1. 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 A
Indonesian
s B
Malays
Date of
Migration
250,000
years ago
25,000-
30,000 years
ago
3,000-
4,000 BC
1,500- 500
BC
20 BC
Characterist
ics
 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
eyes
Ways 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.
• Critiques
a. 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

2. 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.
• Critiques
a. 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

3. 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.