There may be negative traits that are common to many Filipinos, such as crab mentality (envy and insecurity), mañana habit (procrastination) and tardiness, that are hindering our country’s progress and human development index. But on the other side, we also have several positive traits that make us one of the most admirable people on Earth. The following good habits make the Filipinos great people and the Philippines a great country. Let us do our best to preserve them.

1. Hospitability. It’s one of the most popular traits of Filipinos. We are usually friendly and welcoming to our guests. This Filipino attribute makes the Philippines one of the most favorite destinations by tourists who want to enjoy the beauty of our nature and the friendliness of our people, not to mention we can also understand and speak English.

2. Adaptability and resilience. Despite all the calamities that struck our country, like the strong earthquake and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that devastated the central part of Visayas in 2013, Filipinos are persistent enough to get back on their feet, even without the solid help from the government. We can also adapt to any type of environment and mingle with any kind of people all over the world.

3. Resourcefulness and creativity. Filipinos are known for ingenuity. We are creative in many ways, whether it’s in art, music, science, technology and business. Some of our smartest countrymen can come up with a brilliant idea despite poverty or lack of financial resources. We are also good at recycling trash and turn them into ingenious products.

4. Faithfulness. Filipinos are one of the most faithful people in the world. Whatever our religion is, we remain faithful and we don’t lose hope for a better tomorrow. Our faithfulness and hopefulness keep us kind, positive, peaceful and determined to achieve our goals no matter how impossible they may seem.

5. Unity in bayanihan spirit. We are in close relationship with our neighbors. In barangays and most subdivisions, the people in the neighborhood know each other, talk to each other, help each other, and protect each other. Our communities are organized. We help each other to make our fiestas, festivals and other events lively and colorful to make sure that our visitors will have a great experience.

6. Thriftiness. There may be Filipinos who are living beyond their means. But on the brighter side, there are also many Filipinos who are frugal. We shop wisely to save our money for future important uses. We are conscious of the price tag, discounts and quality of the products we buy to get the most out of our money. Filipino parents also do sacrifices like skipping the stuff they want to buy for themselves just to save their money to buy things that can make their children happy.

7. Politeness. Filipinos are courteous people. The children and young Filipinos will always use the words “po” and “opo” to show respect to someone who’s older or who’s in a higher position than them. We also do the “mano po” gesture (bringing the back of the hand of an elder to one’s forehead) as a sign of respect to our elders. Moreover, Filipino workers will always address their customers with “sir” or “ma’am” to show humility and honor to serve them.

8. Family-oriented. Filipinos are willing to make big sacrifices just to make sure that their loved ones will have a good life. Our parents will do anything just to give us a brighter future. They are even willing to work in foreign soil just to achieve such a goal. And in return, we study hard and even sacrifice our personal love life just to fulfill the dreams of our parents for us. Furthermore, many Filipino breadwinners work extraordinarily hard just to earn money to support their families.

9. Bravery. There’s a hero’s blood running on our veins. We have the most fearless heroes who only think of defending our homeland. Remember Lapu-Lapu, Andress Bonifacio and Jose Rizal. Moreover, our soldiers are probably the bravest in the world. General Douglas MacArthur was even quoted saying “Give me ten thousand Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world.”

10. Jolliness and sense of humor. The Philippines is a country of smiles. Nothing can take away the humor and jolliness of many Filipinos… not even super typhoon Yolanda – the strongest recorded typhoon that made landfall. Despite the tragedy, Yolanda survivors can still be seen smiling, positive and hopeful to rebuild their lives even better. The Filipino humor is evident everywhere, from comedy films, TV shows, to every Filipino you will meet.

11. Discretion and dignity. Perhaps many of our politicians don’t have a delicadeza. But our people, especially the Filipinas, still observe delicadeza. Despite the growing number of Filipinos who are giving up their delicadeza, there are still many Filipinos who always think twice before they make a decision that can affect their dignity and honor. Thanks to their parents who raised them up with high moral standards.

12. Gratefulness. Aside from being hospitable, Filipinos are also thankful. We don’t forget anyone who helped us, whether he (she) is a Filipino or not. We even build monuments to show our utmost respect and gratitude to our heroes and other foreign personalities who helped the Filipino people. We show our warmest gratitude to the international communities who helped us rebuild our lives after Haiyan and other disasters struck us.

13. Honesty and commitment. Perhaps “palabra de honor” is not evident among our politicians, but it’s still evident among the common Filipinos. When we make a promise, we try our best to fulfill that promise even if it will undermine ourselves. For us, to fulfill a promise to others is great self-fulfillment. We are also candor. What we see in you, we will tell you frankly.

14. Helpfulness. Finally, even if the Philippines is not a big and rich country, we still grant aids to other countries in need. We also send our brave soldiers to protect other nations from threats and to preserve world peace.

Originally, we are rich in good values, morals, attitudes and habits. They are the legacies that our ancestors have left us. Maybe some of these qualities are already fading and becoming rare among Filipinos. But we can still do something to preserve them. Let’s protect our moral treasures! Let’s start preserving them within ourselves. Then let’s serve as a model of these good habits to inspire our countrymen to do the same.

Credits to: FAQ.ph