SELF -AWARENESS

AND FILIPINO VALUES

 In the course of your life you have to develop a
personality. This is brought about by your upbringing,
school, training but also in normal interactions with the
people around you. This personality reacts to signals from
your surroundings according to a pattern that is successful
to you, and you try to get and maintain a certain position
in the world. Success can be either positive or negative,
negative attention is also a form of success for a
personality.
 Within you, there is still a part that is being
hidden and that is your inner Self. It is a quiet
presence, which will draw attention to itself. However,
it is only you by your free will that this awareness will
come to mind. So do not expect your inner self to
blow its horn in the midst of stressful situation, loss,
etcetera, to “save” you. It requires a conscious
decision to change the focus of your attention.
 Your inner self is a natural part of you,
and by recognizing it, you start to actively
influence the balance that has so heavily
leaned towards the part of your personality.
Your priorities in life will change when you
start to give time and attention to your inner
self.
 The key to your inner self is awareness. Be
consciously aware of the things you do, but do not
judge or act on them. Just be aware of the thoughts
and feelings, but do not believe that they are a
reality itself. Let them go by. Do not hurry this
process, because too big a step in one time will
induce fear and resistance with your personality.
 Your inner self is subtler; it can easily be
overpowered by your personality due to its
nature of defenselessness. It will wait until you
return to it. It also takes experience to be able to
tell the difference. Sodo not underestimate the
skills of your personality to disguise itself as
your Self.
 NATURE OF SELF
According to Birch (1997), one of the crucial processes in the early
AWARENESS
years of the child's life is the development of sense of self. Gardner (1982)
suggests that there are a number of factors that children should know.
They should:
1. Be aware of their own body, its appearance, state and size (body
size);
2. Be able to refer to themselves appropriately through language and be
able to distinguish description which apply to self and which do not;
3. Be aware of their own needs and whishes.
 We have self-awareness if we can
see ourselves by taking into account the
attitudes and perspectives of others.
Self-esteem is that part of self-concept in
which we judge our own competence in
comparison to others.
 EMOTIONAL SELF
It is the ability to recognize our emotions and their effects on
AWARENESS
us. This means that we are aware of how we react to environment
factors and how our emotions affect our performance. The person
who possesses competency of emotional self- awareness is one
who:
1. Is aware of his own feelings;
2. Knows why feelings occur;
3. Understands implications of his emotions;
 4. Pays attention to the physical signs that get
aroused in stressful situations (high blood
pressure, sweaty palms); and
5. Knows his own strengths and weaknesses and
understanding his own emotions and the impact
of his behavior on others in diverse situations.
 ACCURATE SELF-ASSESSMENT

It is the ability to know our inner resources, abilities and

limits and to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses. We
can only know our potentials and limitations if we are
positive to constructive criticisms. We have to develop new
perspectives about ourselves and must always be motivated
for professional growth. Hence, we have the ability to target
areas for personal change and improvement.
 The person who possesses the competency
for accurate self-assessment should:
1. Have a sense of humor about him or herself;
2. Be aware of own strengths and weaknesses;
and
3. Be open to feedback.
 SELF-CONFIDENCE

This is the belief in your own self, your

capability to accomplish the task. This competency is
an acknowledgement of your potentials that you are
the best for the job. It is also about conveying your
ideas and opinions with self-confidence and having a
positive impact on others.
 We can develop self-confidence if we
are equipped with sufficient knowledge and
sure of what we are doing and try to act
decisively. We can improve ourselves if we
accept feedback positively. By doing so, we
can be sure that we can change for the better.
 THE MEANING OF MAN AS A PERSON

The term ‘person’ cannot be exclusively attached to human

beings since not all persons are considered human being and vice-
versa. A business enterprise is a person, although, it is not a
human being. On the other hand, a slave is a human being, but he
is not a person by virtue of his being divested of his rights as a
human being-although he is still a human being. In this case, a
slave is not considered as an existing subject but a mere object.
 To speak of man as a being-
with-others is to speak of man as
a person. Consequently, ample
consideration is rendered in an
inquiry on personalism.
 Personalism, as a philosophical movement,
was founded by Borden Parker Browne and was
developed later by Max Scheler, Emmanuel
Mounier, Henri Bergson, and Martin Buber. As a
philosophical movement, personalism is a study of
man as a person. Thus, it pays much interest on the
personhood of man and not so much on the nature of
man.
 Since personalism takes man as its main concern. It
rejects the legalistic connotation of the term person as
that which refers to anything or any reality which is
endowed with rights since this definition treats persons
both in the context of things, establishments, or
institutions and human beings. Thus, in personalism, the
term is solely attributed to man in as much as it requires
freedom and rationality as defined by Beothius.
 Man as a person, then, means that
man is unique, a who, a subject, and a
self, man is never alone in his existence
in the world; man has that indelible
trademark of his ‘being-with’ existence
in the world.
 Since man is a person, his “being-with” existence
should not be confused with a “being-for” kind of
existence. “Being-for” is the opposite of “being-with"
in the sense that the latter leads to a direction of
treating man as a person. Thus in man’s
intersubjectivity, man is called to treat his fellowman
as a person; this is made possible only in the context of
man's “being with “existence.
 Man’s personhood should not be contrasted to
man's humanity and individuality. The personhood
(pagkatao) and man's individuality (pagka siya sa
kanyang pagkatao or pagiging siya sa kanyang
pagkatao) manifests man's individual unique
personhood, in as much as the individual is the
person, and the person is the individual.
 Man’s “being-with-others” can be viewed from two
standpoints-general and specific. Generally, man's being-
with-others as a person is a man's intrinsic “being-with”
fellow human person. Specifically, man's being with others
as a person in man's irrefutable “being-with "his fellowmen
only because in the specific sphere, man's being with is
treated in the existential perspective. Because things do not
exist, man alone has the capacity to co-exist with fellow
human persons.
 Man’s co-existence or intersubjectivity, on the
one hand, does not require a learning process or
experience, since man's “being with’ is intrinsic in his
being a person. On the other hand, man's “being with
others” requires a learning process in the context of
the quality of man's being-with since human
relatedness is not immediately given but needs to be
re-established.
 Man establishes a
relationship with his
fellowman in the three levels:
I-it, I-He/She, and I-thou.
LOVE OF GOD, OF ONESELF,
OF NEIGHBOR,
AND OF COUNTRY
Biblical Basis
 MATTHEW 22:35-40 TEV
35
in one of them, a teacher of the law tried to trap him with
aquestion. “Teacher"he asked, “which is the greatest
36

commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus answered, “Love the Lord, you

God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind.” 38This is the greatest and the most important
commandment. The second most important commandment is like
39

it: “Love you neighbor as you love yourself.” 40The Whole Law of
Moses and the teaching of the prophets depend on these two
commandments.
 ROMANS 1:19-20 NKJV
19
because what may be known of God is manifest
in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the
20

creation of the world His invisible attributes are

clearly seen, being understood by all things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that
they are without excuse.
 THE SELF

Everyone of us has the obligation to

ourselves, but there are times that we are
facing difficulties in understanding these
obligations. One of the reasons is how we
understand exactly what ‘self’ is.
 One way to understand this selfhood, is to
conceive it as a personal role that one plays in the
general drama of life. In the totality of human history, I
have my own unique role to play because of the
presence of individual differences. It is a role that
includes responsibilities that are to be faced, decisions
that are to be made, relationships and involvements
that are to be lived and work that is to be performed.
 In understanding our selfhood, there are
certain moral obligations that arise. If a
person has a particular life to live then he has
a basic responsibility toward that life. He has
the obligation to see that life is ‘lived’ to its
fullest. He should play his role as well as he
can and not neglect it.
 MANY FACES OF THE FILIPINO

We cannot deny the fact that nobody is

perfect. All human beings possess
strengths and weaknesses. Many of our
strong points are also the sources of our
limitations.
 We are social beings and we have to interact
with one another, since we are person-oriented.
Our relationship with others is a very important
part of our lives. Thus we are capable of caring
and having concern of others. Our person
orientation leads us to be concerned for people,
and yet unfair to some.
 Our family orientation is the source
of our strengths and weaknesses. It gives
us a sense of rootedness and security,
both very essential to any form of
reaching out to others.
 Our flexibility, adaptability and
creativity are our strengths that allow
us to adjust to any kind of
environment and to make the best of
circumstances.
 Our sense of joy and humor serves us
well in the ups and downs of our lives. It
makes life more pleasant, but serious
problems need also serious analysis, then
humor can be destructive.
 Our faith in God and our
religiosity are sources of strength
and courage, but they also lead us
to become passive to external
forces.
 There are other conflicts in the many faces of the
Filipino. We find pakikipagkapwa-tao and the kanya-
kanya mentality, which are the opposite, yet so many
of us are living comfortably with these contradictions.
We are other-oriented and capable of severe empathy,
and yet we are self-serving, envious of others or with
crab mentality, and unconstructively critical of one
another.
 We are also noted for being hardworking and
lazy as being portrayed by Juan Tamad. Indeed, we
see that we are capable of working hard and
industrious and efficient in any job. However, our
casual work ethics as well as our basic passivity in the
work setting is also apparent as we wait for
instructions and orders rather than taking our own
initiative.
 ROOTS OF THE FILIPINO CHARACTER

The following are factors that greatly affect the roots of the
Filipino strengths and weaknesses. These are:
1. the home environment,
2. social environment,
3. culture and language,
4. history,
5. the educational system,
6. religion,
7. the economic environment,
8. the political environment,
9. mass media, and
10. leadership and role models.
 THE FAMILY AND HOME

The home plays a vital role in the development of the character f

ENVIRONMENT
individuals. The childbearing practices, family relations, and family
attitudes and orientation are the main components of the home
environment. The child grows in the family, which is full of love, high
nurturance, low independence training, and low discipline. With this kind
of environment, the child learns security and trust, but dependent on the
other hand. In the indulgent environment where rigid standards of
behavior have to be observed or performance are not imposed, there is
lack of discipline.
 SOCIAL
WeENVIRONMENT
are social beings and we
cannot live without the support of one
another, for “no man is an island,” No
one can survive without depending on
another person.
 CULTURE AND
LANGUAGE
Filipinos have been noted as warm and
person-oriented people, devoted to family, and
with sense of joy and humor are part of our
culture and reinforced by all socializing forces
such as the family, school, and the peer group.
 Filipino culture is also characterized by being
open minded to the outside forces which easily
accepts foreign elements without being conscious
of cultural core. This is brought by our colonial
mentality in which we feel the white Americans are
superior to us, hence the acceptance of the English
language as the medium of instruction in schools.
 The introduction of the English language
being used in Philippine schools de-filipinized
the youth and taught them to regard American
culture as superior. This implies that the Filipinos
have no self-confidence. At our early age, we
develop our self-esteem the moment we have the
mastery of something foreign.
 HISTORY
Our mentality is the product of our colonial history,
which is regarded as the culprit for our lack of nationalism.
Colonialism developed a mind-set in us, to think of the
colonial power as superior and more powerful. With the
invasion of the Spaniards and Americans, we developed a
sense of dependence on foreign powers that made us believe
that we are a second class of citizen to them and we are not
responsible for our country's fate.
 THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Going back to our history, our curriculum, was
patterned from the American educational system.
Problems cropped up because the textbooks being used
are still dependent on foreign sources. The knowledge
derived from these books is not relevant to the
Philippine setting. At present, we still lack suitable
local textbooks.
 Schools are highly authoritarian, with
the teacher as the central focus. The Filipino
student is taught to be dependent on
whatever the teacher says. As it is,
everything should be written verbatimly by
the students during the examination.
 With the introduction of innovation in our
educational system the central focus now in the
teaching-learning process is the pupil. The teacher
should be aware of inborn tendencies of the pupils
in her class, respect individual differences and be
knowledgeable on the laws of learning, principle
and methods of teaching, as well.
 RELIGION

It plays a vital role in the spiritual and

moral development of an individual. We,
Filipinos, believe in life and death, hence we
practice what the religion teaches. It is the root
of Filipino optimism and its capacity to accept
life's hardships.
 THE ECONOMIC

ENVIRONMENT
Poverty is the number one problem felt
in our society and it serves as an excuse for
graft and corruption in our bureaucracy. It is
also the vital factor in the crime incidence in
our country as well as all over the world.
 Our Filipino traits are rooted
from poverty and hard life. Our
economic difficulties drive us to take
risks, impel us to work very hard and
develop in us the ability to survive.
 THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
Our government is obliged to deliver the basic services to
the people and in return, we pay our taxes.
Our Philippine Political government is characterized by
greed and power during election. There are those who are
killed if they actively participate in political campaigns. The
political power and authority are concentrated in the hands of
the elite and the participation of the people is limited only to
voting in the elections.
 MASS MEDIA

They have strong impact on the

moral development of the youth. The
children idolize young actors and
actresses. If they portray negative values,
it is internalized in our children's minds.
 STRENGTHS OF THE
FILIPINO CHARACTER
 1. Pakikipagkapwa-tao (regard for

This is manifested
others) in a basic sense of

justice, and fairness, ability to emphatize with

others, helpfulness and generosity in times of
need (pakikiramay) in the practice of bayanihan
or mutual assistance, in the famous hospitality
and concern for others.
 Pakikipagkapwa-tao results in
camaraderie and feeling of closeness to one
another. It is the foundation of unity as well
as sense of social justice. Filipinos possess
sensitivity to other's feelings (pakiramdam),
pagtitiwala or trust, and a sense of gratitude
or utang na loob.
 2. Family Orientation
This pertains to the concern for the family, which is
manifested in the honor, and respect for parents and elders.
This is further manifested in the care given to children,
even up to the extent of caring and extended family, where
married children still reside in their parent's house. This
sense of family orientation results in a feeling of
belongingness and rootedness and a basic sense of security.
 3. Joy and Humor
Filipinos by nature are fond of social celebrations. We
inherited this character from the Spaniards. We have á
positive attitude to our ups and down in our lives because
despite the odds, we still have the capacity to laugh even at
the most trying times and laughing is an important coping
mechanism. Often playful, sometimes cynical, sometimes
disrespectful, we laugh at those we love and at those we hate,
and make jokes about our fortune, good and bad.
 4. Flexibility, Adaptability, Creativity

Filipinos have a great capacity to adjust, become

creative, resourceful, adept at learning and have the ability to
improvise and make use of whatever is at hand in order to
create and produce anything. These characteristics of
Filipinos are manifested in their ability to adapt themselves to
a change of environment in any part of the world, in their
ability to make things out of scrap and keep old equipment
running. We are open to changes or innovations.
 5. Hard Work and Industry

This pertains to the desire to raise one's

standard of living by working very hard, given
proper conditions and to possess the essentials of
a decent life for their loved ones. This is
manifested by their courage to go abroad, and
take the risk or even work at two or three jobs.
 6. Faith and Religiosity
Filipinos are noted to have deep faith in God because of
their belief in life after death. Their ultimate goal is to go to
heaven and be afraid of the ball of fire or otherwise known as
hell.
Filipinos live very intimately with religion and that is very
tangible in our everyday lives. Before we sleep, eat and go to
school or work, we pray because we believe that whatever bad
omen we may face, we will always be saved by HIM.
 7. Ability to Survive
We are known for our ability to survive despite
the economic difficulties we are encountering.
Filipinos make the most with whatever is available in
the environment, e.g. by taking out a living from a
garbage dump. This is a survival instinct of the
Filipinos, which is related to basic optimism,
flexibility, and adaptability.
 WEAKNESSES OF THE
FILIPINO CHARACTER
 1. Extreme Personalism
This is manifested in the tendency to give personal
interpretations to actions, e.g. pakiusap (request), lagay and
regalo (fixing), palakasan (power and influence), nepotism
and favoritism and to “take things personally”. Further,
Filipinos become personal in their criticism and praise.
Personalism is also manifested in the need to establish
personal relationships before any business or work
relationship can be successful.
 It is very difficult to turn down something
when personal contacts are involved. In hiring,
delivery of services, and even in voting,
preference is usually given to family and friends.
Extreme personalism thus leads to graft and
corruption, which is very evident in the
Philippine society.
 2. Extreme Family
While it is true that concern for the family is one of the
Centeredness
Filipinos' greatest strengths, in the extreme it becomes a
serious flaw. (e.g. use of one's office and power as a means of
promoting the interests of the family members, in
factionalism, patronage, and political dynasties and in the
protection of erring family members). Excessive concern for
the family could be detrimental to the common good and acts
as a block to national consciousness.
 3. Lack of Discipline
This is manifested in relaxed attitude towards time, tagged
as “Filipino time” and space which in itself is lack of precision,
compulsiveness in poor time management and delays of work,
and procrastination. We are impatient and unable to delay
gratification or reward, resulting in the use of short cuts, skirting
the rules (the palusot syndrome) and in foolhardiness. We are also
noted of “ningas cogon", starting the projects with full vigor and
interest which abruptly die down, leaving things unfinished.
 4. Passivity and Lack of Initiative
Filipinos are generally passive and lack of initiative. One has to be
told of what has to be done. As related to a hammer (an authority),
Filipinos need a strong authority figure and feel safer and more secure if
the things that they are going to do come from the instructions of the
superior. Filipinos are submissive to those in authority, and are not likely
to raise issues or to question decisions. There is a high tolerance for
inefficiency, poor service, and even violations of one's basic rights. In
other words, Filipinos are too patient and can bear long suffering.
(matiisin); hence, we are easily oppressed and exploited.
 5. Colonial Mentality
This pertains to the openness of the Filipinos to the
outside-adapting and incorporating the foreign elements into
our image of ourselves. This is manifested to our acceptance
of modern mass culture, which is often Western.
Such mentality is made up of two dimensions: first is
lack of patriotism or an active awareness, appreciation, and
love of the Philippines; the second is an actual preference for
foreign things.
 6. Kanya-kanya Syndrome
Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving attitude that
generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness towards
others. These characteristics could be described as “crab
mentality"(referring to the tendency of crabs in a basket to
pull each other down), using the leveling instruments of
gossips or, “tsismis”; intrigue or “intriga" and unconstructive
criticism to bring others down. There is a tendency to pull
down those who are on top because of personal ambition.
 7. Lack of Self-Analysis and Self-

This is relatedReflection
to the Filipino emphasis on
form (“maporma”), rather than substance. There
is tendency to be satisfied with rhetoric and
substitute this for reality. Filipinos' tendency is to
joke at something even if itis a serious matter and
prevent from looking deeply into the problem.
 8. Filipino Indolence
The Filipinos were called by the Spaniards as indolent which means
lazy and lacking initiative and ambition, but Rizal refuted this negative
description and explained that:
a. It is unhealthy to work in the Philippine hot climate;
b. The industries during the Spanish era proved that they were not lazy,
but instead the invaders forced labor and closed down the industries;
c. The Spaniards were the ones who taught gambling to Filipinos;
d. The Filipinos were discriminated and discouraged to pursue their
studies.
 9. Mañana Habit

This negative attitude was inherited

from the Spaniards. This means putting off
for tomorrow what can be done today or
procrastination. It has the element of fatalism
and is linked with “bahala na” attitude. '
 10. The Fiesta

This is still Syndrome

being celebrated in the rural
areas. Filipinos celebrate so many occasions
like feast of the Patron Saint of their place,
birthdays, baptismal and confirmation of
their child, marriage, anniversaries, etc.
 11. Hospitality
The Filipino families are very much
well-known for hospitality. The visitors are
welcomed warmly with full of enthusiasm.
They are offered the best food and even to the
extent of depriving themselves just to please
their visitors.