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One thing you have to understand is that the Philippines is a melting pot of cultures, races, and ethnolinguistics groups both pre- and post-colonialism. All cultures have their flaws and their own unique beliefs and lifestyles counter to the mainstream.

The Philippines is no exception, one of the reasons that Filipinos exhibit behaviors that are self-destructive is:

Crab Mentality: One of the things that America is praised for is its acceptance of unique individuals while maintaining a stable collective. However, this was not always the case. Americans did not start finding the middle-ground between collective and individualistic beliefs until much more recently, starting with the civil rights movements that began during the early or half of the twentieth century. The Philippines was sold to America during 1898 when the Spanish Empire collapsed. Americans integrated a new kind of education system counter to the indigenous people’s collective mindset, which is still in action today, with some more liberal modifications to fit the humanitarian mindset of the more recent times. But because of Filipinos being under the rule for so long, it created a divide between the inhabitants. Get on the good side of your oppressor so you’ll survive the system or revolt to regain your freedom and end the system? In the modern context, there is a very pronounced difference between the poor and the rich, the educated and the uneducated, the powerful and the powerless. Filipinos of the lower-class are pit against the upper-class as a result of the Filipino government not feeling indebted to all its people. Poor Filipinos feel powerless and become envious or resentful against those perceived to be more powerful than them. While wealthier Filipinos feel entitled and superior to those who are not. It is because of this divide that Filipinos actively prevent each other from growing as people let alone a nation, because if I am not entitled to human rights, why should they?

Colonial Mentality: Colonial mentality is a very vague term, but what it generally means is to work under a certain mindset or lifestyle generated under colonial rule. During the Spanish rule of the Philippines, white features and Spanish culture were cherished and valued, while the indigenous people were left to rot as they robbed them of their resources. During the American rule of the Philippines, the American lifestyle and English were enforced in public education, and those who refused to conform were brutally punished as minors. Even though the Philippines has moved far beyond the colonial period, a lot of modern Filipinos still adhere to the values perpetuated during colonialism. It is not very clear why we as a culture hold on to these beliefs despite them being very against our very welfare. I cannot speak for my entire country, but I believe that when the Filipinos gained their independence, colonialism was the only thing that was familiar to them. So instead of trying to move on, they still acted as if they were colonized, because it was the only system they were familiar with. They no longer had any spiritual or cultural connection to their indigenous roots, and thus they continued to conform to the now and not the lost. Colonial values include placing one’s value on beauty standards of fair skin and western-style noses; having a superior education, being a devout Christian, or being very rich and influential. Most of these values are very foreign to pre-colonial culture.

Utang na Loob: Filipinos are taught very early on at birth that their self-worth is connected to the gratitude of greater power. Children are taught from a very early age to respect and never question their elders, even if they are abusive and failing to fulfill their basic needs. These children will grow up often being pushed to fulfill the standards of their society (look back no further to colonial mentality) and start judging themselves as well as others based on this false system. A Filipino who cannot fulfill these standards are selfish and deserve to be outcasted from their families and the rest of society. But this just doesn’t extend itself only to family dynamics, it’s the entire society. The rich perpetuate indebtedness unto the poor so that they can maintain their wealth and influence over the rest of society. Some Filipinos may be taught to feel indebted to their government when things during history get better, making it difficult for them to think critically when a new opponent runs for office. Everyone might feel indebted to a greater power to cope or to compensate for feelings of distress or hopelessness. A lot of Filipinos in poverty survive emotionally by praying to the Judeo-Christian God for the fact that their miserable lives has yet to take a turn for the worse. Some Filipinos might feel thankful to the Spanish or the Americans for causing all this indirect pain they perceive as a blessing. This false sense of indebtedness instills feelings of inferiority and forces Filipinos to overcompensate for things that are beyond irrelevant.

Human Rights: In the Philippines, women do not have the right to abortion or divorce under special circumstances, because of the power of the Church. This forces them into unwanted marriages or going to the black market to get an unsafe abortion. Mental health is highly stigmatized in the Philippines and is also very expensive. The Philippines’ youth fall prey to the many consequences of poverty. The age of consent in the Philippines is 12-years-old. While it is still considered statutory rape when an adult has sex with a 12-year-old child, sex between two children of this same age is condoned, and still carries the consequences of it. In the Philippines, there is no sex education because of the opposition from the Church. Without sex education, Filipino citizens will find themselves in undesirable situations because they lack the information that Americans take for granted all the time. Poverty in the Philippines may also inspire families to resort to unlawful behavior. Children might be subjected to human trafficking to support the family. Meaning that an underage boy or girl might be exposed to sex from a foreigner so that they can pay their families. In America there are resource to help children in need. In the Philippines that is nearly non-existent, which explains why street children occur.

Mental Health: All of a Filipino’s self-destructive behavior is the result of trauma born into a mental illness perpetuated by the toxic and dangerous environment in everyday Filipino lives. But the ironic part is that despite the culture instilling mindsets and beliefs that are inherently unhealthy for the mind, mental illness is shunned by the society. Filipinos who can probably afford a visit to therapy is discouraged by their families to prevent stigmas surrounding mental illness. Usually, Filipino citizens resort to their families for support in their times of crisis. However, this can prove counterproductive when the family’s behavior is actually making it more difficult for the person to overcome this problem. They might shame the person and use fear to stop their mental illness. They might use religion which can actually make the symptoms become worse depending on the disorder. It is a combination of all these things that Filipinos are stuck in an unhealthy cycle of mental illness and self-destructive behaviors that inhibit the ability to improve and grow as a person. All the emotional baggage of believing your self-worth depends on meaningless values, as well as other types of abuse or trauma and that you are obliged to compensate by giving yourself up to the superior power, traps Filipinos in a lower quality of life.