"There is a lack of national sentiments among Filipinos in Liberty and Progress"

National Sentiment

National sensibility refers to an acute perception of or responsiveness by a nation's population

towards something. It can also be associated with sentimental moral philosophy. National
sentiment refers to people's patriotism and loving their culture and traditions.

Liberty

Broadly speaking, liberty is the ability to do as one pleases. In modern politics, liberty is the state
of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of
life, behavior, or political views. In philosophy, liberty involves free will as contrasted with
determinism

Positive Sides

"Why So Many Filipinos Lack Discipline"

SA IKAAUNLAD NG BAYAN DISIPLINA ANG KAILANGAN- FERDINAND E. MARCOS

Filipinos are known to be disciplined abroad. Most OFWs tend to finish everything at work
before the day ends; they are seen as courteous, refined, and well-mannered; and they carefully
follow the rules of the company or community where they are in. This observation is based on
the answers of the respondents to The Philippine Star’s How Disciplined Are Filipinos?

How disciplined Filipinos are

How about here in the Philippines? How disciplined are we Filipinos? You will know just by
looking around. People ignoring the pedestrian lanes; jeepney drivers loading and unloading in
the middle of the road; children tossing their candy wrappers everywhere; and so many more
scenes around describing how disciplined we are. The question is, “why do so many Filipinos lack
discipline?”

Reasons behind Filipinos’ lack of discipline

Based on what I and others have observed, here are some reasons which can explain why there
are a lot of Filipinos in the country who lack discipline.

Over-democratized lifestyle

After the Martial Law, the Philippines could not be happier to embrace democracy. Filipinos
learned to value liberty more—and this is actually good. However, everything too much is
negative. As people learn to fight for freedom, some have forgotten that their rights end when
the rights of others begin. For instance, some men think it does not harm to pee on someone
else’s wall. Some so-called ‘activists’ express their sentiments by vandalizing on public properties
(not understanding that these are not the government’s but the people’s) and even on private
ones. Without this kind of people realizing that democracy has limits, discipline would not be an
easy thing to spot in the community.

Lack of discipline at home

Parents are expected to be the first teachers. Home is the first institution where good morals and
discipline should be taught to children. However, many parents these days lack control on their
kids. As the country’s culture becomes more westernized, children become more liberated and
many could now give their parents that ‘back off’ signal whenever they feel their independence
is threatened. On the other hand, some parents just lack the time and effort to sit down with
their kids and correct them whenever they do something wrong. For these reasons, a lot of
Filipino children grow up into adults with less regard to rules and regulations. As an example, I
have personally observed that children from families where proper waste disposal is strictly
applied usually grow up having respect for the environment. Whereas, those who are not taught
at home to throw waste directly into the trash bin do not mind littering everywhere.

No role models

Another reason why Filipinos do not take discipline seriously is because they do not see how
serious it is. How would they when even government officials themselves do not follow the rules
they have implemented? Under the table transactions; vote buying; VIP treatments in public
activities and processes are just among of the rampant forms of corruption in the government
that remove the power of discipline in the society. Some law enforcers are not being good role
models too: Traffic enforcers getting paid to let go of violators; and police officers involved in
crimes like kidnapping and drug trafficking. People do not see the need of following rules or even
taking the initiative to make some progressive moves, because they know nothing would happen
when the movement does not come from the top.

No strict implementation

The lack of strict law implementation is also one of the reasons why there are undisciplined
Pinoys. No matter how good the regulations made are if the implementing body does not have
the teeth to make the society follow them, then nothing will happen. As long as the citizens do
not see any danger of not following the law, they will not heed it For instance, the No Jaywalking
regulation is usually taken for granted by pedestrians in areas where no strict law enforcers and
penalty posts can be seen. However, in cities or places where violators face serious penalties,
people are observed to be compliant to the rules.

Impatience to self-gratification

When a person does not have enough patience to delay gratification, it leads to lack of self-
control. I do not know why, but many Filipinos fail in this. They want to see results immediately.
This is why shortcuts are popular in procedures. Some people, who do not like getting into long
lines when paying bills, try to insert into the line or even use their connections to avoid the
hassle. There are also sick people who are told to stay away from fatty food or alcohol for a
period of time, but since they cannot resist the temptation, they simply indulge—reasoning out
that they take medications anyway.

“Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.” (For the nation to progress, discipline is the
key.” This is the famous slogan of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos from the Martial Law regime. One
thing that the Philippines cannot deny is the fact that during the dictatorship rule of Pres.
Ferdinand Marcos, the people in the country were highly disciplined. Despite the terror brought
by the dictatorship, the Philippines was among the tiger economy nations in Asia that time. I am
not saying that Martial Law is what we need to create a disciplined society. Instead, it is the firm
and responsible leadership of the government combined with the citizens’ respect to the law
and rights of their fellows.

Disiplina, kinulang nga ba ang mga Pinoy?

There are many traits Filipinos are known for. We are hospitable, cheerful, and pliant as bamboo
in times of adversity. Our close ties and unparalleled love for family have inspired us to journey
across the globe as migrant workers.

But we are far from perfect. Pedestrians crossing everywhere except on the pedestrian lane,
drivers running the red light, garbage scattered on the streets, and private cars parked on public
roads and sidewalks are common sights in the Philippines. Yes, there is glaring evidence: many of
us lack discipline.

Let’s admit it. Being ill-disciplined is one of our weaknesses. It is the rotten tomato among all our
accolades and achievements as a race. Many of us are guilty of and victims of this, one way or
another. Who have not been in a rush, already late for an event, only to find out that it has not
started yet, minutes and hours later?

Crescencio Doma Jr., an Abu Dhabi-based hospital administrative assistant and sociologist from
the University of Santo Tomas, has reasonable explanations. In “The roots of Filipino
indiscipline”, published on The Manila Bulletin, the roots of this undesirable behaviour were
traced from a larger socio-political context.

“Impatience is basically a reaction to a dysfunction in a given [social] system. People become

impatient only when their needs are not satisfied at a given time. At the same time, it can be
traced to the absence of clear policies and implementing rules that would ensure a positive
response from people towards law,” Doma explained.

In other words, even though lack of discipline is an individual action, there are also
environmental stimuli that fuel this conduct. In poverty-stricken areas, for instance, waste
segregation and collection systems are not always in place, thus, litters everywhere. Unsound
urban planning also contributes to illegal parking. A huge number of people flock major cities
because these are where major business centres are concentrated. In overcrowded housing
areas, people have to find ways to park their vehicles, against all odds and often, illegally.
Meanwhile, the heavy traffic condition is both a cause and a result of ill-disciplined driving.
When people drive carelessly and disobey the rules; heavy traffic ensues. When traffic is bad,
people are driven to play against the rules just to get ahead.

In addition, slack implementation of rules also leads to lack of discipline. People are inclined to
disobey when they know that they can get away with violations.

Time and time again, people do not get apprehended, especially for minor offences like
jaywalking. In turn, these violations are not considered serious. Worse, they have already
become societal norms. Doma added another observation, “Philippine society lacks a strong
sense of role modelling. While we do not discredit the good examples shown by some people in
the past as well as today, we cannot deny the fact that there are glaring incidents that would
show people that ignoring laws are socially acceptable practices will do them no good,” said
Doma.

But we are not a hopeless case. We won’t have as many successful OFWs throughout the globe if
we are unable to adapt to the disciplined culture abroad. Well, in other countries, rules and
punishment even for relatively minute offences are clear-cut and strictly imposed. OFWs know
that the slightest offences can have major consequences overseas. This is something we need to
emulate in our country.The individual responsibility of mending our ill-disciplined ways should go
hand in hand with tireless law implementation and timely apprehension from our authorities.
Only then can we say that we are truly on the road to change.

Do you have friends who are like these?

They are not earning enough and yet they keep spending their money on vices and unnecessary
and luxurious things.

They are unable to pay their rent and yet they still go to bars and expensive restaurants almost
every day.

They are already deep in debt, and yet they still keep on borrowing money!

It has become part of our culture as Filipinos to have very little discipline.

Regardless of where you go, regardless of what the situation is, you will most likely see that the
lack of discipline is our weakness.

And I do believe that the reason why we lack discipline is because we seem to idolize:

JUAN TAMAD

Juan Tamad or “Lazy John” is a character in Philippine folklore who is very, very lazy. Could it be
true that as Filipinos, we are taking after him?
All we want to do is relax while WAITING for the blessings to come fall down on us. We are
already so deep in debt, and yet we are still lazy to look for ways to get out of debt.

If there’s one thing that we are diligent and earnest about, it’s making up EXCUSES to avoid any
form of responsibility.

And then there are some of us who lack discipline because we are:

TOO EMOTIONAL

We think that after a very tiring work week, we DESERVE to chill. Of course, we deserve to relax,
yes, but we need to be wise in doing so. We need to make sure that the things we spend on for
relaxation will actually benefit us or have some value in the future and not be a source of
financial breakdown.

We are also fond of saying that we need to buy something to make life easier for us. But how
true is this? Often, when we find that the income we are earning is growing, we also tend to
increase our lifestyle. There was a time when you can enjoy just one viand during a meal. Why is
it that right now, you only want to eat at expensive buffet restaurants?

And then there are those who just want to: BRAG AROUND

They feel like they are Jack from Titanic, and they think this: “I’m the king of the world!” They
feel like nothing and no one can ever stop them. They put on this facade that even if they can’t
afford it, they will eat at the most expensive restaurants, and even take pictures of it to post on
Facebook and Instagram.

These people brag about being able to buy expensive cars, even if the truth is, they can’t afford
it. They loan money for the down payment for the car, and even for the monthly amortization.

They’re not even sure if they can pay for the loan that they will get in the first place! For them,
what’s important is to look COOL AND SUCCESSFUL.

And most of all, people lack discipline because they are:

UNWILLING TO CHANGE

They simply can’t accept the fact that they need to change, and so, they carry on with their old
habits and with the “normal” things. They become so lazy to change their situation. They think
that they are exempted from change.

These kind of people believe that there is nothing at all that they need to change in themselves.
If there is anyone or anything that must change, it’s the people and things around them.

Because they are so focused on their need and desire to brag about what they have, they
become blinded from the wrong things that they do. Because of this, they are unable to see the
areas where they need to improve.
These are some of the reasons why Filipinos lack discipline. If you can relate to any of these
things, I suggest that you make changes in your life. Remember, “You can’t change the world, but
you can change your world.”

And you can do so by being:

HARDWORKING

Have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and you will gain positive rewards in the future. Yes, it’s difficult to be
diligent and hardworking, but it’s definitely your key to achieving success in this life.

PRACTICAL

Don’t easily get swayed by your emotions every time you decide on how to spend your money.
Your spending must always be ALIGNED with your long-term goals.

HUMBLE

Stop trying to earn other people’s approval by buying things you can’t afford. What people
appreciate more are people who are wise in their spending, and not just people who simply brag
about the things they spend on.

READY FOR CHANGE

Don’t be afraid of change. Yes, the process of change is difficult, but the results that await you
are definitely worth it.

THINK. REFLECT. APPLY.