Ph102 Group HW Reg Onglao

(Caveat: All of these were written without prior research. The opinions found here are from personal observations, others accounts, and general knowledge.)
What is the Filipino way? 1. Attitude towards education (compare with Americans) From the academe POV - According to what Ive learned in my first POS100 class, Philippine education is characterized as more of a lecture type of education. The teacher here does most of the talking, which shows a uni-directional form of education. - This is a different American/Western education that gives room for a more discussion type of education, which is bi-directional. That is, there is emphasis on the exchange of ideas between the student and the teacher. - I think that our uni-directional/lecture type of education comes from our colonial roots. Filipinos were taughtprimarily through the spread of Christianityto be subservient to authority, and to play a passive role in that periods power relations. (This is supported by a reading that I found while researching for smooth interpersonal relationships.) From the student POV - Education is seen as a necessity by most Filipinos to get good jobs in the future. Most parents, even the poorest ones, strive to put some, if not all, of their children into school, even if they only reach until grade school or high school. Thus, education is put on a pedestal in the Philippines as something that is somewhat required to get a good future. - Americans, however, put less stress on the necessity of education, and more on talent. Some of the brightest and successful minds there (such as Steve Jobs) didnt finish college, and yet were able to achieve so much. Thus, lacking high education is less of a stigma in the US as compared to the Philippines. 2. Philosophy of eating (compare with French) Eating for Filipinos is primarily done for its social function. We can see that food is always present in all social events, be it a birthday, an anniversary, or even a funeral. This propensity to the social function of eating (as compared to its gastronomical function, among others) can also be seen in the quality of our food. We seem to not really prioritize its lookfood color is usually brown, and little garnishing is done, if anyor its taste (which is usually sweet); instead, we prioritize its QUANTITY, i.e., if its enough for everyone who attended the social event. This may be my own opinion, but I guess this is why Filipinos enjoy rice despite its slight tastelessness. It is easily grown and is numerous when harvested. Thus, it can feed a lot of people, even if the ulam isnt that big. (Some people even just eat rice with sauce!) Thus, it fulfills the social function that is prioritized in the Filipino setting. Moreover, if you observe Filipinos, they usually talk and socialize even while eating. This supports the claim that Filipinos use eating for its social function. On the other hand, the French prioritize the gastronomical experience over foods social function. They make sure that the food, other than looking good, tastes amazing. They spend a long hours savoring the meal, focusing on the delectable dishes in front of them. (This contrasts with the Filipinos focus on the Other, i.e., the people theyre with, which points to Filipinos prioritization of foodss social function.)

3. Our definition of We, i.e., who are we? (compare with Chinese) We in the Filipino setting expands from the family setting to the barangay setting. This can be seen in our values, such as kabayanihan, where neighbors or people living in the same barangay would help one another in moving houses, etc. Moreover, the richness of our language in expressing wekami and tayoshows our awareness of the multiple meanings and regroupings of we. I think that this linguistic specificity points to a heightened awareness in the concept of we, due to the Filipinos bayanihan spirit. In my opinion, this bayanihan spirit, which prevails over the barangay setting, is rooted from the social structures of pre-colonized Filipinos. The barangay, despite having a datu (leader), has equality among its residents; everyone is expected to help in the farming and food-gathering (even the elite ones) since they were just a few in a single barangay. (This small number of people in each community came out possibly due to the structure/geography of the Philippines as an archipelago, thus having multiple geographically-bounded regions (e.g., by a lake, a cliff, a forest, etc.)) For them to survive, they must help one another. We can compare this to the Chinese, who are famous for their clans and prioritization of the preservation of their bloodline and family name. This presents a smaller sphere of the We, which is only limited to the family (although the number of members in a clan are usually big, since they span generations). 4. Attitude towards marriage, e.g., what is the right age to marry? (compare with Western Europeans) The Filipinos, as a Catholic country, is mainly conservative. Thus, it takes on a conservative attitude towards marriage and holds it as sacred and eternally binding, since it is the Sacrament of Matrimony. To have a divorce would be a scandal/stigma to a person. Moreover, the right age to marry is usually seen from a more conservative point of view (i.e., there are very few, if any, early marriages (e.g., 18/19/20 years old)). However, the average age is not as large as well; I guess most Filipinos think that to stabilize their lives, theyd need a spouse at a not-so-old age. (Not sure about this part, honestly.) Compared to the Western Europeans, they hold a more lax attitude towards marriage, especially because of their non-Catholic beliefs (which may not see marriage as sacred and binding). To marry at any agebe it early or lateis also more acceptable, since they have a less constrained and more liberal view of marriage, in general.