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An interesting local newspaper article regarding Philippine culture. 

Other cultural observations?  Maybe something a bit more positive?

Quote: By Yen Makabenta The Manila Times Wednesday, July 6, 2022

"What Filipinos are like"

I found Guerrero's book, "We Filipinos" (Daily Star Publishing Co., Manila, 1984), to be an interesting collection of various articles and speeches written and delivered during his long and distinguished career.

His essay "What Filipinos are Like" is an arresting piece of self-appraisal of our people and our national characteristics, and how foreigners see us.

He singles out for examination our people's lack of self-reliance. He writes: "For more than four centuries of colonial rule, we were not allowed to rely on ourselves. We were not allowed to make important decisions.

Colonialism also results in a certain unwillingness to accept responsibility.

"We were also the Asian people that remained the longest under Western rule. Magellan raised Homonhon on the horizon in 1521, by 1572, Legazpi had destroyed the Muslim power in Manila."

"By way of contrast, Japan was not occupied until 1945, and then only briefly; China never lost its independence, and neither did Thailand; India was not annexed until the middle of the 19th century."

On Filipino imitativeness, Guerrero wrote: "Our adaptability or imitativeness, like our family system, is largely self-protective.

Colonized people quickly learned to adapt themselves to foreign ways. The penalty was, at the very least, a kick in the butt. So in colonial Philippines, the man who could speak Spanish or English, had a reasonably better chance to get a job or a promotion.

That the Filipinos showed a precocious ability to imitate, and to imitate strongly, is perhaps indicated by our national male costume, which is a shirt worn with its tails out.

"Our mime-tism has at least one more source other than self- preservation.

Those Asians who complain that Filipinos are excessively Westernized to the point of losing their Asian identity forget that there was nothing else for us to be. For religious reasons, the early Spanish missionaries did a thorough job of destroying all repositories of native culture that they could lay their hands on.

"Shorn of their native traditions, isolated from the rest of Asia and the world by a strict policy of exclusion, we Filipinos had no alternative but to turn to Western civilization.

The American occupation just confirmed it with material advantages and political institutions that seemed unrivaled by anything Asia had to offer.

As it had been since time out of mind, Westernization appeared to be the key to personal and national progress, and imitation the easiest method of Westernization."

Guerrero concluded his penetrating essay with these unsparing words: "Since we have grown accustomed to borrowing our ideas, as a result we have lost some of our capacity for independence and originality of thought.

We have also developed an extraordinary credulity for mistaking form for substance, words for deeds, programs on paper for achievements. A slogan is coined, a speech is made, a law passed or an order given, and we imagine that the deed is done.

We are told by higher authority that a diplomatic victory has been won, and in utter disregard of the facts, we believe it, just as readily as we would have believed the opposite.

What saves us is our ability to laugh at ourselves.

A lively sense of the ridiculous has helped to keep alive in us our true sense of proportion."

--

- @PalawOne

Yes, Filipinos are very good at languages and at copying 

but sad they havent copied the understanding of not copying to close   

China never lost its independence, and neither did Thailand

@coach53 True one must never be slow to ask for advice. Read books about business and ask experts (people who already have a successful business) or go to business school to learn the basics.  I have started and managed several businesses, an electronics store, an installation business, a painting contractor business, became a real estate agent and worked for a couple of brokers for eight years, then became a licensed real estate broker and founded and operated a real estate company in the USA.

Many Filipinos are proud   but often NOT about the GOOD things as NATURAL MORENA beauty and having an in big part beautiful country!!!  And basicly its a RICH country - or could be if handling it good. Much are wasted by bad handling, and much rural land are not in use!!! ...  (This) became critical, BUT thats because I want specialy the poor to get much improved life - which is possible, but much harder/impossible if not changing these basic errors in thinking...  - @coach53

@coach53 True one must never be slow to ask for advice. Read books about business and ask experts (people who already have a successful business) or go to business school to learn the basics. 

I have started and managed several businesses, an electronics store, an installation business, a painting contractor business, became a real estate agent and worked for a couple of brokers for eight years, then became a licensed real estate broker and founded and operated a real estate company in the USA.

- @Timo62

Many Filipinos are proud   but often NOT about the GOOD things as NATURAL MORENA beauty and having an in big part beautiful country!!!  And basicly its a RICH country - or could be if handling it good. Much are wasted by bad handling, and much rural land are not in use!!! ...  (This) became critical, BUT thats because I want specialy the poor to get much improved life - which is possible, but much harder/impossible if not changing these basic errors in thinking...  - @coach53

`

Would agree with all of what you've said above Coach .. yet, mostly the dear Phils folk muddle along, doing things in the old way, voting from habit, and battling with nature, and a class based system, with greed and eternal close family groups. But always living in hope, with genuine care and with perpetually good natures. And so the same as you Coach, how can one help but love and admire this child in nearly every one of them?

- @PalawOne

Possibilies I have thought of - and done   

I have done it for tribe people (and one Filipino - who screwed up big... - but the new Filipino seem good I didnt find any tribe person with acounting knowledge (buy one wanting to learn).  These tribe people LIKE to learn and they follow instructions... And they ASK when they dont understand something

There are SOME other Filipinos with open mind too, but a small part.  A chef friend of mine tried hard north of Manila to try to make them eat healthier just by reduce fat/oil when frying, gave up, BUT some COPIED     when he started exersise running and then more followed 

E g one Filipina was sad because she had lost much money (in her messure) by customers hadnt paid.  I just adjusted her thinking how to judge risks and hinted to her what type of customers to look for instead.  By she was good allready at finding good opportunities, she succeeded so much so she needed to work only a few days per month

3. TELLING solution possibilies at "every" possibility to do so. As e g I have done in e g earlier posts, but to many Filipinos too. I dont know if it help   

@coach53 True one must never be slow to ask for advice. Read books about business and ask experts (people who already have a successful business) or go to business school to learn the basics.  I have started and managed several businesses, an electronics store, an installation business, a painting contractor business, became a real estate agent and worked for a couple of brokers for eight years, then became a licensed real estate broker and founded and operated a real estate company in the USA.

- @Timo62

((Beside all different business types I have helped with business consulting, i have had own businesses within such as Distribution, PR and software/website developing. The production business I have started in the Philippines now are far from same business type