Strong Family Ties of Filipinos PDF

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Michael Corpuz...

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Filipinos take pride in their families In the Philippines, it is family first. So whether you are part of the immediate family or you belong to the third or fourth generation, you are treated as a family member. Sometimes, even the closest of friends are considered family, too.

Having Close Family Ties is also one of their unique traits. It is one of the outstanding cultural values that Filipinos have. The family takes care of each other and are taught to be loyal to family and elders by simply obeying their authorities. This is one of the unique characteristics of Filipinos. Having fondness for family reunions during secular and religious holidays such as Christmas, New Year’s eve, All Saints’ Day, Holy Week, Fiestas, homecomings, birthdays, weddings, graduations, baptisms, funerals etc. is evidence that Filipino people valued not only our cultural tradition but the spirit of our family. As Filipinos, we are blessed to have been brought up with strong family ties.

Family Family is considered to be the foundation of social life for most Filipinos. The nuclear family is the core family unit, however bonds are often tight knit among extended family members. Indeed, people may be encouraged to have a relationship with their aunts and uncles that is just as strong as the relationship with their parents. Close familial relationships often go beyond one’s genetic connections or bloodlines to incorporate distant relatives, close neighbours or friends. For example, it is common to hear people refer to distant relatives or non-relatives with familial terms such as ‘tita’ (aunt), ‘tito’ (uncle), ‘lola’ (grandmother) and ‘lolo’ (grandfather). One instance is when a grandchild refers to their grandparent’s friend or cousin as lola or lolo.

Filial Piety

Filial piety is an important concept in Filipino culture. It is understood as essential in order to maintain the collective face of the family and to avoid experiencing hiya (see Social Interactions and Hiya in ‘Core Concepts’). Many Filipinos hold the belief that each family member has several duties and responsibilities they must uphold. Observing one’s duties and responsibilities is important in order to correctly respect others and to ensure harmony among family members. For example, family members are required to show respect to their elders at all times. The opinions of younger family members’ and

children’s opinions are considered to be secondary to their superior. Moreover, those requiring age care are nearly always taken care of by their children or grandchildren.

Household Structure and Transnational Families

In a Filipino household, it is common to find three generations living together. Often, grandparents play a large role in raising their grandchildren. Extended family will often live relatively close to one another and will come together during large celebrations. It is common to find families in the Philippines that have some members who return to their family home during weekends after spending a week in major cities for work or study.

Since the 1970s, the Philippines has been exporting labour abroad, with some members engaging in paid labour abroad while many remain in their home town or village. This means that many Filipino families are spread across the world. Filipino society has widely adapted to the change in family structure. Some parents will leave their child in the Philippines in order to seek labour abroad to better support their family left behind. In turn, they will send back remittances to their parents or siblings who have been given the duty of caring for the child. It is also common to find aunts, uncles and godparents taking care of their nieces, nephews or godchildren, by sending remittances back to the Philippines in order to pay for their education.

Those living abroad with left behind families will attempt to see their family once a year by returning home to the Philippines during their break from work in another country. This can be particularly difficult for those with children or elderly parents in the Philippines. In order to support their families in the Philippines, Filipinos abroad will send a ‘balikbayan box’, containing various items such as clothing, household objects and gifts for their family. In the Australian context, it can be quite emotionally distressing for some Filipinos in intercultural marriages to be denied the opportunity to send remittances home or unable to visit their family, as they feel they are failing to uphold their duty towards their family.

Gender Roles

At times, Filipino society is tagged as patriarchal. This is in part due to machismo attitudes and the masculine standards of many Filipino men. However, the Philippines is closer to exhibiting a matriarchal society. The female influence is significant throughout the country, with many women holding senior roles throughout business and the government. In the household structure, it is often a matriarch in charge. Generally, the head of the household is usually the oldest female, often the grandmother (lola). Income from family members are often pooled together, then the matriarch will look after the family finances.

Family Family bonds are important to Filipinos. The elderly are honored and respected. From an early age, children are taught to say 'po' and 'opo' to address their elders both within their communities as well as their families. There is a special greeting to show veneration, 'mano po,' whereby you take the hand of an elderly person and place it on your forehead as if receiving his blessing. Extended families in the Philippines live together, and even distant members are given the title of cousin. Children have several sets of godparents so that the support system is strong. There may be a few houses grouped on the same piece of land, or in the same neighborhood so that children from different parents are part of one household. Single aunts, uncles, or grandparents look after them while their parents work. The major festivals are also celebrated together. If a family originates outside the city, they journey back to the rural area where they have their roots, to celebrate.

Pagpapahalaga sa Pamilya (Family-oriented) Filipinos are known for having strong and close family ties. They place high regard and put importance on their family before anything else. They work all day and do all they can to feed and provide for their family.

In other countries, when a person turned 18, he/she can live away from his/her family. In the Philippines, they value their family so much that they keep them intact through the years.

Filipinos are Family-Oriented Wherever They Go Family is of the greatest asset among the Filipinos. It is the wealth they can never exchange to anything else including money. Basically, they are, at all times, emotionally attached to their families even after marriage and separation from their parents. Many would think that Filipino are economically dependent on their mothers as they tend to give their children to the custody of their parents. For some reason, it really is, but as a respect to tradition, attachment to families is absolutely a Philippine culture. Culture as it is, and it cannot be argued. It does not mean that the children are uncapable to live independently, but it is a form of love for parents.

Extended Family

By definition, an extended family is a bunch of people with the same bloodline living together in a single place like a home, a compound, or a community. It can be thought as a territory ruled by a clan or simply by a family, but it is not strictly limited to a single bloodline. It is just that due to the growing family and the culture of emotional attachment to family members, Filipinos would inevitably establish something like it. Even those who are farther than being relatives are being taken care of genuinely. As long as someone is biologically connected, he or she is part of their struggle. For them, it is normal to stay at parents’ home even after reaching 18 years of age. Unlike other cultures, Filipinos have extended families consisting of grandparents, parents and the siblings. Even if the kids already have jobs or are already professionals, they stick to their parents. Married couples also live with their parents. It can be with the men or women’s parents. There are also families who have established a community of relatives and families especially among Muslims in Mindanao, Philippines. Whatever and wherever it can be, the only important thing to them is to secure the attachment of families.

Problem of One, Problem of All

It is an advantage among Filipinos to stay attached to families and relatives. Families celebrate together as much as they share together the problem of a family member. All the members of the family would find way to solve the problem of one member like borrowing money, looking for backers, or soliciting

funds among them until the problem is solved. It is also culturally mandatory to them to help the needy relatives or else one could be cursed as evil-minded or selfish. A child is lucky when he or she has rich relatives that he or she could ask for money to pay his or her tuition fees at school and the like. One cannot afford to eat spaghetti when there is another family member who has nothing to eat, so the spaghetti of one is the spaghetti of all.

Obligatory Family Responsibility

Although there is no legal law that secures full obedience of this responsibility, Filipinos are totally mindful that they have to help their younger brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, and even aunts and uncles in times of poverty. That gives the reason why parents punish their children if they do not go to school because they want them to be successful in life in the future and to help them in return. They are expected to build their parents decent homes and live comfortably until death. Filipinos value family so much that they die without them on their sides. As much, they keep them on their sight by helping them as much as they can to prevent loved ones from leaving them. They prioritize their family more than their profession. Whenever a family member is in danger, someone else from a family tends to leave classes, work, or important meeting just to reach him or her out and is willing to sacrifice himself or herself for the family. This is always in the minds of every Filipino to act as parents and do the similar job for them, and eventually when it is witnessed by their young ones, this will be inherited by them. And the cycle remains.

This type of relationship with parents among Filipinos is unique in the world. Although it can also be seen somewhere else like in South Korea or in Vietnam, but the Filipinos have distinct characteristics of what it is like to take care of a family. Filipinos are loving, aren’t they? Filipinos treat family better than others do. Why? Because among other Asian countries, Filipinos suffer more from poverty, and economic asset is a key to living assurance for family members, but it is not a thing for Filipinos. Even the beggars hold their family so tight. They would kill someone who attempts to kidnap a younger family member or those who offer adoption to their hungry children.

Filipino people are family oriented. In fact, Filipinos are closest to their families. This can be seen in the Filipino tradition of not leaving the house when they become adults. In the United States, and most other countries, as soon as a person turns 18 years old or when they get a job they move out of the family home. The Filipino family is so close to each other that they normally don’t want to live far from each other. This is even when the kids have already gotten good jobs or married. There are some Filipino families that buy huge land areas so that they can make it a compound. This means that in the future,

when the kids are grown up, they will get their own houses – in the compound. Therefore, the Filipino family will not need to be far from each other.

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HOME BLOG The Pros and Cons of Extended Family in the Philippines The Pros and Cons of Extended Family in the Philippines 2019/01/31/ Blog

Here in the Philippines, it is very normal that you have extended family. Every Filipino has so much love for their family, they give so much effort just to make them happy and give them the best that they can give. Every child grows with their grandparents and with their auntie’s and uncles who are leaving under one roof or leaving together with their parents. Filipino values and traditions are one of a kind. Leaving with extended family makes each person be close to each other and share what they have with everyone who is part of the family. In the Philippines, the family is very important in the life of each Filipino people. They give their best to support and take care of each other.

What is Extended Family

Extended family is composed of parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and relatives leaving in one house. When you are a Filipino extended family is normal and every Filipino has its own big family. Some Filipino family is called the extended family if their family and relatives are living together in one house. It also composed if the parents, their children, and the children’s spouses and other close relatives are in together.

Extended family is one of the common things that you will notice if you’re going inside the house of a Filipino family. You will notice that almost all family remember is living together in one roof. In the Philippines, the extended family could only show how close and very strong their family is. Filipino family is very close especially those who have grandparents in their house. It becomes intact and they have a strong respect and love because of the old ones living there. They teach the young ones the value of respect, the value of loving their family, the moral of having a good attitude, and show them how important the dignity of themselves.

What makes Filipino learn of having an extended family is that because the Filipino family is very important to every Filipino people. They just don’t let their children separate from them when their children become old enough and build their own family. That’s why the family living together even if their children have their own family of their own.

The Positive Side of Living in Extended Family

Having an extended family makes each person close to each member as a family Filipino family who has extended family are very united as one to protect the family members. Filipino family living together in an extended family has a strong bond. Filipino family who has elders can teach them the culture of respect and the importance of superiority over the younger children and the rest of the family. Filipino family ties are very strong because of the extended family they have. Having an extended family can help each member especially in taking care of the children

Having an extended family can support the financial need of the family. Another member can give support to the one who handles the expenses. Having an eldest or grandmother, aunties, and uncles in the family at home can help the younger ones to learn more and share their knowledge with the younger ones. Having a large family in the house could make you feel happier than being alone. A large family who is living together can always have a company to talk with, spend with, and play with especially those who have children in the family. Having an extended family is having someone to be with. In a time of trouble, in a time of heartbreak, there is one of the family members that are available to spend time with you and listen to your problem. Most especially living in an extended family can have someone to guide you and protect you without, and to hold you when you are feeling down. Having an extended family is knowing that there is someone who always beside you even if your parents are busy, there are people in the house that you can lean on when your day is bad. The disadvantage of Living in an Extended Family However, if there are many advantages of living and having an extended family there are also disadvantage on it like:

A family member might check your personal life, love, and your daily activities outside the house. Sometimes having an extended family you don’t have privacy. There are people that they want to be alone rather than to have a group of people around them so for them having an extended family is a disadvantage for them Somehow, having a big family can also have big expenses, and for most Filipino family who have extended family their problem is their cost of living If problems come and they have some arguments the result of having an extended family is not always good because of the petty fights and quarrel for some members of the family. Leaving in an extended family is better if your house is big enough to accommodate all but if you have a small space in your house and all of your family is leaving there the disadvantage of this is using the bathroom, you could wait before you can use the bathroom. Some extended family that who have their grandparents leaving them could be spoiled their grandchildren and the parents have no control of their children because the grandparents or aunts and uncles spoiled them.

Staying and leaving in an extended family can also cause some conflict for each member. They can have some difficulty and siblings rivalry, sometimes it also causes criticism and lack of support to family members. The Objective of the Extended Family in the Philippines

Here in the Philippines extended family is a normal setup. Especially for those people who live in rural areas that have a low income and low financial support. They force to move in with one another so that they can help each other in financial and emotional support. They work together as a team to help each other with the food that they need and for the shelter that they live in.

A family is the most important area of the life of Filipino people. It is the foundation of each person to grow with the right attitude and positive outlook in life. A family is one of the sources of joy and happiness for Filipino people. Furthermore, the extended family in the Philippines is bonded with courage and love with each member include with grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and relatives. Filipino believes that each member of the family has a duty to serve, protect and support their family. The oldest Filipino transfer that believes to the youngest one. Their duties and responsibilities are important in order to have respect for others and ensure harmony inside the house and each member of the family. Filipino grandparents play a big role in raising their grandchildren from generation to generation. Extended family will be close to each other and will come together in case of difficulties.

Families in the Philippines have strong ties and traditionally have a greater emphasis on extended family. They follow rules set by the head of the family or rules set by the older one. Extended family is one of the most important units of society in the Philippines. Mostly the women in the family are the one who decides concerning at home matters. Family bonds are very tight in an extended family in the Philippines.

Filipino is very vocal about their family, there are so proud and happy when talking about the family they have. They would do everything just to make sure that their family can survive every day for their needs. Filipino parents now are working to support the needs of their family especially their children, so that the role of the grandparents is to take care of their grandchildren, teaching them the values and good morals and how to become responsible when they become old.

The Effect of Extended Family in the Philippine Community