3. 1. Hospitality
• Filipinos are known for being hospitable,
especially to tourists and wanderers who do not
have a place to stay. In some tourist spots such
as Baguio City, locals even offer the comforts of
their own homes for tourists who need a place to
stay for a night or two.
4. 2.Optimism
• Despite being a path for typhoons, Filipinos
remain positive about their situation.
Whatever problems come their way, they
always greet visitors with a smile on their
faces and say “It’s okay”.
5. 3. Resourcefulness
• Filipinos are talented and highly creative.
They can fashion instruments out of kitchen
utensils, and could solve problems at a snap
of a finger, thanks to their resourcefulness.
6. 4. Respect for elders
• They have a habit of kissing the hands of
elders, an act that means they are asking
for their elder’s blessing. (They call it –
“Mano”)
7. 5. Strong family ties
• Only in the Philippines will you see families
that bond together like no other. In a typical
household, you’ll see extended families like
the grandparents and the couple’s siblings,
all co-existing harmoniously with the
nuclear family.
8. 6. Collective pride
• Filipinos are mighty proud of their cultural
heritage and are doubly proud when they hear of
Filipinos making it big in other countries. For
them, there is no “half-Filipino”. A person born
with Filipino blood, no matter how small the
percentage is, is regarded with respect and pride.
9. 7. Strong work ethic
• Filipinos are also committed individuals,
especially in the workforce. Tourists admire
Filipino valets and bellboys who always extend a
helping hand to them, despite calling on their
service in the wee hours. There is no snobbish
attitude among the Filipinos.
10. 8. Industriousness
• Once berated by national hero Jose Rizal for
following after the colonizers’ siesta rule
and indolence, the typical Filipino is hard
working and has no qualms about working
beyond their schedule.
11. 9. Helpfulness
• Filipinos are generally liked by tourists
because they do not choose whom to help.
When someone needs assistance, they
readily come to their aid.
12. 10. Gratefulness
• Filipinos are known for saying “thank
you” whenever they are helped in return.
Locals also give presents to tourists to
thank them for taking time to visit their
region.
13. 11. Honesty
• Have you heard of the Honesty store in Batanes, where
no one guards the store, thus letting residents and
tourists purchase goods and pay whatever amount they
want? How about the cab drivers who return wallets and
other belongings to their passengers? These show how
honest Filipinos can be, and this is also the reason why
tourists trust them completely.
14. 12. Courtesy
• Aside from saying “po” and “opo”, Filipinos
are known worldwide to be very polite.
They make sure that they give their visitors
a warm welcome.
15. 13. Bravery
• The Filipino spirit is marked with courage,
especially in times of distress and other
problems.
16. 14. Unity
• Also referred to as the “Bayanihan”,
Filipinos help one another when their
fellowmen need them.
17. 15. Faith
• The Philippines is predominantly a Catholic
country, and wherever the Filipinos go, they
always make it a point to honor God
Almighty. Tourists can attest to the many
churches, old and new, erected in the
country.
18. 14 Bad Habits that Filipinos
should Break to Achieve
Progress
19. 1. Crab mentality
• There are some of us Filipinos who got a
bitter view at competition—that if we
cannot win, then no one will.
20. 2. Procrastination or “Mañana Habit “
• This is another habit which keeps the
development of our country slow.
21. 3.”Bahala na” or “come what may” habit
• This is another habit that destroys the
image of Filipinos. Instead of doing
something to make things happen, we tend
to just leave the outcome to whatever that
could happen—come what may—we say.
22. 4. Hypocrisy (being a double-faced person)
• As a country which claims to value morality,
most of us try to live up to the standards
set by the traditional society.
23. 5. Ningas cogon
• In Spanish, “ningas cogon” means a burning
cogon grass. This flaming grass quickly
burns out—and this best describes one of
the worst Filipino traits.
24. 6. Filipino time (tardiness)
• Instead of being something to be proud of,
‘Filipino time’ brings a negative impression
to our people. The Filipino time is usually
associated with tardiness.
25. 7. Gossiping
• Filipinos are fond of talking about others’
business. It is not true that only women are
into gossiping. Even men can also be nosy
on other people’s lives
26. 8. Blaming others (irresponsibility)
• We, Filipinos, can sometimes be too self-
righteous. When mistakes happen, we do not
want to take the blame, so instead we point at
others. This shows how we can be irresponsible
for our actions. This attitude destroys team work,
and reliability becomes an issue. This habit is also
popular among our public officials
27. 9. Inconsideration (being thoughtless of others)
• This habit could be a result of having too
many things on mind—have to find money
for kids’ tuition, need to look for a better
job, stress over a drunkard or unfaithful
spouse, and other problems.
28. 10. Ignoring or not following simple rules
and instructions
• Laws and regulations are created to make
communities harmonious.
29. 11. Attention grabbing (being an ‘epal’)
• It is natural for Filipinos to attract attention by
standing out as we are a fun and people loving
race. Nevertheless, it is a different thing to be an
“epal” or “kapalmuks”—simply, being an attention
grabber.
30. 12. Being onion-skinned or too sensitive
• Another habit or attitude that we need to
change is our being too prideful which
usually results to being oversensitive.
31. 13. Living beyond their means (social climbing)
• One of the reasons why a lot of Filipinos live in
poverty is because of overspending.
32. 14. Passivity (lack of leadership)
• Filipinos’ lack of initiative for change is also one reason why our
country does not progress. We keep on complaining against the
government and other societal issues. However, we do not do
anything about them. One of our excuses is the lack of faith that
our small actions can bring change. However, the worse reason
for this could be our lack of care for what is happening around us.
Common Filipinos also lack courage and confidence. If you can
notice it, in classrooms, churches, or conference rooms, most of
us don’t like to sit in the front seat.
