What is the culture of the Philippines?

 

Cymark Ferdinand Mirasol

Originally Answered: How would you describe and define the Filipino culture?

Filipino culture is a rather amusing mixed bag. A contradictory enigma of sorts. On one hand, we have this fascination with foreign culture — including stuff from the US, Japan, and most recently, Korea. On the other hand, we also love to indulge in #pinoypride — which is basically being super-proud of the accomplishments of any Filipino or anyone with even a smidgen of Filipino blood in their ancestry, or some joker just claiming to be “Filipino” in general who achieves worldwide recognition.

This is pretty apparent when you see any foreigner saying something negative about “pinoys” or “pinoy culture” or “Filipinos abroad” in general. You’ll see a flood of social media posts from angry pinoys shortly afterwards.

There is this intriguing hypocrisy etched into our culture stemming from how highly we value public perception in general. I believe that our obsession with public perception comes from our colonial Spanish lineage, but since we were also a colony of the US for a time, we also inherited a little bit of their independent mindset. Thus, what we are left with is a mixed bag of people who are easily fascinated with things from abroad while also being extremely proud of anything “Filipino” that manages to achieve worldwide recognition.

DOH: Gov't still studying return to 'new normal' Alert Level 1 by March

 Commuters disembark from a train at a station in Manila on Feb. 16, 2022

By Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — With cases around the country going down and vaccination numbers rising, the national government is preparing to shift to Alert Level 1 or the “new normal,” the head of the One Hospital Command Center said Sunday. 

Speaking in an interview aired over DZBB Super Radyo, health undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said that the IATF would mull a shift to Alert Level 1 once more by end-February. The Department of Health has since taken the position that the public will "have to move on and live with the virus."

What will 'new normal' look like? Full capacity at venues but face masks stay on

"We are still looking at the metrics now and they are good, although they are looking good... under Alert Level 1, almost everything is normal but that doesn't mean the virus is gone," he said in Filipino, adding that the relaxing of restrictions should still be done gradually.

"If we are to be downgraded to Alert Level 1, we must have flexible plans in case we are returned to Alert Level 2... We must have something like 'infection forecasting.'"

As of this writing, 80.7 percent of Metro Manila is fully vaccinated. Vega pointed out, however, that only around 20 percent of the Bangsamoro region are fully inoculated. 

"Our next target is 80% of the population at 80 million by June," he said. "There are still some parts of Mindanao that are still difficult to vaccinate after Typhoon Odette."

Trend still downward: OCTA

In a tweet, Dr. Guido David, a fellow of the independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research, noted that the coronavirus numbers in Metro Manila have been "nearly flat the past 3 days."

"Numbers in the NCR are not decreasing as fast as what we wanted...but this should not be a cause for concern," he said. 

The Department of Health reported just 1,923 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon, only 392 of which were from the National Capital Region. "This shows that the trend is still downward," David said. 

Of that number, 74 cases were from the City of Manila while 67 were from Quezon City. Parañaque also had 41. No other city in the Metro breached 40 cases. 

A number of Metro Manila's COVID-19 indicators — namely the reproduction number and healthcare utilization rate — were classified as "very low" as of Friday. 

Of note, the positivity rate as of February 18 was at a moderate risk six percent, getting close to the World Health Organization's recommendation of five percent for opening economies. 

Among provinces and regions in the country, Cebu and Davao Del Sur recorded 131 and 101, respectively. No other area had more than 100. 

— Franco Luna 

Protect the vulnerable online from scammers and fraudsters

by Manila Bulletin

The digital age has touched almost all aspects of our lives, more so during the pandemic when even ordering food is done online through apps and using an e-payment system. It is now impossible to do the majority of transactions, whether it is with banks, schools, the government, or even merchants, without the use of any digital device or having an online account.

With people doing more transactions online, it is inevitable for fraudsters and scammers to also do their “hunting” online—finding their next prey among the millions of citizens who use the internet for various purposes on a daily basis.

Looking into the history of online scams, a study has shown that it started in the early ’90s during the rise of e-commerce in the world. Soon, these online scams reached a wider scope and became more sophisticated, targeting the most vulnerable such as kids, the elderly, the illiterate, or those who are not tech-savvy.

Internet scams cover a lot of activities done by cybercriminals. Their faces may be hidden in the shadows but their fraudulent ways have been uncovered via phishing emails, fake tech support calls or emails asking for your passwords or credit card numbers, fake SMS on phone declaring you a winner of a raffle or lottery, or social media links that illegally capture your online credentials once you click it.  Each day, multiple versions of these scams appear on emails, social media, or SMS endlessly, hoping to bait a few of the most vulnerable.

In the country, Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, is the law protecting us from cybercrimes, which include cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data, among others. Though the law has a noble purpose, is fully implemented, and has already penalized those who have done illegal acts online, there is still a need to look into this once again as in the duration of 10 years, so many advancements in technology and e-commerce have emerged.  What was done online in 2012 is so much different compared to 2022. There is also a rise in the number of internet users, as in 2012, data revealed only 36 million users. Today, it is estimated at 76 million Filipinos.

More online frauds will happen. Online scams couldn’t be totally eradicated as catching one cyber criminal only emboldens the others to find different ways to scheme. What the government can do are three things: First, update the law on Cyber crime Prevention; second, improve the skills and learning of our law enforcement (they have to be 10 steps ahead of a cyber criminal); and third, educate and raise the awareness of Filipinos, especially the most vulnerable, about these kinds of crimes.

News from Congress revealed that there are lawmakers who intend to update the law to make it more attuned to the times. Technology advances by the hour and we can’t have a law that is updated only after a decade. This, however, has to wait when Congress sits down to work after the entry of a new administration. We hope that the next president would have this as part of his or her legislative agenda.

On the side of awareness, information is sadly still lacking. Each day, thousands of Filipinos are victims of cyber criminals who steal their identity or hard-earned money. The vulnerable members of our society, such as the elderly continue to be targeted as they share online information to supposedly members of “tech support.”  The least we could do is to not only inform our parents or grandparents but also to give time when they ask about the internet, e-payments, or credit card transactions. We owe it to them to be patient and understanding as technology evolves at an unprecedented pace.

Our country can’t have a strong “e-conomy” as long as these issues are not addressed properly. And as long as online fraud is rampant, there can be no progress, no innovations, and no peace of mind for all internet users.

Our basic need for prayer

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

MORE than our need for food, water and air, we all need to pray. Prayer is the most basic necessity we have, since that is what unites us with God our Creator and Father in whose life we are supposed to share knowingly and lovingly. And the simple reason is that we have been created in God’s image and likeness. 

It may sound too much to express it in words, but how God is, is also how we ought to be. And that very image of God is given to us in Christ who is precisely God who became man to offer us “the way, the truth and the life.” When we pray, we start assuming the identity of Christ. Not only that. We start to share his power and everything in him.

This truth of our Christian faith is somehow illustrated in that gospel episode (cfr. Mk 9,14-29) where the apostles asked Christ why they could not cure the boy who was possessed with a mute spirit. The response of Christ was: “This kind can only come out through prayer.” (Mk 9,29)

We have to realize that prayer should always have priority over all other activities we have during the day. Better said, we have to learn how to convert everything into prayer so that we can say that our whole life is a prayer itself, as it should be.

And that is always possible because all we have to do is to fulfill our duties and responsibilities out of love for God and neighbor, doing them in the best way we can, for such is the way of love. And the duties and responsibilities we have are the usual tasks we do everyday.

It’s when we pray that we manage to relate who we are, what we have, what we do, etc. to our ultimate end which, to be sure, is not something only natural but is also supernatural. Nothing therefore can rival the importance of prayer. In other words, prayer is irreplaceable, unsubstitutable, indispensable. It’s never optional, though it has to be done freely if we want our prayer to be real prayer.

Of course, we also have to understand that prayer can lend itself to many different ways. There’s vocal prayer, mental prayer, contemplative prayer, liturgical prayer, ejaculatory prayer, etc. It can adapt itself to different situations and conditions. 

The absolutely important thing that makes prayer real prayer is when we manage to give all our mind and heart to God in whatever thing we do or in whatever situation we may find ourselves in.

We have to be reminded that the quality of our prayer determines in the end the quality of our life. How our prayer is will somehow shape how our life will be. And that’s simply because our prayer is the basic way of connecting with God who is the source and keeper of our life, and in fact, in whose image and likeness we have been created, and whose life we are supposed to participate.

We have to train ourselves in this area. It’s actually easy to do because being a spiritual operation, prayer can always transcend whatever limitation we can have in time and space. It can even transcend whatever conditions we are subject to—physical, emotional, psychological, temperamental as well as social, political, economic, etc. It can be done anytime, anywhere. If we would just have the mind to do it, it can actually always be done.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Why did the Philippines join ASEAN?

Dayang C Marikit

My Quora account is mainly focused on promoting and educating people about the pre-colonial period.

The Philippines was actually the one who proposed ASEAN to its neighbors.

• The concept originated as “Maphilindo” which stands for (Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia)… This started as a way to reinvigorate their historical connections prior to Western colonization.

• However due to some anomalies on the part of the Philippines and Indonesia, this concept fell apart. The Philippines and Indonesia were trying to halt the formation of Malaysia and they plotted to divide the island of Borneo among themselves.
• After their failed attempt at creating “Maphilindo”… Filipino lawmakers later proposed the concept of (ASEAN) to our neighbors, but this time the concept included all of mainland and maritime Southeast Asia.

---

So the answer to your question is… (The Philippines joined ASEAN because Filipino lawmakers were the ones who proposed it to our neighbors.)

Philippines accepts COVID-19 vax certificates of more countries

 Image from the website of the city government of Davao.

BY Helen Flores - The Philippine Star 

MANILA, Philippines — The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the COVID-19 vaccination certificates of more countries and territories since reopening the country to foreign tourists last Feb. 10.

Acting presidential spokesman and IATF co-chairman Karlo Nograles said the country recognizes the vaccination certificates of Argentina, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Azerbaijan, Macau SAR and Syria.

He said this is in addition to other countries/territories/jurisdictions whose proofs of vaccination the IATF has already approved for recognition in the Philippines.

Nograles said the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), Department of Transportation (DOTr)’s One-Stop-Shop and Bureau of Immigration (BI) are directed to recognize all proofs of vaccination approved by the IATF.

Earlier, Nograles said all foreign nationals traveling to the Philippines for business and tourism may enter the country without visas as long as they are fully vaccinated and present the required COVID-19 proof of inoculation and testing documents.

He also expressed confidence that the updated protocols would not lead to a spike in infections as long as all health protocols are observed.

Flight crew protocols

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has adjusted quarantine protocols for flight and cabin crew members returning to the Philippines, including those with layovers in the country, to mitigate personnel shortages and avoid significant disruptions to workforce and operations.

Under the adjusted protocols issued by CAAP in its Memorandum Circulars 06-2022 and 07-2022 last Feb. 7, flight and crew members are no longer required to undergo mandatory facility-based quarantine, but shall self-monitor for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19.

Transportation must be arranged by the air operator between the aircraft and the crew’s hotel rooms, if needed, while ensuring the observance of physical distancing and other health protocols.

At accommodation, only one crew member will be allowed to stay per hotel room and contact with other crew members is prohibited. Use of hotel common areas is also not allowed.

Suspected COVID-19 positive crew members and those experiencing symptoms during layover or in transit are mandated to immediately report to the air operator and seek medical assessment for monitoring.

They shall be repatriated by appropriate mode of transportation to their residence.

For crew members who have been found COVID-19 negative through evaluation in accordance with procedures, the air operator may arrange transportation to their residence.

CAAP requires air operators to ensure compliance with the relevant public health regulations, policies and established measures.

CAAP director-general Jim Sydiongco said the protocols have been established in response to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade’s directive to address the current insufficiency of manpower faced by local air operators due to the possibility of flight crew being exposed to COVID-19 positive individuals requiring quarantine. – Richmond Mercurio

It’s possible to love our enemies

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

MAKE no mistake about this. We are clearly commanded by Christ to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who mistreat us, etc. (cfr. Lk 6,27-38)

That may sound impossible to do, given the way we are, humanly speaking. But it really is not. God’s grace will always be available. Thus, what may appear impossible to us becomes possible and doable. When we find ourselves in situations where we have to contend with some enemies or conflicts, let’s remember that the first thing to do is to go to Christ, to ask for grace, to make our identification with him even tighter.

Especially during this election season when we are seeing a lot of fault-finding, insulting, mocking, and all other forms of negativity, we need to strengthen our belief in this one particular injunction Christ gave us—to love our enemies. This is one golden opportunity for us to become like Christ, as we ought to be, since he is the pattern of humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity.

This obviously will require a lot of virtues—humility, patience, magnanimity, fortitude, to mention a few. We have to learn how to discipline our emotions and passions, and to be most careful with what we say. We have to be quick to purify our thoughts and intentions whenever some negative elements enter into them.

Let’s remember that the greatest evil and the worst injustice have already been committed, and that is the killing of Christ by man. But such evil and injustice did not elicit another evil reaction from Christ. On the contrary, he offered forgiveness. We do not correct a wrong with another wrong. As one saint would put it, we have to drown evil with an abundance of good.

During this election season, we can have our own choices. We can be partisan. But it does not entitle us to fall into lack of charity against those who may disagree with our choices. Thus, I think it is preferable that we study all the issues quietly, and make our decisions quietly as well. There is no need to create a lot of noise which can only be toxic to everyone.

Let’s always remember what was said at the end of the gospel cited above. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

It’s very gratifying to note that Christ clearly promised that if we follow this commandment of his, we will be rewarded much more than what we appear to have sacrificed for the sake of this commandment. Yes, God cannot be outdone in generosity.

Let us brace ourselves to face this challenge of becoming true Christians. Let’s make our Christianity really work, especially in difficult moments. Christ never abandons us, and he is willing to go through the experience with us. We just have to do our part, that is, to go to him, and follow him as best that we can.

Indeed, loving enemies is a sure mark of a true Christian!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Why do Filipino languages have several Spanish words?

 

Mara Barbra Nanaman

Proud Filipino, citizen of the world

theater enthusiast, bookworm, English teacher, proud parent, Potterhead, butterfly chaser.

The Philippines was colonized by Spain for 333 years from 1565 to 1898, although the first Spaniards (led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) landed in 1521. Inevitably, parts of the Spanish language, culture, traditions became imbued into the Filipino culture. This is particularly apparent in the influences in food and language. The modern-day Filipino is very familiar with Spanish fare (or at least Spanish-influenced food) such as mechado, afritada, calamares, paella, chicharon and leche flan, for example. More to the question, we also share a lot of similar words. Here’s a random list of everyday words in Filipino and Spanish:

Filipino - Spanish - English

mesa - mesa - table

silya - silla - chair

kutsara - cuchara - spoon

tinidor - tenedor - fork

kumusta - como estas - how are you?

plato - plato - plate

gwapa - guapa - beautiful/pretty (female)

gwapo - guapo - good-looking/attractive (male)

gabinete - gabinete - cabinet (both the one in government and the furniture)

biyahe - viaje - trip

trabaho - trabajo

Names of colors (azul, verde, rosa, etc), actual names of people (Juan, Miguel, Maria, etc) and the numbers (uno, dos, tres, etc) are also very similar (in some cases, exactly the same) as well. You get the picture. Obviously, a LOT of countries speak Spanish and each of their cultures is different so we might or might not share these similarities with those countries as well.

Edit: Updated how some of the Filipino words are spelled! Thanks for the feedback!

More Pinoys quit jobs even in midst of pandemic – study

by Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin

Even in the midst of the pandemic, 4.6 million workers quit their jobs with the Philippines experiencing a whopping 176 percent increase in voluntary resignation across all industries in a phenomenon called “The Great Resignation”, according to a recent study.

Sprout Solutions, a Filipino Software as a Service (SaaS) company, cited studies showing that in November alone 4.5 million people globally have left their jobs voluntarily. In the Philippines, Sprout said, its study showed voluntary resignation increased by 176 percent during the pandemic.

“The average voluntary attrition rate in 2020 was 1.31 percent. In 2021, it rose to 2.27 percent, a 73 percent increase in average voluntary attrition across different industries, that’s almost double,” said Kislay Chandra, Sprout Solutions’ Chief Product Officer.

The top industries most affected by this phenomenon comparing them to the average voluntary attrition rate in 2020 are professional, scientific, and technical services industry, which increased its attrition rate by 274 percent while the construction increased by 120 percent. The arts, entertainment, and recreation industry experienced 207 percent increase and the water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities industry increased by 185 percent, while the information and communication industry experienced a 117.14 percent increase.

There are various factors that influenced an employee’s decision to resign. Some of the reasons behind the spike in attrition include abrupt changes in the working setup, a lack of work-life balance, and uncertainty over the pandemic. These have taken a toll on some employees, especially on their mental health. Management decisions such as lay-offs, salary cuts, and other cost-cutting measures also had a role to play.

The pandemic also led people to assess their current situations, giving them more time to think about what they truly wanted. “Some were encouraged to pursue their dream jobs, while others had other plans like being a stay-at-home parent,” explained Sprout’s Chief People & Customer Officer, Atty. Arlene De Castro.

“There are various possible reasons why these industries were hit the hardest, but we can’t definitely say it without data. This is what we are looking into with our second study on The Great Resignation in the Philippines, where we will be deep diving on the reasons why employees are leaving their current posts,” shared Atty. De Castro.

Respondents of the study also cited safety reasons for leaving their jobs. Some workers are still concerned about the virus and their health, especially if their workplace plans to return to on-site work.

It showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the current traditional work model, making the hybrid workplace the viable option.

De Castro also cited a Cisco Workforce of the Future Study conducted in the Philippines, which showed that 18 percent of the respondents had been working from home already prior to the pandemic, but during the pandemic, the number rose to 93 percent.

For on-site workers in the Philippines who still report for in-office work during the pandemic, they have been reevaluating their priorities and now want the best of both worlds. “In order for the hybrid model to work in the Philippine setting, it must be inclusive, flexible, secure, and well-managed,” said De Castro.

According to Sprout‘s study on The Future of Work, 47 percent of work from office leaders want to adopt the hybrid work model and 62 percent of work from office leaders see hybrid or remote work as the future. The 42 percent of work from office employees respondents are enthusiastic about adopting a hybrid working environment and in fact, 34 percent of them prefer hybrid over their current work from office setup.

Those who are on a work from home arrangement likewise see the value of going hybrid, with 52 percent of work from home employees saying that implementing a hybrid workplace is extremely important with 82 percent saying they love their setup because they save expenses on travel/commute.

Of the respondents, only 36 percent of work-from-home employees feel excited to return to the office.

“The shift to a hybrid model isn’t as established within different organizations from different industries. What works best — especially for at-office teams — will still depend on various factors such as their sector, size, and structure,” added Sprout Solutions’ Head of Business Development and HR Evangelist Atty. Lester Ople.

“Most companies are on the same page when it comes to making the post-pandemic office as flexible and less burnout-prone as possible.”

The study also revealed that 64 percent of HR admins working in the office are seeing a hybrid workplace in the future even post-pandemic. They agree that the time spent at the office may end up being more productive, deliberate, and collaborative and this can be achieved with the right tools.

De Castro said that safety is the number one priority of workers. “If you give them a sense of stability and security, they will be grateful and happy, especially with the ongoing pandemic. Your employees will demand safety and would want to see protocols in place to help them work productively at the same time in a safe place. Implementing a hybrid workplace address this in the current world we live in, it enables them to have an option to work from home or work in the office, whichever they prefer,” she said.

When the pandemic hit, Sprout stepped in and helped companies to implement a remote work setup for companies who needed to implement them, Sprout ensured secure 201 files from its cloud-based system and assured a seamless transition to remote work.

Sprout Solutions is Philippines’ first people platform designed for the future of work. Its goal is to help small, medium-sized, and large enterprise Philippine businesses grow through its suite of backend solutions that address end-to-end HR challenges – especially with the new normal of hybrid work. It enables businesses to bring their People Experience to the next level with analytics, engagement, performance and learning management, recruitment automation, and benefits like salary advance and wellness services.

Contemplation and Relaxation

 

By Carlos Cornejo *

The food of the soul is contemplation.  Contemplation means looking and doing things thoughtfully or pondering on the important things in life.  Contemplation is a lost art nowadays because many people prefer the frenzy of feeding the senses especially with apps and social media.   Contemplation on the other hand is feeding the intellect and the will rather than the senses.  

The satisfaction derived from contemplation is always superior to those of feeding the senses because contemplation makes us more human and even more divine because it is helping the intellect and will to grow.  Our intellect and will is what differentiate us from the animals but most importantly it is what makes us beings “created in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26).   It is our soul with its intellect and will that makes us more like God and it is our bodies that makes us more like animals.  Thus, feeding the senses makes us more like animals but feeding the soul makes us more like God.  Aristotle said that feeding the senses is what animals do (eating, sleeping, playing, etc.) to make their lives happy so to speak.  If we humans do the same thing (making it our ultimate source of satisfaction), we will be frustrated because our nature and calling is higher.  It is through the nurturing of our intellect and will that we achieve our joy because it makes us more like God who has called us to be “partakers of His Divine Nature” (2 Peter 1:4) of which by the way is the ultimate purpose of the Christian life.

The activities of contemplation that feed the soul are reading, praying, contemplating nature, enjoying the company of our friends and relatives, gardening, cooking, playing a musical instrument, watching our kids play, etc.  What is common among these activities that makes it contemplative in nature?  They are not done in a hurry.  They are done deliberately and purposefully enriching the mind and the spirit that no computer games, or internet app can replace.  What kills the contemplative spirit is feeding only the senses as well as the attitude of a hurried life.  Being always in a hurry in our work or leisure would be like watching a movie in fast forward.  You would never enjoy it. “There are those who work and struggle and hurry, but are so much the more in want.” (Sirach 11:11)

We also have to learn the art of alternating work and rest.  Work is a practical activity for a greater end.  The reason why we work is to have the basic necessities in life such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. as well as to express our creative spirit, practice camaraderie with others, serve society, along with the exercise of the other virtues.  But once we have done our days’ work, we have to learn the art of relaxing with our family.  Rest is a seemingly useless activity but is an end in itself.  Rest is an end in itself because it gives us joy.  Work is a means to an end and that end is joy.  We work because it contributes to our happiness and not the other way around.

There are individuals who seem lost and don’t know what to do once their daily occupation is done.  These are usually workaholics who have gotten addicted to the efficiency and results of their labor.  The means have become an end for them.  It’s like falling in love with the brush instead of the product of the brush which is the painting on the canvas. For workaholics’ life is equal to work.  But the real purpose of work is to provide for the necessities as well as the leisure time for our family.  The purpose of our work is our family.  Thus, we should enjoy the company of our family after a days’ work.  When we learn that art of leisure with our family, it becomes an energizer and a rejuvenator to our spirits that makes us enthusiastically go back to work again.  Work and rest would then feed each other.  

* cvcornejo87@gmail.com