introductory and preliminary statement in a document that explains the document’s purpose and underlying philosophy. It may cite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute.

arise from our culture or way of life, our distinctive way of becoming human in this particular place and time. We speak of Filipino values in a fourfold sense.

Values are both

emphasizes spirituality and family-centeredness.

Good Citizenship Value

The Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia, our population being Catholic. Therefore, religiousness is a prime Filipino value.

St. Paul defines love differently: Love is patient; it never fails; it is eternal. There are faith, hope, and love; the greatest is love. It illustrates the real essence of love, strengthening the foundation of the family and other social groupings. It is the strongest force within the human community. It provides a deeper meaning to the purpose of human existence.

Progressive countries are able to attain their economic goals because the people have trust and confidence in their government and are actively supporting their policies and programs. These governments, in turn, reciprocate their people’s support with honest, sound, and dynamic governance.

Environment refers to everything that surrounds us from the natural world to the man-made physical structures. Human interventions are important to derive the full benefits from natural resources, but such interventions have at times gone beyond the limits of the domain reserved for human utilization. It is high time we work hand in hand to protect our natural resources and ecosystem.

Roots of the Filipino Character

Filipinos look up to their leaders as role models. Political leaders are the main models, but all other leaders serve as role models as well. Thus, when our leaders violate the law or show themselves to be self-serving and driven by personal interest, when there is lack of public accountability, there is a negative impact on the Filipinos.

Child-bearing practices, family relations, and family attitudes and orientation are the main components of the home environment. Child-bearing in the Filipino family generally is characterized by high nurturance , low independence training, and low discipline. The Filipino child grows up in an atmosphere of affection and overprotection, where one learns security and trust, on the one hand, and dependence, on the other.

The main components of the social environment are social structures and social systems such as interpersonal, religious, and community interaction. A feudal structure with great gaps between the rich minority and the poor majority characterizes the social environment of the Filipino. These gaps are not merely economic but cultural as well, with the elite being highly Westernized and alienated from the masses. This feudal structure develops dependence and passivity.

Main compenents of Social Environment

Social Systems

Aside from emphasizing interpersonal values, Filipino culture is also characterized by an openness to the outside world which easily incorporates foreign elements without a basic consciousness of our cultural core. This is related to our colonial mentality and to the use of English as the medium of instruction in schools. The introduction of English as the medium of education de-Filipinized the youth and taught them to regard American culture as superior. The use of English contributes also to lack of self-confidence on the part of the Filipino.

We are the product of our colonial history, which is regarded by many as the culprit behind our lack of nationalism and our colononial mentality. Colonialism developed a mindset in the Filipino which encouraged us to think of the colonial power as superior and more powerful.

Aside from the problems inherent in the use of a foreign language in our educational system, the education system leads to other problems for us as a people. The lack of suitable local textbooks and dependence on foreign textbooks, particularly in the higher school levels, force Filipino student as well as their teachers to use school materials that are irrelevant to the Philippines setting. From this comes a mindset that things learned in school are not related to real life.

root of the Filipinos’ optimism and capacity to accept life’s hardships. However, religion also instills in us attitudes of resignation and a preoccupation with the afterlife and superstitions.

Many local traits are rooted in the poverty and hard life that is that lot of most Filipinos. Our difficulties drive us to take risks, impel us to work very hard, and develop in us the ability to survive. Poverty, however, has also become an excuse for graft and corruption, particularly among the lower rungs of bureaucracy. Unless things get too difficult, passivity sets in.

The Philippine political environment is characterized by a centralization of power. Political power or authority is concentrated in the hands of the elite and the participation of most Filipinos often is limited to voting in elections. The fact that political power is still very much concentrated in the hands of a few may lead to passivity. The inefficiency of government structures and systems also leads to a lack of integrity and accountability in our public servants.

reinforce our colonial mentality. Advertisements using Caucasian models and emphasizing a product’s similarity with imported brands are part of our daily lives. The tendency of media to produce escapist movies, soap operas, comics, etc., feed the Filipinos’ passivity. Rather than confront our poverty and oppression, we fantasize instead.

does not concern itself much with the aggressive and dangerous form of invidious nationalism that often occupies center stage in the news and in sociological research. Although this pernicious form can be of significant, instrumental value mobilizing oppressed people and giving them a sense of dignity, its moral cost are usually taken by philosophers to outweigh its benefits.

2 description of nationalism

characterized by attachment of superiority to one’s country, an aspiration for its continuity and prosperity, and maintaining a high regard and respect for its laws, principles and policies.

love and devotion to one’s country.

artificial body of people that need protection and identity