Hospitality is a trait inculcated in Filipinos since the pre-colonial times which is still inherited by the recent generations. Some parts in our history show that we were welcoming towards the Spanish invaders. It can be argued that our hospitality is one of the reason why they easily colonized us.

Part of the Filipino culture is to always treat our guests warmly, whether they are foreigners or not. Therefore if there is one thing that foreigners would usually comment about right after they visit the Philippines, it would probably not be the food or the places they visited, but the hospitality of the people. Since we were young, we noticed everytime when we have a visitors in our home, our moms tend to show off the fancy plates, curtains, and other objects stocked and displayed in the cabinet for years already. This trait of Filipinos was sometimes be called as “pakitang tao”, like we do not want to be underestimated by other people even though we, working Filipinos are pushing blood and sweat to earn money.

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If the Japanese are disciplined during disasters, then the Filipinos are happy go-lucky. We have proven it so many times in the face of disasters, especially with floods as the Philippines happens to be a typhoon magnet. Even though our homes are flooded and our properties are destroyed, we will just smile away and laugh (and make countless memes). By extension, we smile and laugh at our personal, social, and economic troubles.

Just how do Filipinos in general cope up with life’s problems? The answer lies of course in the national psyche, known as the “Bahala na” or fatalistic attitude. Filipino fatalism can be double-edged; while it resigns a Filipino to his fate, it also gives him the strength to endure.

In cases of troubles and disasters, “optimistic fatalism” gives Filipinos the resiliency they need to survive in the belief that such problems will eventually go away. And as we have seen, this good kind of “Bahala Na” has served Filipinos well countless times already.

 

Submitted by:

Nicole Pauline Plagata

Ma. Lorena Serisola

 

https://www.asianjournal.com/magazines/unboxing-filipino-culture-close-family-ties-/

 

              One of the distinctive traits of Filipinos is their strong family ties. Family is their topmost priority which influences their ideas, values, and aspirations in life. They value their family by following good values such as being respectful to elders is the “ po and opo”. Also, they give importance to special occasions like Christmas, birthdays and New Year by spending it together with their families. Their family is considered as their primary support system that offers love, comfort, and positivity during dilemmas. In decision-making and career, they have to consider their family’s views and suggestions first. Even after marriage, they still live within one roof with their parents.

 

 

 

https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/10188-filipino-humor-persists-in-times-of-disaster

 

             You know you’re in the Philippines when people always have a smile on their faces even at the worst of times. Filipinos are always associated with this for it is said to be a unique defense mechanism to cope with all the problems heading their way. Not delving too much on situations or things that are out of control is one of the many positive traits that Filipinos have within. Also, it can be explained by how these people have a strong religious faith that makes them stronger, for there is someone out there, The Most High, that will help them through the storms and see rainbows thereafter.

 

SUBMITTED BY: ALAR, NOREEN BEAH M.

BALAD-ON, NICOLE K.

 

 

 

Need I say more?

“Filipinos are modest in nature.”

As Filipinos we are known to be humble regarding our good looks, new outfits and even our talents. But we can’t do away with the fact that we love hearing and taking compliments from other people. We Filipinos are known to have keen eyes, we are very observing when there are some changes that take part in the life of our fellow Filipino and if he or she wore something different from his or her usual get up.

Our modesty then is one thing that other people use against us and towards their own advantage. Since they know that we love being praised, they would always say that we look good on this and that. The reason for this is because they know that it will be hard for to decline the favour that they are asking for if they have already hit your soft spot. Your views and opinion towards that person will now change and almost everything he or she will ask you, you will give in. Even though we know that they’re just using us for the mere fact that we have something that they want, we tend to be oblivious. Why? Simply because deep within us we wanted to hear those compliments but since we are too modest, we don’t want to say it ourselves because we also fear being labelled as narcissist.

It’s perfectly normal to us, Filipinos, to criticize and taunt others, but when it’s being hurled back at us, we either can’t handle it with a straight face, or we pretend it didn’t hurt. Showcasing how we are extra sensitive to insults directed to us.

“Filipinos are sensitive to attacks on their own self-esteem and cultivate a sensitivity to the self-esteem of others as well”. One factor that could trigger a friendship or a relationship to end is when you tried attacking ones self-esteem, so this better be avoided if you don’t want to sever your relationship with the other party. One great sanction against improper behaviour is a sense of shame and embarrassment but if that certain person lacks that he’s bound to do things against the other that could hurt their feelings since he or she thought that their fine with it therefore other people might feel the same way, that’s the reason why they become insensitive towards other people’s feelings. According to a drama we’re currently watching, self-appreciation is something that could boost one’s self esteem but if it’s a little too much that you end up belittling others then there’s nothing good with it at all. There’s one concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche known as “Übermensch” which means “beyond-man or “over-man”, one example of this is that if you love yourself as it is and think positively, then even without thinking of using a friend to better yourself, you can overcome your boundaries and become someone amazing. You don’t need to risk severing your ties with other people just to climb up the ladder or be one step ahead of them. What good would it be, if you’re on top of the pyramid but no one’s there to celebrate your success with you?

by: Artuz & Sanchez

Filipinos as an agricultural country never forget to plant something on their gardens. Typical Filipino families would cultivate agricultural crops or even ornamental plants so that, they will no longer buy, in case they need it. In fact, they are not only promoting a healthy environment but also allow them to save on some expenses. This is very true to people living in rural areas wherein you can just ask from your neighbours for some herbs and ingredients. Compared to high end cities where everything has an attached price tag, Filipinos do share the fruit of their labor in exchange of smiles and big thank you.

“Pag may tinanim, may aanihin”. Well, it only takes some effort to cultivate the soil and plant the seeds so that at the end of time, you will be enjoying good harvest. Vegetables are nutritious and is not restricted to any kind of diet. Having a bountiful supply from your own garden kcan prevent malnutrition among the family members. Watering the plants each day is also a good form of exercise. Philippines has a very hardworking citizens that don’t tend to get tires as long as they don’t see that everything’s fine. They are not cheap. Gardening a form of investment. It’s a time deposit for you to gain more profit.

It’s a shame for those people who believe that accepting something from that people make them feel indebted. Filipino are naturally generous and often tend to share what they have received. The best example of this is by having a feast or parties and take outs are usually part of those occasion. This is a an admirable practice of giving what is more than enpugh as well strengthening our bond with our friends and relatives. It’s a social interaction that connects one Filipino family to another.

In fact, you will only receive take outs if you are a valued guest of the host. It’s a thoughtful approach so that when you reach your home, you will have something to share with your family. It’s not beggarly attitude as misinterpreted by those outside the community. It’s more like becoming a regular practice. Further, this also highlights the sense of practicality for both sides. The hosts will not be wasting excess food due to spoilage and the guest will save some cash for their next meal.

Photos courtesy of :

Chapman J (2011): 250,000 elderly people who’ll be spending their Christmas alone. Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078261/250-000-elderly-people-ll-spending-Christmas-alone.html#ixzz2FXDlyfWT

Do Battad (2001): Make it Davao, Pagmamano Avalble at:http://davaocitybybattad.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-filipino-way.html

Filipino’s are family oriented. Almost all Filipino families is a nuclear family. A look inside a Filipino family and you can see the different branches of the family from the grandparents to the adults together with their family and sometimes even the family of their children’s uncles and aunt all live in the same roof. Even when a person grows and become adult, have a great job and a family, Filipinos always want to stay close with their parents. Unlike other countries especially in the west, where most of the time grandparents are left in homes for the aged and the responsibilities of the parent and children to each other are broken, Filipinos always find time to visit their grandparents and have a joyous moment with them. They even let their children grow together with them if they are working. Filipinos are concern about the keeping strong family ties with each other.

 

Created by :

Potato

Rasgo

Sante

Filipinos with their Big Hearts

   What could it be that Filipinos can brag about the Philippines? It is very difficult to figure out particularly when the nation battles with an image issue (Thank you Mr. President): corruption, excessive war on drugs and others. These are portions of the general impressions of the world about the Philippines that, while undesirable, are unquestionably valid.

    In any case, in spite of the many negative remarks that regularly dominate the positives, there are certainly a large number of things to be pleased with. Head of which is really: ourselves. Filipinos are famous everywhere throughout the world for their amazing characteristics, regularly minimized or neglected, yet which in any case conveys pride to the nation.

   Basically, we Filipinos can be glad for our hospitality. We are exceptionally social individuals, capable in emotionally and socially associating with others.

   Our intrinsic hospitality is particularly clear in the minding ways we associate with those near us including others outside our kinfolk circle. Indeed, this attribute is one of the distinct assets of a large number of Filipino medical professionals, like care givers and caretakers who work abroad. For the most part, we are known for our genuine concern, and caring spirit which normally make our laborers sought after abroad. In spite of the fact that it might once in a while annoy us that our nation is frequently related with labor abroad(particularly DH), we can generally take a gander at it in a progressively positive view. We can stand proud with those Filipino specialists who give excellent and certified consideration to the remainder of the world.

   Our characteristic humility is additionally reflected in our renowned friendliness that genuinely stuns any individual who has encountered it. Outsiders who come to visit the Philippines speak of Filipinos making a special effort to help them when lost, or the endearing liberality of a Filipino family facilitating a guest in his. Additionally, most outsiders who go to Filipino social affairs abroad vouch for the glow and kind disposition of Filipinos as they experience that feeling of “belongingness.” Indeed, the unbelievable Filipino hospitality isn’t restricted to the Philippines. It is wherever there are Filipinos.

  Our inherent humility is maybe best exemplified in our empathy for other people. The sort of empathy that, feels compassion, speaks to the conscience to give assistance and soothe the enduring of others. Our empathy is prominently reflected in our own ability to help others.

 

 

The Funny and Real relationship of Vicks Vapor Rub and Filipino Moms

   They say you are not a Filipino if you don’t know Vicks Vapor Rub. Funny as it seems but it is believed that it can remedy a lot of common physical problems. It can relieve headache, fade bruises, prevent acne, treat wounds, soothe all kinds of muscle pains (yes, this includes the ears, and all 4 of our limbs), treat eczema, remove toenail fungus, remove warts, prevent infections and many more. It can be considered as a mother’s trusty sidekick.

   This relation with Vicks Vapor Rub perhaps stemmed from our fascination on herbal products. Having a big population consisting of mainly low-middle class to very low income earners, Philippine health-care mostly consists of home remedies and traditional healers. These healers are not as majestic as honorable babaylans, but they get the job done using knowledge about human anatomy (bones and muscles) and herbal concoctions. These skills and knowledge are passed down generation to generation from an elder to a chosen young disciple of the same family. Now this strong belief of effective unorthodox healing resulted to parents heavily relying on menthol ointments that have very striking similarities to the herbal products they once knew.

   This is not to make fun of our Filipino moms. This is to pay our deep respects to all hard-working mothers of the Philippines.

   In the event that you have such a great amount of bills to pay and kids to put in school, setting aside extra cash would be your main need. That implies you don’t purchase new garments until your old ones are so meager, they break. Or you don’t purchase costly sustenance and depend on tuyo, instant noodles, bagoong and other cheap Filipino nourishment to fill your stomach.

   Filipino moms know their need and that is to give their kids legitimate education, so they do every one of the things to set aside extra cash. That implies even not heading off to the medical clinic on the off chance that they realize they can fix it at home. In the event that you experienced childhood in a poor family, you know how costly a medical checkup can be. So as to set aside extra cash, they avoid the specialist and fix the messes with themselves. For Filipino mothers, it is something their parents did, and their grandparents did, so why won’t it be effective?

 

By: Duke Monsale and Miguel Mijares

Filipinos are known for their hospitality when it comes to visitors whether they may be strangers or members of the family. The first meme is inspired by the welcoming personality that most Filipinos have. They tend to be very outgoing when it comes to making a guest feel welcomed in their homes especially when it involves sharing and giving food. Filipinos are all out in generosity and even when a visitor has already finished the meal and is about to leave, the host would always prepare a doggy bag for them to take home. They always put out their best every time a guest comes to visit in such a way that when they expect visitors, they tend to clean the whole area of their house and prepare a special meal to ensure that the visitors will have a comfortable and pleasant stay.

Aside from being hospitable, Filipinos are also known for being very religious. With that said, the meme chosen to be made reflected on the religious characteristic of the Filipinos. One of the well-known events in Philippine culture is the simbang gabi. This is a distinctive Filipino Christmas tradition that proves the depth of Catholicism among the Filipino people. Simbang gabi, more than being an inherited tradition, is still practiced by most people as they believe that completing the nine masses will make your wishes come true. Despite having a hectic schedule most people especially the elder ones really strive hard to wake up as early as 3 a.m. just to be able to attend the mass. Having the fact that mass goers forgo extra sleep and rest in order to spend time with God provides a strong manifestation of the Filipinos’ faith in God.  It just goes to show that Filipinos are compacted in their beliefs and are firm in what they stand on, in this case their belief in God.

Gonzales, Renzie Anne
Moraga, Joyce Carmel

Filipinos are both known to have a positive and negative attitude that were seen in everyday situations. Even though most people state that our identity as Filipinos are limited because we are colonized and what we have now are Spanish and American influences, Filipinos identity are both rich and diverse for we Filipinos are very traditional people. Filipinos believe in many different kinds of customs and follow lots of various traditions. We, Filipinos create a separate identity from other races around the world and to emphasize two among the attitudes of being a Filipino that we are known, memes were created to represent the loving attitude and the attitude of being a morning person of a Filipino. 

 

Despite the fact that Filipinos are labeled as always late, however we instill  as a morning person who wakes up early in the morning to do the tasks needed to be accomplished. We woke up early by the rooster crowing sound, not by our alarm clock. The rooster crowing sound is the cue of our daily early morning routine, where our mother prepare our food for our breakfast, our father who reads its daily newspaper and our siblings who are busy preparing to go to school or at work. For us Filipinos, we believe in the saying that ”The early bird catches the worm”. In this case, most of the Filipino culture, customs, and traditions are focused on bringing the people good luck by starting our day right which involves the crowing sound of a rooster. 

In the second meme, we cannot deny the fact that almost all of us have the experience of being in the same situation wherein you are told by your mother to stay outside the supermarket while she goes on shopping and this is related how Filipino kids love and respect their parents because they will wait and show patience whatever happens. We believe that after the long hours of sitting, walking back and forth and having queer eye contacts with strangers outside the supermarket, our mothers will be happy seeing as waiting for their comeback. Having a kind and pure heart to our loved ones is one of the best attitudes Filipinos are known, very strong family ties are the reason why kids grow up with so much patience, care and understanding towards the people that they love, no matter how long or hard it takes.

 

By:

Shenna Mae Nique

Mauriz Grace M. Palafox

Everyone wants to be complimented for what they have done even for just a simple thing. Compliments make other people feel good and mostly, they feel being appreciated. Filipinos never forget to express appreciation to someone and have always a say on something they’ve notice even the weirdest thing. They are fond of giving a lot of compliments to others. Filipinos are also known for being humble. In communicating with others, they tend to express their own ideas and opinion in a nice way and with humility to avoid appearing arrogant to someone they are talking to. It is also practiced by children to use “po” and “opo” while conversing to someone older than them to show some respect. Filipinos tend to use formal speech when talking to someone especially to their visitors and guests.

Filipinos are known to be “masayahin” as they have these warm and spontaneous smiles that you can see whatever things might happen to them. Through thick and thins, good things and bad things, Filipinos always find a reason to laugh, make jokes and find humors on certain things. Even trending memes are made by filipinos. They have this optimistic attitude towards their lives, that whatever sufferings and problems they might encounter, there is always a solution for that and there is always a good reason for that to happen. Instead, those sufferings and problems are like motivation to them, to do best in their own field of works and to become a better version of themselves. As a UP student, we encounter difficult things such as how to pass our exams despite of the piled up laboratory reports and busy schedules. Getting a 5.0 really scares us that’s why we really do our best when it comes to studying. We never forget to receive our blue books with a smile and a thought that we always keep in our minds that we could do better the next time.

Legarde, Ferlyn Gaven

Tambong, Rizaldo Ian