Prof. EMERITA S.

QUITO
Negative, because it arrests or inhibits
one's action. This trait reduces one to
smallness or to what Nietzsche calls the
"morality of slaves", thus congealing the
soul of the Filipino and emasculating him,
making him timid, meek and weak.

Positive, because, it contributes to

peace of mind and lack of stress by not
even trying to achieve.
Negative, by all standards, because it
begins ardently and dies down as soon as
it begins. This trait renders one inactive
and unable to initiate things or to
persevere.

Positive, in a way, because it makes a

person non-chalant, detached,
indifferent, nonplussed should anything go
wrong, and hence conducive to peace and
tranquillity.
Negative, because one closes one's eyes to
evils like graft and corruption in order to
conserve peace and harmony in a group at
the expense of one's comfort.

Positive, because one lives for others;

peace or lack of dissension is a constant goal.
Negative, because it is stubborn and
resists all efforts at reconciliation. The
trait makes us childish, vindictive,
irresponsible, irrational. Actions
resulting from this trait are leaving the
phone off the hook to get even with
one's party line; stopping the engine of
the car to prove that one has the right
of way; standing one's ground until the
opposite party loses its patience.

Positive, because it is assign that

we know our rights and are not easily
cowed into submission. It is occidental
in spirit, hence in keeping with
Nietzsche's "will to power."
Negative, because one leaves
everything to chance under the
pretext of trusting in Divine
providence. This trait is really
laziness disguised in religious garb.

Positive, because one relies on a

superior power rather than on one's
own. It is conducive to humility,
modesty, and lack of arrogance.
Negative, because one disowns
responsibility and makes a scapegoat
out of someone or something. One is
never to blame; one remains lily
white and has a ready alibi for
failure.

Positive, because one can see both

sides of the picture and know
exactly where a project failed. One
will never suffer from guilt or self-
recrimination.
Negative, because, being closely
related to hiya and kasi, it enables a
person to shirk responsibility. One is
never accountable for anything.

Positive, because one's psyche is

saved from undue embarrassment,
sleepless nights, remorse of
conscience. It saves one from
accountability or responsibility. This
trait enables one to make a graceful
exit from guilt instead of facing the
music and owning responsibility for an
offense.
Negative, because one never learns to be
on one's own but relies on one's family and
relatives. This trait stunts growth and
prevents a person from growing on one's
own. Generating a life of parasitism, this trait
is very non-existential. Blaring music, loud
tones are a result of this mentality. We
wrongly think that all people like the music
we play or the stories we tell. This mentality
also makes us consider the world as one vast
comfort room.

Positive, because one cares for the family

and clan; one stands or falls with them. This
trait makes a person show concern for the
family to which he belongs.
Negative, because one constantly
postpones action and accomplishes
nothing. This aggravates a situation, a
problem grows beyond correction, a leak
or a small break becomes a gaping hole.
This arises from an indolent mentality
that a problem will go away by itself.

Positive, because one is without stress

and tension; one learns to take what
comes naturally. Like the Chinese wu-wei,
this trait makes one live naturally and
without undue artificiality.
Negative, because one overlooks
moral principles when one is indebted
to a person. One who is beholden to
another person will do anything to
please him, thinking that by doing so
he is able to repay a debt. One
condones what the other person does
and will never censure him for
wrongdoing.

Positive, because it is a recognition of

one's indebtedness. This trait portrays
the spirit behind the Filipino saying,
"He who does not know how to look to
the past will never reach his
destination."
Negative, because self-centered;
one has no regard for others. So long
as my family and I are not in need, I
do not care about he world.

Positive, because one takes care of

oneself and one's family: "Blood is
thicker than water."
At the end of our expos of the positive and negative
aspects of the Filipino psyche, one asks the question:
What after all, is its ideal of personality, activity and
achievement?
Regarding personality, if the ideal is a personality without
stress and tension, then Filipino traits contribute to this.
The contention is that success necessarily means
hypertension, ulcers and sleepless nights. Could there
exist a state of success without these physical
aberrations?
Regarding activity, if the idea is that one should engage in
a whirlpool of activity or if the work ethic is workaholism,
then the Filipino indeed is in very poor estate. But is this
not more of the Occidental or Western concept of
activity? In contrast, the Oriental emphasizes conformity
with nature; hence, one should never exaggerate or
overact.
Regarding achievement, if the ideal is that one must
achieve an earthly goal, then the Filipino, as a race, will
occupy a low rank. But again, is this ideal not more
Occidental or Western, according to which one must
always set a goal and accomplish it
Vitaliano R. Gorospe, SJ.
A Filipino experiences closeness, solidarity, politeness,
hospitality and gratitude from within or in other words
experiencing it, unlike a non-Filipino observer, social scientist
or psychologist who studies Filipino values from a distance
or from a 3rd person's perspective.

Such values find their philosophical basis in:

man's dynamic openness toward nature and the world
(value of hardworking, hanapbuhay)
to one's fellowmen (values of paggalang, hiya, katarungan,
pagibig)
to God (pananampalataya, pananalangin, kabanalan)
This dynamic openness of man is an
openness to possibilities of future.

That is why values are something to be

realized.

(ex. The value of peace; the conflict

between the Philippine government and
rebels made us REALIZE the value of peace
to one another)

Human values are not merely private, all

values have a social aspect.

(ex.officials who demands porsiyento or

kotong which contributes to graft and
corruption.)
They involve a subject or person who
values (ex. A young girl) and an object
or value to be REALIZED
(pagkamahinhin).

Justice is objective because it should

be realized by all.

Justice is also subjective if it becomes

value for me.
Example :

1. tipong mukhang-kwarta (an avaricious

look) which symbolizes that profit is more
important.

2. Tipong politika (political look) which is

propaganda is more valuable than
honesty.

3. Tipong siyentipiko(scientific look)

4. Tipong artista(actor type)

Moral and religious values are
preeminent and claim the highest
priority in the objective scale of
values because they are necessary for
being human.
The Filipino value system arises from our culture or way of life, our distinctive way of
becoming human in this particular place and time.
We speak of Filipino values in a fourfold sense
First, although mankind shares universal human values, it is obvious that
certain values take on for us a distinctively Filipino flavor.

Secondly, when we speak of Filipino values, we do not mean that elements of

these Filipino values are absent in the value systems of other peoples and cultures.
The difference lies in the way these elements are ranked, combined or
emphasized so that they take on a distinctively Filipino slant or cast.

Thirdly, universal human values in a Filipino context (historical, cultural,

socio-economic, political, moral and religious) take on a distinctive set of Filipino
meanings and motivations.
Fourthly, we can speak of Filipino values in the sense that the historical
consciousness of values has evolved among our people. The Filipino concept of
justice has evolved from inequality to equality, and to human dignity; from the tribe, to the
family, and to the nation(6). Filipino consciousness of these different values varies at
different periods of our history.
 Depends on how they are understood,
practiced or lived.

Both good and bad

Filipino values are dynamic