2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

VOICES

The myth of 'kapwa'

'If kapwa is so central to the Filipino experience, then why do we see so little of it in our everyday lives?'

Frankie Concepcion
Published 1:38 PM, March 05, 2016
Updated 1:38 PM, March 05, 2016

Kapwa is a word meant to bring Filipinos together, but it seems to have lost meaning in recent
times.

Kapwa, as de ned by the father of modern Filipino psychology, Virgilio Enriquez, means shared
identity, equality, and being with others.

To put it simply, kapwa is the obligation we have towards our fellow man. Knowing this, simply hearing the word
may bring to mind the likes of Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai.

But if kapwa is so central to the Filipino experience, then why do we see so little of it in our everyday lives? Who do
we consider kapwa? How do we embody it?

The history of kapwa

The kapwa ideology has existed in our country long before the time of our colonizers.

The basic structure of our ancestral social groups made kapwa not just a virtue, but a law, a set of unspoken rules
which dictated the hierarchy of a barangay (village), maintained social order, and ensured all families needs were
met and provided for.

When the Spanish, and then the Americans, landed in our country, kapwa was a way for Filipinos to stand in
solidarity against Western in uence.

If kapwa means "us," then our colonizers were the proverbial "them." In a very real and signi cant way, kapwa was
the driving force behind the Filipino spirit of revolution one which led, eventually, to our triumphant
independence.

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 1/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

KAPWA. A Filipino cultural term that indicates one's obligation to fellow humans. Image courtesy Mara Mercado / Rappler

But there is one aspect of kapwa that is crucial to Filipino culture, even today. It is called utang na loob, or the debt
of gratitude we owe to others, particularly those who are superior to us. Today, this means a child is, from birth,
indebted to their parents.

In history class, it means that although we spent centuries ghting for our independence, in many ways, we are
still taught to be thankful towards the Spanish and the Americans. We gave them our land, but they gave us
religion.

We gave them our men and women, but they gave us our freedom, and our ability to speak English.

One must wonder: In those days, were Filipino slaves taught to have utang na loob to the Spanish landowners who
gave them food and money but had also stolen their land and livelihood?

If questions like this could be relegated to the past, then perhaps we Filipinos could be allowed to keep our kapwa,
this ancient ideology which is central to our cultural identity.

But the reality is that while times have changed, Filipinos have grown idle. Kapwa, in its current de nition, can no
longer exist in our country.

Kapwa today

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 2/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

A friend of mine was recently having lunch at a food stall in the University of the Philippines when she overheard
two waiters talking about a corrupt Filipino politician and known criminal.

Gusto ko siya kasi yung pabahay namin galing sa kanya. Ang dami kaya sa amin na yun pabahay galing sa kanya
(I like him because our housing came from him. Many of the people in my neighborhood got their housing from
him)."

Instead of agreeing, the mans friend scoffed. Eh di ba magnanakaw yun (Isn't he a thief?)"

Okay lang, the man replied. At least napupunta sa mahihirap. (It's okay. At least it goes to the poor.)

Of course, while the rst waiter might see the amount of money which this particular politician has invested into
his barangay, all his friend and mine could think of was how much more money this particular politician had
managed to pocket over the years.

But who could blame the waiter, or his barangay?

To them, kapwa was the reason that a man they did not know had found it in his heart to build their homes. Kapwa
is what kept a roof over their heads, kept them fed, made them feel like they were part of a community that was
looking out for them a community in which they could prosper.

What these people could not see is that kapwa, in this case, can also be used as a distraction.

Just as a Spanish landowner can demand the loyalty of those people whose land theyve stolen, so too can a
corrupt politician draw admiration from the very people whose money he steals.

Leave a man with nothing, and he will be thankful for a morsel. Because wrapped in the pretense of generosity is a
deception that has become too common in Philippine politics.

It is the idea drilled into the heads of the masses that success can only be attained through sacri ce, even as our
politicians snatch that opportunity away with their corruption.

Does this mean that sacri ce for the sake of the greater good, also a crucial aspect of kapwa, is demanded only
from the poor, and not the powerful?

Because as our population has grown, it seems more and more impoverished Filipinos have been asked to give up
basic healthcare, quality education, and free contraception. They are asked, as much by our Catholic clergy as our
politicians, to be patient and think of their suffering as a holy act.

In fact, ask a Filipino clergyman like Bishop Gilbert Garcera of Camarines Norte, and he will say that poverty, as a
result of overpopulation, is "not a problem." (READ: The irresponsibility of rabbits)

He says that our people could make "good wives for foreigners," good caretakers for other "aging nations beyond
our own. Church executive Father Castro goes so far as to say that overpopulation is "good for the economy. Ibig

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 3/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

sabihin niyan meron tayong (it means we have) workers." (READ: Spiritually pro-RH)

Sacri ce as purpose. Corruption over prosperity. Kapwa may imply a shared identity, but where progress is
concerned, it is clear that the distribution has not been shared. It has not been even.

Embodying kapwa

This is not to say that kapwa has become the tool solely of evil men. In fact, it is quite the opposite in times of

fear or calamity, kapwa is what has delivered the Philippines, as a country, out of the darkness time and time
again.

It is the power of family, the power of friendship; it is the identity which is created by a group of people who share
a common culture and common memories.

In the right hands, kapwa can be a tool for social change. Already, projects like MUNI have been organizing
meetups and pop-up markets to promote a more sustainable Philippines.

Others have used the kapwa ideology to give a voice to marginalized people, like our LGBT+ comrades.

A few months ago, a local website created a blog post with the title, "Concerned Citizen Teaches Us How to
Improve the Country in Two Minutes." It depicts two images: the rst showing an ATM surrounded by trash,
followed by another image taken two minutes later, in which the surrounding oor is swept clean.

Expect better from ourselves, says the post. Expect better from our countrymen. Take ACTION!

Did this man simply possess a stronger sense of kapwa than most of his countrymen? Did kapwa run through his
veins like an unseen superpower one which the rest of us Filipinos had lost?

I believe that the answer lies in seeing kapwa as an act, rather than a personal trait inherent in all Filipinos. When
we treat everyone equally: that is kapwa. When we do things for the sake of others: that is kapwa.

It is not something we possess, nor can it be something we rely on others to embody. Taking action is the
de nition of kapwa that our country needs today. Rappler.com

Frankie Concepcion is a writer from the Philippines living in the US. Visit her site here.

This post was originally published on X.

1 Show Comment

From the Web

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 4/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

This Video Will Make You Toyota falls behind VW in Take a Peek Inside the High-Earning BPO
Think Twice About global sales Business Class of the Owner? You Deserve To
Beauty Nikkei Asian Review Awarded Airline Pay Less And Get More
Adv-Con All Nippon Airways on Payoneer
Bloomberg

You Might Also Like

Wynwyn Marquez on
arrest of Mark Anthony
Fernandez, death of Mark
Herras' uncle
IN PHOTOS: Miss Julia Montes explains Netizens answer Maxine
Universe 2016 candidates why she left Star Magic Medina's question for
in swimsuit Miss Universe
Recommendedby

THOUGHT LEADERS

A (Vocational) University of the Philippines

I refer to a gradual shift in UP policy that, under the pretext of 'serving the people,' is aimed at lowering the
standards for academic and intellectual thinking

Patricio N. Abinales
Published 5:43 PM, January 21, 2016
Updated 8:24 AM, January 27, 2016

A friend once told me that when a senior of cial of the University of the Philippines was asked
which mantle he would rather wear that of an academic or a public intellectual the of cial
bragged that he would rather be the latter. For, to paraphrase what he said, how many academic
books will the public read as compared to how many readers and listeners would receive a
pundits wise (sic) words?

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 5/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

I thought it strange that an of cial of an academic institution would crow about being a non-academic (two
foremost scholars are still read widely: Renato Constantino and Teodoro Agoncillo). For if he indeed desires to be
a public intellectual, then perhaps he should abandon his post, go on television regularly, write for one of those
rags, and leave the teaching of our top students to academics.

Unless, of course, he believes UP has ceased to function and perform its principal role education and the
research of social and scienti c phenomena. The nation-states prime institution of higher learning should going
by his logic be turned into a giant television set for Boy Abundas pretend smart hour or an extension of either

those think tanks that serve government and opposition.

However, the more disturbing question is why such philistinism permeates the very leadership of UP. One can, of
course, attribute this to an individuals ambition or the personal pursuit of fame (your face always on TV is often
good for the ego, particularly if deep down you feel a Gollum-like insecurity about your talents).

However, I do think there is also something institutional that is unfolding. By this I mean a gradual shift in UP
policy that, under the pretext of serving the people, is aimed at lowering the standards for academic and
intellectual thinking.

Reduced requirements

I had a con rmation of sort when I received this email from a colleague and friend regarding the nal deliberation
and voting by the University Council UPs highest policy-making body to reduce the requirements for a general
education program from a high 45 to a mere 21 units.

Proponents of this reduction justify this cutting down of GE courses because the implementation of the new K to
12 programs has virtually forced UP to reconsider the fundamental requirements for a background education.
They have also argued that reducing GE requirements was necessary so that the natural science and engineering
departments can add more courses to enhance the education of their majors. The third and most lame
justi cation is that the new 21-unit GE program contains courses that could adequately address and ful ll the
requirements that the old program had.

Alas, there is no direct correlation between the K-12 plan and the general education program. My friend cited the
recent statement of the coalition UP SAGIP GE (UP Save GE) which noted that Asias top ve universities with K-12
programs maintained relatively high GE requirements: The National University of Singapore has 36 units; the
University of Hong Kong (54); Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (36); the Nanyang
Technological University in Singapore *36); and the Hong King University of Science and Technology (46). Note
that three of these ve schools score high in science and technology, and yet, they have kept their GE
requirements relatively robust.

The reason for this high GE percentage in a students education plan is simple: these schools aim to produce
graduates who are experts in their elds and who recognize the merits of a holistic and critical education. It is not
enough to graduate an engineer or a physicist; it is equally of value that these students graduate into the outside
world with a fairly comprehensive critical knowledge of that world.

UP, however, appears to be going the other way.

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 6/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

Its leadership has con ated academic excellence and social relevance into one package that is attractive to
parents wracking their brains as to where to get tuition money, but one which sacri ces the development of a
students critical and intellectual faculties. It is this second goal that makes the UP student stand out among her
peers; that makes him take the slogan Pagasa ng Bayan seriously because the nation and Filipinos demand that
she take the lead in the countrys progress.

This won't be the case anymore if this new GE program is to be implemented. The statement of UP SAGIP GE (UP

Save the GE) captures this concern by those who are still serious academics at the State University.

The group states: The truth is that UP students need a productive and intensive GE Program. The intensi ed
standardization of curricula and syllabi on an international level creates an even greater need for deepening the
national context of subjects on history, society, culture, arts and languages. In an era of homogenized
quali cations for certain professions, there is an urgent need for the National University to provide a relevant GE
Program common for all UP students.

This alumnus has reached a similar conclusion and hopes that UP stop this march into vocational oblivion.
Rappler.com

Patricio N. Abinales is an OFW

From the Web

This Powerful Ad Will Where the World's Airline Dedicated to The ve books you should
Inspire You To Believe Billionaires Live Delivering You Fresh & be reading in 2017 to
That Real Beauty Is Mansion Global by Dow Jones Business-Ready change your life
UniversalEntertainment
ABS-CBN - Articles.. All Nippon Airways on Urban Remedy
Bloomberg

You Might Also Like

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 7/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

Esquire condemns leak of
unpublished Ellen Adarna
photos
Uncut 'Fifty Shades Lacson echoes Agot on IN PHOTOS: 5
Darker' gets R-18 PH Duterte: 'Kung gusto mo unconventional Miss
rating magutom, magutom ka Universe evening gowns
mag-isa'
Recommendedby

#BALIKBAYAN

#BalikBayan: Rediscovering Filipino identity

#BalikBayan is a project that will attempt to harness and engage Filipinos all over the world in collectively

rediscovering and rede ning Filipino identity

Rappler.com
Published 5:30 PM, August 01, 2013
Updated 5:30 PM, August 01, 2013

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 8/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

MANILA, Philippines - Welcome to #BalikBayan!

Rappler brings you this new initiative at a very exciting time for Filipinos worldwide.

#BalikBayan was created out of the idea that identity, belonging, and a sense of home are not con ned by any
country's national borders. Yet we recognize how important it is to look back to our roots to give us a clearer

picture of where we are headed in the future.

#BalikBayan is a project that will attempt to harness and engage Filipinos all over the world in collectively
rediscovering and rede ning Filipino identity.

#BalikBayan is three words in one: "balik" to return; "bayan" nation.

Combine these two, and you form the third: "balikbayan" which has two meanings:

noun: someone who returns home

verb: the act of returning home

#BalikBayan means nding home in nding yourself. Its about the journey to self discovery.

But what is home? The answer would not be the same for any two people.

In food, language, tradition and through stories, Filipinos continue to strive to preserve the identity and culture of
their mother country, but have also adapted to changes that come with the new places they call home.

The Filipino has changed the world in more ways than we can begin to imaginefrom Silicon Valley trailblazer
Dado Banatao to the Davao-born Jasmine Lee, who became the rst naturalized South Korean in history to take a
seat in parliament. Countless other Filipinos, in the Philippines and abroad, have forged ahead and made their
mark.

The Filipino doesn't just belong to the Philippines anymore but to the world. Let's go home, mag-balikbayan na
tayo.

#BalikBayan: Finding home, redening Filipino

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 9/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

- Rappler.com

From the Web

The Tallest Women in Happy Birthday Kate This is What Happens This Video Proves That
Hollywood Middleton: See Her 35 When the Cameras Stop We Can ALL Be Beautiful
Livingly Best Looks Ever Rolling in Our Own Way
StyleBistro Zimbio Adv-Con

You Might Also Like

Why it's hard to top WATCH: Pia Wurtzbach LOOK: Pia Wurtzbach's Megan Young to stay with
standout queen Pia welcomes Miss Universe last photoshoot as Miss Miss World for one more
Wurtzbach candidates to PH Universe year

Recommendedby

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 10/11
2/4/2017 Themythof'kapwa'

http://www.rappler.com/moveph/balikbayan/voices/124625mythkapwafilipinotrait 11/11