THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

A. Origin of the Filipinos

1. The Religious Sources(Friar- Historians Ideas) The ancestors of the Filipinos sprung out of the soil like wild plants. Filipinos were created by the sun. Filipinos were produced from base metals by the magic act of the ancient alchemist or

termed as herbolarios. Filipinos descended from the Adam of Asia; the other Adam being European Adam, for

whom the Spaniards and the Jews came from. Filipinos were descendants of Tarshish, one of Noah’s great grandsons, who settled in

the Philippines after the great flood.2. Legends

The first Filipino couple sprang out from bamboo nodules. They were named Lalake and Babae or Malakas and Maganda.

The second legend claims a racial superiority in the brown complexion of the Filipinos that is Filipinos were baked by God named Bathala.

3. Theories Migration Theory- It was proposed by Professor H. Otley Beyer. Beyer believed

that Filipinos came from to the Philippines in different waves of migration. Such is explained in the table:Dawn Man Negritos Indonesian

s AIndonesian

s BMalays

Date of Migration

250,000 years ago

25,000- 30,000 years ago

3,000- 4,000 BC

1,500- 500 BC

20 BC

Characteristics

Thickly Haired

Brawny

Black skin 5 ft tall dark kinky

hair round black

eyes flat noses

tall slender light

complexion thin lips high

aquiline nose

shorter bulky body dark

complexion thick lips large nose

medium height

slim but well built

brown skin black hair dark brown

eyesWays of Life He lived

by means of gathering wild plants, by fishing, and hunting

Nomadic They lived

through hunting, fishing, and foraging for wild plants.

They wore little clothing.

They have crudest religion.

They were among the world’s best archers and herbalists

They had permanent dwellings.

They wore clothing and personal ornaments.

They knew agriculture, mining, and copper tools.

They introduced iron metal, smiting, pottery making, cloth weaving, and jewelry making.

Critiquesa. Prof. Beyer used the 19th century scientific methods of progressive

evolution and migratory diffusion as the basis for his hypotheses, which have now been proven to be too simple and unreliable to explain such theory.

b. The empirical archaeological data for this theory was based on surface finds and mere conjecture, which lot of imagination and unproven data included.

c. There are no evidences of the existence of the Dawn Man. So far, the oldest human fossil in the Philippines is the skull cap of a stone aged Filipino about 22,000 years ago which was excavated by Dr. Robert B. Fox inside Tabon Cave in Palawan on May 28, 1962.

d. Undue credit is given to the Malays as the original settlers of the lowland regions and the dominant cultural transmitters.

e. The migration theory does not agree with the real character of Filipinos, who are adaptive and highly creative people because it suggests that the Filipinos were only passive receptors of outside culture.

Core Population Theory- The early inhabitants of the Philippines are treated as a unit, consisting of a core population to which were added accretions of people who moved in from the region, but the movements were erratic rather than sequential wave. The people of Southeast Asia belonged with the same unit. This theory asserted that Filipinos were not merely passive receptors of outside culture but adaptors and in some way initiators of creative changes. It puts emphasis on the cultural integrity and adaptability of the Filipinos which made this theory favored by modern scholars.

Critiquesa. The core population theory is still evolutionist and assumes too many facts

as given where they are yet many gaps in the theory.b. It is vague as opposed to the easily understood migration theory.

B. Filipino Traits

1. Strengths of the Filipino Character

Family Orientation- It refers to a genuine and deep love for the family. For the Filipinos, the family, as the basic social institution, includes not only the father, the mother, their brothers and sisters, but also the grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, and even the ceremonial relatives. Concern for the family is eloquently manifested in the honor and respect given to parents and the elders, in the care given to children, the generosity extended to a kin in need, and in the great sacrifices one endures for the welfare of the family.

Hard Work and Industry- It refers to one’s willingness to risk taking jobs in a foreign land with a different culture, not to mention the social cost.

Flexibility, Adaptability, and Creativity- Filipinos have the capacity to adjust and to adapt to conditions and circumstances in a given environment, both physical and social. They have the ability to improvise and make use of whatever is on hand in order to create and produce new things out of discarded scraps, for survival.

Pakikipagkapwa- tao- It refers to a deep sense of concern for one’s dignity and respect. This is manifested in a basic regard for justice and fairness to others. “Pakikiramay”, the sensitivity to people’s feelings- “pakikiramdam” and “pagtitiwala” are bonds that promote feelings of closeness to one another and become the foundation of unity.

Joy and Humor- It refers to propensity to cheer and laugh and have a fun loving approach to the ups and downs of life. Laughing at themselves and the mess they are in is an important coping mechanism.

Faith and Religiosity- Filipinos have a deep faith in God. Their innate religiosity enables them to comprehend and genuinely accept reality in the context of God’s will and plan. Filipinos live very intimately with religion and prayers have been important part of their lives

2. Weaknesses of Filipino Character

Extreme Personalism- It refers to the extent to which one is able to relate personally to things and people determines the recognition of their existence and the value attached to them. This extreme personalism often leads to graft and corruption and other malpractices in our government institutions.

Extreme Family Centeredness- The extreme excessiveness of family centeredness becomes detrimental to the welfare of a larger community. The use of one’s office and power to promote the interest of one’s family results in the utter lack of concern for the common good.

Lack of Discipline- This results in the use of shortcuts or the “palusot” syndrome, “nakaisa”, “nakalamang”, and “nakadaya”, in the Filipino vocabulary, words loaded with implied values. In several instances, Filipinos are guilty of the “ningas- cogon” tendency. They start their projects with full enthusiasm and interest, which abruptly die down, leaving things unfinished. What a waste!

Lack of National Consciousness- A proper understanding of one’s history is a very important factor in the development of national consciousness because it will serve to demonstrate how the present is influence by the past.

Colonial Mentality- These conditions are attributed to two dimensions- lack of patriotism and national integration and the strong preference for imported goods, foreign ideas and ways.

Passivity and Lack of Initiative- While it is true that Filipinos can adjust to circumstances in a given environment and posses some creative talents; they are generally passive and lacking in initiative. One has to be told what has to be done. They can tolerate inefficiency, poor service, and even violation of human rights. In many ways, it can be said that Filipinos are too patient for long suffering (“matiisin”), easily resigned to one’s fate, even if they are oppressed or exploited.

Kanya- kanya Syndrome- It refers to a selfish and self- serving attitude that generates a feeling of envy towards others, particularly when one’s peer has gained honor or prestige because of hard work. They demonstrate some hostile attitudes and feelings by recoursing to unfounded and malicious criticism “tsismis” and “intriga” to bring others down. This crab mentality that characterizes many Filipinos is counter productive. One evident manifestation of kanya- kanya syndrome is one’s personal ambition and the drive for power and status that is completely insensitive to the common good. It often results in the non cooperation of members of the community.

Lack of Exhaustive Study and Self-analysis- The Filipinos have a tendency to be superficial and sometimes even somewhat flighty. Confronted with serious problems, both personal and social, there seems to be no deliberate and intelligent alternative plan to solve the problem. In most cases, they joke and laugh about serious problem affecting them. Anyway, these problems are not mine alone. If there are strategies to solve these problems, they are only panacea. They easily accept and are even satisfied with the superficial explanations and hasty solutions to the problems. Another factor related to this issue is that Filipinos give too much emphasis on form, “maporma” rather than on the substance. In most cases, they have a tendency to be satisfied with rhetoric and substitute this for reality.