Persistence of Filipino values & traditions

Many of the experts who were interviewed believed that in spite of technological progression, Filipino culture would remain relatively static. AI thought leader Dominic Ligot believes that cultural traits, such as our collectivist nature and our tendency to rally around heroes or avatars, are unlikely to change in the near-term. Furthermore, he brought up how a lot of toxic Filipino behaviors can be traced to past centuries. For instance, the padrino (or patronage) system, which is still prevalent in local business and politics, can be traced back to the Spanish colonial period, where Filipinos were forced to obtain consent from a more powerful person in order to improve their socioeconomic status.

But while it is unlikely for Filipino culture to significantly change, Dominic Ligot believes that a global crisis (e.g. another world war) would make this possible. However, we should not wait for such an event in order to change for the better. For the sake of societal progress, it is crucial to recognize the cultural norms we have, both positive and negative, and see how we can work with them or on them.

One notable value that would endure would be diskarte, otherwise known as resourcefulness. One of the experts who were interviewed said that Filipinos will always seek ways to live and acquire the resources that they need, even in the face of restrictions and repression. This adaptability could lead to innovative ways of navigating technological challenges and societal constraints.

As an example, he brought up Onel de Guzman, the creator of the infamous ILOVEYOU virus. This virus gained recognition by hacking Wi-Fi and internet passwords outside the Philippines, inadvertently causing significant global damage. But Onel initially created this virus to get internet access (which he saw as a right) as a poor student. Onel’s story shows how Filipinos work to survive in inequitable conditions; they are willing to go to any length to get what they need, even if it may be illegal.

A more legal manifestation of Filipino diskarte could also be seen in the phenomenon of shopping in tiangges or bazaars; when the pandemic hit, many involved shops transitioned to e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada. Maded Batara said that while the mode of shopping changed, the way Filipinos approach shopping (i.e. trying to find the best deal, budol culture) remains the same.

Another notable aspect of Filipino culture that would persist would be the way Filipinos socialize.

Product designer Selina struggled to envision how our socialization experience would degrade in the future because she believed that Filipinos would always find ways to connect with each other. Similarly, activist Maded Batara states: “Technology doesn't really change the essence of how we do things; it just changes the form. It makes things easier [and]...better”. For example, Filipinos are prolific users of their smartphones, often texting and sharing photos, earning the country the titles of "Text Capital" and "Selfie Capital" of the world. In the future, Filipinos may be conversing via VR or having conversations [with] AI-generated avatars, but the inclination towards connection remains the same.

Maded further illustrates this inclination by describing how the way a barangay socializes has changed over the years:

[Visualize]...a small barangay community [composed] of urban poor [or] informal settlers…[and] see how they're conversing[.]...It's very familial, [and] it's very community-based. It's just...manifesting in different ways.

“...20 years ago, without technology, [bonding] might just be people actually playing on the streets...”

“...And then, when the Internet [emerged], we have the Internet cafes arising...we made [those] the center of hangouts...”

“And then now...in these communities, you see people dancing for Tiktok with their friends, or playing Mobile Legends…[I]nstead of watching TV…[t]hey're probably watching stuff on Youtube…”

“...[But these] [s]till [show] the same fundamental values of community. Kind of like...Filipinos finding ways to pass the time by intense hardships...It's just that the actual form, the actual way that they're conversing, is just augmented by that technology…”

“...[Maybe] in 20 years...we [would] have much more powerful phones that could do more powerful AI. Or by then, we do virtual [AR]...It might be affordable...that people can now just wear…phones with their glasses, and then they could just emerge into this kind of magic...virtual world...”

“...It's sort of already here. [Remember how] in 2010, we were all probably playing Farmville or Pet Society[?]…We still have that sense of community [now], just with [different] technology. It'll just become more affordable or cheap in 20 years…”

“....[I]t's the same community...It's fundamentally the same values...nothing changes. It's just the technologies furthering deeper inequalities for the system, propagated by the people who are in charge. But you still see people express those same values that they hold dear despite technological change.”

MADED BATARA
DEPUTY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS' UNION

Filipinos not only use technology to socialize with their peers, but also to preserve the memories created with them. “The Internet in general is a place of remembrance, [just] like [how] technology is a tool for remembrance. The ways that culture is already encoded into these large systems is also how we will remember ourselves and conceptualize ourselves in the future,” said PhD student Jianna So. For Filipinos, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are our favorite places for practicing memory-making, even when it comes to practicing cultural traditions.

One example of this is digital mourning. During the pandemic, strict protocols on mass gatherings forced Filipinos to use Facebook as a site for mourning. Pre-pandemic practices were adapted for the digital context; Facebook statuses replaced phone calls as the way of announcing the news, and changing Facebook profile photos (to black squares, images of candles, or grayscale images with the deceased) became the digital equivalent of wearing black to signify one’s bereavement. But new digitally native practices also emerged. While pre-pandemic and in-person eulogies tended to be formal, addressed to an audience of mourners, Filipinos now would write public and informal eulogies that are addressed to the dead. They would even utilize the Facebook Memories feature as a prompt for remembering the deceased.

Another tradition adapted for the digital context is religious festivals. For instance, artist Nathalie Dagmang created Kamustahan Art Projects to bring together Filipino labor migrants, artists, family members, academics and activists across the diaspora. One of these projects is Mayflowers, an initiative inspired by Flores de Mayo, a Filipino festival and commemoration of Marian devotion. During the month of May, migrants created flower arrangements from paper and recycled materials; these were then offered to their loved ones and the places they currently lived in by being posted publicly on Facebook. The initiative culminated with a virtual Santacruzan on Facebook, which these migrants also performed in.

Both of these examples illustrate how technology enables Filipinos to maintain cultural traditions despite physical distance. Overall, as Filipinos develop more closely with technology, we would see it as integral to the very life practices that we embody. Instead of being viewed as a separate entity, technology would now serve as a permanent medium for remembrance and conceptualization.

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