Pinas Forum

Sense of Being a Filipino
by Dr. Zeus Salazar

In the Philippines, "yes" is yes, "maybe" is no and "no" is rarely heard. When a Filipino is asked a "yes" or "no" question, one is likely to get a "yes," if the idea sits well with the person being asked. If it doesn't, he won't say "no," he'll say "maybe."

A description of Filipino society may be culled from what anthropologists call a "high-context" culture, one in which the modes of behavior are not explicitly stated but are instead inferred in many different ways, such as tone of voice, body language and the idiosyncrasies of the linguafranca. (By contrast, the "low context" behavior of Western societies is seen as abrasive, uncouth and impersonal.) In a "high context" culture, interpersonal communication operates both on personal feelings as well as upon the anticipated reaction of the other person.

Everybody knows the basic tenets of behavior. In the Philippines, as in most of Asia, these tenets are based on respect, another outward manifestation of pakiramdam. Only in the Philippines would one find a young executive addressing the company messenger, a much older man, in the third person plural and using the respectful term po.