GE 1 - UTS

Module 10

Student’s Name: _______________________________________________________

Course, Year & Section: ____________________ Date Submitted: ______________

Lesson 8: THE POLITICAL SELF AND BEING FILIPINO

I. Overview

In the Philippines, Filipinos possess common values such as religiosity,

hospitality, friendliness, and compassion, among others. These values contribute to
the formation of a unique identity and provide answers to the question, “Who are
the Filipinos?” The Constitution enumerates some ideal values a Filipino should
possess and live for as a member of the body politic. This set of values, such
nationalism and respect for the law and human rights, serves as guide and norms
every individual to become ideal citizens. The political self is the self that the
Constitution aims to foster. This is a self that rejects the individualistic view and
focuses on collective welfare – for the people and the country.

II. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Define what constitutes the political aspect of the self;
2. Identify positive and negative Filipino values and their implications to
economic development; and
3. Demonstrate critical thought about democracy and politicians in the
Philippines.

III. Discussion and

Self-Assessment
Activities (SAA)
Political Culture
Political culture is the pattern of individual attitudes and orientation towards
politics among members of a political system (Almond & Verba, 1965).
Characteristics of Philippine Political Culture
Filipino political culture includes beliefs, feelings, group-accepted practices,
language, and paraphernalia shared by groups of Filipinos in their production,
allocation, and usage of political powers alongside the interaction with the state
(Montiel, 2000).
1. Dominance of family ties or kinship system – In local government units such
the municipality or barangay, big clans dominate the political arena. Political
dynasties usually control the government. In the Philippines where
consanguinity (blood relations) is given utmost importance, it does not
matter even if a political candidate is inefficient, immoral, or corrupt. As long
as he is a part of a political dynasty found trustworthy by a community, he
would also be considered trustworthy. This is because the family is seen to
function collectively, having shared values and beliefs.
2. Euphemism – Officials and employees in lower positions are not frank or
straightforward in criticizing officials of higher rank. They use parinig or
patutsada instead of confronting the officials to immediately address the
problems or issues in the area. In the end, problems or issues are not given
immediate attention.
3. Utang na loob – Filipinos feel obliged to repay immediately or in the future
any favor they receive from another person. They always look for an
opportunity to return any favor given to them. In politics, utang na loob is
instrumental in becoming a popular politician. Citizens often disregard the
impact of their votes to public interest when they elect corrupt and
incompetent officials just because they feel indebted to them.
4. Sense of overdependency – Some constituents rely on an elected official or a
“patron” politician for their personal and economic needs. This culture results
in the re-election of incompetent officials whose means to stay in power is to
provide temporary relief to impoverished Filipino families.
5. Belief that majority of politicians are corrupt – The term buwaya has been
used to describe corrupt politicians in the Philippines signifying their greed
for money and power. Many Filipinos believe that politicians are corrupt and
are in government service only to promote their vested interest and not the
public interest.
6. Lack of political maturity – People elect officials based on popularity and
personality and not on performance and platform. Politics is no longer limited
to individuals with backgrounds on political science and law, even celebrities
are noe able to hold positions in office by sheer popularity.
 Ask yourself:
“Man is a political animal.” Do you agree or not? Why?
Why is politics necessary?
As a voter, what qualities do you look for in a politician?
Does your thoughts in politics reflect the political culture if the Philippines?

Ideal Citizen

Citizenship denotes the status of being a legal member of nation-state.

Anyone can easily claim that he is a citizen of a nation. If a Filipino is asked of what
his citizenship is, he would easily say that he is a Filipino. technically, according to
the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino citizens are “… those whose fathers or
mothers are citizens of the Philippines, those born before January 17, 1973, of
Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority,
and those who are naturalized in accordance with law.”

What constitutes an ideal citizen? An ideal citizen can be a person who

follows the laws, protects and takes care of the environment, and contributes to the
welfare of other people. An ideal citizen carries out his civic responsibilities – duties
that help shape a better society for all citizens.

Article XIV, Section 3, Paragraph 2 of the Philippine Constitution identifies the

qualities expected of citizens to possess, thereby creating ideal citizens. The
provision states that an idea citizen is patriotic and nationalistic, fosters love of
humanity, has respect for human rights, appreciates the role of national heroes,
knows the rights and duties of citizenship, has strong ethical and spiritual values,
and has good moral character and personal discipline. To produce graduates who
possess these qualities should be the mission of every educational institution.

Ask yourself:
Are you an ideal citizen?
If not, what steps do you take in becoming an ideal Filipino citizen?

Governance

Governance is defined as the traditions and institutions that determine how

authority is

exercised in a particular country. This includes 1) the process by which

governments are selected, held accountable, monitored, and replaced; 2) the
capacity of governments to manage resources efficiently and formulate, implement,
and enforce sound policies and regulations; and 3) the respect of citizens and the
state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them.

Good governance

In 1994, British Prime Minister John Major created the Committee on

Standards in Public life to outline proper behavior by public servants. In its first
report, the committee released the Nolan Principles, named after the committee’s
first chairman, Lord Michael Nolan. The principles aim to eliminate corruption in the
government. The seven Nolan Principles or seven principles of public life are
selflessness, objectivity, integrity, honesty, accountability, openness and leadership.

These principles can also be applied in the Philippine setting.

1. Selflessness – It means caring for what the people need and want instead
of promoting personal interests.
2. Objectivity – It means being neutral and free from biases in making
decisions. The law must be applied as it is.
3. Integrity – It means maintaining a good name and character. Public
officials must be the epitome of obedience to laws.
4. Honesty – It means telling the truth, hiding nothing, and being transparent
at all times. Honesty of government officials is usually measured in the
accuracy of their SALN.
5. Accountability – It means being liable and responsible for one’s actions.
Government officials and employees owe their office to the people; thus,
they are liable and responsible to them.
6. Openness – It means being transparent with whatever information one
handles.
7. Leadership – It means being able to lead the way for development that
would benefit all. Personal qualities are essential in government service
but the most important quality is professional competence.

Filipino Values
There are inherent traits that make Filipinos different from other nationalities.
These traits form part of the socio-anthropological self of the Filipinos. These traits
have also formed part of the Filipino identity. It is interesting to note that the values
enumerated here reveal the influence of eastern thought for Filipinos being others-
oriented in nature.

Positive Filipino Values Negative Filipino Values

Bayanihan Bahala na attitude
Damayan Colonial mentality or blue-seal
Familism or Close Family Ties mentality
Optimism Crab mentality
Hospitality Euphemistic
 Regionalism Filipino time
Flexibility Gaya-gaya attitude
Religious Jackpot mentality
Respect for elders Belief in kapalaran
Remedy attitude Mañana habit
Matiyaga Ningas kugon
Utang na loob Oversensitivity
Pakikisama
Lack of sportsmanship
Tsamba lang attitude

IV. Summary/Key
Points

“The Philippine political culture is… personalistic but violent, religious but
superstitious, corrupt but tolerant, hierarchical but distributionist, solicitous of form
but no content, legalistic but careless of equity, media-obsessed and
nationalistically vociferous with respect to rights but negligent to obligations.”
(Gleeck, 1988, as cited in Quezon III, 2007)

V. End of Module
Assessment (EMA)

Name 5 Filipino values and explain (in one sentence) their relevance to you.
Filipino values Personal Relevance

Name 5 negative Filipino values and explain (in one sentence) how these
values hinder development and unity.
Filipino values Explanation
VI. Looking Ahead

Make an acrostic below which will describe you in relation to your being a Filipino:
F-
I-
L-
I-
P-
I-
N-
O-

VII. Self and Module

Evaluation

Rate your learning experience in using this module according to the following scale.
Put a check mark on your response.
 4 – I learned a lot from this module.
 3 – I learned just right.
 2 – I still need guidance on certain topics.
 1 – I did not understand anything.

VIII. References
 Corpuz, R., Estoque, R. & Tabolado, C. (2019). Understanding the Self.
Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.

Alata, E. J., Bernardo, N. C. Jr., Serafica, J. P. & Pawilen, R. A. (2019).

Understanding the Self, 1st Ed. Manila: Rex Book Store.