Filipino Values
in Missions
Geri Abordo
Filipino Values and our Christian Faith
by Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano
(Main text resource)
Filipino Values
Bahala na!
Pakikisama
Palabas at Paporma
Utang na loob
Bahala Na!
Come what may…
Anything goes…
Whatever will be, will be…
Leads to non-persistance (pagpupursige)
By FAITH? By FATE?
Fatalism
Bahala Na!
Negatively plays into supportraising…non-responsibility
“Basta gusto kong pumunta. Wala akong
pera, pero bahala na!”
“Naku, malapit na ang deadline para sa
plane ticket. Wala pa akong na-raise na
support. Tsk! Bahala na!”
Fatalism may play into one’s ministry
PAKIKISAMA at its best…
Seeks harmony with others
Aims for unity, peace, cooperation
Rooted in pakikipagkapwa-tao
Branches into bayanihan
Accomplishes a task faster
PAKIKISAMA at its worst…
Forces one into doing something that is
not really out of his heart
Compels someone to act even contrary
to one’s personal preference
Facing temptations of compromise
Lowering of standards
Going against initial objectives
In Missions…
Promotes unity among missionaries in
the foreign field
Can hasten the work that needs to be
done because others will come and help
STM barkadahan
“Uyy, sama ka na sa STM, ikaw na lang ang
hindi kasama sa ating tatlo…”
“Tsk, kaibigan ko kasi si…kaya sasama ako
sa STM, nahihiya kasi ako na hindi siya
suportahan.”
Brocades, Facades, and Edifice
Complex
Palabas, Pa-bongga, Pasikat, Pa-impress,
Paporma
May be mistaken as hospitality
Roots:
Malay ancestor- with an abundance of natural
resources around him, and small fortunes within
easy reach, he is not adverse to throwing away
a year’s salary on fiestas
Chinese influence of “kingliness”
Spaniards’ “gentility”, emphasis on
appearances, privilege, status and delicadeza
In Missions…
Danger of being overly concerned with
what people may think of us, so we try to
dazzle them with glowing reports of
successful ministry overseas…masking
of truth
Danger of being extravagant in words, in
promises
The guise of hospitality may put one in a
compromised situation
Utang na loob
Shades:
“Walang utang na loob!”- Shameless;
Ingrate
“Utang na loob ko sa kanya ang aking
buhay.”- I owe him my life.
“Utang na loob, huwag niyo po akong
sasaktan.”- Asking for mercy.
Covers the whole emotional-ethical
range of mercy, charity, clemency,
leniency, benevolence, and tolerance
Utang na loob
Enslaving
Can turn into a form of bondage
Can be misplaced and exaggerated
(e.g., Filipinos’ affection and gratitude to
the US)
Tends to create a patron-client
relationship that is oppressive
In Missions…
Pasalubong becomes a burden
“Naku! Kailangan may pasalubong man lang ako
kina…kasi nag-support sila sa akin para sa STM.”
Feeling of unhealthy indebtedness to supporters
“Na-invite ako mag-attend ng gathering nila. Ayaw ko
sana, kaso nag-support kasi sa akin yan sa STM eh...”
Adverse to support raising because one does not
want to have utang na loob towards another
person
“Gusto kong mag-STM pero di ko kayang mag-raise ng
support. Ayaw ko manghingi ng pera sa ibang tao.
Magka-utang na loob pa ako sa kanila.”
In Missions…
“If someone has done me a good turn,
my first response, of course, is to be
grateful and express my thanks to
the person. Then, I direct my
thankfulness to God with the thought
that this person has been used by the
Lord to meet my particular need.
Therefore, God is my ultimate
Giver…
In Missions…
…Though I am sufficiently grateful to the
person used by God. I should be most
thankful to God Himself. Thus with this
frame of mind, I won’t feel compelled to
go out of my way to please, flatter or fawn
over this particular person. If I can do
something to help him or her in the future,
then I will gladly do so. Not as repayment,
but as a simple Christian gesture of
helping someone in need.”
Filipino Values
in Missions
Geri Abordo
Filipino Values and our Christian Faith
by Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano
(Main text resource)