RUNNING HEAD: REFLECTION PAPER ON SOCIETY, PHILIPPINE SOCIETY

Reflection Paper: Society, Philippine Society

Anna T. Cruz

R180110

Business Ethics R44

Ateneo Graduate School of Business

Dr. Manuel Dy

2 December 2019
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Reflection Paper: Society, Philippine Society

1. What is society?

The dictionary defines society as an organized group of persons associated together for

religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. The term has

been derived from a Latin word “socious” which means association or companionship. The

individual, as it goes about its existence, relates to other human beings. This interaction of

individuals with each other is what composes social groups. As social groups interact with each

other, it leads to a society.

2. What is good of Philippine society?

What is good about Philippine society is how it values the family. We have strong family

ties that extend way beyond the children turning into legal adults. We don’t kick our children

out or expect them to pay for rent and utilities when they reach the age of 18. We keep them

safely under our wing until they graduate from college, get a job and, sometimes, even way after

that up until they get married and start a family of their own.

We also take care of our parents and older relatives. The Western practice of care homes,

hospices, homes for the aged, retirement communities is only now beginning to find acceptance

in Philippine society. There is a stigma attached to placing one’s parents in a care home.

Placing your parents in a care home, instead of taking care of them in your home, is perceived to

be heartless, ungrateful.

Then there are the extended families. In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to have two,

three or even more families living under one roof. In the sixties and seventies, family

compounds were the norm. Today, single-dwelling houses are split into rooms, or sometimes

even floors to accommodate everyone under one roof.

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This concept of the extended Filipino family does not stop there. Despite the regional

dialects, and how the Philippines is divided into more than 7,000 islands, we are clannish when

someone else is aggravating or attacking one of us or a representative of the Filipino people. We

also celebrate Filipinos who make a mark on the worldwide stage even if that person is only one-

half or one-eighth a Filipino. I cannot fully explain it, but whenever I meet a Filipino on my

travels out of the country, they go out of their way to accommodate Filipinos. They are

unusually chatty which you would not normally expect when you meet the same people while in

the Philippines. Why is it that Filipinos in the United States gladly open their homes to

“kababayans” they hardly even know, much less have a blood connection to? A town mate, the

daughter of an old friend, the officemate of their cousin? Maybe it has something to do with our

hospitality, but more than that, it has something to do with our close-knit society.

Finally, there is the way we deal with strangers. Everyone, it seems, is an ate or a kuya.

Ask a stranger for directions: “Kuya, saan banda ang….”, or a server for directions to the toilet,

“Ate, saan ang cr?” We treat each other as family. More importantly, we like being treated as

family. Friends of mom and dad are called “tita” and “tito” even if they are not blood relatives.

It’s a practice more than one foreigner I have met find unusual, given that they are on a first-

name basis, sometimes even with their own parents. It may not be uniquely Filipino, as some

other Asian cultures are wont to do the same, but I think our society has definitely taken the

concept of family to another level.

3. What ails Philippine society?

Philippine society is not without its faults and weaknesses. We discriminate against

ourselves. We have been colonized by one country after another that colonial mentality has been

ingrained in our culture. Despite the natural beauty of the Filipina, many of us feel we aren’t
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white enough, our hair isn’t straight enough, our bosoms and buttocks are not big enough. Now,

not even our lips full enough. Our standard of Filipino beauty has changed from Gloria Diaz to

Catriona Gray.

Perhaps one of the worst ailments of our society is crab mentality. We have a tendency

to pull down anyone who gets the better of us. Just this week, so many issues were raised in the

media about everything that seems to be going wrong with the preparations for the SEA Games.

Everyone got on the bash-the-organizers bandwagon. Facebook was flooded with opinions. As

always, there was mudslinging between the Aquino and Duterte groups. As this was going on, I

thought to myself, “Why can’t we just find a solution or solicit help instead of showcasing that

this and that was not done properly?” And “Why do we have to air our dirty laundry in public,

for all the international media to see?” It’s because of our crab mentality. We let the

insinuations of the Duterte and Aquino groups get to us. It’s sad, but true.

Just last night, I caught an interview by CNN’s Pinky Webb with an authority on the SEA

Games preparations. I was disappointed that the questions she directed to her guest were all to

highlight the problems or issues that were cropping up for the SEA Games. There was mention

of a Facebook post of one coach regarding “kikiam” for breakfast, and of the 50-million peso

kawali, among other issues. I had to change the channel in disgust.

The handling of the SEA games fiasco frustrated me to no end because in our company,

whenever a problem comes up, we are trained to deal with it with what we call Triple A or AAA.

A for “Ayusin ang problema”, the second A for “Alamin ang dahilan” and the third A for “Ano

ang gagawin para hindi na maulit.” For example, if there were logistical problems in

transporting the delegates, then hire additional transport providers. In this case, there were even

private companies who volunteered to help out to resolve this issue. That should have been

highlighted in the news. The thing is, let’s first find a solution before we start pointing fingers at
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who or what caused this dilemma. And when we do move on in investigating the source of the

problem, it is with the intention of improving the system so that the same problem will not recur.

Ironically, today, as I watched the SEA Games opening ceremonies, the spectators at the

Philippine Arena and all the viewers at home were filled with pride. It wasn’t so much the

program – but yes, it was something to behold—but the spirit of oneness, of support for our

athletes that was moving. The welcoming of the delegates from the other countries definitely

showcased Filipino hospitality at its best. It was moving. It was awesome. It would have been

great if this feeling would hold our society for more than just the eleven days of the SEA Games

and yet, this morning, the Philippine Facebook trolls were at it again: Why didn’t they use

professional dancers and choreographers? “Pucha. Parang nanuod ka lang ng perya sa

probinsya nito.” What is wrong with Philippine society? This is what is wrong with Philippine

society!
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References

Dictionary.com (2019). Definitions. Retrieved November 29, 2019 from

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/society?s=t

Study Lecture Notes (2019). What is Society Meaning and Definition of Society. Retrieved
November 29, 2019 from http://studylecturenotes.com/what-is-society-meaning-and-
definition-of-society/