The document summarizes strengths and weaknesses of the Filipino character based on a 1992 study. Some key strengths include pakikipagkapwa-tao (concern for others), family orientation, joy and humor, flexibility and creativity. Weaknesses include extreme personalism, lack of discipline, passivity, colonial mentality and lack of self-reflection. The document provides examples and impacts of each strength and weakness on Filipino society.

1. Filipino
Values and
Moral
Development
Strengths and Weaknesses of
the Filipino Character

2. Note: This material is from Filipino Values & Moral
Development published by the Economic Development
Foundations in November, 1992 The study was
sponsored by the Philippine Senate and was headed by
Senator Leticia Shahani. It was conducted by a task force
headed by Dr. Patricia Licuanan. The findings were based
on bibliographic surveys and interviews and
consultations with researchers and practitioners in the
behavioral and social sciences, education and social
welfare, journalists and social analysts; a nationwide
survey of 2000 respondents; and, focus group
discussions among residents of an urban poor
resettlement area in Bagong Bayan, Dasmariñas, Cavite.
From the study was developed “A Moral Recovery
Program – Building a People, Building a Nation”
Submitted to the Philippine Senate.

3. What are there in the
Pinoy Character that
maeks us strong as a
people?
Strengths in Atik!! Naa kaha?
the Filipino
Character

4. Strengths of the Filipino Character 1/8
Pakikipagkapwa-Tao

5. Kapwa-tao = a
Filipinos - open fellow human
to others and being
feel one with
others
regard others
with dignity
and respect
deal with them
as fellow
human beings. Kapwa-tao = a
fellow human

6. Pakikipagkapwa-tao
•basic sense of justice and
fairness
•concern for others.
•ability to empathize with
others

7. Pakikipagkapwa-tao
•helpfulness and generosity in times of need
(pakikiramay); practice of bayanihan or
mutual assistance, Filipino hospitality.

8. • sensitivity to people’s feelings
(pakikiramdam)
• pagtitiwala or trust
• sense of gratitude or utang na
loob.
• very dependent on
interpersonal relationships;
gives sense of security
• camaraderie and a feeling of
closeness to one another.
Pakikipagkapwa-tao is a foundation
for unity as well the sense of social

10. Strengths of the Filipino Character 2/8
Family Orientation

11. Filipinos possess a genuine
and deep love for family

12. •source of
personal
identity,
emotional
and material
support and
•one’s main
commitment
and
responsibility

13. honor and respect given to parents and elders;
care given to the children; the generosity towards
kin in need, and in great sacrifices one endures for
the welfare of the family.

14. sense of family results in a feeling of
belongingness and rootedness in a
basic sense of security.

16. Strengths of the Filipino Character 3/8
Joy and Humor

17. Filipinos have a cheerful and fun-loving
approach to life and its ups and downs
…pleasant disposition, a sense of humor and
a propensity for happiness that contribute not
only to the Filipino charm but also to the
indomitability of the Filipino spirit.

18. Laughing at ourselves and the mess we are in is an
important coping mechanism. ..playful, sometimes,
disrespectful, we laugh at those we love and at
those we hate and we make jokes about our good
fortune and bad.

19. …manifested in the Filipino’s love for socials and
celebrations, to laugh even in the most trying of
times….The result is a certain emotional
balance, optimism, a healthy disrespect
for power and office and the capacity to
survive.

21. Strengths of the Filipino Character 4/8
Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity

22. We can adjust and to adapt to circumstances and
the surrounding environment, both physical and
social; adjusts to whatever happens even in
unplanned or anticipated events.
We possess a tolerance for
ambiguity that enables us to
remain unfazed by uncertainly
or lack of information.

23. The result is
productivity,
inno-vation,
• creative, resourceful, quick
entrepre-
learners; can improvise and
make use of whatever is at neurship,
hand in order to create and equa-nimity
produce; and survival.
• accepts change; adapts to
life in any part of the world,
in the ability to make new
things out of old scraps,
• Creative in cultural sphere

26. Strengths of the Filipino Character
5/8
Hard Work and Industry
Who says
Pinoys are
lazy?

27. • We have the capacity
for hard work given
proper conditions;
• to raise one’s standard
of living and to possess
the essentials of a
decent life for one’s
family

28. We are willing to
take the risks
with jobs abroad
and, while there,
to work at two or
three jobs.
The result is
productivity
and
entrepreneurs
hip for some
and survival
despite
poverty for

30. Strengths of the Filipino Character
6/8
Faith and Religiosity
Filipinos have deep faith in God.

31. • Our innate religiosity
enables us to
comprehend and
genuinely accept reality
in the context of God’s
will and plan.
• Religious expressions
is very tangible
expressed everyday; we
relate to God like a
human being –
threaten, thank, ask
forgiveness, appease

32. • tragedy and bad fortune
are accepted and some
optimism characterizes
even the poorest lives.
• related to bahala na
which may be
considered positively as
a reservoir of psychic
energy, a psychological
prop on which we can
lean during hard times.
This pampalakas ng
loob allows us to
act despite

34. Strengths of the Filipino Character
7/8
Faith and Religiosity
Our faith and daring was manifest at EDSA
and other times in our history even when it
was difficult to be brave.

35. • Our faith and daring
was manifest at
EDSA and other
times in our history;
seen in the
capacity to accept
failure and defeat
• we recognize forces
external to
ourselves as
contributing to how
events in our lives
turn out.

36. The results of
the Filipino’s
faith are
courage,
daring
optimism,
inner peace,
as well as the
capacity to
genuinely
accept
tragedy and
death.

38. Strengths of the Filipino Character
8/8 Ability to Survive

39. Filipinos have an
ability to survive.
Filipinos make do
with what is available
in the environment.
…basic optimism,
flexibility and
adaptability, hard
work and a deep faith
in God.

40. It is manifested in the millions of Filipinos who
bravely live through the harshest economic and
social circumstances. What we might be able to
do under better circumstances?

42. What about
weaknesses in
character?
Daghan pod oy!
Weaknesses Pamalandungi
,dong.
in the
Filipino
Character

43. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
1/8 Extreme Personalism
Filipinos view the world in terms of personal
relationship Hoy, kung galit
ka sa akin, wag Hoy, bata!
mong pagalitan Hindi dito
ang bata! tinatapon
ang basura!

44. Filipinos view the world in terms of personal
relationships; no separation between an
objective task and emotional involvement.

45. We tend to give
personal
interpretations to
actions, i.e., “take
things personally”.
Thus, a sincere question
may be viewed as a
challenge to one’s
competence or positive
feedback may be
interpreted as a sign of
special affection.

46. There is in fact some basis
for such interpretations as
Filipinos are quite personal
in criticism and praise.
Personalism is also
manifested in the necessity
for the establishment of
personal relationships
before any business or work
relationships can be
successful.

48. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
2/8 Extreme Personalism
Because of this personalistic world view, Filipinos
have difficulty dealing with all forms of personal
stimuli.

49. We tend to be
uncomfortable with
bureaucracy, with
rules and regulations
and with standard
procedures, all of
which tend to be
impersonal.
we tend to ignore
them or we ask for
exceptions..

50. Personal contacts
are involved in any
transaction and
these are difficult to
turn down.
Preference is
usually given to
family and friends
in hiring, delivery of
services and even
in voting.

51. Extreme personalism thus leads to the graft
and corruption evident in Philippine society.

53. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
3/8 Extreme Family Centeredness

54. Excessive
concern for the
family creates an
in-group to which
the Filipino is
fiercely loyal to
the detriment of
concern for the
larger community
or for the
common good.

55. Excessive concern
for family manifests
itself in the use of
one’s office and
power as a means of
promoting the
interest of the
family, factionalism,
patronage and
political dynasties,
and in the protection
of erring family
members.

56. Family centeredness results to a lack of
concern for the common good and acts as a
block to national consciousness.

58. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
4/8 Lack of Discipline

59. The Filipino’s lack of discipline is
manifests in a casual and
relaxed attitude towards time
and space which manifests itself
in lack of precision and
compulsiveness, in poor time
management and
procrastination.
an aversion for following strictly
a set of procedures and this
results in lack of standardization
and quality control.

60. We are impatient and
unable to delay gratification
or reward, resulting in the
use of short-cuts, in skirting
the rules (the palusot
syndrome) and in
foolhardiness.
We are guilty of ningas
cogon, starting out projects
with full vigor and interest
which abruptly die down
leaving things unfinished.

61. Our lack of discipline often results in efficient and
wasteful work systems violations of rules leading to
more serious transgressions and a casual work
ethic leading to carelessness and lack of follow-
through.

63. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
5/8 Passivity and Lack of Initiative

64. Filipinos are
generally passive
and lacking in
initiative.
There is strong
reliance on others
(e.g., leaders,
government) to do
things for us
related to our need
for a strong
authority.

65. Filipinos tend to
be complacent
and there rarely
is a sense of
urgency about
any problem.
There is high tolerance for inefficiency, poor
service and even violations of one’s basic rights.
In many ways, it can be said that the Filipino is
too patient and long suffering (matiisin).

66. Too easily resigned to one’s fate. Filipinos are
thus easily oppressed and exploited.

68. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
6/8 Colonial Mentality

69. Filipinos have a
colonial mentality
which is made up
of two dimensions:
the first is a lack of
patriotism or an
active awareness,
appreciation and
love of the
Philippines; the
second is an actual
preference for
things foreign.

70. Filipino culture is
characterized by an
openness to the
outside—adapting
and incorporating
the foreign
elements into our
image of ourselves
- not built around a
deep core of
Philippine history
and language.

71. The result is cultural
vagueness or weakness
that makes Filipinos
extraordinarily
susceptible to the
wholesale acceptance of
modern mass culture
which is often Western.
Thus there is preference
for foreign fashion,
entertainment, lifestyles,
technology, consumer
items, etc.

72. The Filipino colonial
mentality is
manifested in the
alienation of the elite
from their roots and
from the masses as
well as in the basic
feeling of national
inferiority that makes
it difficult for Filipinos
to relate as equals to
Westerners.

74. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
7/8 Kanya-Kanya Syndrome

75. Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving attitude that
generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness
toward others, particularly one’s peers who seem
to have gained some status or prestige.

76. The kanya-kanya
syndrome is also
evident in the
personal ambition
and the drive for
power and status that
is completely
insensitive to the
common good.
Personal and in-group
interests reign
supreme.

77. This
characteristic
is also evident
in the lack of a
sense of
service among
people in the
government
bureaucracy.
The public is made to feel that service from these
offices and from these civil servants is an extra
perk that is to be paid for.

78. The kanya-kanya
syndrome results in the
dampening of cooperative
and community spirit and
in the trampling upon the
rights of others.

80. Weaknesses of the Filipino Character
8/8 Lack of Self-analysis and Self-
reflection

81. There is a
tendency in the
Filipino to be
superficial and
even somewhat
flighty. In the
face of serious
problems, both
personal and
social, there is
lack of analysis
or reflection.

82. We joke about the
most serious matters
and this prevents
looking deeply into the
problem. There is no
felt need to validate
our hypotheses or
explanations of things.
Thus, we are satisfied
with superficial
explanations and
superficial solutions to
problems.

83. We tend to emphasize on form (maporma)
rather than on substance; to be satisfied with
rhetoric and to substitute this for reality;
rhetoric and endless words are very much part
of public discourse.
As long as the right things are said, as long as
the proper documents and reports exist, as long
as the proper committees, task forces or offices
are firmed, Filipinos are deluded into believing
that what ought to be, actually exists.

84. The Filipino lack of self-analysis and our
emphasis on norms is reinforced by an
educational system that is often more form than
substance and a legal system that tends to
substitute law for reality.

85. Tenk yo!