Filipino

Values and
Moral
Development
Strengths and Weaknesses of
the Filipino Character

Note: This material is from Filipino Values & Moral

Development published by the Economic Development
Foundations in November, 1992 The study was
sponsored by the Philippine Senate and was headed by
Senator Leticia Shahani. It was conducted by a task force
headed by Dr. Patricia Licuanan. The findings were based
on bibliographic surveys and interviews and
consultations with researchers and practitioners in the
behavioral and social sciences, education and social
welfare, journalists and social analysts; a nationwide
survey of 2000 respondents; and, focus group
discussions among residents of an urban poor
resettlement area in Bagong Bayan, Dasmarias, Cavite.
From the study was developed A Moral Recovery
Program Building a People, Building a Nation
Submitted to the Philippine Senate.

What are there in

the Pinoy Character
that maeks us
strong as a people?

Strengths in
the Filipino
Character

Atik!! Naa
kaha?

Strengths of the Filipino Character 1/8

Pakikipagkapwa-Tao

Filipinos open to
others and
feel one with
others
regard
others with
dignity and
respect
deal with
them as

Kapwa-tao = a
fellow human
being

Kapwa-tao = a
fellow human

Pakikipagkapwa-tao
basic sense of justice and
fairness
concern for others.
ability to empathize with
others

Pakikipagkapwa-tao
helpfulness and generosity in times
of need (pakikiramay); practice of
bayanihan or mutual assistance,
Filipino hospitality.

sensitivity to peoples
feelings (pakikiramdam)
pagtitiwala or trust
sense of gratitude or
utang na loob.
very dependent on
interpersonal
relationships; gives sense
of security
camaraderie and a feeling
of closeness to one
Pakikipagkapwa-tao is a
another.

foundation for unity as well the

Strengths of the Filipino Character 2/8

Family Orientation

Filipinos possess a genuine

and deep love for family

source

of
personal
identity,
emotional
and
material
support
and
ones main
commitme
nt and
responsibili

honor and respect given to parents and

elders;
care given to the children; the generosity
towards kin in need, and in great sacrifices
one endures for the welfare of the family.

sense of family results in a feeling

of belongingness and rootedness
in a basic sense of security.

Strengths of the Filipino Character 3/8

Joy and Humor

Filipinos have a cheerful and funloving approach to life and its ups and
downs

pleasant disposition, a sense of

humor and a propensity for happiness
that contribute not only to the Filipino
charm but also to the indomitability of

Laughing at ourselves and the mess we are

in is an important coping mechanism.
..playful, sometimes, disrespectful, we
laugh at those we love and at those we
hate and we make jokes about our good

manifested in the Filipinos love for

socials and celebrations, to laugh even in
the most trying of times.The result is
a certain emotional balance,
optimism, a healthy disrespect for
power and office and the capacity to
survive.

Strengths of the Filipino Character 4/8

Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity

We can adjust and to adapt to

circumstances and the surrounding
environment, both physical and social;
adjusts to whatever happens even in
unplanned
or anticipated
events.
We possess
a tolerance
for
ambiguity that enables us
to remain unfazed by
uncertainly or lack of
information.

The result is
productivity,
inno-vation,
creative, resourceful,
entreprequick learners; can
neurship,
improvise and make
equa-nimity
use of whatever is at
hand in order to create and survival.
and produce;
accepts change;
adapts to life in any
part of the world, in
the ability to make

Strengths of the Filipino

Character 5/8
Hard Work and Industry

Who says
Pinoys
are lazy?

 We have the
capacity for hard
work given proper
conditions;
to raise ones
standard of living
and to possess the
essentials of a
decent life for ones
family

We are willing
to take the
risks with jobs
abroad and,
while there, to
work at two or
three jobs.
The result is
productivity
and
entrepreneur
ship for
some and
survival

Strengths of the Filipino

Character 6/8
Faith and Religiosity
Filipinos have deep faith in God.

Our innate
religiosity enables
us to comprehend
and genuinely
accept reality in the
context of Gods
will and plan.
Religious
expressions is very
tangible expressed
everyday; we relate
to God like a
human being

 tragedy and bad

fortune are
accepted and some
optimism
characterizes even
the poorest lives.
related to bahala na
which may be
considered
positively as a
reservoir of psychic
energy, a
psychological prop
on which we can

Strengths of the Filipino

Character 7/8
Faith and Religiosity
Our faith and daring was manifest at
EDSA and other times in our history
even when it was difficult to be
brave.

Our faith and

daring was
manifest at
EDSA and other
times in our
history; seen in
the capacity to
accept failure
and defeat
we recognize
forces external
to ourselves as
contributing to

The results
of the
Filipinos
faith are
courage,
daring
optimism,
inner peace,
as well as
the capacity
to genuinely
accept
tragedy and

Strengths of the Filipino

Character 8/8 Ability to Survive

Filipinos have an
ability to survive.
Filipinos make do
with what is
available in the
environment.
basic optimism,
flexibility and
adaptability, hard
work and a deep
faith in God.

It is manifested in the millions of Filipinos

who bravely live through the harshest
economic and social circumstances. What
we might be able to do under better

What about
weaknesses in
character?

Weaknesses
in the
Filipino
Character

Daghan pod
oy!
Pamalandungi ,
dong.

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 1/8 Extreme
Personalism
Filipinos view the
world in terms
of
Hoy, kung
Hoy, bata!
galit ka sa
Hindi dito
personal relationship
akin, wag
tinatapon
mong
pagalitan ang
bata!

ang
basura!

Filipinos view the world in terms of

personal relationships; no separation
between an objective task and
emotional involvement.

We tend to give
personal
interpretations
to actions, i.e.,
take things
personally.
Thus, a sincere
question may be
viewed as a challenge
to ones competence or
positive feedback may
be interpreted as a sign
of special affection.

There is in fact some

basis for such
interpretations as
Filipinos are quite
personal in criticism and
praise.
Personalism is also
manifested in the
necessity for the
establishment of
personal relationships
before any business or
work relationships can
be successful.

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 2/8 Extreme
Personalism
Because of this personalistic world view,
Filipinos have difficulty dealing with all
forms of personal stimuli.

We tend to be
uncomfortable
with
bureaucracy,
with rules and
regulations and
with standard
procedures, all of
which tend to be
impersonal.
we tend to ignore
them or we ask

Personal
contacts are
involved in any
transaction and
these are
difficult to turn
down.
Preference is
usually given to
family and
friends in hiring,
delivery of

Extreme personalism thus leads to

the graft and corruption evident in
Philippine society.

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 3/8 Extreme Family
Centeredness

Excessive
concern for
the family
creates an ingroup to which
the Filipino is
fiercely loyal
to the
detriment of
concern for
the larger
community or
for the

Excessive
concern for
family manifests
itself in the use
of ones office
and power as a
means of
promoting the
interest of the
family,
factionalism,
patronage and
political

Family centeredness results to a lack

of concern for the common good and
acts as a block to national

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 4/8 Lack of Discipline

The Filipinos lack of

discipline is manifests in a
casual and relaxed attitude
towards time and space
which manifests itself in
lack of precision and
compulsiveness, in poor
time management and
procrastination.
an aversion for following
strictly a set of procedures
and this results in lack of
standardization and quality
control.

We are impatient and

unable to delay
gratification or reward,
resulting in the use of
short-cuts, in skirting the
rules (the palusot
syndrome) and in
foolhardiness.
We are guilty of ningas
cogon, starting out
projects with full vigor and
interest which abruptly die
down leaving things
unfinished.

Our lack of discipline often results in

efficient and wasteful work systems
violations of rules leading to more serious
transgressions and a casual work ethic
leading to carelessness and lack of follow-

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 5/8 Passivity and Lack
of Initiative

Filipinos are
generally
passive and
lacking in
initiative.
There is strong
reliance on
others (e.g.,
leaders,
government) to
do things for us
related to our

Filipinos tend
to be
complacent
and there
rarely is a
sense of
urgency
about any
problem.

There is high tolerance for inefficiency, poor

service and even violations of ones basic
rights. In many ways, it can be said that the
Filipino is too patient and long suffering

Too easily resigned to ones fate.

Filipinos are thus easily oppressed and
exploited.

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 6/8 Colonial Mentality

Filipinos have a
colonial
mentality which
is made up of
two dimensions:
the first is a lack
of patriotism or
an active
awareness,
appreciation
and love of the
Philippines; the
second is an

Filipino culture
is characterized
by an openness
to the outside
adapting and
incorporating
the foreign
elements into
our image of
ourselves - not
built around a
deep core of
Philippine

The result is cultural

vagueness or
weakness that
makes Filipinos
extraordinarily
susceptible to the
wholesale
acceptance of
modern mass culture
which is often
Western. Thus there
is preference for
foreign fashion,

The Filipino
colonial mentality
is manifested in
the alienation of
the elite from their
roots and from the
masses as well as
in the basic feeling
of national
inferiority that
makes it difficult
for Filipinos to
relate as equals to

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 7/8 Kanya-Kanya
Syndrome

Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving

attitude that generates a feeling of envy
and competitiveness toward others,
particularly ones peers who seem to have
gained some status or prestige.

The kanya-kanya
syndrome is also
evident in the
personal ambition
and the drive for
power and status
that is completely
insensitive to the
common good.
Personal and ingroup interests
reign supreme.

This
characteristic
is also evident
in the lack of
a sense of
service
among people
in the
government
bureaucracy.
The public is made to feel that service from
these offices and from these civil servants is an
extra perk that is to be paid for.

The kanya-kanya
syndrome results in
the dampening of
cooperative and
community spirit and
in the trampling upon
the rights of others.

Weaknesses of the Filipino

Character 8/8 Lack of Selfanalysis and Self-reflection

There is a
tendency in
the Filipino to
be superficial
and even
somewhat
flighty. In the
face of serious
problems,
both personal
and social,
there is lack of
analysis or

We joke about the

most serious matters
and this prevents
looking deeply into
the problem. There is
no felt need to
validate our
hypotheses or
explanations of
things. Thus, we are
satisfied with
superficial
explanations and
superficial solutions to
problems.

We tend to emphasize on form (maporma)

rather than on substance; to be satisfied with
rhetoric and to substitute this for reality;
rhetoric and endless words are very much
part of public discourse.

As long as the right things are said, as long as

the proper documents and reports exist, as
long as the proper committees, task forces or
offices are firmed, Filipinos are deluded into
believing that what ought to be, actually
exists.

The Filipino lack of self-analysis and our

emphasis on norms is reinforced by an
educational system that is often more
form than substance and a legal system
that tends to substitute law for reality.

Tenk yo!