Generally, Filipinos are known to be happy, friendly and very hospitable people and we are known for all these good qualities around the world!
But, let us face it, Filipino people also have annoying and bad habits that sometimes give the country a negative reputation. These habits not only pull us down personally but the entire nation as well.
1.) “Bahala na” Attitude
Roughly translated as “come what may”, this is the Filipinos’ own version of fatalism, the belief of trusting in Divine providence or leaving everything to the hands of fate. It is a Filipino’s way of avoiding rationalization or good reason,
While this trait can sometimes be helpful in time of adversity, the mentality of “ what goes around, comes around,” can also keep us from finding ways out of tough situations.
2.) Procrastination or “Mañana Habit “
This is the Filipino habit of leaving for tomorrow what can be done today. They tend to postpone their actions for a later time thus reducing accomplishments.
Filipinos are fond of saying “bukas na lang” or “sa susunod na lang” due to laziness. This arises from a slack mentality that a problem will eventually go away by itself.
3.) Crab Mentality
Filipinos tend to possess this mentality especially when they feel insecure. In a way, crab mentality also promotes an unhealthy competition.
Instead of doing things that could help one to develop and become better than his competitors, Filipinos devote so much of their time gossiping and back-biting. It is their way of deviating people’s attention on their inadequacy by focusing on other people’s faults.
4.) Lack of self- discipline
We have laws and regulations in order to achieve a harmonious community. However, most Filipinos have this penchant of disregarding the rules in order to prioritize what they want.
There’s a theory that explains why Filipinos lack discipline or fail to implement rules, and it is something that is ingrained in our very culture. Being oppressed by various colonizers for such a long time made our ancestors defiant of the rules they believed to be discriminatory; thus, creating a mentality of “self-righteous disobedience.” This is reflected on how Filipinos break laws to save time. For example, even when a signage clearly says ‘No Jaywalking’, Filipinos will still choose to cross the fatal road because it’s more convenient and for them “righteous” to cross there.
5.) Filipino Time
‘Related to the mañana habit, Filipino time refers to the Filipinos’ own unique brand of time, which is known to be minutes or hours behind the scheduled or standard time. This behaviour drives time-observant foreigners to get frustrated because Filipinos tend not to observe punctuality at all. It’s a dreadful habit that needs to be stopped as it hinders productivity and progress. Not to mention that you’re not only wasting your own time but other people’s time as well./dbs
