PROFILE OF A FILIPINO

The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Their ancestor, who were of Malay stock, came from the Southeastern Asian mainland as well as from what is now Indonesia. From the 10th century, contacts with China resulted in a group of mixed Filipino-Chinese descent who account for a minority of the population. A small percentage of Chinese nationals also live in he country, Spanish-Filipinos and Filipino-American may be distinguish by their fairer complexion, taller stature, and aquiline nose structure. The relatively small numbers of migrants from the Indian subcontinent added to the population's racial mixture. The aboriginal inhabitants of the islands were the Negritos, or Phymies, also called Aaetas or Balugas; they now constitute only a small percentage of the total population. 

The Philippines has varied land forms such as plains, mountains, hill, plateaus, and swamps. There are the vast plains of Central Luzon, the soaring landscape of the Mountain Province, the green tropical countryside of the Southern Tagalog provinces, the teeming forests of Mindanao and almost everywhere, islands, surrounded by blue waters and seashores with sparkling white sands.

The Filipino People, possesses a unique culture, customs and traditions a combinations of the eastern and western cultures.

FILIPINO WOMEN

In A Study of Psychopathology, Filipino psychiatrist Lourdes V, Lapus writes: ‘The Filipino culture, for all the increasing signs and protests to the contrary, still has a large hangover from its ego-idea for women of many bygone years. This is the so-called Maria Clara” image of a woman who is shy, demure, modest, self-effacing, and loyal to the end. The openly provocative, sexually aggressive female who is frequently associated with the American female image is still comparatively rare in Filipino culture....'

Filipinas generally strive to portray the Maria Clara’ image and frown on aggressive displays by women. An aggressive woman, which description includes one who is open and mixes freely with men, is considered sexually ‘loose’. Cultural norms favor the demure, modest female when it comes to personal, social or business relationships with men. Social inferiority is not implied. The Filipina enjoys equality with men in many areas, notably in professional, business and career areas.

To understand the Filipina, one must look at the different roles she takes in society. As she goes through life, the Filipina may take he roles of daughter, sister, dalaga or young woman, wife, mother, mistress, professional, employer, employee, etc. The first few roles will be discussed in more detail as they are more firmly entrenched in tradition and probably influence the more modem roles that a Filipina faces.

The Daughter

Due to the importance of the family in Filipino culture, it is impressed every individual from childhood that parents are owed a debt of gratitude for bringing one into this world. (This is balanced by the belief and tradition that parents should make sacrifices for their their children because they brought them into the world.) Obedience to tents and to older siblings is taught early and enforced until adulthood, whereupon it becomes one’s sense of obligation.

Children never attain equal footing with parents; parents are Sys treated with respect and the debt of gratitude is a lifetime t Children are expected to serve their parents until their death.

Through this system the older citizens are provided and cared for. tie is no need for nursing homes or homes for the aged. In fact, putting one’s parents in such a home would reflect badly on the individual and incur hiya. One would be labeled a bad son or daughter who does not love one’s parents—probably the greatest sin the eyes of Philippine society.

For the Filipino daughter, mother serves as the first model. She has a great impact in a society where role modeling is the main process operating in the learning of sex roles. This factor together with the cultural dynamics described above, plus the prolonged physical and emotional nurture received from the mother, creates a special bond between mother and daughter.

Greater service is usually expected from the daughter than from the son when it comes to satisfying a mother’s needs. On the daughter’s part, mother is the first person she turns to in times of trouble and she is the first source of knowledge on household and family matters.

Ate: The Sister

Sisters play a very important role in Philippine families, especially older sisters. An older sister is called Ate by her siblings. Ate is responsible for the younger children and she may bathe, dress and feed them. This is necessary in large families where the mother cannot look after all the children. Older children are taught early that it is their duty to help take care of younger brothers and sisters. This provides them with training and experience in housewifely and motherly duties. The oldest girl assumes this role as soon as the second or third child comes along and not necessarily when she reaches a certain age. It is not uncommon to see a small child carrying a younger brother or sister who is more than half her size.

Her role of ‘deputy mother’ commands Ate the respect of her younger siblings who look to her for advice in personal matters. They are expected to obey her just as they do their mother, because she is there to look after their best interests. She may serve as an intermediary between them and their parents particularly in large families where some of the children are not as close to their parents or where parents are rather strict. In the event of the parents’ death, it is she who takes over the responsibility of keeping the family together.

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