Indigenous Filipino Critical Commentary

Virgilio Enriquez, The Father of Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Sought to reorient psychology from being an alleged “neutral” and “value free” social science to one that is cognizant of the politics behind Western theorizing. He also proposed that Proposed that a culturally-appropriate science of psychology attuned to the nuances and differing cultural characteristics of the Filipino. He accounted for and focused on own voices, own and other thoughts, and other local authors and sources. Basically what he did in lay mans terms was get the western ideology, take it crumple it, throw it out the window, and said nice try but you don’t know jack s#!T AND THAT WE FILIPINOS SO HAVE OUR OWN THEORIES AND IDEOLOGIES. It is a form of resistance it could be seen as weapons of the weak or subversive means but I would rather see this as a resistance on a grand scale and ideological revolution if one may so call it. It is the assertion and declaration that here we are as Filipinos this is how we see ourselves, and how you may better understand us, you got part of us wrong but we do not discount what you have contributed but we have a better understanding of ourselves you connote crab mentality or talangka as bad we show you how in the context of those who understand it is not pulling each other down but a call of understanding the indebtedness to ones community and about loyalty and respect.  Bahala na is known as a negative connotation equivalent to the flippant answer of ‘whatever’ but as Filipinos we usually use more of as an self-motivating, courage boosting, morale lifting expression to allow ourselves that push to do something we are nervous or scared to do. Its a verbal shot of Dutch courage.

 

Zeus Salazar allowed for the Filipinos to do something special and revolutionary, the Pantayong Pananaw gives access to Filipinos to look at themselves through their own lenses, through their own magnifying glass without being filtered by western or foreign understanding or interpretation. It is an inclusive look and explanation of who we are as we see ourselves from within and show us how to understand ourselves. We have so long been told by others of who we are that we stopped answering it ourselves and started letting them define us. This indigenous narratives allow for us to say TAYO naman ang magkwento kung sino tayo sa pananaw natin para malaman nila!