It always rankles to hear people say “Pinoy Kasi” (or variations of such like “Pinoy talaga” or “Only in the Philippines”) when a compatriot does something that he shouldn’t have done. It’s not like the Philippines is the only country in the world where corruption / stupidity / absurd behavior exists.

And yet, face it folks, every one of us has been guilty of thinking and even speaking in this way. It may be unwittingly, of course, yet nevertheless the impact is there: we all have been a party to the crime of denigrating our own people.

Thankfully, the sight of Pinoys rising on the world stage is becoming more common. Beyond Lea Salonga, we now have Charice, Manny Pacquiao, Arnel Pineda, Monique Lhuillier to name but a few of the more prominent ones. Their common trait: a dedication to the hard work that is the well spring for success.

They show the world an opposite side of the Pinoy Juan Tamad… and have demonstrated, to use a dated term, “Yes, the Filipino Can!”

It was against this backdrop of rising Pinoys and a resurgent sense of Pinoy nationalism that we attended a talk on The Gifts of The Pinoy Psyche by Rose Marie Yenko, noted clinical and Jungian psychologist.  In her talk lasting an hour, we began an exploration of Pinoy traits and where they came from.

While we can’t really discuss everything that she taught us in this space, we can share with you a few key mind-opening thoughts – which may or may not be interesting or useful to you:

What you see as negatives in the Pinoy  psyche, can also be seen as Gifts. Take the Pinoy sense of “kanya-kanya”  coming from his islander and therefore divided nature — it can also be seen in a positive light, in that the Pinoy cares deeply for his community.  (As an aside: You can read what Professor Emerita Quito has to say about this here.)

Even opposites and contrasts can be united. While the Pinoy was cut off from each other by their islands, water united them.

And in fact, it is in the integration of all of the contrasts and opposites that you see the real Filipino. To quote from Carl Jung: “Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one’s being, but by the integration of the contraries.” The true Filipino is an Azkal, so to speak. The sooner we accept that, the better off we’ll be.

The Pinoy prefers leaders who govern with consensus, rather than via authority.  Maybe that’s why even the dictatorial ones need to curry and win the favor of influential groups.

That’s also why the Pinoy prefers the chummy-type of politico, apparently: “Ka-tropa” is important (and why “Huwag mo kami kalimutan kapag sikat/mayaman ka na” has become a phrase we say without realizing that it’s a statement about our unacknowledged and  inherent crab mentality.)

The soft-heartedness of the Pinoy is not weakness, it’s his inner babaylan coming through. Ever wonder why the Pinoy seems so suited to healing and caring professions?

What may seem as the Pinoy’s irrationality could actually be his intuition / mysticism guiding him. Call it faith, superstition, or spirituality, Pinoys tend to be in touch with a world that’s literally out of this world.

There are obviously many more ideas that could be mined from the topic but we didn’t have a very long session. We did however get started on understanding “Pinoy Kasi” in a more positive light.

An aside: Watch Rose Marie Yenko’s Pecha Kucha session here:

It doesn’t contain The Gifts of the Pinoy Psyche talk itself, though it helps to  lay the groundwork for our understanding of it.

A final note: thanks, Mrs Yenko – we now know where Kat Limchoc’s coolness comes from.