“Ako ay Pilipino, ako ay Pilipino. Taas noo kahit kanino. Ang Pilipino ay ako.

” Commented [s1]: The crossed out words, phrases and

sentences are those that I believe should be removed. The
These lyrics, which came from the song entitled “Ako ay Pilipino” by Kuh Ledesma, which highlighted parts are my own additions in the essay.

highlights the exemplary qualities of a Filipino and the dream of the Filipino people for its country. The
song continuously repeats the lyrics line “Ako ay Pilipino” to emphasize that a Filipino must be proud of
his identity nationality and must show to the entire world that he is not ashamed of his identity.
Unfortunately, However according to Constantino (2008), Filipino nowadays claim regard their
nationality as a mere identity and are still unconscious as to what their goals and aspirations truly are.
only but they aren’t conscious enough to identify their goal and aspirations. According to Commented [s2]: Confusing sentences. The first sentence says
that a Filipino must be proud of his identity. Meanwhile, the second
worldpopulationreview.com (2018), the number of Filipino citizen hits 106, 827, 002 for the year 2018. sentence states that Filipinos nowadays regard their nationality as a
Of course, most of these 106 million people know that they are Filipino by citizenship but do they really mere identity. You made the second sentence sound not good,
when in fact it actually satisfies the first sentence of acknowledging
value their identity or they just took it for granted? Do Filipino nowadays know what it means to be a the Filipino identity. Please consider revising this part.
Filipino?
Commented [s3]: I don’t believe that presenting the statistics
contribute in supporting your idea.
The Looking for Juan Project promotes various artworks such as paintings, sculptures,
and the likes to exhibit the real meaning of being a Filipino In the Looking for Juan Project, different
interpretations of what it means to be a Filipino were reflected through the various artworks, such as
paintings and sculptures. I selected three paintings which for me, can significantly awaken the mind of
every Out of the 100 artworks displayed in the exhibit, I chose three paintings which I believe can help
the Filipinos know their value and to discover their genuine purpose, which can then lead to the
appreciation of their individual and cultural identity. Commented [s4]: What is your thesis? If there’s none, please
insert it in either the first or second paragraph.
The first painting entitled “A Return to my Origins” which was created by Yas Doctor
depicted a girl with a resemblance of roots under her feet in the middle of the forest. This painting
means, according to the artist, that we can value our Filipino identity by acknowledging our roots, or
simply, our origin. According to the artist, his painting shows that we can value our Filipino identity by
acknowledging our origin. The history of our land can be traced back during those eras where Filipino Commented [Rosella5]: Jumping ideas. The two sentences are
not properly connected.
are being to the times when the Filipinos were oppressed and enslaved in their own country. Our
ancestors stood against the conquerors, fought with dignity and bravery, and even sacrificed their own
lives to give freedom for our country and to make a better generation for the future Filipinos to free the
country and to provide a better future for the next generation. This Our tragic but glorious triumphant
history of ours reflects what the Filipino identity truly is can give an identity to what being a Filipino is all
about because the blood of our valiant ancestors and warriors still runs in our vessels.

However, many Filipino nowadays do not pay attention to our origin and to the series of
grievous events that the Philippines has undergone through in order to achieve independence. Mulder
(2013) pointed out that most Filipinos are often at loss of what their origins are because of the cultural
influences of the Spanish and Americans which were introduced to the Philippines many years ago.
“Colonial Mentality” is so prevalent especially among the youth because they are so inclined to the
products and even to the lifestyle influenced by foreign countries especially the United States.
Unfortunately, nowadays, many Filipinos tend to ignore their origin and all the grievous events that the
country has gone through in order to achieve freedom. Mulder (2013) pointed out that due to the
cultural influences of the colonizers, most Filipinos are often confused as to at loss of what their origins
truly are. This colonial mentality has become so prevalent to the Filipinos nowadays, especially among
the youth. The current generation became too inclined to the products and even to the lifestyle of
foreign countries, especially the United States. And there are even some Filipinos who went as far as to
stereotype locally – made products as cheap or fragile because they think that products made from
abroad are more sophisticated thus adding more values to themselves. I am not saying implying that to
idolize idolizing international brands and imitating the lifestyle of foreign people foreign lifestyle means
that you have no value of one doesn't have patriotism to the country. However, as a Filipinos, we must
also patronize what our country offers to us. We cannot won't be able to truly understand our identity if
we often forget and neglect our origin and our root ignore our own origin.

The second painting that caught my attention is “Pagkakakilanlan” by Kervin Roque. The
craft is made of a mirror and sketches of graphite on paper. This The painting shows showed an
illustration of Barong Tagalog with a half – face of Dr. Jose Rizal on the upper part a half-faced Dr. Jose
Rizal wearing a Barong Tagalog. The interesting part of this masterpiece is the mirror located like a
puzzle piece attached to the half – face of Rizal. You will see the reflection of your eyes when you look to
the mirror. Roque believe that most of the Filipinos barely believe what their identity is so he put a face
of Jose Rizal to show to the Filipinos that he is one of those people who made an effort to discover it. A
mirror is attached inside the face of Jose Rizal so anyone who stares on it can ponder who he really is.
The interesting part of this masterpiece is the mirror that is attached to the half of Rizal's face. This
acted as a missing puzzle piece wherein by looking at the mirror, one will be able to see the missing part,
which is his own reflection. In order to help the Filipinos know what their identity is, Roque used Jose
Rizal, who is one of the people who made an effort to discover the Filipino identity, as the subject of his
artwork. A mirror is attached inside the face of Jose Rizal so that anyone who stares at it can ponder
who he truly is.

What I really appreciate in this obra – maestra is that audience can have a real – time
engagement with the painting by looking in the mirror. The real time engagement between the viewers
and the painting is what I appreciated with the artwork. As what the painting means wanted to reflect,
Roque wanted allowed his audience to fathom and discover his real identity, the identity of being a
Filipino the Filipino identity by simply letting them look at the mirror. I certainly definitely agree with
Roque of using Jose Rizal as a subject to show the identity of every Filipino. We all know that Jose Rizal is
our national hero and he enlightened the mind of every Filipino through writing literary pieces such as
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Without his intelligent mind and igniting patriotism for our
country, the Filipinos back then will not be able to discover their ultimate purpose and objective and
that is to free the country from the abusive exploitation of the Spaniards and to attain freedom. Jose
Rizal - our national hero - was able to enlighten the minds of many Filipinos through his many literary
pieces, especially his books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Without his intelligent mind and
patriotism for the country, the Filipinos back then will not be able to discover their ultimate purpose and
objective, which is to free the country from the abusive exploitation of the Spaniards.

It was stated by According to Post (2008), that the most important source of identity for
every individual comes from their sole purpose and the direction in life. As I look into the mirror, it looks
looked like my eyes filled were able to fill out the empty portion of Rizal’s head. And as I ponder for a
few moments, I thought that if I deeply acknowledge my identity as a Filipino through ascertaining my
purpose and discovering my destination, then I can also be like Jose Rizal. If we look directly into a plane
mirror, we can easily see our physique, an attribute of a Filipino. Athough this However, this is not the
only constituent of our national identity because the most significant component of being a Filipino
comes from within. Think deeply of what you can do for the country and through this, you will Commented [Rosella6]: I don't think this is necessary as it did
not support your previous statement nor it introduced your next
appreciate your identity as a Filipino. statements.
 One of the main problem reasons why Filipinos cannot truly appreciate their identity is
because they tend to only think about themselves as individuals, not as a society being self – centered,
they only think for themselves, not for the country. As what has Post stated was trying to portray in his Commented [s7]: I don’t think this is necessary as it does not
support or contradict something you previously stated.
painting, we must know both our purpose and direction in order to know our identity. Of course, It is
true that we can vividly perceive our identity as an individual person, but do we really have a clear Commented [s8]: This is redundant with the last paragraph.

perspective of our identity as a Filipino? A good example for this is some of the corrupt and apathetic
politicians here in the Philippines. During their campaigns, you can see how pretentious they are
through their sugar – coated and flowery speeches which are nonsense because of the cliché messages.
However, during their term, you will not even notice their actions for the community because they do
not even care for the country, they only care for themselves. You can see them during the Independence
Day or flag ceremonies standing before our flag with their right hand on their left chest singing Lupang
Hinirang to show to the people that they are proud of their nationality. Is this what being a Filipino all
about? Do we really value our identity or do we just pretend that we’re proud to be a Juan Dela Cruz? A
true Filipino is not contented of his “label”, rather, a genuine Filipino will dream big for a better
destination of his country, and will act to contribute meaningfully to build the nation, just what Jose
Rizal did for the Philippines. Commented [s9]: This does not have a connection with the
previous statements. This is a completely new idea and must be
The third painting which I think embodies the identity of most Filipinos is the presented as another paragraph, if you want to include this.

masterpiece of RA Tijing entitled “Devout” or “Deboto”. This painting, for me, is quiet creepy because of
the dark aura that it emanates and the deep meaning behind the painting. The dominant subject in the Commented [s10]: If the painting is “creepy” for you, how then
does it embody the Filipino identity? Please present the deep
painting is the tree – like figure with a gigantic eye positioned in the middle of the leaves. Just below the meaning of the painting that you mentioned.
tree, there’s a gathering of group of trees and it seems like they are worshipping the tree. “Religion is a
blessing and a curse” is Tijing’s explanation of the painting.

Cannell (1999) provided statistics that that the Philippines is comprised of 85% Christians,
10% Moslems, and 5% other religion. Most of the Christians in the Philippines belong to the Roman Commented [s11]: Jumping ideas. Why did you have to present
this statistics in the first place. Does it support your previous
Catholic congregation due to the colonization of the Spaniards in the 16th century. How does religion, statements? If yes, please insert a sentence or two that will clarify
especially the Roman Catholicism, contribute to the identity of being a Filipino? Several religious the necessity of putting the statistic.
festivities are conducted in the Philippines to offer devotion and sacrifices to various saints who served
as intercessor between people and God. As a typical Filipino who grew up in a Catholic devoted family, Commented [s12]: This should be revised in a logical manner
and placed before the statistics.
we always go to church on Sunday, light candles on the altar, and do solemn procession during holy
week. To every Filipino, religion can be a blessing because it can make us closer to God and it can make
our prayers works. Religion has a significant impact to the identity of every Filipino because it can hone
our beliefs, culture, and even our attitude. As a devoted Catholic nation, one can probably think that a
Filipino passionately do the roles and tradition of Roman Catholic church, but it’s not. Jocano (2015)
discussed that when a Catholic in a barrio was asked what being a Catholic is all about, he merely
answered the various practices of being a Catholic such as going to church, doing Holy Communion,
memorizing prayers and the likes, thus Jocano concluded that most Catholics are just products of culture
rather than of the Christian religion.

Being “Makadiyos” is one of the core values of Filipinos. Unfortunately, however, this
quality of ours is often neglected nowadays. Religion, instead of becoming a blessing, exist more like a
curse to some Filipino because they are being forced to do practices without realizing its sole purpose. I
used to attend Catholic solemn mass before I joined the born – again Christian congregation. From then,
and I realized that it’s not the religious practices that matter; rather, it is the our relationship with God
or any supreme being that we believed we’re believing in. For me, having a firm faith and living along
the teaching of whatever congregation you belong, rather than just doing religious practices without
knowing the reason, can also establish the identity of being a Filipino.

Aside from these three paintings which I personally think, for me, are capable in
establishing the identity of a Filipino, I also selected three paintings which for me are somehow vague,
questionable, and contradicts contradicting with the identity and purpose of being a Filipino.

One is the colorful painting entitled “Karinyosa” made by Rowel Vicencio, which is very
colorful and is composed of portrays a portrait of a woman holding an abaniko and she is surrounded by
many kinds of flowers. According to Vicencio, said that a Filipina can be described as karinyosa -
affectionate, endearing, loving, and kind. Although, these description of a Filipina is certainly accurate, ;
however, most Filipina nowadays do not settle with just a soft – hearted and passive characteristic;
rather, they are more empowered and are also occupying certain niche in the society.

Benitez (2016) reasoned out that the Filipinas have already gone through a long journey
in the past years and have already risen above the stereotypical characteristic of traditional women. The
Filipinas of the modern age are stronger, more intelligent, more adroit, and are capable of fields of
medicine and engineering. The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (1985) reported Commented [s13]: This study is quite old and the results might
not be resemble the current situation of the Philippines.
that the number of Filipina in the fields of medicine, chemistry, biology, pharmacy, and social science
has increased from 21% to 45% and the new registered Filipina in the field of engineering reached 1, 394
in the year 1983. Women also occupy middle management and technical positions in government
sciences.

The data above shows that the traits and identity modern Filipinas are not only limited to
traditional one. They showed massive improvement and are now equally capable as Filipino men. Commented [s14]: How can you say that Filipino women are
equally capable as Filipino men when you did not present any
“Karinyosa” may reminisce the old – fashioned characteristic of a Filipina, but as the society progresses proof/s supporting this claim.
plus, together with the existence of ideology “feminism”, people must also acknowledge the bold and
fierce identity of a Filipina. My ideas here do not contradict my previous statements that “we must
acknowledge our root” because I am referring to the modern characteristics of a Filipina which are
adapted because of the social progress in the Philippines and are not acquired from the foreign
countries. Because of the changes in the society, the identity of the Filipina has been improved, from
“mayumi” to “matapang”. Although my previous statement talked about acknowledging pour roots, the
transition of Filipina from “mayumi” to “matapang” shows how we are able to adapt to the social
progress of the country.

The second painting that I like to criticize is “Fear” by Dave Lock because it contradicts
the identity of most Filipino, especially those brave warriors who offered their lives to save the country. Commented [s15]: What identity specifically?
The painting shows the horrid portrait of Emilio Aguinaldo with empty eye sockets and black patterns of Commented [s16]: The one in the painting is not Emilio
lines all over his face. This painting talks about our heroes oppressed by fear during the era of mutilation Aguinaldo, but Andres Bonifacio

of the conquerors to the Philippines.

I conclude that the reason why Lock chose Aguinaldo to symbolize “fear” is because, as
we all know, our first president is believed to be a fraud by many historians and he allegedly
collaborated with the Spaniards and Americans during their respective era in the Philippines. Ara (2015)
argued that for Aguinaldo, making allegiance with the United States might be another way for the
country to obtain independence. Aguinaldo was still hoping for Philippines’ independence even though
he had already accepted American’s sovereignty in the Philippines. On the other hand, although
Philippines such as Sakay and Ricarte.

If we recall Post’s statement that knowing our purpose and direction is the main source
of acknowledging our identity, it’s somehow contradicts Aguinaldo’s action because if he certainly knew
his identity of being a Filipino, he will stand for his country and will not submit to the Americans.
Aguinaldo probably didn’t know his purpose and direction as a Philippine’s leader thus he has a vague
idea of what it truly means to be a Filipino. Aguinaldo thought that making ties with the American can
resolve the country’s problem, a lot of Filipino, mostly Aguinaldo’s allies, are still defiant and reluctant
about American’s colonization in the

This painting should not generalize all our heroes during the era of colonization. Some of
them might momentarily affected by fear and grief but we all know that most of our heroes didn’t
surrender until we commit absolute freedom. Some Philippine heroes might be like Aguinaldo, who,
unfortunately, has no idea of the true qualities of being a Filipino, but most of them prove that a Filipino
will always go against the current and they will resist all of the oppression that they are experiencing. Commented [s17]: Due to the confusion in the subject of the
painting, the ideas presented here might not be appropriate to
The last painting that I would like to discuss is the piece entitled “Faith” by Norlie what the author is trying prove.

Meimban. It exhibits a typical scenario where a child is praying to God. According to Meimban, a Filipino
has the core values “makadiyos” and “makatao” and we were taught by our parents to have fear and
faith in God.

I absolutely agree that Filipino’s identity is nothing without the core values “makadiyos”
and “makatao”; however, the current situation of the country nowadays prove that Filipinos has already
abandoned their identity of integrating the core values “makadiyos” and “makatao” simultaneously to
their culture. We all know that during the war on drugs, our country faced the dilemma on extrajudicial Commented [s18]: How did you say so? This is a quite risky
statement to say.
killings where drug users and those who are only falsely accused were annihilated without any
appropriate judicial process. Agnello (2017) claims that around 6,000 civilians were reportedly dead
during the “Oplan Tokhang” operation but the Filipinos remain ignorant and still gave President Rodrigo
Duterte a high – rating. It was also stated that extrajudicial killings might be the only remaining resolve
to the corruption, violence, and drug cases in the Philippines. Commented [s19]: Jumping statement. Please explain the need
to put this examples.
Given the situation above, can we still conclude that the Filipino still execute the
“makatao” core value? Do our government officials know what is human rights? Meimban stated that
this his painting shows that Filipinos has still have fear in God, but given the malevolent situation of the
country, I think that most Filipino, especially those who are seated in the high office, do not anymore
value the teachings of our religion anymore. I stated in the earlier paragraph that the Philippines is
composed of many Catholic people; however, I cannot see the manifestation of Christian teachings in
the Philippines because most Filipino do not anymore care about his fellow men anymore. Commented [s20]: This is a risky generalization that most
people do not care about his fellow men anymore.
What does it mean to be a Filipino? In my essay, I was able to emphasize emphasized in
my essay the various characteristics that can help us identify the Filipino identity. of being Filipino and
Knowing our identity identities and qualities will lead us to further appreciate appreciation of our
culture and characteristics. And being a Filipino does not only mean being means that we are not only
aware of our nationality, but we must also have having a clear perspective of our purpose, direction, and
actions for the Philippines. Before, I only acknowledged know that I am a Filipino because it was
declared in my birth certificate and of course because I am living here in the Philippines. But, after
seeing the paintings, I was able to truly appreciate my national identity and knew recognize my purpose
for the country.

Bibliography

Ara, S. (2015, July). Emilio Aguinaldo, Under American and Japanese Rule: Submission for
Independence?. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints.

Constantino, R. (2008, April). Identity and Consciousness: The Philippine Experience. Retrieved from

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00472337685390031

Jocano, L.F. (2015). Filipino Catholicism: A Case Study in Religious Change. Philippines

Mulder, N. (2013). Filipino Identity: The Haunting Question. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Commented [s21]: Please use one style of citation (APA, MLA
or Chicago). Insert all necessary information like author, date, title,
journal, page/s