BUSINESS ETHICS

AND SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
 UNIT II:
Foundations of the
Principles
of Business Ethics
 LESSON 8
The Filipino Value System
and Business Ethics
Challenges
 Lesson Objectives
• To provide a historical background to business
ethics in the Philippines
• To explain the major Filipino values affecting
business
• To enumerate the various business ethics
challenges flowing from these Filipino business
values
 Factors That Affect Filipino
Business Ethics
1. Family-oriented laws prevailing in the country
Example: The Family Code of the Philippines

2. Filipino values
Examples: family closeness and solidarity
(pagpapahalaga sa pamilya), politeness (use of po or ho
or opo), hospitality (tuloy po kayo), gratitude (utang na
loob), social acceptance (pakikisama, amor propio,
economic security, pagmamay-ari) and trust in God
(pananalig sa Diyos, Bathala or Maykapal, and Bahala
na)
 3. Confucian ethics
This is brought about by the Chinese influence on Filipino
culture which is made possible by the migration to the
Philippines of many Chinese centuries ago.
4. The concepts of sin (kasalanan) and virtuous
action (mabuting gawa)
These concepts are clearly anchored on Christian faith and
therefore subscribe to the morality encapsulated in specific
items in the Ten Commandments.
A sin is something forbidden on A virtuous action is a
account of its being primarily an conscious and deliberate
offense against God, a violation of his deed performed by man in
manifest will, and secondarily an accordance with God’s will.
offense against one’s fellow or even
against oneself in his irrevocable
dignity as a creature or a child of God.
Business Ethics References to a Wide
Range of Concept Pairs in Filipino
On the Immediate Level
• What is right or correct (tama) and what is
wrong (mali)
• What is allowed or legal (pwede or hindi
bawal) and what is prohibited or illegal
(bawal) in trade or business
(pangangalakal)
On Another Level
• What is good (mabuti) and what is bad
(masama)
This, however, refers to a highly utilitarian and
instrumental sense rather than in an absolute moral
sense, meaning, what is good in business is what is
profitable and brings prosperity; whereas what is bad is
what constitutes a losing proposition.
 Business Ethics Challenges in
Ethics teaching in basic education has been generally pedantic.

the Philippines
Corruption in the Philippines seems to refuse to go away despite highly
publicized criticisms from local and international media, multilateral
funding agencies, and prominent local academics.
In a country where much is needed to combat
Average Filipinos have become immune to unethical behavior among
endemic business
high-ranking corruption, moral because
and government officials numbness,
only a few of
underdeveloped
them are sanctioned andcapability
imprisoned; for
mostmoral reasoning,
go scot-free with their
misdeeds promptly forgotten.
culture of indifference, and the lack of moral
couragethesemake
Sometimes misbehaving,business ethicsare admired,
should-be role models learning
even emulated, despite the misdeeds they commit.
particularly challenging in the Philippines.
THE LONG-TERM RESULT? Future generations of officials never learn
the lesson that their power and offices are not their personal entitlement
but a duty to communities. Without moral indignation and vigilance,
unethical behavior perpetuates.
 Discussion Questions
1. How would you explain the historical
background to business ethics in the
Philippines?
2. How would you explain the major Filipino
values affecting business?
3. What are the various business ethics
challenges flowing from these Filipino
business values?