Saving and preserving the Filipino values

 

Since time immemorial, the Filipinos have been known for their distinct set of values in life. These values have helped shape their identity and are of great help to them, particularly when it comes to employment opportunities. 

With their exemplary work ethics, local and foreign companies prefer Filipino workers over other nationals. 

Filipinos are the sought-after nationalities by both local and foreign employers for their values of patience, hard work, and dedication towards their work. 

But unfortunately, for still some undetermined causes, some of their long-embraced values, particularly courtship values, have lost their value, especially among the younger generation of Filipinos. 

In this blog post, we will discuss the different values of the Filipinos and the factors why many new generations of Filipinos are indifferent or have lost interest towards their values. 

The following are just some of the Filipino values that have lost their importance to the Filipinos: 

Pagmamano 

Pagmamano or kissing the hands of the elders (elders, grandparents and parents) used to be an honored value of the Filipinos.

Decades ago, when children got home, they would kiss the hand of the elders. Pagmamano used to be a treasured value of the Filipinos that they can be proud of. 

Fortunately, this particular value is still practiced by some children in the countryside and in cities in the country but not as popular as it used to be. 

Love letter 

Love letter is a popular form of courtship custom by young Filipinos then when wooing Filipinas. 

Was it effective? Well, a love letter alone does not guarantee a woman would say yes, but it makes a woman giggle because of the flowery, poetic words written on it. 

Besides, creating and sending a long, well-written love letter to a woman would send a signal to her of the man 's effort. 

How is this particular courtship custom practiced? For this particular courtship custom to be effective, it needs the participation of three parties: the suitor, the woman being courted, and the bridge (bearer of the letter) to hand carry the letter from the man to the woman and vice versa.

Regardless of the status of the relationship and whether the man has just started courting the woman through love letters or the relationship has already been established, exchange of love letters is done through the bridge. 

A bridge can be a woman or man and usually a mutual friend to both of them. 

Sadly, with the accessibility of smartphones, computers, and other modern digital devices, the love letter has lost its significance and popularity among Filipinos. 

Paninilbihan 

Another courtship custom once popular among Filipino suitors is 'Paninilbihan.' It had been practiced by Filipino men a long time ago. 

It is a way of courtship in which the man would stay in the house of the woman he is courting. 

While in the woman’s house, the man would do household chores like fetching some water from a well, tending and feeding farm animals, chopping firewood, and other household chores. 

As to how long a man would stay in the woman’s house would depend on him. It could be weeks, months, or even years. 

A man would do the Paninilbihan (servitude) to prove his sincerity and his being industrious to the woman and her family.

This is another value that has lost its popularity among Filipino suitors. Spoken poetry 

Spoken poetry (Tula in Filipino) also used to be a popular courtship custom among Filipino men. 

Spoken poetry had been popular and practiced in the countryside decades ago, Sadly, for unclear reasons, it is no longer popular and is no longer practiced today. 

The availability of digital devices and the access to the internet could be the reasons behind the disappearance. 

Harana (Serenade) 

Among the courtship customs, the 'harana' or serenade was the most popular. 

The Filipinos' love for singing goes beyond singing competitions, drinking sessions, but also in courtship. 

Unfortunately, this particular courtship custom is no longer practiced by the Filipino men. 

In Harana, the Filipino suitor would go to the house of the woman usually at night and would do a serenade.

What makes this particular custom exciting and thrilling is when the moment the family of the girl hears the man singing. The reaction of the woman's family varies from family to family. 

There have been cases where the family of the woman gets angry at the man because either the family does not want any suitor for their family member or they don’t really like the man. 

While there are also families that are kind to the suitors of their daughters. 

In this case, after singing, the family would welcome the man and let him into their house. 

Funny serenade 

In the Philippines, there have been reported hilarious cases where the family member, usually the father, would throw a container filled with human urine at the man while serenading. 

Though, this incident, often seen in Filipino comedy movies. Whether this urine-throwing incident is true or not, it is still hilarious. 

Sadly, for still unknown reasons,Harana is seldom practiced by Filipino suitors. Respectful

Courtesy is a broad term, but in this blog post, we will apply it in the context of showing respect towards elders. 

Decades ago, Filipino children were once respectful towards their parents, grandparents, elder siblings and even to complete strangers. 

In the countryside, when a child meets an elderly on the way, he/she would greet the elderly with “ Good morning, afternoon or evening” in a polite manner. 

But these days, even in the countryside, seldom one can see a child greet an elderly, parents or grandparents. 

For still unknown reasons or factors, Filipino children of today are far different than the children decades ago when it comes to respect. 

Some say that the influence of the media and liberal society play a big part in the young generation of Filipinos' attitude towards these lost values. 

Factors affecting these values 

Sadly, despite the integration of value subjects in the Philippine curriculum, still many Filipino children have lost or indifferent towards their values. 

The Pagmamano, being respectful to elders, and several other values are no longer observed and practiced by many new generations of Filipinos.

Will there still be hope to save and preserve these values? If so, what are the ways to save these values? 

Well, value immersion curricular and no curricular activities could be effective in saving these dying values. 

Holding value -integrated cultural activities may also help in saving and reviving these values. 

Photo (serenade) courtesy of John Tewell/flickr 

Photo (love letter)Pexels 

Photo (firewood) courtesy of Johannes Plenio/Pexels 

Trivia: 

The answer to the question, how old is President Bongbong Marcos? 

Answer: 64 

President Bongbong Marcos was born on September 13, 1957 in San Juan Manila, Philippines. 

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