QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Module 2 LESSON 10. UNPACKING THE SELF: The Political Self

Competencies 1. Identify values, traits, political community, and institutions as aspects
of political self.
2. Describe what a democratic culture is.
3. Understand the concept of self in political thought; and
4. Examine one’s political identity.
Discussion Introduction

As members of the society, people are naturally obligated to participate

in a political system as social citizens. Politics is the way that people living
in groups make decisions. It is about making agreements between people
so that they can live together in groups such as tribes, cities, or countries.
As Aristotle stated, “man is, by nature, a political man.” This is because
man is a social being and that people naturally drawn to various political
involvements in order to satisfy their social needs. The political self-
explores how our social and economic contexts profoundly affect our
overall well-being. It is the aspect of our identity that is political, such as
beliefs about what a “good society” means or how much government
regulation is appropriate.
This section allows students to have an understanding of their self –
concept in political perspective and improve one’s political identity as a
Filipino.

Who is a Filipino?
According the 1987 Phil. Constitution, Filipino citizen are "those who
father or mother are citizens of the Philippines those born before Jan.17,
1973 of Filipino, mother who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching
the age of majority and those who are naturalized in accordance with law".

What is Political?
It is primarily concerned with the making as distinguished from the
administration of governmental policy. A republic is a political system in
which the government remains mostly subject to those governed. Some
scholars define any political system in which the citizens legitimize the
government.
The Philippines today has only emerged in the 1980s after over three
centuries colonization of the Spaniards. Meanwhile, the Japanese only
occurred in 1946. Foreign culture, beliefs, language, and religion have
made a huge dent on our own by setting a foundation to the contemporary
Filipino identity and culture. Filipino have truly developed an identity of
their own? or we still living in the shadow of our colonial friends.
The individual's race, ethnicity, and physical characteristics are not
the only factors that make a person's national identity. The important of
values and traits are set apart ne nationality from the other. These values
and traits may not always be a positive thing, but being able to identity
one's self apart from other nationalities and point out weakness and
mistakes, paired with unity and progress a possibility.
QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

What is Political Self?
It captures the extent to which a person thinks of themselves as a
“political person”. These are beliefs about what a “good society” means or
how much government regulation is appropriate. Political self-organization
then refers to the formation of political patterns through the local
interactions of the members only; this can be seen in the formation of
public opinion, political movements, and political revolutions. In a
cultural context, self-organizing processes can be seen in the formation of
customs and the development of beliefs. In a socioeconomic context self-
organization can be seen in the growth, competition, and extinction of
companies, national economies, and the stock market.

Filipino Traits and Values

What do Filipinos value?

The term kapwa or a shared inner self lies at the core of Filipino values
and psychology. A person who treats another as a kapwa has a shared a
sense of identity and consciousness with that ‘other’ person. Both in the
individual and community level, strong emphasis is placed on social
acceptance and maintaining social harmony. As such, social approval and
caring about what others will think, say, or do strongly influence social
behavior.

FILIPINO TRAITS
Hospitality - Offer the warmth and
comfort of your place to a
friend or relative who needs
a place to stay.
- Give more than of your best
to make your guests feel at
home.
Cheerful & Optimistic - Problems are inevitable but
Filipinos are known to be
positive and joyful – plaster
a sweet smile on your face.
Respect - Pagmamano, beso, and
paghaliksakamay should be
manifested.
- Use po and opo and/or
polite expressions when
talking to someone older
than you.
Close family Ties - Maintain a harmonious
relationship with your
family members.
- Avoid conflicts and if
possible settle disputes and
misunderstandings.
- Support and help your
QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

family and relatives up to
any extent.
Bayanihan/Unity and Helpfulness - Sincerely extend help to
your fellowmen.
- Do not choose whom to
help.
- Offer help when someone
needs assistance.
Filipino Time - Show respect, sincerity and
sensitivity by arriving at a
meeting or event on time.
Mañana Habit - Procrastination leads to a
bulkier and heavier
workload.
- Do not delay tasks.
Colonial Mentality - Support locals.
NingasKugon - Be consistent of the
ventures and things you
have started.
Crab Mentality - Be happy of other’s
achievements and success.
- Put off jealousy /
enviousness.
Pride - Learn to ask for an apology
without waiting for the
other party to do it.

FILIPINO MARKERS
Proverbs or Salawikain - Filipino proverbs or Philippine proverbs
are traditional sayings or maxims used by Filipinos based on local
culture, wisdom, and philosophies from Filipino life. If used in everyday
conversations, proverbs are utilized to emphasize a point or a thought of
reasoning: the Filipino philosophy.

Examples:
1. Habang may buhay, may pag-asa. (Meaning: Never lose hope in life.)
2. Kapagbinato ka ng bato, batuhinmo ng tinapay. (Meaning: Repay evil
with kindness and blessing.)
3. Ang buhay ay parang gulong. (Meaning: There is no permanent
situation in this world.)
Superstitions - beliefs or practice based upon one's trust in luck or other
irrational, unscientific, or supernatural forces. Often, it arises from
ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, a belief in fate or
magic, or fear of that which is unknown.

Examples:
1. The number of steps of staircases at home should not be divisible by
three.
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DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

2. Don’t go straight home after attending a wake.
3. Siblings should not marry within the same year (sukob).

Myths and Legends - historical fact morphs into a legend when the truth
has been exaggerated to the point that real people or events have taken on
a romanticized, "larger than life" quality. In contrast, a myth is a type of
symbolic storytelling that was never based on fact.

Examples:
1. Mythical creatures such as duwende, diwata, engkanto, kapre, aswang,
etc.
2. The Legend of Makahiya
3. The Heartbreaking Story of Alitaptap (Bataan Legend)

Heroes and Icons - heroes serve as reminder of true patriotism and

nationalism as they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of their
country`s freedom and progress.
Examples: Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, Lea Salonga

Political Community and Institutions

According to Aristotle, every community “is established for the sake
of some good.” This is because “everyone does everything for the sake of
what they believe to be good,” though they of course can be wrong about
what “the good” is. It follows that a political community must also be
established for the sake of some good. Like Plato, Aristotle believed that
such a community must be large enough to be self-sufficient but must
nevertheless remain relatively small. It is a group of like-minded people
who share common political goals and values such as social justice,
lowering taxes, improving educational policy, etc.
Political institutions definitely impact our economy, education,
culture and society. For example, political parties, trade unions,
legislature and judiciary are needed in order to safeguard the interests of
citizens of the country and to ensure the unity and integrity of the nation.
Its further results in the overall development of the country. they ensure
that the laws are being followed by the citizens of the country.

Establishing a Democratic Culture

The word democracy describes a political system. In a democratic
country, all eligible citizens have the right to participate, either directly or
indirectly, in making the decisions that affect them.
Democratic culture is defined as the desire and ability of
individuals in a population to participate actively, individually and
together, to the government of public affairs affecting them. The existence
of a democratic culture within a population is characterized by the active
contribution, effective and in duration, of members of civil society to
development of: the common good, the terms of “living together” and the
construction of collective decisions. An example of democracy at work is
in the Philippines, where people have political freedom and equality. In
our country, supreme powers lies with the people, the power of the elected
representatives would be supreme, democracy requires free
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DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, 3401 Quirino

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

and fair election and requires respect for law and minority opinion.

Strengthening your Political Skills

Political skill is the ability to effectively understand others at work,
and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that
enhance one's personal and/or organizational objectives. Dimensions
include social astuteness (how well you understand other), interpersonal
influence (how you make others feel at ease), networking ability (using
your formal and informal network to advance your goals) and apparent
sincerity (how genuine and sincere you appear to others).

How to Improve your Political Skills

1. Make a political "book." With any organization or group, you're
involved with, it's a good idea to gather some insights on the people
you work with most often. Record notes regarding how they each
tend to approach problems.
2. Draw a "power web." Create a chart showing the power
relationships among all the people in your organization or
workgroup. Power relationships are those connections in which the
parties help one another move projects forward and obtain needed
support and resources.
3. Strengthen and forge relationships. Review your power web to spot
opportunities to strengthen existing relationships, as well as forge
new ones. For example, ask yourself which individuals on your web
might make valuable power-relationship partners — but you
haven't yet cultivated mutually beneficial connections with them. 
4. A key part of developing and wielding political skill is simply
knowing other people — their major concerns and their priorities.
By figuring out what you can do for them and what they can do for
you, you nurture relationships of mutual influence and benefit.

References Alata, E. et al. 2018. Understanding the Self. RexBook Store, Inc. (RBSI)

Monila, J. and Ramirez, N. (2018). Understanding the Self. Quezon City: C

& E Publishing, Inc.

Magalona, E. and Evelyn S. Sadsad. (2016). Personal Development.

Manila: Mindshapers Co., Inc.

Zulueta, F. M. (2009). Anthropological and Sociological

https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Filipino-Traits-and-Characteristics

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/plat.2012.11.3.413