The document discusses what it means to be Filipino and identifies key aspects of Filipino identity and culture. It notes that while Filipinos are globally recognized through figures like Manny Pacquiao, being Filipino involves much more than fame. It explores Filipino values, traits, and behaviors that have developed over generations, such as hospitality, respect for elders, family ties, and a cheerful personality. It also examines the impact of colonialism and identifies both positive cultural aspects like bayanihan and problematic traits like crab mentality. The document concludes by offering suggestions for how to be a good Filipino citizen through civic participation, education, supporting local products, and responsible online behavior.

1. The Political Self
And Being a
Filipino

2. The Philippines as we know it today has only emerged in the 1890’s after
three centuries of colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, liberation from
the last colonizers, the Japanese, only occurred 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. To date,
colonial mentality remains an issue. Given the discrepancy between the
liberation period and today’s time, would it be safe to say that Filipinos have
truly developed and identity of their own? Or are we still living in the shadow
of our colonial friends?

3. WHO IS A FILIPINO?
Filipinos are often referenced to globally renowned personalities like Manny Pacquiao, Lea
Salongga and Michael Cinco who have made Filipinos recognized around the world through
their expertise. However, being a Filipino is far more than just being related to these notable
figures. Independence Day and Buwan ng Wika celebrations prompt us to go back to our roots
and reflect on the question: Who is a Filipino?
Technically, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, 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” however, citizenship is not the only marker
of being a Filipino. Culture and history have greatly 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 values. Generations after generations, common traits and
values have been passed on that the Filipinos of today still embody.

4. FILIPINO VALUES AND TRAITS
The Philippines is a lush islands paradise famous for its grandiose
mountain views, pristine beaches, and rich and diverse culture changing
from province to province. While the Philippines may be well known for its
awe-inspiring beauty, perhaps the Filipinos’ unique traits, reputable values,
and laudable talents make the country a place to be.
Tourist who have visited the Philippines can never forget the big and
bright smiles that greeted them, the colorful and loud jeepneys, the
common Filipino phrases such as “Mabuhay!” and “Salamat!” and habit
such as saying “po” and “opo” to the elders, leaving shoes or slippers at
the front door before entering a house, and the importunate asking of
“Kumain ka na ba?” meaning “Have you eaten yet?” Indeed, it is a
marvel to experience these unique traits of the Filipinos firsthand. Few of
these traits are as follows.

5. THE FILIPINO HOSPITABILITY
A Filipino trait that is known everywhere is the Filipino’s
brand of hospitability. Filipinos welcome their guests and
tourist as they are their own brothers and sisters; they
always make their guest feel at home, offering them
something to eat, or even a place to stay. They will bring out
their best sets of plates and chinaware for their honored
guest and would even go as far as spending a lot of money
and going into debt just so they can satisfy them. In most
local shops, Filipino salesperson will greet their customers
with warm welcome and say thank you when they leave
even without buying anything. Filipinos also anticipate giving
tours to friends who will visit their hometown and treating
them to the best restaurants and delicacies for free. During
festivals and fiestas, Filipinos serve heaps of festive food
and invite the whole barangay over. They are also fond of
giving pasalubong or token from their travels and pabaon
or farewell gifts to their visitors.

6. RESPECT FOR ELDERS
Filipino greet their elders by kissing their
hands while saying “Mano po!” and
constantly using “po” and opo” in
conversations. Forgetting to address older
people properly will regard them as rude and
impolite. There is also a wide array of
references to elder people such as ate for
elder sister; kuya for elder brother; tito and
tita for uncle and aunt, respectively; Lolo
and Lola for grandfather and grandmother;
Manong and Aling for older people outside
the family.

7. CLOSE FAMILY TIES
Filipinos maintain a tight relationship
with their families regardless if the children
are old enough and already have families of
their own. They are also fond of family
reunions during birthdays, holidays, or
fiestas year-round. Some Filipino families
even opt to live in a big house where
everyone can stay together. Nursing homes
are almost always not an option for family
members and choose to take care of their
elders themselves.

8. CHEERFUL PERSONALITY
Filipinos have a habit of smiling and
laughing a lot. They smile when they
are happy, or sometimes even when
they are sad or angry. Smiling has
been a coping strategy for many
Filipinos especially during trying times
and calamities.

9. SELF-SACRIFICE
The self-sacrificing attitude of Filipinos can be
seen as an extension of the Filipino hospitability.
Filipinos go out of their way to extend help to their
friends, families, and love ones. They wish
comfort and better lives for their loved ones and
would even go to the extent of working abroad
hundreds of miles away to earn more money and
save up for them. Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs) sacrifice a lot; that is why they are
regarded as the modern day Filipino heroes.
There are also times when the eldest among the
children of the family would give up school to
work and provide for the rest of the family and
educate his or her siblings.

10. BAYANIHAN
Bayanihan is the spirit of communal unity and
cooperation of Filipinos. It is also about giving
without expecting something in return. Filipinos are
always ready to share and help their friends and
love ones who are in need. It may not always be in
monetary form, but the time and effort they give
also count as a form of help for them. This traits is
particularly manifested in how Filipino rally
themselves to send aid to those who are severely
affected by natural calamities.

11. “BAHALA NA” ATTITUDE
“Bahala na” is the Filipino version of the
famous line “Hakuna Matata” meaning no
worries. The phrase is said to have originated
from “Bathala na”, where Bathala means God,
and the phrase meaning leaving everything
into God’s hands. It can also be viewed as
something similar to the cheerful and positive
attitude of Filipino and allowing situations take
care of themselves instead of worrying about
them.

12. COLONIAL MENTALITY
Colonial mentality is regarded as the lack of
patriotism and the attitude where Filipino favor
foreign products more than their own. This does
not only concerns goods, but also the desire to
look more foreign than local and keep up with
foreign beauty trends. It is attributed to the
centuries of colonization Filipinos had
experienced under the Spanish, American, and
Japanese rule.

13. “MAÑANA” HABIT
This is the Filipino term for procrastination. It
was derived from a longer Filipino phrase
called “Mamaya na” meaning dawdling
things, which could have been done at an
earlier time. It is a poor habit of laziness that
results in heavier workloads.

14. “NINGAS KUGON”
“Ningas” is a Filipino term for flame and
“kugon” is a Filipino term for Cogon grass
that easily burns out afterit is out into flames.
Ningas kugon refers to the attitude of eagerly
starting things but quickly losing eagerness
soon after experiencing difficulty, just like how
fast the fire of a cogon grass burns out
moments after being ignited. Laziness is a
common problem among Filipinos; that is
why Filipinos are regarded as “Juan Tamad”
or Lazy Juan.

15. PRIDE
Most Filipinos hold on to their
pride as if they are more precious
than keeping a good relationship
with family and loved ones. When
two parties are not in good terms,
they find it so hard to apologize
and wait until the other party asks
for an apology first.

16. CRAB MENTALITY
This is a toxic trait among Filipinos where
one resents the achievement of another,
instead of feeling happy for that person.
Just like crabs in a container, they pull
each other down and ruin each other’s
reputation rather than bringing them up,
resulting to no progress. Filipinos should
change this troublesome attitude and
focus more on their own enadequacies to
improve one’s self.

17. FILIPINO TIME
Filipinos have this common attitude of
arriving late at commitments, dinner or
parties especially if they are meeting
someone close to them. They tend to
not observe punctuality altogether. The
7:00 pm call time becomes adjusted to
7:30 pm and almost everyone arrives at
the same time because everyone is
using Filipino time.

18. FILIPINO MAKERS
• What then are the hallmarks of our being a
Filipino?
• What makes us truly relish in our being a
Filipino?
The following are constant reminders of our
nationality

19. PROVERBS OR SALAWIKAIN
Filipino proverbs, just like any other proverbs, are sayings that
convey lessons and reflections on Filipino practices, beliefs, and
traditions. Damiana Eugenio, regarded as the Mother of Philippine
Folklore, classified proverbs into six categories (Eugenio, 2000):
• Proverbs expressing a general attitude toward life and the laws that govern life;
• Ethical proverbs recommending certain virtues and condemning certain vices;
• Proverbs expressing genetal truths and observations about life and human
nature;
• Proverbs expressing a system values;
• Humorous proverbs; and
• Miscellaneous proverbs.

20. SUPERSTITIONS
Filipinos also subscribe to their own set of superstitions passeddown from genereation to
generation. Some of these may be influenced by beliefs from other cultures, but Filipinos have
retold these superstitions according to their own experiences and they Sometimes end up even
more interesting.
According to a Filipino superstition, a woman singing while cooking will end up a spinter so
parents remind their daughters to avoid singing while preparing meals. Filipinos also avoid taking
pictures in threes as the one in the center is said to die, according to another superstition.

21. MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Due to the Philippines’ rich culture and history, numerous myths and legends have sprung
about things that are beyond one’s imagination. These stories are aimed to explain the origin of
things, at the same time, teach a valuable lesson. Some of these stories stemmed in pre-
Christianity period, but have evolved to the stories we know today.
A famous Filipino legend is aboutyhe origin of the pineapple fruit. It is about a story of a
young lazy girl named Pina who always asked where her mother kept the things she needed
without looking for them first. When Pina’s mother got tired of being asked where she hid her
things, her mother wished that eyes be planted on Pina’s face so she would start using them. To
her mother’s surprise the next morning, Pina was gone and a fruit sprung in the yard, implanted
with “eyes” all around its body which was later called “pinya”the Filipino term for “pineapple”.

22. HEROES AND ICONS
Heroes serve as a reminder of true patriotism and nationalism as they have
sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country’s freedom and progress. Every
year, we lend a whole day to celebrate our heroes, usually the last Monday of
August, to remembertheir greatness, bravery, and resilience that has led to the
freedom we know today.
Famous Filipino icons such as Lea Salongga, Manny Pacquiao, and our very
own national hero, Jose Rizal, also serve as important Filipino markers as they
have made the Filipino name more pronounced worldwide through their own
expertise.

23. HOW TO BE A GOOD FILIPINO
Now you know that your traits and values are important indicators of being a Filipino. The problem
now is how to truly become one and how you can be useful to the development and progress of
our country. The following are a few ways on how to be a good Filipino:
1. Be an active Filipino citizen.
A good Filipino citizen is aware of the current events and participates in government
programs that aim for the country’s progression and development. By simply exercising your right
to vote, you also become an active citizen. When it comes to voting, the rich and the poor have
equal voting rights—every Filipino citizen of legal age have a chance in choosing the right leaders
for the Philippines who are genuine in helping and caring for the Filipino people.
2. Study the Philippine history.
The road of the Philippine history is long and bloody, and by learning and fully
understanding the events of the Philippine history, you will learn so much as to why it is so
important for you to love your country with your life, extend help to your fellow Filipinos in need,
and recognized abuse of political power.

24. 3. Support local products.
When you buy local products, you do not only support local manufacturers and
businessmen, but you also help strengthen the local economy. How is this so? There will
be more demand of local products, thus, local business will be in need for more
employees, which will open new job opportunities. The business will also invest within
the country and are less likely to leave. Supporting our local products also displays our
creativity, innovativeness, and resourcefulness.
4. Speak the Filipino language.
The history if the Filipino was as long and hard as the Philippine history. Jose
Rizal highlighted the importance of speaking a national language as a way of displaying
the love for one’s country. Speaking Filipino also serve as a unique identifier of being a
Filipino. It has been a decade-long debate whether to use Filipino as the instructional
language in school and to translate textbooks into Filipino, however, this is still not
strictly imposed.

25. 5. Do not spread fake news and be democratic in engaging with dissent.
This period in the history of the Philippines had seen how the internet has spawned
tons og possibilities for people, both good and bad. For instance, it is easier for Filipinos
working abroad to communicate with their love ones left in the Philippines through the
internet. Despite this, the internet has also made the spread of fake news very common.
Likewise, the internet has also made us engage in intense arguments with the people
across the globe about our political positions,for example. It is a part of being a good
Filipino to understand and verify what you read online, especially in social media, before
actually believing in it and spreading it like wildfire. It is also the responsibility of every
Filipino to recognize disagreement in political views, be tolerant, and argue intelligently
without having to resort into name-calling people