others over self

"Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay

Para sa sarili lamang

Walang sinuman ang namamatay

Para sa sarili lamang.

Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isa’t isa

Tayong lahat ay tinipon ng Diyos na kapiling nya…"

-          by Eduardo P. Hontiveros, S.J.

The warm smiles- that’s what Filipinos are known for all around the globe. Hospitality is innate among this race. The Filipino people are fond of taking things lightly. It is seldom that they give in to problems. Taking things lightly has helped them to pass through a series of crisis without being adversely affected- at least emotionally. For another, the Filipinos have always been known for being a believer of a Supreme Being. But beyond the mysticism of the Filipinos, what compose them?

However good being a believer of a Supreme Being is, the tendency to exaggerate things and let the Supreme Being do the things that people are supposed to do have always been the problem among Filipinos. The Filipinos are fond of uttering the phrase "bahala na" which is actually an abridged of "Bathala na". Things are meant what they are supposed to be. Fate, sometimes, decides for most of the Filipinos. The assurance that Someone above would help them go through things has made Filipinos complacent with what happens to them. Belief in a Supreme Being has helped Filipinos go through problems. But over-dependency to the Supreme Being has brought several problems and taken opportunities away from them.

Filipinos are also known for being a disciplined person- that is, when they are in a foreign land. When it comes to their own country, they tend to neglect laws, rules and other regulations. Abroad, they use the pedestrian overpass. They throw litter at the right places. They follow traffic rules. But wait until they come back to their own country. Filipinos in the Philippines seem not to know how to properly dispose even a candy wrapper or a cigarette butt. Some also are more afraid of sweating due to climbing the pedestrian overpasses rather than risking their bodies being hit by rushing vehicles driven by careless drivers. This is the Philippines. These are the Filipinos. Only in the Philippines where Filipinos are disobedient. Abroad, they are among those who follow rules and regulations. 

What virtue is then lacking among the Filipinos? It is the sense of duty and responsibility for the society they belong. This is not to generalize that Filipinos have no sense of duty and responsibility. There are some who are very much considerate and aware that they have responsibilities and duties to perform not just for their own good but for the good of the society as a whole. Inculcating sense of duty and responsibility among the Filipino people is very much needed nowadays where the country is plagued by various problems.

If only the Filipinos have been aware that each of them has a duty to perform, the country could have been more progressive and with lesser problems. The problems that plague the country are, in one way or another, a result of lack of sense of duty to the country. The problem of rapid population growth could have been reduced if the families have been more aware that in bearing a child, they have the responsibility of ensuring that this child’s needs could be well provided for. Likewise, development problems such as waste, pollution, urban blight and environmental degradation could be mitigated if only the people are very much willing to do their part. However, most of the Filipinos are not concerned with what the society can reap from them. They are fascinated more on what he/she can get from the society where he/she belongs. Only few would bother, for instance, to throw garbage at the right place if everybody is throwing garbage everywhere.

If only the Filipinos have been aware that each of them has a responsibility for others, it is certain that the problems in governance, such as corruption, would be lessened. The corrupt leaders and the bureaucrats have little sense of responsibility which makes it easy for them to loot the monies of the people. The people who take corrupt officials for granted and think that nothing can be done to change the system are as corrupt as these leaders and politicians.

Sense of duty and responsibility is more of being aware that each and every Filipino has his/her own part or role to perform in the progress of the country as a whole. This as a virtue which encompasses all other significant virtues necessary from the individual level up to the societal level. Awareness of the role to perform means a more considerate individual. In this sense, self-discipline is achieved where the individual is cognizant of the situations of others and not just think of themselves. The very popular "Filipino time" concept in the country is due to lack of consideration to what negative effects such being late could have to others. Self-discipline in this sense is part of having sense of duty and responsibility to attend to things on time.

In sense of duty and responsibility, other virtues sprout. Each one of us has duty to perform for our Creator. Each one of us has a duty and responsibility to take care of our families. But sense of duty and responsibility should not stop there. It should lead further to a more general level where we have duties and responsibilities for people we don’t even know. If that level is achieved where we are openly willing to perform tasks for people we are not affiliated with or would not accrue us direct benefits, the society where we belong would be a society which is not dysfunctional. Having sense of duty and responsibility leads to love of fellowmen and country because such virtue emphasizes being considerate for the needs of others.

Most of the Filipinos live their lives as if these are not part of a larger whole where other people are participating in. Private interests occupy most of the thinking of the people. But this should not be the case. As what the lines of the song "Pananagutan", as quoted above, we live not for ourselves. We are part of a society which needs us to perform our respective role. The old adage "no man is an island" aptly describes what the song would want us to realize. Another line from a famous American President also provides a very definitive explanation of what a sense of duty and responsibility is- "ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country".

Only when others over self is inculcated to the minds of the Filipinos that a true development of the country can be attained. Only when the Filipinos ask what they can do for their country and not what their country can do for them that the country’s economic development would be sustained. Only when the Filipinos become aware that they have a "pananagutan" to their fellowmen and to their country that  the country could have a just and compassionate society. Only when a sense of duty and responsibility is inculcated among the Filipinos.