Lemuel

“EXTENDED FAMILY” of the Filipino

Introduction Filipinos do have a unique relationship with the west and share decidedly a heritage of many significant ideas and values rooted in Euro Christian ethics, but their basic traditional

social

and

cultural

characteristics

contrast

sharply with those of western world, certainly the US. The "national character" and sense of identity is thus complex. And there is a question as to whether or not they even have a

national

allegiance believe

it

identity. does is

not

Some

believe,

extend

limited

to

past the

as

their extended

I

do,

their

province.

Some

family.

It

is

certainly stronger within that group. Although the Philippines is located geographically in Asia, "there is a general sense of being neither this nor that, of sharing something of the Pacific islands, of being heavily

influenced

by

Spanish

and

American

cultures,

as

above.

Further examination of the unique history of the

Philippines and of immigration to the United States serves to illustrate how this country has been a "Pacific Bridge" between

many

cultures.

The

Chinese

were

a

powerful

influence before the US and the Spanish came, and still are them

most

powerful

force here, in my opinion.

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That

is

where the money is, though contrary to popular belief, not all Chinese here are rich.

Chinese residents, who do not

forsake their culture, were born and raised here, Chinese, have a strong social and economic influence that is often either overlooked or underestimated.

The focus is on the

more obvious Spanish and American influence, a big mistake in my opinion.

PROFILE OF A FILIPINO The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Their ancestors, who were of Malay stock, came from the Southeastern Asian mainland as well as from what is now Indonesia.

From

the

10th

century,

contacts

with

China

resulted in a group of mixed Filipino-Chinese descent who account

for

a

minority

of

the

population.

A

small

percentage of Chinese nationals also live in he country, Spanish-Filipinos and Filipino-American may be distinguish by their fairer complexion, taller stature, and aquiline nose structure. The relatively small numbers of migrants from

the

Indian

subcontinent

added

to

the

population's

racial mixture. The aboriginal inhabitants of the islands were

the

Negritos,

or

Phymies,

also

called

Aaetas

or

Balugas; they now constitute only a small percentage of the total population.

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The Elemental Filipino Family From cradle to grave, the family is the Filipino's rock of ages. In childhood and youth, it is his rock of support

and

security; in adulthood, it is home when

he

marries too early and cannot cope, an insurance for times of need; and then in old age, it is the hearth to which he returns, however far he may wander. The Filipino may contract other bonds in the course of his

life

with

the

company

he

works

for,

the

church

he

worships in, the neighborhood he lives in, even the foster nation he swears allegiance to - but the foundation of his strivings is first and foremost his family. And by family is meant the veritable tree that includes under its shade relations up to the third degree as well as in-laws. This explains

why

the

Filipino orphan who does not know his

genes is the most popular figure of pity in Filipino soap operas. If there is one institution that truly works in the Philippines, it is probably the Filipino family. Not even the Roman Catholic Church or the State, for all their power and influence, can rival it in claiming the loyalty and allegiance of Filipinos. There

are

three

basic

family

systems

the

nuclear

family which consists of a husband, wife and children; the polygamous family which consists of a husband or wife and

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several spouses and their children; and the extended family which brings together several generations in direct line and kinship ties built by marriage. The extended type best describes

the

Filipino

family.

The

extensions

can

be

mesmerizing. Almost every Filipino thinks of his family as consisting

not

only

of

the

nuclear

cell

of

spouse

and

children; it includes for him the innumerable relations of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. These are further extended to include kin acquired through marriage

and

the

institutionalized

compadrazo

system

by

which godfathers and godchildren come to be regarded as kinsmen. And what tradition and custom have sanctified, the legal system has reinforced. The State sees the family as "a basic social institution which public policy cherishes and protects." This is elaborated in various provisions of the

Civil

prohibits

Code divorce,

which

treats

extols

the

marriage rearing

and

as

inviolate,

education

of

children, obliges couples to live together and in fidelity to each other, and emphatically states that "in case of doubt,

all

presumptions

favor

the

solidarity

of

the

family." This sanguine view of the Filipino family is by no means shared by all. As Mao did in China, so some scholars and social scientists see the primacy of the family as a monkey on the nation's back.

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The Hunt study of 1963 opined that the Filipino family system

may

nationhood

have and

deterred

suggested

national

that

the

modernization shortcomings

and

of

the

Filipino family may be "the defect of its virtues." This has since been echoed by many social scientists, including the

Jesuit

sociologist

John

Carroll,

who

believe

that

family loyalties impede the development of wider loyalties and

cooperation.

really

be

no

families

that

islands.

That

Some

more

contend

than

mirror behind

the the

an

that

the

assemblage

country's division

Philippines of

millions

fragmentation

of

the

may

republic

of

into into

cities, provinces, towns and barangays, there is the truer division of society into families. The studies pin on the elemental

Filipino

family

such

diverse

ills

as

the

prevalence of dependency, nepotism, graft and corruption, lack of initiative and self-reliance, parochialism, and the flabbiness of Philippine nationalism. There is no lack of evidence

to

back

the

lament.

When

President

Aquino

is

criticized for the activities of her relatives, her critics are

merely

national

continuing

leaders

a

through

long

tradition

their

kinsmen.

of

excoriating

Certainly,

the

Marcos regime did much to show the nation how macabre is the adage that blood is thicker than water.

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Family Structure of Filipino The

complete

importance

of

centrality family

of

family

loyalty,

life

and

obligation,

the and

interdependence are previously described. These values are supported reflect

by the

withstood

a

family

structure

multicultural

Hispanic

and

kinship

Pilipino

ties

heritage.

that

Having

Catholic influence, the ancient Malay

tradition of equality between men and women translates into a bilateral extended kinship system. Both the mother's and father's

lineages

are

of

equal

importance.

Thus,

for

example, names may be inherited through the male line or both

the

unusual

father's

for

the

and

mother's

mother's

family

maiden

name

name; to

be

it

is

given

not as

a

child's middle name. Inheritance patterns further call for equal division between daughters and sons (Aquino, 1981; UPAC, 1980). Although extended

expanded

family

through

system

compadrazgo

system,

Catholicism.

In

a

addition

is

bilateral

further

legacy to

of

lineage,

the

enlarged

by

Spanish

colonial

relatives

by

blood

the

and

marriage, each Pilipino gains relatives through godparent rituals

and

ceremonies.

powerful

acquaintances

Typically,

close

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friend

more or

wealthy

neighbor

of

and the

natural parent is called on to serve as a godparent (known as ninong or ninang to the child) and as surrogate parental relationship to the child by virtue of acting as a sponsor at

the

religious

rites

of

baptism,

confirmation,

and

marriage. Godparents or compadres also assume more active roles as benefactors who may be expected to participate in their

godly

socialization,

oversee

his

or

her

religious

education, assist in times of financial need, contribute to the cost of the child's education and assist in finding him or her employment. In addition to compadres, landlords and employers may further be viewed as surrogate parents to adult family members; thus, other social institutions and relationships

also

family

system.

family

ties,

interdependence

become incorporated into the extended

The

compadrazgo

loyalties,

system

obligations,

extends

and

reciprocity,

binds and

among people in the community (Agbayani-

Siewert & Revilla, 1995). Through this expanded network of kinship relationships, is likely to consider 100 or more individuals as "relatives" (FAFEF, 1982; Santos, 1983; Yap, 1982). The extended family is, in effect, the basic unit of Philippine

society.

Within

given

households,

nuclear

families average six to eight members in size. Unmarried

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adult daughters and sons typically remain in their parents' home and contribute to family support. Additional extended family

members

such

as

grandparents,

aunts,

uncles,

or

cousins also may live in the same house and assume vital roles

(Almirol,

Unfortunately,

1982; for

PAFEF,

increasing

1982; numbers

Santos, of

1983).

Filipino-

Americans, the role of extended family in the Philippines has become that of caregivers for problem adolescents who are sent back "home" to live with them. Lack of parental supervision (with two parents working full time), the need for economic survival, and the stress of acculturation have compelled many parents to remove their teenagers' from the home

and

draw

on

the

family

support

Philippines (Agbayani-Siewert, 1991).

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system

in

the

Conclusion Yet, like the conclusion that prizes the family above everything, the knock against the Filipino family is also facile and tendentious. It reflects the vain attempt to find

one

simple

explanation

of

why

the

Philippines

has

proven so slow in developing, when in all likelihood many factors have contributed, with the mystique of the Filipino family only one of them. One could argue as well that the problem

of

Philippine

modernization

is

not

a

matter

of

making the family less the focus of individual loyalty, but of trying to transform its obvious strengths and values into a force for shaping a modern and progressive society. One instance in which these virtues can work for the whole society is to be found in the contemporary phenomenon of Filipino migrant labor. In recent years, because of lack of jobs and opportunities at home, many Filipino families have been wracked by separations as family members have had to venture abroad to work. Overseas Filipino workers, now numbering

1.5

million,

endure

long

years

of

labor

in

hardship stations to give their families a little more of welfare

and

comfort. What they send or bring home from

abroad runs in the billions of dollars every year - an undeniable boon to a nation strapped of cash. This says

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something

also

about

the

adaptability

of

the

Filipino

family to changing times. It

is

a

popular

notion

today

that

modernization,

whether fast or slow in coming, will erode family ties and prune the extensions of the Filipino family. But stresses on family life are hardly unknown to Filipinos. They have known

their

lifestyles, gap,

and

share broken

homegrown

of

urbanization,

marriages, versions

colonization,

desertions, of

the

the

communes,

modem

generation but

their

basic family system and its values have survived. Amidst the challenges of a changing world, the Filipino family will simply continue to adapt and make adjustments, abiding as the essential place of refuge for the Filipino.

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Bibliography http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/ Living in the Philippines Don A. Herrington http://www.inquirer.net

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