Filipino Culture

Filipino Family Values

The family is the center of the social structure and includes the
nuclear family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and honorary
relations such as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends
often called aunts and uncles though they are not.
People get strength and stability from their family. As such, many
children have several godparents, the more the better.
Concern for the extended family is seen in the patronage provided
to family members when they seek employment.
It is common for members of the same family to work for the same
company, more likely than not. Jobs are hart to get and you can
trust you relatives almost always.
In fact, many collective bargaining agreements state that
preferential hiring will be given to family members.

Filipino Concept of Shame

Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor behind behaviour.

It is a sense of social propriety and conforming to societal norms of
behaviour.
Filipinos believe they must live up to the accepted standards of
behaviour and if they fail to do so they bring shame not only upon
themselves, but also upon their family.
One indication of this might be a willingness to spend more than
they can afford on a party rather than be shamed by their economic
circumstances.
If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized, or does not live up to
expectations, they feel shame and lose self-esteem.

General Etiquette & Protocol Guidelines

Meeting Etiquette

Initial greetings are formal and follow a set protocol of greeting the
eldest or most important person first.
A handshake, with a welcoming smile, is the standard greeting.
Close female friends may hug and kiss when they meet.
Use academic, professional, or honorific titles and the person's
surname until you are invited to use their first name, or even more
frequently, their nickname.

Gift Giving Etiquette

If you are invited to a Filipino home for dinner bring sweets or

flowers to the hosts.
If you give flowers, avoid chrysanthemums and white lilies.
You may send a fruit basket after the event as a thank you but not
before or at the event, as it could be interpreted as meaning you do
not think that the host will provide sufficient hospitality.
Wrap gifts elegantly as presentation is important. There are no color
restrictions as to wrapping paper.
Gifts are not opened when received.
Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a Filipino's house:

It is best to arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited for a large
party.
Never refer to your host's wife as the hostess. This has a different
meaning in the Philippines.
Dress well. Appearances matter and you will be judged on how you
dress.
Compliment the hostess on the house.
Send a handwritten thank you note to the hosts in the week
following the dinner or party. It shows that you have class.
Table manners:

Wait to be asked several times before moving into the dining room
or helping yourself to food.
Wait to be told where to sit. There may be a seating plan.
Do not start eating until the host invites you to do so.
Meals are often served family- style or are buffets where you serve
yourself.
A fork and spoon are the typical eating utensils.
Hold the fork in the left hand and use it to guide food to the spoon
in your right hand.
Whether you should leave some food on your plate or finish
everything is a matter of personal preference rather than culturedriven.

Business Etiquette Basics

Relationships & Communication

Filipinos thrive on interpersonal relationships, so it is advisable to be

introduced by a third party.
It is crucial to network and build up a cadre of business associates
you can call upon for assistance in the future.
Business relationships are personal relationships, which mean you
may be asked to do favours for colleagues, and they will fully expect
you to ask them for favours in return.
Once a relationship has been developed it is with you personally,
not necessarily with the company you represent.
Therefore, if you leave the company, your replacement will need to
build their own relationship.
Presenting the proper image will facilitate building business
relationships. Dress conservatively and well at all times.
Business Meeting Etiquette

Appointments are required and should be made 3 to 4 weeks in

advance.
It is a good idea to reconfirm a few days prior to the meeting, as
situations may change.
Avoid scheduling meetings the week before Easter.
Punctuality is expected. For the most part your Filipino colleagues
will be punctual as well.
Face-to-face meetings are preferred to other, more impersonal
methods such as the telephone, fax, letter or email.
Send an agenda and informational materials in advance of the
meeting so your colleagues may prepare for the discussion.
The actual decision maker may not be at the meeting.
Avoid making exaggerated claims.
Always accept any offer of food or drink. If you turn down offers of
hospitality, your colleagues lose face.
It is important to remain for the period of social conversation at the
end of the meeting.
Business Negotiation

You may never actually meet with the decision maker or it may take
several visits to do so.
Decisions are made at the top of the company.
Filipinos avoid confrontation if at all possible. It is difficult for them
to say 'no'. Likewise, their 'yes' may merely mean 'perhaps'.
At each stage of the negotiation, try to get agreements in writing to
avoid confusion or misinterpretation.

If you raise your voice or lose your temper, you lose face.
Filipinos do business with people more than companies. If you
change representatives during negotiations, you may have to start
over.
Negotiations may be relatively slow. Most processes take a long
time because group consensus is necessary.
Decisions are often reached on the basis of feelings rather than
facts, which is why it is imperative to develop a broad network of
personal relationships.
Do not remove your suit jacket unless the most important Filipino
does.
Dress Etiquette

Business attire is conservative.

Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit, at
least for the initial meeting.
Women should wear a conservative suit, a skirt and blouse, or a
dress.
Women's clothing may be brightly coloured as long as it is of good
quality and well tailored.
Appearances matter and visitors should dress well.
Business Cards

You should offer your business card first.

Make sure your business card includes your title.
Present and receive business cards with two hands so that it is
readable to the recipient.
Examine the card briefly before putting it in your business card
case.
Some senior level executives only give business cards to those of
similar rank.

Family
It is believed that young people should not marry before they have
completed some kind of educational preparation for a career so that
they will be economically self-sufficient. They also should be
sufficiently mature to assume the responsibilities of raising a family.
The typical age for marriage is thus 20-25 years for Filipino women and
25-30 years for men. Once married, Filipinos are expected to start their
families within a year or so. The birth of a child fixes the ties between
the married couple's respective families. The bond of marriage also is

considered permanent; Catholicism and Philippine law prohibit divorce

except among Muslims and some unassimilated groups (PAPEP, 1982).
Although the father may be ostensibly perceived as the main authority
figure in the nuclear family, the mother has considerable authority and
influence. She generally controls the finances, may work full time
(even with many children at home), and earns as much as or more
than half the family income. Women enjoy high status in the family and
in the society at large. Bilateral lineage attests to this higher status of
Filipinas compared with women in more patriarchal Asian countries.
The long accepted phenomenon of the "working mother" in the
Philippines thus does not pose a drastic role change as it does for other
recent Asian immigrant families in the United States (PAPEP, 1982).
Egalitarian roles and relationships between men and women are
further reflected in family decision making processes. Family authority
is based on respect for age, regardless of sex. Family decisions are
made only after a consensus has been reached to ensure that the
ultimate decision will be representative of and acted on by all family
members. Family disagreements are avoided, if possible; when
disagreements do occur, they are kept strictly within the family (PAPEP,
1982). Children are the center of the parent's concerns. They are
viewed as an extension of the family and recipients of the family's
good fortune. Many adults may assume responsibility for a child within
a family but do not strictly adhere to the Confucian expectation of
unquestioning child obedience. Parents are expected to persuade a
child to accept their point of view, rather than impose their authority
on the child without consideration for the child's preferences or wishes.
The child, in turn, is expected to show proper respect and obedience,
to compromise, and to maintain good relationships with all other family
members (PAPEP, 1982).
The receiver oriented and relatively indirect style of most Asian
languages is characteristic of communication patterns. These patterns
are integrally related to primary values such as family, authority,
interpersonal harmony, concern for others' well-being, and the
importance of "saving face." Similar to other Asian ethnic groups,
Filipinos typically employ formality and honorific language that conveys
proper respect for authority, status, and positions by terms of address
and titles. For example, a physician or a lawyer will continue to be
addressed as "Dr. Cruz" or "Attorney Ramos" by clients, friends, and
colleagues well after more personalized and informal relationships
have been established (in contrast to the American tendency to move
more rapidly toward a first name basis) (Santos, 1983).
Respect for authority and concern for "face-saving" further reinforce

the frequent use of euphemisms, third parties, and saying "yes" when
the opposite is meant (Santos, 1983). Filipinos often will go to great
lengths to avoid making a direct appeal when they have encountered a
problem or wish to convey an important request. They instead prefer to
introduce a go between "to cushion the transaction and escape the
embarrassment that might result from presenting the matter face-toface with the other person" (Gochenour, 1990, p. 50). In their wish to
be accommodating,
Filipinos also may find it impolite or embarrassing to decline social
invitations or to respond directly to other requests that might elicit a
negative answer or contrary opinion. Although apparently concurring in
some manner (through failure to express or defend an alternative point
of view) or ostensibly indicating agreement, Filipinos may actually be
privately opposed to the issue or question at hand. They generally will
make an ambiguous statement rather than say "No," or say "Yes," but
mean "No," "Maybe," or "I don't know." They find it hard to reject or
disagree, especially when conversing with someone considered
superior. When they feel the truth will offend or embarrass, they
answer indirectly. The purpose of an evasive reply is not to deceive but
to please or avoid confrontation (Harper & Fullerton, 1994). Thus, as a
result of values such as paki kisama and amor propio, mistakes will go
unmentioned, questions unasked, and issues unsettled (PAPEP, 1982).
This communication style obviously may challenge a more Eurocentric
orientation that values frankness, directness, honesty, and sincerity
and potentially contributes to a perception of Filipinos as being twofaced (Gochenour, 1990).
Consistent with other high context cultures, Filipinos have a highly
developed sensitivity to the nonverbal aspects of communication
(Gochenour, 1990). Filipinos are considerably less dependent on
spoken words than are European Americans; they watch their listeners
carefully and identify body language cues to assess what the person is
feeling. The essence of this more intuitive and affective sense that
guides nonverbal communication is captured in the phrase "talking
with one's eyes" (PAPEP, 1982). Pilipino sensitivity to context thus
"extends from a keen awareness of appropriate speech and behaviour
in a given situation to a well developed instinct for what is implied and
not stated" (Gochenour, 1990, p. 61). This sensitivity is further
complemented by a high tolerance for ambiguity that enables Filipinos
to respond calmly to uncertainty or lack of information. Again,
however, this orientation may conflict with the characteristically
Eurocentric utilitarian emphasis on forthrightness and achieving and
results in the least amount of time (Gochenour, 1990).