Positive and Negative Filipinos Values

1. Hospitality
This is one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos. Foreigners who have gone to the
Philippines find themselves falling in love with the warm hospitality they are shown. It's a
different kind of value system, which has existed for thousands of years. Here are some
examples of the hospit
ality that Filipinos show, not only to foreigners, but also to their fellow citizens:
 When a person visits a friend's house, the host greets him or her with a very warm
welcome. The host will immediately let their visitor sit down and will prepare a meal or a
snack plus drinks for the visitor. The host will insist that the friend not leave the house with
an empty stomach. A host will always make sure you had a great time visiting them.
 People offer their guest room to visitors if they're going to spend the night.
 Meals offered to guests are very special. A host always finds a way to prepare great tasting
food that her visitor wants to eat.

2. Respect
This is often observed—not just by younger people—but also by people of all ages.
 Children respect elders by saying "po" and "opo," which mean "yes," when answering their
elders.
 Children or young adults also show respect by putting their elders' hands on their
foreheads.
 Filipinos also show respect at work by making a bow to their employers.

3. Strong Family Ties and Religions

Yes. Filipinos value their families so much that they tend to keep families intact through the
generations.
 Families go to church and pray together because their religion is important and creates a
strong bond, marking God as the center of their lives.
 Families make sure to have quality time together especially after a day's work. Just
watching television or eating a family meal will be valued and prioritized in everybody's
schedules.

4. Generosity and Helpfulness

Filipinos are generous people. Even when we have very little, we always share with those
around us.
 During special occasions such as birthdays or "fiestas" —parties when people from other
places visit your home to celebrate with you—there are lots of foods specially prepared for
everyone! Friends, family, friends of friends, and even strangers can gather and they are
always willing to share food and help out.
 When a neighbor is in trouble, Filipinos are always ready to help them.

5. Strong Work Ethic

Yes, we are hardworking people to the point that we are willing to work almost the whole day
just to feed our families. That's how Filipinos are.
 One example of a hardworking person is a farmer. They earn so little but they still work
very hard for not much compensation.
 Filipinos always find creative ways to earn a living, like creating a small business from their
home where they sell foods or other items for the convenience of their neighbors.

6. Love and Caring

This is so true! Filipinos are the sweetest and most loving people in the world. I'm not just saying
this because I'm a Filipino; if you know us well, you will soon figure this out.
 Men are so sweet and romantic when it comes to love. They will send their beloved
flowers, bring her to a very romantic place, text her sweet quotes, and tell often how
special she is to them.
 Filipino women are also romantic and very caring, which often makes foreigners want to
marry them. Women tend to prepare dinner before their husband comes home. They are
loving, and value the relationship, always staying faithful to their husbands. They love
deeply and sincerely.

Negative Filipinos Values

1. Crab Mentality.

Simply put, this refers to the behavior of preventing someone from achieving something
due to jealousy or envy. Instead of praising or rendering assistance, someone with crab
mentality would think “if I can’t have it, then you can’t as well” and will purposely try to
bring his/her victim down. And just like the crabs who could have escaped from the
bucket if they only stopped pulling each other down, nothing ever gets accomplished.

2. Ningas-Kugon.

Leaving our work etheir half-baked or unfinished. One reason why we sometimes exert
half-hearted effort in our undertakings is due to this attitude. Translated to “burning
cogon grass” in English, this idiom is meant to illustrate how Filipinos initially exhibit
great enthusiasm at the beginning of a project. Our eagerness however, fades away just
as quickly as the fire is extinguished, leaving our work either half-baked or unfinished.
3. Mañana Habit

It is ironic that the Spanish would accuse Filipinos of being lazy when they themselves
taught us the mañana habit in the first place. Known as “tomorrow” in English, the
habit encourages procrastination, an “ability” we Filipinos have since turned into an art
form. Even the most urgent of projects and tasks can be relegated for some other time;
we are only forced to work on them when the deadline is near. It’s a miracle we get
things done in this country.

4. Filipino Time.

Related to the mañana habit, Filipino time refers to the Filipinos’ own unique brand of
time, which is known to be minutes or hours behind the standard time. In other words,
we tend not to observe punctuality at all. This behavior usually drives time-observant
foreigners crazy. While we Filipinos with our easy-going ways have somewhat become
used to Filipino time, it still is a bad habit that needs to be dropped.

5. Being Onion-Skinned (Balat Sibuyas).

We Filipinos are famous for being onion-skinned or easily slighted at perceived insults.
While it’s perfectly normal for us to taunt and criticize others, we can’t handle the same
when it’s being hurled back at us. Incidents showcasing our extra-sensitivity to insults
usually involve a foreigner making either a bonafide racist remark or a humorous jab at
us Filipinos. True to form, our reactions would range from righteous indignation to
excessive grandstanding. While it is alright to feel incensed, throwing a fit in front of the
world would inevitably do us no good at all.

6. General Disregard For Rules.

Why is it so hard for Filipinos to obey the rules? This social phenomenon is not
exclusive to hardened criminals either—a look at everyday life in the country shows
Filipinos from the entire social strata nonchalantly breaking the rules, whether it is
something as benign as jaywalking or as dangerous as beating the red light.

7. Colonial Mentality.

Probably one of the biggest flaws we have as a nation is our colonial mentality, defined
as a preference for all things foreign over our own, a negative trait we acquired from our
days under the Spanish and the Americans. As a result, we Filipinos have been
indoctrinated with the misconception that our culture is inferior to that of our past
colonizers.

Glaring examples of colonial mentality include patronizing foreign instead of local

brands, favoring foreign values over our own, and even desiring to look more “Western”
(think whitening products). If we can’t even have pride in our own country, then
unfortunately we will always be stuck with this self-defeating mentality.

8. Balikbayan Box Mentality.

While there is nothing wrong with giving gifts to one’s family and friends (we Filipinos
do highly value them after all), it becomes a different matter when said family and
friends either misconstrue or abuse the OFW’s generosity.

In local parlance, this has become known as the “Balikbayan box mentality.” People
ingrained with this mentality either become exploitative or jealous of the success of the
OFW, not knowing that he/she is working hard away from his loved ones in a foreign
country. Some also believe that the practice undoubtedly contributes to the Filipinos’
colonial mentality.

9. Bahala Na Attitude.

Roughly translated as “come what may”, this is the Filipinos’ own version of fatalism,
the belief of leaving everything to the hands of fate.

This attitude, while not inherently detrimental in itself, is still a double-edged sword. On
one hand, positive aspects of this behavior include belief in Divine Providence and
national social responsibility. On the other hand, the attitude can also promote a sense
of helplessness and resignation of one’s fate at the local level, and a countrywide lack of
empathy and collective action on the national level. This is also the reason why we tend
to have amnesia over past wrongdoings committed by our leaders.

10. Corruption.

One of the biggest social ills our country has continued to face since time immemorial is
the issue of corruption. Let’s face it, our “culture of corruption” is embedded deep
within our system and reinforced by a complex web of economic and social factors
which include personal ambitions and a twisted sense of loyalty to friends and kin. The
Philippines is in for a long haul if our officials and we ourselves do not get rid of this
very negative habit.

11. Maintaining Double Standards.

This behavior can be observed in just about every sector of Philippine society, with the
most common example being the condemnation of an adulterous woman while
applauding a polygamous man. On the national scale, we see politicians spouting
promises of reform and good governance only to break them in the end. Long story
short, some Filipinos are hypocrites to the core.

12. Excessive Partying.

Now there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fiesta and party every now and then,
it’s just that we Filipinos tend to overdo it. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and
even somber funerals are celebrated by Filipinos like there is no tomorrow. Sometimes
we even make up the slightest of reasons just so we could have an excuse to party.
What’s more, a host would sometimes even strain his own finances just to
impress his guests.

As for fiestas, it seems that every LGU down to the smallest barangay in the country has
a fiesta to celebrate. Like we said, it’s alright to party, but we should really focus on
austerity and working hard first.

I don't want to sound totally arrogant. Awesome as Filipinos are, we are not perfect. Here are a
couple of more negative traits which also really represent Filipinos.
 Fatalism: An attitude of "what goes around, comes around" or "come what may." We have
a tendency to surrender our future to fate. We often accept bad news or circumstances
without trying to stop or change them. This can sometimes be helpful in adversity, but it
can also keep us from finding ways out of situations. Also, constantly expecting the worst
can get pretty depressing.
 Crab mentality: This is prevalent in politics where people tend to push each other down to
clear the way for their own gain. Politicians, especially, try their best to ruin each other, but
this can also happen among regular people. I think it goes to the point of selfishness.
So these are just a few common Filipino traits I can give. There are so many out there, but
these are the ones that really stand out from the rest. If you wanna know more about the
Philippines and Filipinos, you can travel to our country and discover the beauty of my land and
people for yourself. I hope you enjoyed this article!