres, 15)

To conclude we are able to establish that resiliency is typically defined as the capacity to recover from difficult life events. Geographically, Philippines being located in the “pacific ring of fire,” and being situated in the so called “typhoon belt” has greater exposures to hazards and natural calamities. Yet Filipinos manage to endure all these adversities that come to the country every year. This is not only to survive but to “bounce back” and even to smile and to laugh though life seems unbearable at times. What makes Filipinos able to withstand all these adversities and even to rise from them, is due to the many factors that serve as buffers to shield them from hostile forces.

Filipino resiliency is basically due to their inner strength accompanied by strong social connectedness. It is the “self- and social support” characterized with “positive relationships” that essentially provide them the safeguard amidst stressful events in life. Lastly, it is their spirituality anchored on their deep faith in God that affords them hope to look beyond the dark clouds of extreme situations and experiences. There is a God who would help them to rise and recover in those difficult and trying moments. This resiliency is one of the greatest values that Filipinos are gifted with.

FILIPINO FAMILY VALUES

With the passage of time, the impact of globalization and the influence of the social media, are there still Filipino values that are currently visible among Filipino families? I would like to mention two of the Filipino values which have been part of our culture ever since, though waning due to many factors, yet still practiced by many Filipino families.

First, the strong family ties among Filipinos is remarkably evident as one of the hall marks of being Filipino even in these modern times. It is noticeably shown through the structures of extended families which include grandparents, aunts and uncles even cousins living under one roof. The concern and care that family members are shown to one another in joyful moments and in bad, in success and failures, supporting each other in whatever circumstances in life is a proof of this. This strong family ties can also be subjected to various challenges due to the reason that some families might experience a kind of interference of the in-laws or grandparents to the affairs of the parents’ way of disciplining their children. The structure and nature of extended families can also be prone to jealousies and bickering. But it is always the care for the well-being of the family members that would prevail.

Second, the respect being accorded to parents and elderly members of the family as expressed in “pagmamano sa mga nakakatanda”, which is the taking and placing of the hands of the parents/grandparents on the forehead of the children, is still one of the greatest Filipino values. Despite the culture of “Millennialism”, the basic attitude of giving respect to parents and elderly is still practiced by many, if not by the majority of Filipinos nowadays. With the passage of time and the influence of social media there emerge new expressions of respect like hugging or kissing one’ parents, but it always boils down to the inherent inclination of the children to show their love and respect to their parents and elderly in many ways.

We cannot also discount cases of domestic violence that we hear from time to time. However, we can say that these are isolated events and undesirable situations which cannot alter the basic values of the Filipinos that have been imprinted into our hearts and minds. For us Filipinos, we believe that our family matters so much in our life. The family is the place of humanization and formation of character and values. There may be dysfunctional families, but we cannot deny the fact that the majority of us Filipinos are still trying to do our best to practice and retain closeness to other members of the family and show respect to our parents and elderly.

Yes there is no such perfect family! But amidst various circumstances, difficulties and trials that may come along the way, Filipino families remain steadfast in their faith in God. “Mabuhay ang Pamilyang Pilipino!” (Rev. Fr. Orlando Angelia)