Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

Sta. Cruz Poblacion, Calabanga, Camarines Sur 4405
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: ca.calabanga@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 881-3258

MODULE 4

FILIPINO VALUES SYSTEM: A CULTURAL IDEAL

Learning Objective:

1. Define values.
2. Explain certain motivations in people’s behavior in a given group.
3. Live with understanding of the context of your acquired knowledge on the value and usage of
culture in everyday existence.
4. Enumerate some of the Filipino values.

Introduction:

The word “value” comes from the Latin word valere, meaning
strong and vigorous. According to Jocano (2000), VALUES are
concepts which we use as points of reference or criteria for
recognizing, expressing and evaluating social realities in the
environment in terms of their desirability, importance, significance,
worth, quality, merit, price and usefulness to us.

According to Edgar Shefield Brightman, VALUE means

“whatever is actually liked, prized, esteemed, desired, approved or
enjoin by anyone at any time. It is the actual experience of enjoying a
desired object or activity. Hence, value is an existing realization of desire” (Andres, 1989)
There is reason or justification for doing things the way we do. Consciously, we decide on things depending
on some valid criteria that would provide credibility to pursue such action. More or less, one is guided with
his/her own commonly accepted norm in realizing a particular end. We call standard value, because of its
function to direct our way of looking at things towards a desirable result.

Pre-Competency Checklist: (Formative/Diagnostic Assessment)

Answer the following question for at least 3 – 5 sentences as you respond in every question.

1. Enumerate the tests of a value.

2. Explain the stages in the development of Filipino value formation.

Learning Resources:

 Discussion of PowerPoint Point Presentation (vlp) and through google classroom

 General Sociology (Society, Culture, Population Dynamics and Gender Development)
 General Sociology: A Simplified Approach
 General Sociology
 Woman in Marriage: Stereotypes, Status and Satisfaction
 Industrial Sociology in its Application
 Principle of Industrial Sociology
 Industrial Sociology: The Social Relations of Industry and the Community
 Industrial Sociology: A Comprehensive Approach
 www.seahipa.j.org
 www.google.com/search?q=industrial+sociology+pbf&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwx4c_P3qAhVY
  www.researchgate.net/publication/313973752_Industrial
sociology_the_study_of_economic_organization
 www. Dewihardiningtyas.lecture.ub.ac.id>files>2012/05>8pdf.com
 CBSUA Website: https://cbsua.edu.ph

Explore: (Task/Activities)

VALUE SYSTEM

Is one of the important elements in Filipino culture (others

are basic personality, basic social units, politics, economics,
technology and ecology). Knowing what we value in life and why we
value them at all can provide some foundation in the cultivation of
our identity as people. Filipino values are considered basic building
concepts of the Filipino cultural system.

Filipino values can be translated as buti, pamantayan, halaga and ganda. It is buti because it is
something desired of what is good. Since values are our standards which enables us to organize our ideas
and interpret our experiences within the context of commonly shared meaning of things, events or actions,
values are referred to as our pamantayan, halaga because of their worth, importance, evaluation, or
assessment. Finally, values, for us are also said to be ganda for encompassing everything to be pursued.
What is beautiful must be realized.

OUR TESTS OF A VALUE

To identify whether a certain practice is considered a value, Robin Williams presented the four tests
of value.

1. Extensiveness of the value in the total activity of the system. What proportion of the population
manifests the value? How many of the people in the community are applying the value?
2. Duration of the value. When was this value implemented? Was it persistently important over a period
of time?
3. Intensity with which the value is sought or maintained as shown through efforts, choice, verbal
affirmations and by reactions to threats to the value
4. Prestige of value carriers. Who are the implementers of the value? Do they possess the integrity to
be such model of the value?

STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FILIPINO VALUE FORMATION

There are three stages in the development of Filipino value formation (Andres, 1989).

1. The preconditional stage: childhood

The preconditional stage or childhood is the phase wherein children comply with the value of
those who assert power on them (parent, teacher, nuns and priests).
 2. The conventional stage: youth

During the conventional stage or youth, the adolescents identify with their peers, idols and
teachers due to interpersonal communication.

3. The post conventional stage: adulthood

In the post conventional stage (adulthood), the people internalize the values they have
imbibed in the first two stage without fear.

PAMANTAYAN SYSTEM: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO FILIPINO VALUE SYSTEM

For Landa F. Jocano (2000), the concept of pamantayan is the appropriate model for understanding
the Filipino traditional value system. According to him the model rightfully answers the question: “why do
Filipino behave the way they do?” The answer is unanimous: because they observe the same pamantayan
for doing things.

The analysis of Jacano is this: Halaga represent the surface level of the pamantayan system and
functions as the cognitive-evaluate core of the system. Asal is primarily a behavioral concept which refers to
the intrinsic quality and meaning of action. Diwa, on the other hand, is the spiritual core of our traditional
values and the essence of our collective sentiment or psyche as a people.

Jocano provide a model Para diagram for value analysis and appreciation, not just mere
description/enumeration of value.

FAMILY CLOSENESS AND SECURITY

Home is where we all start to be uncultured and

where we form or inherit values. The Filipino family is
attentive to everything that promotes or hinders its own well-
being.

Family closeness and security would refer to natural

dependence and mutual sharing among family members,
financially and emotionally.

Parent should realize that true values cannot just be

imposed on or dictated to their children. They should give their children the opportunity to make choice. It is
vital importance that children be given enough leeway to be able to know themselves better and understand
others. By doing so, the parents are teaching their children self-reliance.
 The Filipino family experience fellow-feeling or being involved in family matters. What happens to all.
This is an affirmation of close-knit family ties. This close-knit phenomenon is a binding element as thread of
society are rewoven by giving attention on what the individual experience in his/her capacity as a member of
the community.

The family is seen as a defense against a hostile world and unit where one can turn in case, he/she
has serious problem (panopio & rolda, 2000).

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE

Social acceptance refers to the way of life of Filipinos as

recognize or acknowledge by their fellowmen and social groups.
Filipinos are highly sensitive that they do not tolerate
confrontation. Instead, they resort to way just to be accepted such
as pakikisama, euphemism, the use of a go-between to preserve
or restore smooth interpersonal relation (SIR) and pakikiramdam.

PAKIKISAMA

Pakikisama is yielding to the will of majority or to the leader which could result both to positive and
negative behavior. It refers to one’s effort to get along with everybody.

Pakikisama is defined by Fr. Frank Lynch, SJ as “the ability to get along with other in such a way as
to avoid sign of conflict” (andres,1989). Camaraderie among Filipinos makes them flexible and easy to be
with.

Sometimes pakikisama occurs when teenager join their peer groups in a drinking spree for fear of
incurring the group’s disapproval.

EUPHEMISM

Euphemism is stating an unpleasant truth, opinion or request as

pleasantly as possible. In order not to offend others, direct, harsh and
brutal words must be avoided.

THE USE OF A GO-BETWEEN TO PRESERVE OR RESTORE

SMOOTH INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS (SIR)
The use of a go-between or middleman is a way of social
acceptance to avoid being embarrassed (mapahiya) in a face-to-face confrontation that may bring about an
uncomfortable feeling of shame. A middleman is used when a person needs his/her promotion or
appointment paper signed, when following up document or when in need of certifications.

PAKIKIRAMDAM

Pakikiramdam is a value affecting the team’s spirit. This value should be used positively to ensure
rational problem-solving, decision-making and policy formation.

PERSONALISM

Personalism emphasizes the importance of the person with whom one has immediate face to face
contact over the abstract rule of law or common good. This is manifested in practices such as pakiusap
(request), lagay and areglo (fixing), palakasan (use of power and influence), nepotism and favoritism.
Friendship and kinship play important roles in the reciprocal relationship between parties. Nepotism is the
employment of relatives to share an individual’s good fortune.

NONRATIONALISM

Nonrationalism refers to the tendency to perceive thoughts, objects, events and persons as sacred.
These beliefs are deeply rooted in our culture and history. Nonrationalism is exemplified when barrio folks
conduct ritual to expect a good harvest.

Animism is the belief that a spirit pervades in activities.

 Fatalism express the bahala na attitude which means leaving matters as they are because nature
will take its course. It is believing that life depends on swerte or buenas (good luck), tadhana (decried by
fate), and malas (bad luck) which are beliefs in fate, predestination, in the horoscope and numerology.

BAHALA NA

Bahala na is an expression which expresses the fatalistic outlook of the Filipino. It happens when
one simply resigns to the consequences of life difficulties. It is this attitude which is responsible for the
backwardness of the Filipino. Expression which reflect.

BAYANIHAN: TEAM SPIRIT

Bayanihan is the Filipino value that denotes camaraderie among the people in the community and
connotes helping one another in time of need (Andres, 1989) its demand unity of spirit, heart and mind
among members of a group toward an objective.

The value of bayanihan is directed towards the group’s welfare. It is part of the Filipino’s philosophy
of life and should be put into full force.

UTANG NA LOOB: INFINITE RESPOSIBILITY

Reciprocity or debt of gratitude (utang na loob) is

the most revered of all Filipino values.

Utang na loob has a good value in the Filipino’s

point of view: the unending debt of gratitude. Pagtanaw
ng utang na loob is the unending gratitude (pakikiramay,
pagtulong, pagmamalasakit, pagkalinga, pakikisama, pag
ako ng reponsibilidad, pagsisilbi at iba pa) but this is not
enough because the responsibility to others does not end
since pagpapakatao has no limit, same with pakikipag
kapwa-tao. You may also perceive some humility in
“please fill in for my shortcomings.”

Utang na loob portrays our true identity based on

our concern and response to others. When facing other,
we have no guts to rebuke responsibility (pagharap sa responsibilidad). “will I be able to face others?” or “I
have no guts to face others.”

HOSPITALITY: A WELCOME ATTITUDE

Bukas-loob na pagtanggap

Call it being naïve, but Filipino open their hearts to

complete stranger and offer them the best in their homes.
They make the bed for visitors and ask them to make
themselves feel at home, while they, the hosts, sleep on
the cold floor. They prepare water for their morning rituals,
wait for them at the table and make life worthwhile for
them. Let us cite two hospitable attitudes of the Filipinos.

TAO PO? TULOY!

(Is there anybody Home? Welcome!)

Tao po? Tuloy! Is a complete statement in itself that invites a down-to-earth encounter between a
Stanger and host. It is in itself the essence of Filipino hospitality. Tao po! Is uttered with plain, unaltered
feelings of respect. The value of welcome someone into your home is met with crisp. Humor and wisdom,
that after all, whoever welcomes is a reflection of what a host is. That in a context of human interaction, tao
akong pumunta rito, tao rin sana akung tratuhin (I came here as a person. I must also be treated as a
person)
PUWEDE BANG MAKISUKOB? Oo, BA?
(May I take cover? Of course!)

Puwede bang makisukob? Oo, ba! Denotes sharing something like an umbrella when it rains or a
shed at the height of the scorching heat. The most familiar interpretation of this statement would be that the
other is in dire need of help and he or she is asking in utmost humility and anticipation that he or she will
never be rejected.

In the context of its application, the word in itself is categorically a wonderful experience of
encounter, which is a feeling of mutual respect and trust that one is trustworthy and gracious. The request
should not be taken as something unethical as intruding one’s privacy, but rather as a gesture of the
Filipino’s warm hospitality.

The positive response denoted oo is the height of the encounter that shows an acceptance of what a
person is no matter he/she looks like. The warm accommodation is an encouraging humane treatment
accorded to any stranger in need of the other.

Puwede bang makisukob? Oo ba! May be interpreted in the Filipino ideal as pakikisama. Pakikisama
for the Filipino is the tendency to accommodate someone who otherwise is not belong. It curbs any antisocial
attitude. In its original connotation, pakikisama may be translated loosely as “the intensive significance of
camaraderie spirit of comradeship,” the main elements which are unselfishness ad good faith. There is,
therefore, no element of deceit or dishonesty or submersion of justice attached to the term. No Filipino is an
island entirely by himself because he/she knows how to get along with people.

DISVALUED PERCEPTIONS

What is so discouraging and unfortunate are some unreasonable remarks/perceptions on the Filipino
value system which are viewed as invaluable. As explained by Jocano:

Many critics see Filipino traditional values as

something we should not have valued in the first place.
They say these values have ‘damaged’ our culture, brought
about weaknesses in our character as a people and have
caused the ‘moral breakdown’ of our institutions. Some
foreign critics even see our conformity to traditional norms
as ‘passivity, subservience and lack initiative.’ The high
premium we place on reciprocal obligations is described as
‘scheming, ‘our concern for consensus as ‘lack of
leadership,’ our silence borne out of deference or sensitivity
to the feelings of the others as ‘concealed dishonesty,’ our
kinship loyalties as ‘nepotism’ our gift-giving as ‘bribery’ and
our ‘utang na loob’ (debt of gratitude) as cumbersome
system of patronage and the major source of corruption.’

In other words, some critics portray Filipino values as possessing no value at all; they are negative.
They view these values as undesirable and, therefore, contrary to the very nature of values. They are quick
to recommend a total overhaul of our value system.

We want to emphasize very positively that there exist no negative Filipino values. Values are
desirable and, therefore, always positive. There is only an appropriate use of values as conflicts arise due to
inadequate standards and also due to some uncontrolled external forces. We should know better about our
own values. Others have no right to devalue them.

Philippine culture is in transition from the adherence and practice of the traditional to the modern and
industrialized. Education is considered as the driving force in the synchronization and the development of
desirable Filipino values.
FILIPINO VALUE SYSTEM AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A CULTURAL CHALLENGE

The relevance of Filipino values as ideals in contemporary living can

be measured by the degree of its influence to the wellbeing of the
Filipino individual and people.

To quote Hilario Davide:

There was a time when culture was

neither seen as an obstacle, nor as a possible ally of development. Culture simply
rendered people’s lives meaningful. It was a source of identity, of confidence and
of self-esteem. It allowed people to understand the world and to define their places
within it. Culture permitted communities and generations to share a common
memory. If there was anything that needed to explain itself, certainly it was not
culture. It was rather the change that altered people’s lives or destroyed the
resource base of their traditional cultures in the name of developmental programs
in which they had no hand. Development itself never offers any explanation; it is its
own justification. Its super valuation has meant that its processes and outcomes
would remain largely unexamined. It is culture, on the other hand, that must ever explain itself before the
tribunal of development.

Instead of degrading the value of culture, especially the Filipino value system which some critics of
traditional ways had judged as an obstacle to development, one should be fair to see the real essence of
these cultural forms vis-à-vis the “kind of entrepreneurial and political inventiveness” of the Filipinos.

As observed by Davide, “culture can be a resource for alternative paths to development. In terms of
impact, cultural recovery has meant no less than the collective healing of communities that have been
ravaged, corrupted and marginalized by modernity. Here culture becomes synonymous with the recuperation
of self-esteem.

Filipinos are proud of being puspusang-loob, dedicating whole heart and mind in doing something
when properly motivated.

Filipino’s exhibit being mapamaraan (resourceful) and mapanuklas (Ingenuous). Part of being
resourceful is their use of anting-anting (amulets and charms) to ward off harm and evil and to fight our
summon enemy as a people: the culture of poverty.

Filipinos know their competence (kilala ang kakayahan). Tiyaga (the Filipino value of perseverance
in spite of the difficulties and misfortunes in attaining objectives or accomplishing assigned tasks)

Filipinos are imbued with lakas ng loob (self-confidence or self-reliance) because of their tiwala
(strong faith in God, fellowmen and self) that everything can be achieved kung sama-sama, kayang-kaya,
(Filipino belief that in unity, there is strength).

Filipinos are said to be marunong makibagay (Filipino value of doing what is proper or appropriate to
maintain good and harmonious relationship with others), marunomg makiisa (Filipino value of being in unity
with their fellowmen especially in times of difficulty and need), marunong makilahok (Filipino value of being
socially participative), marunong makipagpalagayang loob (the Filipino attempt to develop a comfortable,
warm and close atmosphere and relationship with others.

Filipinos are also marunong makisalamuha (the Filipino value of being socially interactive with
fellowmen), marunong makisangkot (Filipino value of being involved in the affairs of their fellowmen),
marunong makitungo (Filipino value of civility, politeness, courtesy) and marunong makisama (Filipino value
of uniting one’s will with the will of others in a gang or peer group for the sake of camaraderie.

The Filipinos are likened to a bamboo. The bamboo symbolizes flexibility, endurance and harmony
with nature. That is why bahala na attitude should not be judged as a fatalistic resignation or withdrawal from
an engagement or crisis but because of their kababaang-loob that not everything is within their control and,
therefore leaving everything to God for guidance and strength.
 Their relationship with God is the source of their malinis at tapat na panunungkulan (Filipino
tendency to fulfill their duties and responsibilities with utmost seriousness and honesty). This is palabra de
honor at work.
For Filipinos, a promise is believed to be a social obligation. It is the reason why Filipinos are
maingat (a Filipino trait of being aware and careful of situation new to them

Because of the richness of culture in the ideal of Filipino values, Filipinos need only to challenge
themselves to interpret positively and live dedicatedly their cherished values for every Filipino to become not
only magaling (excellent), marunong (persuasive power in public relations) or mapagmalasakit (the Filipino
tendency to feeling one with their fellowmen) but a way of life with a sense of direction towards development.
Only then would our common anting-anting (cultural values) have value at all.

Post-competency Checklist (Formative Assessment)

1. Enumerate the tests of a value.

2. Explain the stages in the development of Filipino value formation.
3. What is “pamantayan” system?
4. Discuss the family closeness and security.
5. In your own words what do mean by:
a. Pakikisama
b. Pakikiramdam
c. Bahala na
d. Utang na loob

Assignment:

1. Describe the nature and concept of social groups.

2. How significant is social grouping in social interactions?
3. Classify and describe the different social groups according to:
a. Social boundaries
b. Manner of interactions and relationship
c. Memberships
4. How important is membership in a group to you? What are the advantages and disadvantages of
being a member of a group?
5. If you were to put up your own group or organizations, what would it be? What distinguishes your
group form others? What will the name of your groups?

Prepared in Modular Format by:

GIL F. PANGINDIAN, Ed.D.

Associate Professor 5