Introduction
An effective training module can be implemented by incorporating the foundations of a culture that is to be trained. A background of a particular group’s culture can allow one to procure background information about the practices, beliefs, and values of that group. This information can then be used to be aware of the sensitivities of the people in question, as well as applied to determine in which path the training process will undertake.
One specific group that is prominent among the American community is the one comprised of Asian-Americans, more particularly the Filipino-American ones. A person can be considered a Filipino-American, or Fil-Am, as the people in the Philippines as they would like to call it, if he or she has either parent to be of Filipino ancestry. Most Filipino-Americans have been exposed to the Filipino culture, and thus they are familiar with a part of it. Understanding the Philippine culture can play a part in developing an effective training module for the people of this group.
Philippines: An Overview
The Philippines is an archipelago situated in the Asian continent and it is composed of approximately 7,100 islands The inhabitants of this country are called Filipinos, and they are a mix of different ancestries such as Negrito, Austronesian, Spanish, American, Chinese, and the like. The country has a tropical climate, and boasts a wide biodiversity due to its rainforests (“Philippines country profile”, 2015).
Since Filipino-Americans are affected by the Philippine culture as well, it would be beneficial to describe the Filipino culture as parts of it affect the mindset of Fil-Ams as well.
History of the Philippines
The location of the Philippines between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean makes it an opportune spot for traders and colonizers alike. Due to this, the Philippines has a major history of colonization (“About the Philippines”, n.d.). Throughout the country’s history, there has been a total of three major colonizers which have affected the nation’s culture significantly—the Spanish, the Americans, and the Japanese.
The Spanish were the first colonizers of the country, and their colonization period started when Ferdinand Magellan set foot on the island in 1521. Since then, the Spaniards have colonized the country for approximately 300 years. During their stay, they have influenced the lives and culture of the Filipinos greatly. For one, they have introduced Catholicism, which is a major religion in the country. They are also the reason why majority of the surnames of Filipinos is Hispanic in nature, as well as some of the names. Their influence on the Filipino culture is also manifested in the cuisine, clothing, vocabulary, values, traditions, and others (Slack, 2014).
In 1896, the Spaniards ceded control of the country to the Americans, which then ruled over the country for approximately forty years. The American occupation in the Philippines has allowed Filipinos to learn American English, making the language one of the most used in the country, along with the official language Tagalog. They have also introduced the idea of public schooling among the Filipinos. They have also assimilated elements of their culture to the Filipinos, just like the Spaniards (“Consequences of the American Colonial Rule”, n.d.)
The Japanese are third occupants of the country; they colonized the country during the Second World War. They were extremely brutal during their stay in the country; however, they stay was only brief—they stayed for only four years. Nevertheless, they have also influenced the Filipino culture, as seen in the propensity of the citizens to be hardworking and resourceful. After the Japanese were defeated during the Second World War, the Americans resumed colonization of the country until 1964 where they finally granted the independence of the country (“World War II and Japanese Occupation 1941-1945”, n.d)
Perhaps the most iconic historic event that has happened in the country is the 1986 People Power Revolution, wherein the Filipino people congregated and held a revolution in the streets in order to oust their then-president Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule was considered very oppressive and corrupt. This event marked the return of democracy, in which the country still enjoys to the present day (Weir, n.d.)
Educational Information
Education is seen as very important in the lives of the Filipino people. For them, it is a tool for a better life. True enough, most professional jobs require at least a college level of education to qualify as an applicant (“Philippines: Education”, n.d.)
The Philippines has modeled their educational system after the system that was introduced to them by the Americans. Parents can opt to send their children to preschool, but formal education starts at the first grade, in which children go to starting from ages 6 to 7. Traditionally, the educational system requires a student to finish six years of primary schooling and four years of secondary schooling before entering college level (Clark, 2009). However, a new law in the country has implemented a change in the educational system recently; students are now required to go through 13 years of education as opposed to the earlier 10. This system is known as the K-to-12 system in the country, shorthand for Kindergarten to Grade 12. This change was brought about in order to improve the Philippine educational system so that it is on par with other countries (“The K to 12 Basic Education Program”, n.d.)
Family and Religion
As mentioned earlier, the Filipino nation is predominantly Catholic given the influence of the Spanish rule. In fact, it is only one of the two countries in Asia that are Catholic, the other being East Timor. The Filipino people in general are very religious, they see to it that they are celebrating religious festivals and conducting religious rites regularly. Filipino towns hold fiestas once a year, a festival commemorating the feast of the town’s patron saint. Religion is a very important aspect of their culture, given by the very long occupation of Spaniards in the country (“Catholicism in the Philippines”, n.d.)
Because the nation is primarily Christian, there is a strong regard for family traditions in the country. The Filipino people are expected to place their family as their primary priority over anything else. As children, they are exposed not only to their immediate relatives, but also relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity. This extended view of family is further mitigated by the compadre system. The godparents of a child at birth are usually friends with the parents, and are expected to act as surrogate parents for their godchildren. The Filipino people are also expected to have a great deal of respect among their parents. Unlike in other aged parents that are sent to retirement homes, aged Filipino parents are taken care of by their children until their death (“Living in the Philippines: Family Structure”, n.d.)
The Philippines holds a conservative view when it comes to the role of men and women in the society. People are expected to assume a certain role just because of their sex; their gender dictates what they should be and how society will see them. The Philippine society can be seen as primarily patriarchal; the males are provided more importance in society than females. Filipino males are expected to be dominant and able to take on responsibilities since they are expected to support their families later in life. In contrast, females are expected to play more submissive roles. At an early age, they are taught skills that they will use to become a homemaker later on. They are also supposed to be prim and proper; to act ladylike according to societal standards (Alcantara, 1994).
Popular Culture
The Filipino nation is comprised of fun-loving, friendly, and easy-to-get along people. As a result, they love many forms of media (“Friendly to strangers”, n.d.) Peoples are specifically gravitated to noontime and drama shows, with some even following them faithfully. The local showbiz is a dominant part of the culture, owing in no small part due to the rivalries of the two giant networks in the country which hold most of the nation’s local artists. The Filipino people are also drawn towards anime, action films, and Taiwanese and Korean shows dubbed in the Tagalog language (Garchitorena, n.d). The Filipinos also comprise a large user base of popular media sites such as Facebook and Twitter (Revesencio, 2015).
When it comes to food, Filipino cuisine is influenced by Spanish, Chinese, American and other culture’s cuisine. The most recognized Filipino food is adobo, a dish made out of meat marinated in the mixture composed of soy sauce, vinegar, and other condiments like pepper and subsequently cooked along with other substances such as potato, carrots, bay leaves, etc. The geographic diversity of the country is a major factor in the plethora of dishes that are present in the Philippine cuisine. However, fast food restaurants are also popular among the Filipino people. In fact, there is McDonald’s equivalent in the Philippines, which is named Jollibee (Lazor, 2014).
The Filipinos have their own genre of music, dubbed OPM, and it is used as a generic term to describe any music produced by local bands and artists. However, OPM is generally dying out in the country as the Filipino people prefer to listen to international artists. Of particular note is the influx of Korean pop artists, termed as K-Pop. Efforts have been made to revitalize the Philippine music industry, however. This attitude of Filipinos towards music is only a part of a larger problem regarding the mindset of the Filipinos, which is colonial mentality. Decades of being under another country have led the Filipinos to believe that anything that is produced locally to be of inferior value, and something that came internationally has a higher class. This kind of thinking extends in other areas such as fashion and the industry (David & Okazaki, 2006).
Career Application and Recommendation
Since Filipino-Americans have been more or less exposed to the same culture like the Filipinos, some of the traits of Filipinos apply to them as well. For example, their willingness to work can result in them becoming great assets in the industry. They also know how to speak English well, which makes communication with them relatively easy. However, their strong family values are to be considered when hiring them as workers, as they tend to neglect jobs to attend to family matters.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Filipinos are very proud of their heritage and ancestry. If they hear negative things about the Filipino people in general, they tend to take it personally. This attitude can lead to disagreements in the workplace. Otherwise, they are friendly and easy to get along due to their laid back nature.
References
About the Philippines (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.seipi.org.ph/articles/about-the-philippines/
Alcantara, A. N.. (1994). Gender Roles, Fertility, and the Status of Married Filipino Men and Women. Philippine Sociological Review, 42(1/4), 94–109. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41853665
Catholicism in the Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/faq/catholicism-philippines
Clark, N. (2009, January 1). Education in Philippines. Retrieved from http://wenr.wes.org/2009/01/wenr-january-2009-practical-information/
Consequences of the American Colonial Rule (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/history3.htm
David, E. J., & Okazaki, S. (2006). Colonial mentality: A review and recommendation for Filipino American psychology. [Abstract]. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minor Psychology, 12 (1), 1-16. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16594851
Friendly to strangers (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.seasite.niu.edu/seabusiness/tagalog_business_materials/businessvocabs/Business_Cultural_Scenarios/firendly_to%20strangers.htm
Garchitorena, A. (n.d.) Pop Culture and the Rise of Social Media in the Philippines: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/ronda2014/Culture-Philippines.pdf
Lazor, D. (2014, July 14). Coconut, Vinegar, and a Whole Lotta Pork: An Introduction to Filipino Cuisine. Retrieved from http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/what-is-filipino-food-cuisine.html
Living in the Philippines: Family Structure. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/1308-family-structure
Philippines: Education (n.d.) Retrieved from http://countrystudies.us/philippines/53.htm
Philippines country profile (2015, October 2). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15521300
Revesencio, J. (2015, May 4). Philippines: A Digital Lifestyle Capital in the Making? Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonha-revesencio/philippines-a-digital-lif_1_b_7199924.html
Slack, E. (2014, June 30). Philippines under Spanish Rule, 1571-1898. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199766581/obo-9780199766581-0164.xml
The K to 12 Basic Education Program. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gov.ph/k-12/
Weir, F. (n.d.). A Centennial History of Philippine Independence, 1898-1998. Retrieved from https://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/
World War II and Japanese Occupation 1941-1945 (n. d.) Retrieved from https://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/fw6.html
