MINDORO STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Arts and Sciences

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

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COURSE CODE SOC SCI 111 COURSE TITLE UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
CREDIT UNIT 3 SEMESTER OFFERED Second SEMESTER
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"The smallest minority on Earth is the individual. Those who deny individual
rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”
– AYN RAND
 INTRODUCTION
Have you ever asked yourself what is truly a Filipino identity? Recall an instance,
What is your Digital Self?
or maybe you can imagine a moment when you are the only Filipino conversing
______________________
______________________ among a group of people from different nationalities. Will you be proud of
______________________ speaking about all the beautiful things about your country and of being a
______________________ Filipino? Are you going to speak ill of your country or will you be just quietly
______________________ mortified by the fact that you are a Filipino?
______________________
______________________
Truly, we have a lot to be proud of. If only we realize that there are things
______________________
______________________ unique to the identity of the country, we might be able to rethink our sense of
______________________ pride. For example, our University of Santo Tomas in Manila and the University
______________________ of San Carlos in Cebu are among the oldest schools in the world, and they have
______________________ outdated most of the known schools today. The Philippines is not only the first
country in Southeast Asia to gain independence; it is also the only country in the
world known to hoist the flag upside down during war.

In terms of animals, our Philippine eagle soars being the largest eagle in the
Reflect on the self you world. The country is also home to the world's largest snake and the longest
present online and offline. reptile - the reticulated python Almost 90 percent of the known giant clam
______________________
species in the world is found in the Philippines.
______________________
______________________
______________________ Filipinos are also known for their greatness. One will be surprised to see the
______________________ monuments of Dr. Jose Rizal not only in the Philippines but throughout Asia and
______________________ Europe. Another controversial physician, Dr. Abelardo Aguilar helped in the
______________________ discovery of antibiotic erythromycin (Ilosone) that has been saving millions of
______________________
people until today. The famous Carlos P. Romulo was the first Asian to become
______________________
______________________ President of the United Nations. This is not to mention the countless
______________________ professionals, athletes, beauty titlists, and artists who made it to the global
______________________ stage.
______________________
With more than 7,100 islands, the Philippines became known for this one
particular island province - Camiguin - whose number of volcanoes (7)
outnumbered the number of towns (5). Camiguin has the most number of
volcanoes per square kilometers in the world. The country's geography also
contributed to more than 170 spoken languages and about 200 ethnic groups.

The most hospitable, joyful and cheerful Filipinos observe Christmas Season
from September until about mid-January the longest season in the world. Also,
the popular Philippine Basketball Association is the first and the oldest in Asia.
And perhaps part of our being cheerful is our eagerness to connect with one
another. Though it does not always give a positive impression, the Philippines is
considered as the text capital of the world. The number of text messages sent
by Filipinos every day is said to be more than the text messages sent by
Americans and Europeans combined.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
After successfully completing this module, you should be able to:
• trace the historical context of the political self of the Filipinos
• Take pride of the Filipino identifying values and traits
• Connect the current trends or social upheavals to the historical viewpoints
of independence and liberation
 CONTENT
THE POLITICAL SELF
Political Self
_________________________ 1. DEVELOPING A FILIPINO IDENTITY: VALUES, TRAITS,
_________________________ COMMUNITY AND INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
_________________________
_________________________ Our historical experience provides a profound trace of how our identifying
_________________________ values and traits have developed. In the precolonial era, the Filipinos were
_________________________ free. The system of government was wide-ranging in small units called
_________________________ balangay - a term derived from a wooden boat used by a community of
families for their living. The notes of Antonio Pigafetta, the scribe of the
Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, revealed that the natives of the
Philippine islands were autonomous and economically prosperous.

How real is your Political Self? When the Spanish colonizer, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi made a kinship
_________________________
pact, the sanduguan, with a native chieftain Sikatuna of Bohol, the pact was
_________________________
_________________________ initially understood as a mutual promise, like blood brothers, of helping one
_________________________ another in times of need and development. The blood compact was
_________________________ primarily grounded on the Filipino value of katapatan (true to one's
_________________________ promise). For over three centuries the Filipinos helped the colonizers build
_________________________ their military fortress, paid their taxes, joined their civil guards and
constructed their government and religious infrastructures. However the
Spanish colonizers did not remain faithful to the pact that they have agreed
with the Filipinos. They required the natives to render forced labor; they
have monopolized the market by determining the price of farm products
Explain how Dr. Rizal enlighten
produced by the natives; they have grabbed the lands of the farmers, they
the Filipinos about the
oppressive structures brought have limited the freedom of the natives and they have kept the Filipinos
by the colonizers. ignorant.
_________________________
_________________________ Towards the end of the third century under the Spanish colonial rule, a few
_________________________ educated indios (Filipino natives), reminded themselves of the original
_________________________ kinship pact, and faithful to the traditional values and traditions of the
_________________________
prosperous balangay, they manifested the value of katapangan (courage)
_________________________
to fight back against the oppressive rule of the colonizers.

The reformist Dr. Jose Rizal of Laguna used his talent and skill as a poet
and a writer to enlighten the Filipinos about the oppressive structures
brought by the colonizers. He burned in them the spirit of pagka-
makabayan (patriotism) once again after centuries of hopelessness and
desperation. He trusted the Filipino intelligence and banked on it to awaken
the consciousness of the people. His satirical novels - Noli me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo candidly depicted the worsened tyranny, oppression and
domination of Filipinos under colonial rule.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 Although he never involved and succumbed to the invitation of the bloody
revolution, the last poem written by Jose Rizal - Mi Ultimo Adios - seemed
to favor the armed wing of the same revolutionary struggle of Andres
Discuss your standpoint on the Bonifacio. The latter justified the need for a bloody revolution by the fact
historical context of political that there was betrayal of the pact between brothers. This philosophy
self of Filipinos
honors more than just the social contract existing between the colony and
_________________________
_________________________ the colonizers. It seeks to uphold and advocate the pact between brothers
_________________________ to sustain kalayaan (liberty) and pakikipagkapwa-tao (being faithful to the
_________________________ goodness of the other).

While the colonial powers and influence were so ingrained in the Filipino
system, the revolutionary movements against the Spaniards began to
Explain what signified to the claim only little and scattered victories all over the country, Then the
end of revolutionary struggles Americans intervened to help the Filipinos win the war and gain liberation
of the Filipinos
from Spain. In 1898, the country gained its independence from Spain.
_________________________
_________________________ However, for the next fifty years, the Americans remained in the country
_________________________ and continued to intervene with its political, educational, economic and
_________________________ military affairs. In the course of many years, the Filipino revolutionists,
never blinded of their desire for real independence, began to suspect that
the Americans do not have the plans to leave the country Thus, the
Philippine-American war broke and costed the lives of thousands of
Filipinos and Americans.
Share some insights about the
historical experiences of Filipinos The superiority and might of American military led to the surrender of the
__________________________ Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo. This signified the end of the
__________________________ revolutionary struggles of the Filipinos. Nonetheless, the desire for
___________________________
__________________________ freedom was still burning in the heart of every Filipino. This led the
political pragmatist Manuel Quezon to bring the fight to the US Congress
and eventually won the Jones Law. He became the Commonwealth
President, and in 1946 the country finally received its independence.

2. ESTABLISHING A DEMOCRATIC CULTURE

Just shortly after we have gained independence from the United States,
Filipino democracy started to take shape; the Japanese occupied the
country and established the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic.
President Jose Laurel cushioned the impact of the atrocities and violence
by constantly winning the trust of the Japanese while faithfully serving the
suffering Filipinos. He was the guerilla who fought his battle not in the
jungles but in the embattled office in Malacañang.

__________________________________________________________
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 The defeat of Japan in World War II also meant the regaining of
Philippine independence. Since then, we struggled to rebuild our
communities and the structures of our democracy. Filipinos lived their
EDSA People Power Revolution liberated hopes and dreams until the establishment of the 1973 Marcos
_________________________
Constitution. This placed the entire nation under the authoritarian rule of
_________________________
_________________________ President Ferdinand Marcos. We have once again lost our freedom. We
_________________________ have once again succumbed to the mercy not of foreign colonizers but of
_________________________ a fellow Filipino wanting to pursue his development ideologies. The
_________________________ dictator initially delivered the needs of the Filipino people by improving
infrastructures and government systems. After 13 years under Martial
Law, the people became fed up with so much corruption, injustice and
violence that eventually led to EDSA Revolution. The People Power in
EDSA remains to be a compelling message to the world that the
What are your thoughts about Filipinos value freedom so dearly.
the 1987 constitution of PH?
_________________________
The historical bloodless EDSA People Power Revolution guided the
_________________________
_________________________ promulgation of the 1987 Constitution. This document defined how the
_________________________ institutions and systems of government function in the way of
_________________________ democracy. Since President Corazon Aquino, until the present
administration under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Filipinos became
highly vigilant and watchful to safeguard the democratic processes in the
government and communities. The people's assertions to peaceful and
assertive means of participation to democratic election and
Does the 1987 Constitution aid representation are healthy indications that the Filipinos have matured in
in fortifying a democratic
their quest for real independence.
culture?

_________________________ In recognition of the importance of People Power, and the fortification of

_________________________ democratic culture, the 1987 constitution ensures the following:
_________________________
_________________________ 1. That the government shall afford full protection of Filipino workers
_________________________ here and abroad, and provide equality of employment opportunities
_________________________
_________________________ (Article XIII Section 3);
2. That everyone guarantees the right of workers to self-organization,
collective bargaining and negotiations, and peaceful concerted activities
in accordance with law (Article XIII, Section 3);
3. That institutions recognize the rights of farmers and land owners, as
well as cooperatives and farmers' organizations (Article XIII, Section 3):
4. That authorities protect the rights of subsistence fisherfolks (Article
XIII, Section 7);
5. That the people may pursue and protect, within the democratic
framework, their legitimate and collective interest through peaceful and
lawful means (Article XIII, Section 15);
6. That the government ensures the right of the people and their
organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all level of
social, political and economic decision-making (Article XIII, Section 16),
and
7. That congress provides a system of initiative and referendum where
people can directly propose and enact or reject laws passed by
congress or local legislative body (Article XVI, Section 32).

All these, among others, ensure the protection of the rights of every
individual, and the development of a democratic culture that is fit to the
long-standing desire of the Filipinos to achieve peace and liberty.
 A closer glimpse at the nature of democracy might be helpful.
Democracy is described as the awareness and understanding that the
self and community are both the foundation of democratic practice and
What is a Democratic Society? the result of it. Yet, studies confirm that the presence of democratic
_________________________
institutions is no guarantee that the people are able to exercise their
_________________________
_________________________ rights and obligations. What are the attributes of democracy? Based on
_________________________ the discussion above, the following are identified as attributes of a
_________________________ democratic society: empowerment of the people, consultation, popular
_________________________ decision-making, total development, delivery of services, fair and
impartial system of justice, accountability of public officials, promoting
respect for the rights of others, concern for their welfare, unity, justice
and equity.

What are your thoughts about ACTION AGENDA FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
the Action Agenda for a
Democratic Society?
1. Improve the political and social environment and reduce poverty
_________________________
_________________________ through structural reforms in order to foster a sense of community and
_________________________ enable citizens to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations.
_________________________ 2. Continually re-examine societal institutions responsible for value
_________________________ formation so that they inculcate rather than indoctrinate democratic and
citizenship values.
3. Incorporate cross-cultural activities in public and private sector
programs, including those of schools, churches, NGOs and POs, so as
to recognize ethnolinguistic and cultural diversity in the country and
What are the attributes of a
encourage the sharing of experiences.
democratic society?
4. Further promote the use of Filipino and Philippine languages in all
_________________________ transactions so as to enable the articulation of citizenship and
_________________________ democratic views and values.
_________________________ 5. Continue to harness institutional as well as informal mechanisms that
_________________________ open up space for the exercise of citizenship and democracy conflict
_________________________ resolution processes, face-to face dialogues, partnership among groups,
_________________________
_________________________ sectors, even the government.

If the government officials and the society cooperate with each other,
respect each other, know how to handle situations, this will lead to a
better democratic government, a stronger sense of community, a
stronger sense of belonging and a more stable, more meaningful and
healthier sense of self.

In conclusion, the vibrant history of our nation emphasized our fidelity to

our promises and our desire to attain independence. We have explored
all the possibilities to attain and sustain these values. The colonial
influence may have tainted our values and traits but we remain faithful to
one another and to our nation. Despite numerous foreign influences, and
the imposition of authoritarian rule, we continue to build democratic
communities and strong institutions to demonstrate distinct and separate
national identity.
REFERENCES
Books
Frando, Milagros F. (2019). Understanding the self. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Barangka
Drive, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

Go-Monilla, M. J. A. & Ramirez, N. C. (2018). Understanding the self. C & E Publishing, Inc.:
Quezon City, Philippines.