NOT F, BUT STILL F

Filipino Philosophy is essentially about Filipino values, behaviors, or culture. There is actually no such thing as ‘formalized’ Filipino philosophy. What we have today as Filipino Philosophy is a philosophizing of the values, behaviors, or culture that we have. We are, in principle just extracting philosophical principles from what we have and then take them as Filipino philosophy. So when speaking about Filipino philosophy one has to go to the values and the like.

The Filipino ‘We’ – this is how I would call it. I would like to focus here on the social behavior of Filipinos – Companionship or Pakikisama: “The Filipino Social Philosophy.” For the Westerners, they would emphasize and highlight the ‘I.’ This is reflected in their culture; individualistic, independent, and focusing on themselves. On the other hand, this is not the case for Filipinos; it’s not the ‘I,’ but the ‘We.’ The community or the larger aspect of the society is the focus. Filipinos are not happy when alone or by themselves (in contrast to the Westerners). Filipinos find happiness and security in being with their group or companions. The Filipino is ‘Person-oriented.’ He thinks of himself as belonging to, and identifies himself with a group, and considers the success and welfare of the group as his own. The Filipino is less individualistic because he wants to be in harmony with his fellowmen.

This may seem so positive, but looking at the other side of the coin this is actually the root of one of the many problems we have – overfamiliarity and abuse. Due to the Filipino social behavior of Companionship or Pakikisama, the mindset of the Filipinos becomes too ‘person-oriented’ to the point that a Filipino would do anything, yes anything (even the bad ones) just for the sake of maintaining harmony with his fellowmen, friends, and especially relatives and family members. People would often say “sige ah, total paryente ko man ikaw; sige una ka lang, indi ka na lang mag-linya kay hinablos ko man ikaw; ako bahala simo ah, ako manager didto…” With this overfamiliarity, a lot would take advantage and use this in order to make things easier or more comfortable for them. A Filipino could easily set aside rules, moral values, or the good just to accommodate the people close to them.

This is something that we must avoid and take away. Why? Basically speaking, this makes us Filipinos unfair in relating to people. Just because they are our friend, relative, family member, doesn’t follow that they are exempted from making lines, going through interviews, or going through the hard way. Whether someone is close to you or not doesn’t change the rules. It doesn’t change a thing. Yes, it is true that we have to prioritize the people close to us, but when it comes to the public realm like for example our work, this is not the case anymore. In public office, we have to be fair and objective. Family affairs don’t matter in this case.

Now no matter how negative this may be, this is something that makes us a Filipino. Filipinos are known for and are used to this behavior. However, in principle, this is something that we can take away but still remain a Filipino. I’m not saying that we take away the value of “pakikisama” or companionship. What we have to take away is this overfamiliarity that grows or results from this companionship that we Filipinos have.
Strictly speaking, yes we have this companionship, but then we should make it to a point that it doesn’t go over and result overfamiliarity or abuse. If this is the case, we have just become not a Filipino, but still remain a Filipino. ‘Not a Filipino’ in the sense that we have taken away this overfamiliarity. ‘But still remain a Filipino’ in the sense that we still have the value of companionship with in us. So the essential behavior here is companionship while this overfamiliarity, although seemingly Filipino, is just a result or an extreme of this companionship. So, in principle, we could take it away and still remain a Filipino since what is essential is companionship. Not F (Filipino; overfamiliarity), but still F (Filipino; companionship).

– Raymond Brotarlo Pasco

YOUNIQUE (You + Unique)

What stays in your mind?

A different experience like no other? A satisfying feeling? The ones that touch your heart? A unique happening? A once in a lifetime opportunity? Or maybe an unusual experience? Bad memories? Terrible events?
Whatever that may be, one thing common to what stays in our minds is that they are in the level of extremes. By extreme I mean the two opposite poles; the best and the worst, the brightest and the darkest, the funniest and the most sorrowful, and the like. Basically, they are last points in a line. The extremes easily stay in our minds, for instance the best feelings we had or the worst days of our lives. The common or the usual things that happen in life like drinking water, breathing, blinking, walking along the road on your way to your office or school, travelling the usual way to the Church, and the rest usually just come and go. They don’t really stay that long.

Let me ask you, what do you remember most about your best friend? Isn’t it the funniest or the craziest things he/she did or both of you did back then? Or it may be the things only he/she did to you such as being there when you’re down, when all has turned their backs from you or being there to listen to the pointless stories you tell? That’s what I mean, the extremes. Those things that are unusual, rarely happening, seldom done to you (only your best friend does to you), not the usual or the common. You see, we seldom remember the common things that happen to us, but the extremes, may it be positive or negative, do really have a special place in our hearts and minds.

Once I asked a certain parishioner in a Church somewhere in Iloilo the question; “Which Parish Priest do you remember the most and why? The answer to the “WHY” is, as expected an extreme. But as to the “WHO,” okay let’s just skip the “WHO.” It is confidential, but as to the “WHY,” well it goes this way… “because he gives very long homilies!” I had a good laugh with that answer, but taking it seriously, here we could see that indeed the extremes stick on our minds. The priest giving very long homilies was an extreme – he was the one among the many priest who gave the longest homilies to the point that the mass he presides would last from a range of 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours. Now that’s an extreme. People may also remember a priest for giving the best homilies or for being the strictest priest ever, but whatever the reason there may be, may it be positive or negative extreme, they usually stay and stick to us.

So do want to be remembered? Go for the extreme, find that extreme in you. Be it for being the corniest guy ever, the loudest girl in the group, the smartest in class, the craziest among your peers, or whatsoever. It is the extremes that are usually remembered. Even in class, the ones remembered most are the best and worst, the loudest and the most silent, the naughtiest and the very kind ones. We seldom notice or remember not the ones in the middle.

But thinking of it more deeply, our extremes may be one of our outstanding identities right? I mean, it is what makes us different, thus remembered by people or appreciated by people or otherwise. What’s makes Pope Francis so renowned right now is not simply because he’s the Pope, it’s because he dared to be different he’s an extreme – personal, identifies himself with his people, makes effort to be in touch with the poor and the youth, a transgressor of unnecessary protocols, a revolutionary, out of the box. This essentially made him the People’s Pope. So don’t be afraid to be different (especially if there’s nothing wrong with it). If you want to be remembered, if you want to leave a mark, a legacy, just be you and dare to be different. You know what’s the best thing to be? It’ is to be yourself – be YOU. You are unique.

Oh, and take note, don’t just be who you are because you’ll be remembered. I mean, no matter what happens, may you be remembered or not, just be yourself. Don’t just be motivated by the fact that you’ll stay on people’s minds, that you’ll be noticed. Being yourself is the reward itself. The joy and freedom given by being yourself is enough reward already. You are Unique – YOUNIQUE.
– Raymond Brotarlo Pasco