Filipino Values Month worthy of celebration

by Manila Bulletin

It is hard to sell to Filipinos abstract concepts of nationalism, unity, empathy for others, etc. which are native values inherent to our race. Still and all, former President Fidel V. Ramos issued Presidential Proclamation No. 479 on Oct. 25, 1994, declaring the month of November of every year as Filipino Values Month.

In signing this presidential issuance, President Ramos not only enjoined all government agencies and offices to instill in their personnel the correct and upright values that define our national character, but also expressed the hope that future generations of Filipinos will continue planning and living their lives around these values.

Proclamation 479 builds on the gains of the government’s moral recovery program as enunciated by an earlier Presidential Proclamation, No. 62, issued on Sept. 30, 1992. 

Both executive issuances were made in response to the need to strengthen the moral resources of the Filipino rooted in the Filipino culture, values and ideals that are pro-God, pro-people, pro-country and pro-nature.

Through these measures, the government at that time endeavored to mobilize all Filipinos for nation-building through the practical exercise of human values in their daily lives as citizens. The lofty objective was “to awaken us all to the power of these values in achieving our individual and national goals.”

From the time of President Ramos until today under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the government has pushed for the celebration of Filipino Values Month on a regular basis because they recognize that this observance is a desirable and effective measure to create moral awakening and national consciousness on human values that are unique, genuine and positively Filipino.

In its early years of observance, the Filipino Values Month celebration was spearheaded by the Kabisig People’s Movement of former President Corazon Aquino, which later sponsored the government’s Expo and Trade Fairs which showcase the profiles, service facilities, programs and projects of various government agencies. 

Later, the Department of Education and the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA) became very active in conducting various activities that highlight the nation’s values that support God, people, country and nature.

Through research conducted by the National Economic Development Authority in 2019 and 2020, the NCCA has identified 20 core and shared values which serve as an anchor for every Filipino to our roots and identity as a people.

The Covid-19 pandemic did not dampen the spirit of DepEd’s celebration of the Filipino Values Month, with then Education Secretary Leonor Briones affirming that the observance puts to the fore “each one’s triumph in overcoming the trials that each one may have experienced and create an avenue to rejoice in our very own unique, genuine, and positive Filipino values that play an important role in bringing new hope by becoming considerate and compassionate towards others during this time of the pandemic.”

In good times and bad, and despite our incessant challenges to recover from various adversities both natural and man-made, Filipinos are hardwired to be optimistic and to hold firmly on their survival instinct. We recognize that Filipino values are social constructs within our culture which define that which is socially considered to be desirable, and that this assemblage of advocacies, ideologies, moral codes, ethical practices, etiquette and personal and cultural values will be with us, even further developed and enriched by us, in this generation and beyond.